Gloria Jean

Pretty little Gloria Jean in a publicity portrait for the 1939 film THE UNDER-PUP. Gloria Jean Schoonover was born on April 14, 1926 in Buffalo, New York. Gloria's singing ability was discovered at a young age, and by 5 she was singing in the Scranton area. At 12 she was taken to an audition by Universal director Joe Pasternak, who was looking for a new child singer to replace studio icon Deanna Durbin, who was being steered into ingenue and adult roles. In 1939 Gloria made her first film, "The Under-Pup", which made her an instant hit with moviegoers. Happy with their young coloratura soprano, Universal cast her in "If I Had My Way" (194) which co-starred Bing Crosby. Next came "A Little Bit of Heaven" (1940), then a co-starring role with W.C. Fields in "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break” (1941). At this point, Gloria was at the pinnacle of her career, yet her star wasn't soaring. She had outgrown her Little Miss Fixit roles. Unsure what to do with Gloria, Universal moved her to the "Hepcat" movies, which appealed to the teenagers of that day. "What's Cooking", "Get Hep to Love", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and "It Comes Up Love," were all shot in 1942 and "Mr. Big," and "Moonlight in Vermont" followed in 1943. After that came the rather good "Pardon My Rhythm" (1944), and in "Ghost Catchers" (1944) she was teamed with popular comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. Groucho Marx gave her a minor role in his film "Copacabana" (1947); this appearance ultimately landed her four more films. As the 1950's began, Gloria made several singing shorts that aired during television's early days. Other than that and a few guest appearances on TV series, her acting career was virtually finished. In December 1991, Gloria Jean was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award, recognizing her achievements within the film industry as a juvenile performer. Her authorized biography, “Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven”, was published in 2005. Gloria passed away peacefully in August 2018, aged 92.

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