Virginia Bruce

Virginia Bruce

Рождение : 1910-09-29, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Смерть : 1982-02-24

История

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Virginia Bruce (September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1928, she moved with her family to Los Angeles intending to enroll in the University of California, Los Angeles when a friendly wager sent her seeking film work. She got it as an extra in Why Bring That Up?. In 1930 she appeared on Broadway in the musical Smiles, followed by America's Sweetheart in 1931. She returned to Hollywood in 1932, where on August 10, 1932, she married John Gilbert, her co-star in the film Downstairs. She retired briefly after the birth of their daughter Susan Ann Gilbert. The couple divorced in 1934, and Virginia returned to a hectic schedule of film appearances. Gilbert died two years later in 1936. Bruce introduced the Cole Porter standard "I've Got You Under My Skin" in the film Born to Dance and co-starred in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical The Great Ziegfeld. One of her final film appearances was in Strangers When We Meet. In 1949, Bruce starred in a daily 30-minute radio drama. Make Believe Town was an afternoon program on CBS. Bruce married her second husband, film director J. Walter Ruben, in 1937, making the Wallace Beery western The Bad Man of Brimstone with him that year. Together they had a son named Christopher (b. 1941), before Ruben's death in 1942. In 1946, Bruce married Ali Ipar. They divorced in 1951 in order for him to receive a commission in the Turkish Military (which forbade promotions of men married to foreigners), but remarried in 1952 before divorcing again in 1964. Bruce died of cancer on February 24, 1982, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 71.

Профиль

Virginia Bruce

Фильмы

Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
A look at actresses who starred in films with thought-provoking subjects made between 1930 and July 1934, before the Hollywood Production Code —the infamous Hays Code— was enforced.
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage)
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
Hollywood Without Make-Up
Self
A collection of behind the scenes and home movies from the golden age of Hollywood.
Мы незнакомы, когда встречаемся
Mrs. Wagner
Архитектор Ларри Коу любит свою жену, но он устал от брака и работы, поэтому он заводит роман с молодой замужней соседкой Мэгги.
The Reluctant Bride
Laura Weeks
A money-to-burn and girl-chasing Texas oilman, and a sensitive, dignified entomologist find themselves in charge of a brood of wild kids whose parents, both famous explorers, are reported lost while on an African safari.
The Plague
Nurse
A nurse in the Red Crescent (the Turkish equivalent of the Red Cross) fights to save the populace during a plague.
State Department: File 649
Marge
Kenneth Seeley, member of the U. S. State Department's Foreign Service Bureau, and Marge Weldon, a morale worker with the bureau, are assigned to an area in Mongolia dominated by an outlaw warlord. The latter captures the village where they reside and when escape is clearly impossible, Seeley blows up the outlaw's headquarters, losing his own life in doing so.
У ночи тысячи глаз
Jenny Courtland
Псевдо-экстрасенс Джон Тритон неожиданно открывает у себя способность к предвидению.
Love, Honor and Goodbye
Roberta Baxter
A lawyer's wife walks out on him, then poses as a French nurse to spy on him.
Brazil
Nicky Henderson
Brazil is perhaps the best of the handful of US films made by Brazilian singing sensation Tito Guizar. In typical screwball-comedy fashion, the plot is set in motion by authoress Nicky Henderson, who has hit the best-seller charts with her latest tome, Why Marry a Latin? While researching her next book in Rio De Janeiro, she finds out "why" when she meets handsome songwriter Miguel Soares. Upon learning about Nicky's book, Miguel decides to teach her a few lessons in the affairs of the heart. Edward Everett Horton is also on hand, twittering his way through the role of a well-meaning buttinsky. Thanks to the "Good Neighbor" policy of the 1940s, South American musicals were a glut on the market, but Brazil was good enough on its own merits to pay its way at the box office.
Action in Arabia
Yvonne Danesco
Reporter Michael Gordon uncovers intrigue in Damascus, where the Allies and Nazis struggle for control of Arab sympathies.
Careful, Soft Shoulders
Connie Mathers
In this espionage movie, set in Washington during WW II, the daughter of an ex-senator has become a dress model. She is approached by an American counter-espionage agent who offers her a chance to serve her country. The carefree son of a naval official receives a similar offer. He is asked to secure secret Naval plans. Unbeknownst to them, the man they work for is actually a Nazi spy. The two dupes finally figure it out, and the spy kidnaps them. Somehow they escape and break up the spy ring.
Pardon My Sarong
Joan Marshall
A pair of bus drivers accidentally steal their own bus. With the company issuing a warrant for their arrest, they tag along with a playboy on a boat trip that finds them on a tropical island, where a jewel thief has sinister plans for them.
Butch Minds the Baby
Susie O'Neill
Aloysius 'Butch' Grogan leads a life of criminal activities motivated to provide for a widow and her child. He's on lookout for a gang of safe crackers when he has to also look after the baby of one of the criminals.
Adventure in Washington
Jane Scott
A troubled youth is offered the opportunity to serve as a Senate page in Washington, DC.
Женщина-невидимка
Kitty Carroll
Сумасшедший профессор Гиббс изобретает машину невидимости и начинает искать подходящую подопытную свинку. Он довольно быстро находит её в лице фотомодели Китти Кэрролл, но всё осложняется, когда его изобретение крадут несколько местных гангстеров.
Hired Wife
Phyllis Walden
Ad man Stephen Dexter asks his secretary Kendall to marry him as a loophole in order to protect his finances during an important business deal. Once the deal is completed, he asks Kendall for a divorce and is dismayed when she refuses.
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel, Fay Bainter, Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Sinclair Lewis, and more, with host Bob Hope.
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Joan Reed
A young law graduate joins his older brother's legal practice, only to discover the firm's clients are mostly mobsters. Director Vincent Sherman's 1940 crime melodrama stars George Brent, William Lundigan, Richard Barthelmess, Virginia Bruce, Brenda Marshall, Marc Lawrence, Henry Armetta, George Tobias, John Litel, Alan Baxter, Louis Jean Heydt, Clarence Kolb, Sam McDaniel and Mary Gordon.
Flight Angels
Mary Norvell
Federal Airlines ace pilot Chick Faber is grounded by Flight Superintendent Bill Graves when a doctor says his eyesight is failing. Aided by Mary Norvell and Nan Hudson, Graves persuades Chick to take a job as teacher in the school for airline hostesses, and Chick and Mary get married. He learns that the Army is going to test a stratosphere plane that he and Artie Dixon designed and feels that he should make the first flight but permission is refused.
Stronger Than Desire
Elizabeth Flagg
An attorney handling a murder case in unaware his own wife played a crucial role in the killing.
Land of Liberty
(archive footage)
This film tells the history of the United States from pre-Revolution through 1939.
Hollywood Hobbies
Herself (uncredited)
In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood stars.
Society Lawyer
Pat Abbott
Society lawyer Christopher Durant agrees to defend his friend Phil Siddall when Siddall is arrested for the murder of an ex-girlfriend. With the help of nightclub singer Pat Abbott and crime boss Tony Gazotti (a former client), Durant launches his own investigation of the murder in order to prove his friend's innocence
Друзья и враги Америки
Maggie Adams
Гражданская война в США позади. Пронырливый бизнесмен Джим Нокс использует любую возможность, чтобы как можно дешевле заполучить землю под свой проект новой железной дороги. Жители города надеются на то, что идеалист и воспитанник Гарварда Стив Логан покончит с проделками Нокса, но неожиданно для всех тот наоборот становится союзником предпринимателя. Никто не знает, что на самом деле Логан — тайный агент правительства. Когда об этом случайно узнает Нокс, он задумывает расправиться со шпионом. Но неожиданно, в дело оказывается впутана девушка...
There's That Woman Again
Sally Reardon
Bill Reardon, a private detective, is working on a case involving stolen items from a local jewelry store. The case takes a different turn when Bill's prying wife wants to help catch the crook.
There Goes My Heart
Joan Butterfield
An heiress takes a job as a department store clerk.
Hollywood Goes to Town
Self
This short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The film celebrated here is Marie Antoinette (1938), which had its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre. We see the street leading to the theatre transformed to suggest a garden that might be seen in a French palace. This includes the placement of trees and other foliage, as well as large statues along the route. Grandstands are set up so fans can see their favorite stars as they arrive for the premiere. Finally, the proverbial "galaxy of stars" arrives in their limousines. Fanny Brice and Pete Smith make remarks at the microphone set up on the carpet outside the theatre.
Woman Against Woman
Maris Kent
A newlywed unhappily discovers that her husband's scheming ex-wife still has a controlling influence in his life and home.
Yellow Jack
Frances Blake
A fairly accurate historical account of Walter Reed's search for the cause of "Yellow Jack" or Yellow Fever and those who risked their lives in the pursuit.
The First Hundred Years
Lynn Conway
David and Lynn are a happily married couple. When David gets his dream job in another state, Lynn, a high-powered executive, doesn't want to leave NYC and her job
Арсен Люпен возвращается
Lorraine de Grissac
A woman and a man vying for a woman's affection: the usual love trio? Not quite so since the belle in question is Lorraine de Grissac, a very wealthy and alluring society woman, while one of the two rivals is none other than Arsène Lupin, the notorious jewel thief everybody thought dead, now living under the assumed name of René Farrand. As for the other suitor he is an American, a former F.B.I. sleuth turned private eye by the name of Steve Emerson. Steve not only suspects Farrand of being Lupin but when someone attempts to steal a precious emerald necklace from Lorraine's uncle, Count de Brissac, he is persuaded Lupin is the culprit. Is Emerson right or wrong? Which of the two men will win over Lorraine's heart?
The Bad Man of Brimstone
Loretta Douglas
A ruthless outlaw becomes very protective of a prizefighter when he learns the young man is his own son.
Wife, Doctor and Nurse
Nurse Stephens
Social butterfly marries Park Avenue doctor and learns that his nurse is in love with him.
Between Two Women
Patricia Sloan
Allen Meighan, an intern, assures himself residency at 'General Hospital', when he saves the life of a man trapped in an explosion. Allen is in love with student nurse, Claire Donahue, and she with him, but, she is married to Tom a physically abusive husband.
When Love Is Young
Wanda Werner
In this drama, a girl from a small town in Pennsylvania dreams of being a star while she goes to school. The trouble is, no one notices her. Later a mentor turns her into a successful Broadway entertainer. She returns to her former college to get sweet revenge.
Women of Glamour
Gloria Hudson
A girl with a reputation falls for a wealthy playboy.
Рожденная танцевать
Lucy James
Фильм основан на простеньком действии, но сам по себе бесценен музыкальными номерами. После долгого отсутствия подводная лодка приходит к родным берегам. Среди экипажа есть три друга, один из которых женат и не видел жены целых четыре года. Он и не знает, что у них родилась дочь. Когда он с друзьями в увольнение приходит в клуб, жена его не сразу узнает, поскольку брак был скоропалительным, после танцевального марафона, и новоиспеченный муж сразу же завербовался на флот. Пришедших с ним два друга сразу же находят себе девушек, поскольку они все пришли в "Клуб одиноких сердец".
Великий Зигфилд
Audrey Dane
Великий Зигфелд – знаменитейший американский шоумен, импресарио и икона шоу-бизнеса, десятилетиями возглавлявший театр на Бродвее. Этот фильм повествует о жизни импресарио – от раскрутки его первой жены, красавицы Анны Хелд до работы над множеством бродвейских мюзиклов и открытия таких звезд, как Фанни Брайс и Уилл Роджерс.
The Garden Murder Case
Zalia Graem
Detective Philo Vance is in charge of the investigation of several mysterious murders. Things take a turn when he gathers evidence against Major Fenwicke-Ralston.
A Dream Comes True
Herself (uncredited)
A promotional short to hype the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935).
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Virginia Bruce (uncredited)
Various Hollywood performers put on a pirate-themed variety show on Catalina Island, with a number of amiable stars in the audience.
Metropolitan
Anne Merrill
Opera prima donna leaves the Metropolitan to form her own company with Tibbett as leading man. She leaves this company too which means Tibbett and company must carry on without her.
Here Comes the Band
Margaret
In this musical, a songwriter goes to court to claim the rights to his song that was stolen by an unscrupulous music publisher. He brings his girlfriend with him. Also going to court are the Jubilee singers, hillbillies, and some cowboys and Indians who demonstrate that the composer wrote his song by rearranging four folk tunes. He wins his song back and $50,000 in damages. Songs include: "Heading Home," "Roll Along Prairie Moon," "Tender Is the Night," "You're My Thrill," "I'm Bound for Heaven," and "The Army Band."
The Murder Man
Mary Shannon
Steve Grey, reporter for the Daily Star, has a habit of scooping all the other papers in town. When Henry Mander is investigated for the murder of his shady business partner, Grey is one step ahead of the police to the extent that he often dictates his story in advance of its actual occurrence. He leads the police through an 'open and shut' case resulting in Mander being tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Columnist Mary Shannon is in love with Steve but she sees him struggle greatly with his last story before Mander's execution. When she starts typing out the story from his recorded dictation, she realizes why.
Escapade
Gerta
A romantic comedy-drama-musical of mistaken identity, infidelity and farce, set in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century.
Let 'em Have It
Eleanor Spencer
Let 'Em Have It is a 1935 gangster film. It was also known as The Legion of Valour and False Faces. An FBI agent tracks down a gang leader.
Times Square Lady
Toni Bradley
A young Iowa woman inherits her late estranged father's New York business, but the dead man's crooked associates think they can outwit the naive heir and seize control.
Shadow of Doubt
Trenna
When a Hollywood producer is murdered, the most likely suspect is a man who is smitten with the victim's fiancee.
Society Doctor
Madge
Two surgeons (Chester Morris, Robert Taylor) in love with a nurse (Virginia Bruce) end their rivalry in the operating room.
The Mighty Barnum
Jenny Lind
20th Century Fox's highly fabricated film biography of circus showman P. T. Barnum stars Wallace Beery (as Barnum), Virginia Bruce (as Jenny Lind), Janet Beecher and Adolphe Menjou. Released in 1934.
Dangerous Corner
Ann Beale
Friends uncover a dark secret when they compare notes about a theft and suicide.
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is an orphan who was raised by her aunt until she came to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. But Jane is attracted by the intelligent and energetic Sir Rochester, a man of almost twice her age. But just when Sir Rochester seems to pay attention to her, he invites the beautiful and wealthy Blanche Ingram to stay at his house.
Kongo
Ann
The ruthless Flint, a disabled man, rules an isolated region of Kongo like an omnipotent god, through superstition and sadism, living only for the day when he can get revenge on the man who ruined his life.
Downstairs
Anna
In the Austrian manor of Baron and Baroness von Burgen, the relationship between the upstairs aristocracy and the downstairs staff is quite positive. The servants seem to enjoy their time together, and some even fall in love, as head butler Albert and maid Anna have done. But when lecherous new chauffeur Karl Schneider enters the house, affairs and blackmail follow, and the harmony of the home is slowly destroyed.
Победитель забирает все
Joan Gibson
Overworked boxer Jim goes to a health ranch in New Mexico to recover where he falls in love with Peggy and her sickly son. Once recovered, Jim leaves to return to the ring. Can their romance survive the distance?
Sky Bride
Ruth Dunning
Barnstorming pilots Speed Condon, Bill Adams, and Eddie Smith travel the country with their manager, Alec Dugan, performing at fairs and air shows and hawking rides for the locals. But when Speed's rambunctious flying results in tragedy, he gives up flying in despair and guilt. Alec tracks him down and hopes to get him back on his feet and back in the air.
The Miracle Man
Margaret Thornton
A gang of crooks evade the police by moving their operations to a small town. There the gang's leader, John Madison, encounters a faith healer and uses him to scam the gullible public of funds for a supposed chapel. But when a real healing takes place, a change comes over the gang.
Whoopee!
Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Western sheriff Bob Wells is preparing to marry Sally Morgan; she loves part-Indian Wanenis, whose race is an obstacle. Sally flees the wedding with hypochondriac Henry Williams, who thinks he's just giving her a ride; but she left a note saying they've eloped! Chasing them are jilted Bob, Henry's nurse Mary (who's been trying to seduce him) and others.
Follow Thru
Woman in Ladies' Locker Room (uncredited)
Lora Moore, the club champion, loses a golf match to a woman from another golf club. Then Jerry Downs, a handsome golf pro, and his goofy friend, Jack Martin, show up. Lora takes him on as her golf teacher to work on her putt. She falls for him, but so do several other women. Meanwhile Angie Howard, Lora's friend, chases after Jack. A lot of silliness ensues.
Let's Go Native
Wendell Sr.'s Secretary (uncredited)
The company of a musical comedy gets shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by a "king" from Brooklyn and his coterie of wild native girls.
Raffles
Gwen's Friend (uncredited)
A distinguished English gentleman has a secret life--he is the notorious jewel thief the press has dubbed "The Amateur Cracksman". When he meets a woman and falls in love he decides to "retire" from that life, but an old friend comes to him with a predicament that entails him committing one last job.
The Social Lion
Society Girl
Marco Perkins is a garage mechanic and a would-be-prizefighter who gets a place on the ritzy country club's polo team because he is the town's most proficient mallet-wielder, having learned to play polo while serving in the U.S. army. His hobnobbing with the town-elite and social upper-crust at the polo-matches gives him an inflated idea of his social position, and he decides he is is moving on up. He breaks off with his girl-friend, true-blue Cynthia Brown, and hits on débutante Gloria Staunton, who appears to have an interest in being hit upon. Gloria's interest lies mostly in showing Marco that hired-hands who can play polo still aren't to the manor born.
Safety in Numbers
Alma McGregor
Before handing over a large inheritance, a guardian hires three chorus girls to educate his charge about the "underside" of big-city life.
Paramount on Parade
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
This 1930 film, a collection of songs and sketches showcasing Paramount Studios' contract stars, credits 11 directors
Young Eagles
Florence Welford
Lieut. Robert Banks, an American aviator on leave in Paris, meets Mary Gordon, a young American who lives abroad, but their romance is cut short by his return to the front. In an air battle, Robert brings down and captures the Grey Eagle, Baden, and takes him to American Intelligence in Paris. Mary, ostensibly a spy for the Germans, drugs Robert, who awakens to find that his uniform has been stolen by Baden. Later, in an exciting air conflict, Baden is wounded but shoots down Robert's plane. The German rescues him, however, and takes him to an Allied hospital, assuring him of Mary's love; his faith in her is restored when he learns that she is actually a spy for U. S. Intelligence.
Slightly Scarlet
Enid Corbett
Passing herself off as a countess, glamorous Lucy Stavrin hobnobs with the rich and famous along the French Riviera. Aware that Lucy is a phony, jewel-thief Malatroff blackmails Lucy into helping him steal the valuable necklace owned by the young wife of phlegmatic American businessman Sylvester Corbett.
Парад любви
Lady-in-Waiting
В небольшом европейском королевстве Сильвания, все граждане, начиная от дворников и заканчивая кабинетом министров, переживают, что молодая королева Луиза не замужем. Граф Рене — военный атташе королевы был с позором выслан из Франции за многочисленные любовные романы в Париже с женами высокопоставленных чиновников, возвращается в Сильванию, чтобы отчитаться перед королевой за свои любовные проделки. Королева, прочитав отчет, загадочно улыбнулась и пригласила графа на ужин в свои апартаменты. Не прошло и двух дней, как была объявлена свадьба Рене и королевы, граф Рене стал принцем Рене и мужем королевы, но этот жизненный шаг не принес счастья молодому человеку. На деле оказалось, что он не имеет ни каких прав в управлении государством, он не король, он просто муж при королеве. Это обстоятельство так расстроило Рене, что он решил развестись…
Lilies of the Field
Doris
Mildred Harker loses custody of her child in a messy divorce settlement. Leaving her hometown in disgrace, Mildred heads to New York, where after a crash course in the school of hard knocks she joins the chorus of a Ziegfeld-like musical revue. Now a full-fledged gold-digger, she enjoys the favors of backstage johnnies and elderly sugar daddies, but finally finds true love in the form of Park Avenue socialite Ted Willing.
Pointed Heels
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Fay Wray plays a beautiful showgirl who falls for a rich Park Avenue guy played by Phillips Holmes. William Powell is a producer in love with Miss Wray, but he won't use his influences to take any advantages.... as usual, he's a perfect gentleman. Pointed Heels was supposed to have been a vehicle for "boop-boop-a-doop" girl Helen Kane, but by the time the film was released, Kane's role was reduced to a supporting part.
Woman Trap
Nurse
In Woman Trap, Hal Skelly is hard-bitten police sergeant Dan Malone, whose mission in life is to rid his community of gangsters. The revelation that Dan's own brother Ray (Chester Morris) is the secret head of all local criminal activities does not weaken Dan's resolve in the least. The barely relevant title is a reference to "heroine" Kitty Evans (Evelyn Brent), the wife of a minor gang functionary. Screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, presumably on a dare, makes a brief appearance as a crime reporter.
River of Romance
Southern Belle
Mississippi, 1830's. Tom Rumsford comes back to Magnolia Landing, his parents'estate. Having been brought up in the North by Quaker relatives, he just hates violence and accordingly refuses a duel. As this is the only way in the South to settle a dispute between gentlemen, Tom's father is so infuriated by his behavior that Tom has no other choice but leave. Away from Magnolia Landing, Tom learns bravery and returns seven years later as "the notorious Colonel Blake", the terror of the Lower Mississippi.
Fugitives
Extra (uncredited)
Nightclub singer Alice Carroll is found in the office of club owner Al Barrow, who is lying dead on the floor. Alice has been overheard threatening to kill Barrow rather than give in to his advances. She protests her innocence, but the District Attorney doesn't believe her and charges her with Barrow's murder. However, things aren't quite as cut-and-dried as the D.A. believes them to be.