Gale Robbins

Biography

Gale Robbins (born Betty Gale Robbins, May 7, 1921[1] - February 18, 1980) was an American actress and singer.[2] Born in Illinois, Robbins graduated from high school in June 1939 and began her career with the Phil Levant band in 1940. She married her high school sweetheart, Robert Olson, in November 1944 when he was in the Air Force. Starting as a model and nightclub singer she made her film debut in In the Meantime, Darling in 1944 and appeared in several films, such as Calamity Jane and My Dear Secretary (1948). She later focused on TV, hosting Hollywood House from 1949 to 1950. She released the album I'm a Dreamer, backed by Eddie Cano and his orchestra, in 1958. She made three guest appearances on The Bob Cummings Show between 1955-1958. Date of Birth 7 May 1921, Chicago, Illinois, USA Date of Death 12 February 1980, Tarzana, California, USA (lung cancer) Birth Name Betty Gale Robbins Mini Bio Little known singer/actress Gale Robbins was a knockout-looking hazel-eyed redhead who made a slight dent in post-war Hollywood. Born Betty Gale Robbins in Chicago, Illinois (some say Mitchell, Indiana) on May 7, 1921, she was the daughter of Arthur E. and Blanche Robbins, and educated at Chicago's Jennings Seminary at Aurora, Illinois and Flower Tech. Gale had a natural flair for music and appeared in glee clubs and church choirs in the early days. She graduated from her Chicago high school in 1939. She started out in entertainment as a model for the Vera Jones Modeling School in Chicago, but her singing talents soon took over. Signed by a talent agency, she sang with Phil Levant's outfit in 1940 and later teamed with some male singers for a swing band that called themselves "The Duchess and Her Dukes." She went on to work with some of the top radio and live 'big bands' of that era including the Ben Bernie, Jan Garber and Hal Kemp orchestras. 20th Century-Fox caught sight of this slim looker and quickly signed her up, her first film being the pleasant time-filler In the Meantime, Darling (1944). A semi-popular cheesecake pin-up, Gale appeared on the cover of "Yank, The Army Weekly" in 1944 and toured with Bob Hope in Europe the next year. Her post-war parts, mostly sultry second leads, were typically lightweight in nature. She was often lent out to other studios and not always in a singing mode. Gale's better known film work includes Race Street (1948), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Three Little Words (1950), The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) and Calamity Jane (1953). Gale went on to host the Hollywood House (1949) and also appeared on The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) in 1951. In the late 50s the gal with the smooth and sexy vocal style released an easy-listening album ("I'm a Dreamer") for the Vik Label backed by Eddie Cano & His Orchestra. She covered such standards as "Them There Eyes" and "What Is This Thing Called Love." After her final film appearance in Quantrill's Raiders (1958) and a few additional TV parts, Gale phased out her career to focus full-time on raising her family. Married to her high school sweetheart Robert Olson in December of 1943 while he was serving in the Air Force, her husband turned to construction engineering as a career and they had two children. After he was tragically killed in a 1968 building accident, Gale, left with two daughters to raise, decided to make a comeback of sorts. Besides appearing in nightclubs, she was glimpsed in the film Stand Up and Be Counted (1972) and appeared on stage in Stephen Sondheim's musical "Company" in 1975. She died of lung cancer in February of 1980. Spouse Robert Olson (December 1943 - 1968) (his death) (2 children) Robbins died of lung cancer at the age of 58.[3]