Gloria Blondell (August 16, 1915 – March 25, 1986) was a stage, film, and television actress who was the younger sister of actress Joan Blondell.[2]
Family
Blondell was born into a vaudeville family. Her parents and siblings, Edward Jr. and Joan, were all entertainers. She once said, "[S]ome member of my family has been in the theater ever since the time of Richard the Lionhearted."[3] Her father, Levi Blustine (or Bluestein), a vaudeville comedian known as Ed Blondell,[4][5] was born in Poland to a Jewish family circa 1865[citation needed] and died in Glendale, California, on March 27, 1943. He toured for many years starring in the Blondell/Fennessy stage version of The Katzenjammer Kids.[6][7][8][9] Blondell's mother, Catherine (also known as Kathryn or Katie) Caine, was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, on April 13, 1884, of Irish descent. She died on October 5, 1952, in Glendale, California.[10]
Stage
Gloria Blondell said that she first went on stage when she was 9 months old, and she was described as "a trouper at three [years of age]."[3] Her family comprised a vaudeville troupe, the "Bouncing Blondells", whose members were her parents, her sister and her brother.[11] In 1935, she appeared in the Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse at the Playhouse in New York City.[12]
In her television performances, Blondell may be best remembered for her role as Honeybee Gillis in the 1950s sitcom starring William Bendix, The Life of Riley. She was cast in that series opposite Tom D'Andrea as her husband, Jim Gillis. She appeared in the I Love Lucy episode "The Anniversary Present" (1952) in the role of Grace Foster.
She portrayed an aging prostitute who rescues a town from a trio of criminals in "The Looters", an episode of Wanted Dead or Alive.
Voice-over
For Daisy Duck's second appearance as a Disney cartoon character, she took over, marking the debut of Daisy's "normal" voice. Blondell would voice Daisy for six of her nine speaking appearances during the classic shorts era.
Personal life
She married film producer Albert R. Broccoli on July 26, 1940; they divorced August 7, 1945.[17] The following year, on September 14, she married Victor Hunter in Monterey, California.[18] They remained married until his death in 1980, just weeks after her sister's death.[19] Gloria and Victor had one daughter, who was born prematurely and died at birth. During the child's delivery, Gloria also nearly died from blood loss, but her life was saved by an emergency hysterectomy.[19]: 148
^"[Unknown]". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. October 7, 1971. p. 26. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. The Katzenjammer Kids will be presented in Franklin this evening, the company having passed through here this morning on the way to that place. "Eddie Blondell's true name is Levi Bluestein, and he was a resident of Columbus many years ago, living with his father at the foot of Washington Street
^"[Unknown]". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. January 29, 1906. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. No allowance was made for alimony, but Mrs. Blondell seemed to be satisfied. The Blondells, who in private life were Mr. and Mrs. Levi Bluestein, have been annoyed by a case of incompatibility of temper for a long time. They were formerly a member of Katzenjammer Kids' company...
^"[Unknown]". Variety. November 1916. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Rowland & Clifford, a western producing firm, have also a production in preparation under the title of 'The Katzenjammer Kids', securing the rights from Blondell & Fennessy. Both shows are scheduled to play over the International, with the Hill production to be ready by Jan. 1.
