Barbara Jo Allen (September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an actress also known as
Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 1950s. She based the character on a woman she had seen delivering a PTA literature lecture in a confused manner. As Vague, she popularized the
catch phraseA catch phrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
"You dear boy!"
Allen's acting ability first surfaced in school plays.
Barbara Jo Allen (September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an actress also known as
Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 1950s. She based the character on a woman she had seen delivering a PTA literature lecture in a confused manner. As Vague, she popularized the
catch phraseA catch phrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
"You dear boy!"
Allen's acting ability first surfaced in school plays. Following her high school graduation, she went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. Concentrating on language, she became proficient in French, Spanish, German and Italian. After the death of her parents, she moved to Los Angeles where she lived with her uncle.
Radio, films and TV
In 1937, she debuted on network radio drama as Beth Holly on NBC's
One Man's FamilyOne Man's Family was a long-run radio-TV dramatic series, created by Carlton E. Morse. Broadcast for almost three decades, it was the longest running uninterrupted serial in the history of American radio.-Radio:...
, followed by roles on
Death Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. It was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman and ran on radio until 1945. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
,
I Love a MysteryI Love a Mystery was a radio drama series about three friends who ran a detective agency and traveled the world in search of adventure. Distinguished by the high octane scripting of Carlton E...
and other radio series. According to Allen, her Vera Vague character was “sort of a frustrated female, dumb, always ambitious and overzealous… a spouting Bureau of Misinformation.” After Vera was introduced in 1939 on
NBC Matinee, she became a regular with
Bob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG was an American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO tours entertaining American military personnel...
beginning in 1941.
Allen appeared in at least 60 movies and TV series between 1938 and 1963, often credited as Vera Vague rather than her own name. The character she created was so popular that she eventually adopted the character name as her professional name. From 1943 to 1952, as Vera, she made more than a dozen comedy two-reel
short subjectShort film is a technical description originally coined in the Indian Film Industry and used in the North American film industry in the early period of cinema. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short subject...
s for
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
In 1948, she did less acting and instead opened her own commercial orchid business, while also serving as the Honorary Mayor of
Woodland Hills, CaliforniaWoodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California, United States.It is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, northeast of Calabasas and west of Tarzana. To the north Woodland Hills is bordered by West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka. Running east-west...
. In 1953, as Vera, she hosted her own television series,
Follow the Leader, a CBS audience participation show.
Animation
She also did voices for animation, notably as the fairy Fauna in
Sleeping BeautySleeping Beauty is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault. It was released to theatres on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution...
(1959) and the Scullery Maid in
The Sword in the StoneThe Sword in the Stone is a 1963 fantasy animated comedy film, produced by Walt Disney originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963...
(1963).
Allen's first marriage was to actor
Barton YarboroughWilliam Barton Yarborough was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama.As a youth, Yarborough ran away from home, attracted by the vaudeville stages, and he first worked in radio during the 1920s. In 1932 he began a long run as Clifford Barbour One Man's Family, continuing in the...
. They had one child together. In 1946, the couple co-starred in the two-reel comedy short,
Hiss and Yell, nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Subject. In 1931-32, Allen married Charles H. Crosby. In 1943, she married Bob Hope's producer, Norman Morrell. They had one child and were married for three decades, until her 1974 death in
Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the west coast, between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, and having a Mediterranean climate, it is called California's...
.
Filmography
Features:
- The Women (1939
The year 1939 in film involved some significant events.- Events :Movie historians and film buffs often look back on 1939 as "the greatest year in film history"...
)
- Village Barn Dance (1940
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released.* February 20 - Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animated cartoon Puss Gets the Boot....
)
- Broadway Melody of 1940
Broadway Melody of 1940 is a 1940 MGM movie musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including "Begin the Beguine"....
(1940)
- Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot (1940)
- Melody and Moonlight (1940)
- Melody Ranch
Melody Ranch is a 1940 western film which tells the story of a singing cowboy who returns to his hometown to restore order when his former childhood enemies take over the town...
(1940)
- The Mad Doctor (1941
The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
)
- Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941)
- Ice Capades
The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....
(1941)
- Buy Me That Town (1941)
- Design for Scandal (1941)
- Larceny, Inc.
Larceny, Inc. is an American film. Originally released on May 2 1942 by Warner Brothers, the film is a cross between the comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, and Edward Brophy.The film is...
(1942The year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, Casablanca..-Events:...
)
- Priorities on Parade (1942)
- Hi, Neighbor (1942)
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch is a 1934 comedy-genre film, directed by Norman Taurog, and based on the 1901 novel by Alice Hegan Rice. It also appeared as a radio series between 1936 and 1938.-Plot:...
(1942)
- Ice Capades Revue
The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....
(1942)
- Swing Your Partner (1943
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :-16th Academy Awards:*Background to Danger, by Raoul Walsh with Peter Lorre*Bataan*Bombardier, starring Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, and Anne Shirley...
)
- Get Going (1943)
- Cowboy Canteen (1944
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released.*September 6 - Double Indemnity is released.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:...
)
- Moon Over Las Vegas (1944)
- Rosie the Riveter (1944)
- Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books.It is remembered for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henry's mother calling, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith,...
(1944)
- Girl Rush (1944)
- Lake Placid Serenade (1944)
- Snafu (1945
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
)
- Earl Carroll Sketchbook (1946
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
)
- Square Dance Katy (1950
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
)
- Mohawk
Mohawk is a 1956 Pathécolor Drama directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Scott Brady and Rita Gam. Jonathan Adams is an 18th century Boston artist, sent to Mohawk Valley to paint landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.-Cast:...
(1956The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* August 4 - The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.* November 15 - Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens....
)
- The Opposite Sex
The Opposite Sex is a musical remake of the 1939 classic comedy The Women. Both films are based on Claire Boothe Luce's original play...
(1956)
- Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault. It was released to theatres on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution...
(1959The year 1959 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters.*September 18 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries his second wife, Barbara Blakely....
) (voice)
- Born to Be Loved
Born to Be Loved is a 1959 film directed by Hugo Haas. Set in an overcrowded tenement building, it stars Carol Morris ; Hugo Haas ; Dick Kallman ; and Barbara Jo Allen .-External links:*...
(1959)
- The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 fantasy animated comedy film, produced by Walt Disney originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963...
(1963The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
) (voice)
Short Subjects:
- Major Difficulties (1938
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
)
- Moving Vanities (1939
The year 1939 in film involved some significant events.- Events :Movie historians and film buffs often look back on 1939 as "the greatest year in film history"...
)
- Ring Madness (1939)
- Kennedy the Great (1939)
- Meet the Stars #1: Chinese Garden Festival (1940
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released.* February 20 - Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animated cartoon Puss Gets the Boot....
)
- You Dear Boy (1943
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :-16th Academy Awards:*Background to Danger, by Raoul Walsh with Peter Lorre*Bataan*Bombardier, starring Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, and Anne Shirley...
)
- Screen Snapshots Series 24, No. 3 (1944
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released.*September 6 - Double Indemnity is released.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:...
)
- Doctor, Feel My Pulse (1944)
- Strife of the Party (1944)
- She Snoops to Conquer (1944)
- The Jury Goes Round 'n' Round (1945
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
)
- Screen Snapshots: Radio Shows (1945)
- Calling All Fibbers (1945)
- Hiss and Yell (1946
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
)
- Headin' for a Weddin (1946)
- Reno-Vated (1946)
- Cupid Goes Nuts (1947
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten."*November 25...
)
- Screen Snapshots: Off the Air (1947)
- Sitka Sue (1948
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
)
- Screen Snapshots: Smiles and Styles (1948)
- A Lass in Alaska (1948)
- A Miss in a Mess (1949
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1949.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Adam's Rib*The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr...
)
- Clunked in the Clink (1949)
- Wha' Happen? (1949)
- Nursie Behave (1950
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
)
- She Took a Powder (1951
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
)
- Happy Go Wacky (1952
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Life (1954
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. The two were married in 1927.* A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", Thomas Edison's Black Maria, is constructed...
)
- Goliath II (1960
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
)