Jean Brooks
Encyclopedia
Jean Brooks born Ruby M. Kelly was an American film actress who appeared in over 30 films. She was raised in both New York City
and Costa Rica
, and was fluent in both English and Spanish. She never achieved major stardom in Hollywood, though she landed a number of prominent roles in the early 1940s. She eventually disappeared from Hollywood and died of complications from alcoholism
.
. She adopted the name Jeanne Kelly for her entertainment career. (According to Jean's cousin, Gloria White, the name Ruby Kelly was abandoned for being too similar to Ruby Keeler
.)
With the help of Erich von Stroheim
, whom Brooks had met while working at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
, she began her acting career. Her first screen role was in the Arcturus Pictures release Obeah, a film about Obeah
curses.
After a couple of bit parts, she starred alongside von Stroheim in The Crime of Dr. Crespi
(1935). Brooks parted ways with von Stroheim some time after Crespi. She then acted in the New York stage melodrama Name Your Poison.
In 1938, Brooks attempted to get back into film acting. After a failed screen test with 20th Century Fox
, and the collapse of Major Productions (who had signed Brooks three weeks before going out of business), she signed a contract to star in Spanish language films for Paramount Pictures
. She landed two starring roles with Paramount, acting under the stage name
Robina Duarte.
After the Paramount contract, Brooks spent another year taking bit parts. In 1940, she landed a contract with Universal Studios
. After more bit parts and small roles, Brooks was awarded with her first leading role in a feature film, playing "Laura" in The Devil's Pipeline in 1940. Her performance was not well received: Variety
described her as "flat." Universal never gave her star treatment, preferring instead to cast her in small roles and B-movies.
. (Though this is known to have been her second marriage, there is no information on her first. It is rumored to have been to Erich von Stroheim
.) Shortly thereafter, Universal dropped Brooks' contract. She spent most of 1942 working bit parts, now performing under the name Jean Brooks. It is likely that she adopted her husband's name as a stage name because dancer Gene Kelly
began acting in films in 1942.
In 1943, she signed a contract with RKO Radio Pictures. At RKO, Brooks was to achieve her greatest success, though stardom eluded her. She appeared in six of The Falcon mystery movies, and was cast in two of Val Lewton
's horror classics, as the heroine Kiki Walker in The Leopard Man
, and as the depressed devil-worshipper Jacqueline Gibson in The Seventh Victim
, this latter role being the one for which she is most widely remembered today.
divorced in 1944. It was also widely rumored that she had begun drinking heavily. (Cecilia Maskell, the daughter of Brooks' cousin, Gloria White, has remarked that alcoholism runs in the family.)
Though Brooks continued to land prominent roles with RKO throughout 1944, most notably The Falcon and the Co-Eds and Lewton's juvenile delinquency
film Youth Runs Wild
, her career unraveled. RKO began casting her in smaller and smaller roles, and she was noticeably gaining weight. She arrived at the September 1945 premiere of First Yanks in Tokyo drunk. In other personal appearances she would pass out in public.
Though RKO was angry with her, Brooks reportedly tore up her contract before they could fire her. She never made another film. Apparently, no one in Hollywood had contact with her again.
In the mid-1950s, Brooks met and married Thomas H. Leddy in San Francisco. She died in 1963. Her death certificate listed her as having suffered from "nutritional inadequacy" for 15 years, probably from alcoholism. She also suffered from Laennec's Cirrhosis
in her final five years of life. She was buried at sea the following year. Her burial was reported in the papers in Costa Rica, though there were no obituaries, and apparently no knowledge of her death, in Hollywood.
Sadly, none of her old Hollywood associates knew anything of her life or her condition. On August 7, 1990, 27 years after Brooks's death, the following appeared in The Hollywood Reporter
: "Anyone know the whereabouts of Jean Brooks? Once married to director Richard Brooks, thus her name, she was aka Jeanne Kelly and under contract to both Universal and RKO in the 1940s...Even Richard B. and several of the actress' former pals say they've lost all contact with her whereabouts."
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and was fluent in both English and Spanish. She never achieved major stardom in Hollywood, though she landed a number of prominent roles in the early 1940s. She eventually disappeared from Hollywood and died of complications from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
Jeanne Kelly and Robina Duarte
Brooks began her professional career as a singer at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria HotelWaldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
. She adopted the name Jeanne Kelly for her entertainment career. (According to Jean's cousin, Gloria White, the name Ruby Kelly was abandoned for being too similar to Ruby Keeler
Ruby Keeler
Ruby Keeler, born Ethel Hilda Keeler, was an actress, singer, and dancer most famous for her on-screen coupling with Dick Powell in a string of successful early musicals at Warner Brothers, particularly 42nd Street . From 1928 to 1940, she was married to singer Al Jolson...
.)
With the help of Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
, whom Brooks had met while working at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
, she began her acting career. Her first screen role was in the Arcturus Pictures release Obeah, a film about Obeah
Obeah
Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from West African, and specifically Igbo origin. Obeah is similar to other African derived religions including Palo, Voodoo, Santería, rootwork, and most of all hoodoo...
curses.
After a couple of bit parts, she starred alongside von Stroheim in The Crime of Dr. Crespi
The Crime of Dr. Crespi
The Crime of Dr. Crespi is a horror film starring Erich von Stroheim, Harriet Russell, Paul Guilfoyle, Jean Brooks , John Bohn, and Dwight Frye, and released by Republic Pictures....
(1935). Brooks parted ways with von Stroheim some time after Crespi. She then acted in the New York stage melodrama Name Your Poison.
In 1938, Brooks attempted to get back into film acting. After a failed screen test with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and the collapse of Major Productions (who had signed Brooks three weeks before going out of business), she signed a contract to star in Spanish language films for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. She landed two starring roles with Paramount, acting under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Robina Duarte.
After the Paramount contract, Brooks spent another year taking bit parts. In 1940, she landed a contract with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. After more bit parts and small roles, Brooks was awarded with her first leading role in a feature film, playing "Laura" in The Devil's Pipeline in 1940. Her performance was not well received: Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described her as "flat." Universal never gave her star treatment, preferring instead to cast her in small roles and B-movies.
Jean Brooks
In 1941, Jean met and married writer and future film director Richard BrooksRichard Brooks
Richard Brooks was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and occasional film producer.-Early life and career:...
. (Though this is known to have been her second marriage, there is no information on her first. It is rumored to have been to Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
.) Shortly thereafter, Universal dropped Brooks' contract. She spent most of 1942 working bit parts, now performing under the name Jean Brooks. It is likely that she adopted her husband's name as a stage name because dancer Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
began acting in films in 1942.
In 1943, she signed a contract with RKO Radio Pictures. At RKO, Brooks was to achieve her greatest success, though stardom eluded her. She appeared in six of The Falcon mystery movies, and was cast in two of Val Lewton
Val Lewton
Val Lewton was an American film producer and screenwriter, best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s.-Early life:...
's horror classics, as the heroine Kiki Walker in The Leopard Man
The Leopard Man
The Leopard Man is a horror movie directed by Jacques Tourneur based on the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich. It is one of the first American films to attempt an even remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer .-Plot summary:The story, set in New Mexico, begins as Jerry Manning hires a...
, and as the depressed devil-worshipper Jacqueline Gibson in The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror and film noir starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter , and Hugh Beaumont, directed by Mark Robson, and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures...
, this latter role being the one for which she is most widely remembered today.
Depression, Alcohol, and Disappearance
It is a sad coincidence (and perhaps part of the film's success) that, while portraying the depressed Jacqueline, Brooks' own life was falling apart. During the filming of The Seventh Victim, Brooks had separated from her husband. She and Richard BrooksRichard Brooks
Richard Brooks was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and occasional film producer.-Early life and career:...
divorced in 1944. It was also widely rumored that she had begun drinking heavily. (Cecilia Maskell, the daughter of Brooks' cousin, Gloria White, has remarked that alcoholism runs in the family.)
Though Brooks continued to land prominent roles with RKO throughout 1944, most notably The Falcon and the Co-Eds and Lewton's juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
film Youth Runs Wild
Youth Runs Wild
Youth Runs Wild is a 1944 B movie about unattentive parents and juvenile delinquency, produced by Val Lewton, directed by Mark Robson and starring Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, Jean Brooks, Glen Vernon and Vanessa Brown...
, her career unraveled. RKO began casting her in smaller and smaller roles, and she was noticeably gaining weight. She arrived at the September 1945 premiere of First Yanks in Tokyo drunk. In other personal appearances she would pass out in public.
Though RKO was angry with her, Brooks reportedly tore up her contract before they could fire her. She never made another film. Apparently, no one in Hollywood had contact with her again.
In the mid-1950s, Brooks met and married Thomas H. Leddy in San Francisco. She died in 1963. Her death certificate listed her as having suffered from "nutritional inadequacy" for 15 years, probably from alcoholism. She also suffered from Laennec's Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
in her final five years of life. She was buried at sea the following year. Her burial was reported in the papers in Costa Rica, though there were no obituaries, and apparently no knowledge of her death, in Hollywood.
Sadly, none of her old Hollywood associates knew anything of her life or her condition. On August 7, 1990, 27 years after Brooks's death, the following appeared in The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
: "Anyone know the whereabouts of Jean Brooks? Once married to director Richard Brooks, thus her name, she was aka Jeanne Kelly and under contract to both Universal and RKO in the 1940s...Even Richard B. and several of the actress' former pals say they've lost all contact with her whereabouts."
Filmography
- Obeah (1935) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Frankie and Johnnie (1935) (uncredited)
- Tango-Bar (1935) (uncredited)
- The Crime of Dr. CrespiThe Crime of Dr. CrespiThe Crime of Dr. Crespi is a horror film starring Erich von Stroheim, Harriet Russell, Paul Guilfoyle, Jean Brooks , John Bohn, and Dwight Frye, and released by Republic Pictures....
(1935) (as Jeanne Kelly) - Wedding Yells (1938) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- El Trovador de la radio (1938) (as Robina Duarte)
- El Milagro de la calle mayor (1939) (as Robina Duarte)
- The Invisible Killer (1939) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Miracle on Main Street (1939) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- The Invisible Man ReturnsThe Invisible Man ReturnsThe Invisible Man Returns is a 1940 horror science fiction film from Universal. It was written as a sequel to the 1933 film The Invisible Man, which was based on the novel The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. The studio had signed a multi-picture contract with Wells, and they were hoping that this...
(1940) (uncredited) - Flash Gordon Conquers the UniverseFlash Gordon Conquers the UniverseFlash Gordon Conquers the Universe is a 1940 twelve episode serial film about Flash Gordon. It was the last of three Flash Gordon serials made from 1936 to 1940. The serial was produced and copyrighted by Universal Pictures....
(1940) (uncredited) - Son of Roaring Dan (1940) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- The Devil's Pipeline (1940) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Buck PrivatesBuck PrivatesBuck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bonafide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies before the United States entered the war...
(1941) (as Jeanne Kelly) - Meet the Chump (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- A Dangerous Game (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Too Many Blondes (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- For Beauty's Sake (1941) (uncredited)
- Riders of Death ValleyRiders of Death ValleyRiders of Death Valley is a Universal movie serial. It was a high budget serial with an all-star cast led by Dick Foran and Buck Jones...
(1941) (as Jeanne Kelly) - Man from Montana (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Badlands of Dakota (1941) (uncredited)
- Fighting Bill Fargo (1941) (as Jeanne Kelly)
- Klondike Fury (1942)
- Boot Hill BanditsBoot Hill Bandits-Cast:*Ray Corrigan as Marshal "Crash" Corrigan*John 'Dusty' King as "Dusty" King*Max Terhune as "Alibi" Terhune*Elmer as Elmer, Alibi's Dummy*Jean Brooks as May Meadows*John Merton as Brand Bolton*Glenn Strange as The Maverick*I...
(1942) - Boss of Big Town (1942)
- The Falcon Strikes BackThe Falcon Strikes BackThe Falcon Strikes Back is a 1943 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* Tom Conway as Tom Lawrence* Harriet Hilliard as Gwynne Gregory* Jane Randolph as Marcia Brooks* Edgar Kennedy as Smiley Dugan* Cliff Edwards as Goldie Locke...
(1943) (uncredited) - The Leopard ManThe Leopard ManThe Leopard Man is a horror movie directed by Jacques Tourneur based on the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich. It is one of the first American films to attempt an even remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer .-Plot summary:The story, set in New Mexico, begins as Jerry Manning hires a...
(1943) - The Falcon in Danger (1943)
- The Seventh VictimThe Seventh VictimThe Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror and film noir starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter , and Hugh Beaumont, directed by Mark Robson, and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures...
(1943) - The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)
- A Night of Adventure (1944)
- Youth Runs WildYouth Runs WildYouth Runs Wild is a 1944 B movie about unattentive parents and juvenile delinquency, produced by Val Lewton, directed by Mark Robson and starring Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, Jean Brooks, Glen Vernon and Vanessa Brown...
(1944) - The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
- Two O'Clock CourageTwo O'Clock CourageTwo O'Clock Courage is an American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on story written by Gelett Burgess...
(1945) - The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) (uncredited)
- The Falcon's Alibi (1946)
- The Bamboo BlondeThe Bamboo BlondeThe Bamboo Blonde is a 1946 American film directed by Anthony Mann based on an original story "Chicago Lulu" by Wayne Whittaker, and starring Frances Langford and Ralph Edwards in a patriotic War movie.-Plot:...
(1946) - Women in the NightWomen in the NightWomen in the Night is a 1948 American film directed by William Rowland.The film is also known as When Men Are Beasts.- Cast :*Tala Birell as Yvette Aubert*William Henry as Philip Adams / Maj. von Arnheim*Richard Loo as Col. Noyama...
(1948)