Mary Jane Frehse (July 18, 1915 – September 6, 1985), was an American actress, singer, and dancer.

Professional life

Jane, age six, and her 12-year-old sister Ruth formed a singing

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

act known as The Frazee Sisters.''The New York Times''
Biography of Jane Frazee The act broke up in 1940, when Jane landed a leading role in the

B film A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

'' Melody and Moonlight'' (1940) for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

. Shortly after the film's release she was signed by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

and was featured in '' Buck Privates'', the high-grossing 1941

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

film starring

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jer ...

and

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First?". Abbott and Cos ...

. The strong impression she made in that film elevated her to leading-lady roles in Universal's popular "B" musicals, usually appearing opposite Robert Paige. She left Universal in late 1942, when she married actor-director

Glenn Tryon Glenn Tryon (born Glenn Monroe Kunkel; August 2, 1898 – April 18, 1970) was an American film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1951. Biography He was born as Glenn Monroe Kunke ...

, who was 16 years her senior. The actress was still very much in demand and returned to Republic for more musicals. She also appeared frequently in budget features for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

. After World War II, most of the larger Hollywood studios curtailed their lower-budget productions and produced fewer features. This affected scores of actors, who sought refuge at the smaller studios that had been making low-budget features all along. Thus, Jane Frazee found steady if unprestigious work at

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

and Lippert Pictures, in addition to her Republic duties. This led to the even lower-budgeted and faster-paced field of westerns, and television (including the early adventure series '' Adventures of Superman''). The actress ended her screen career co-starring in

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

s produced by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

. These were the popular Joe McDoakes comedies starring George O'Hanlon. The 10-minute shorts were domestic sketches noted for their wild comic exaggeration, and Frazee (who appeared without billing) earned her laughs with excellent comedy timing. The series lapsed in 1956.

Personal life and death

On May 28, 1942, Frazee married associate producer Glenn Tryon in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

. They were divorced on April 16, 1947, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and had one son, Timothy. On April 24, 1948, Frazee married Whitey Christensen, a screen double for Roy Rogers, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frazee died of pneumonia at the Flagship Health Center in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

in 1985, aged 70.

Filmography

Billed with sister Ruth as The Frazee Sisters

* ''Captain Blue Blood'' (1935) * ''Study and Understudy'' (1936) * ''Up in Lights'' (1938) * ''Rollin' in Rhythm'' (1939) * ''Pharmacy Frolics'' (1939) * ''Arcade Varieties'' (1939) * ''Swing Styles'' (1939)

Films

* '' Melody and Moonlight'' (1940) * ''Music in the Morgan Manner'' (1941) (as Herself) * '' Buck Privates'' (1941) * '' Angels with Broken Wings'' (1941) * '' San Antonio Rose'' (1941) * '' Sing Another Chorus'' (1941) * '' Moonlight in Hawaii'' (1941) * '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) * '' Don't Get Personal'' (1942) * '' What's Cookin'?'' (1942) * '' Almost Married'' (1942) * '' Moonlight Masquerade'' (1942) * '' Get Hep to Love'' (1942) * '' Moonlight in Havana'' (1942) * '' When Johnny Comes Marching Home'' (1942) * '' Hi'ya, Chum'' (1943) * '' Keep 'Em Slugging'' (1943) (in footage from ''Hi'ya, Chum'') * '' Rhythm of the Islands'' (1943) * '' Beautiful but Broke'' (1944) * '' Cowboy Canteen'' (1944) * '' Rosie the Riveter'' (1944) * '' Swing in the Saddle'' (1944) * '' Kansas City Kitty'' (1944) * '' She's a Sweetheart'' (1944) * '' Practically Yours'' (1944) * '' The Big Bonanza'' (1944) * '' Ten Cents a Dance'' (1945) * '' Swingin' on a Rainbow'' (1945) * ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. ...

'' (1945) * '' A Guy Could Change'' (1946) * '' Calendar Girl'' (1947) * '' Springtime in the Sierras'' (1947) * '' On the Old Spanish Trail'' (1947) * '' The Gay Ranchero'' (1948) * '' Under California Stars'' (1948) * '' Incident'' (1948) * '' Grand Canyon Trail'' (1948) * '' Last of the Wild Horses'' (1948) * '' Rhythm Inn'' (1951)

Joe McDoakes short subjects

Jane Frazee co-starred as Joe's wife Alice, without screen credit: * ''So You Want to Be Your Own Boss'' (1954) * ''So You Want to Go to a Nightclub'' (1954) * ''So You're Taking in a Roomer'' (1954) * ''So You Want to Know Your Relatives'' (1954) * ''So You Don't Trust Your Wife'' (1955) * ''So You Want to Be a Gladiator'' (1955) * ''So You Want a Model Railroad'' (1955) * ''So You Think the Grass is Greener'' (1956)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frazee, Jane 1915 births 1985 deaths Singers from Minnesota American film actresses American female dancers Dancers from Minnesota 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers American vaudeville performers Western (genre) film actresses Actresses from Minnesota Universal Pictures contract players Deaths from pneumonia in California