Gail Davis (born Betty Jeanne Grayson; October 5, 1925 – March 15, 1997) was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American marksman, sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoveris ...

in the 1950s television series ''

''.

Life and career

Early years

The daughter of a small-town physician, Davis was born in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, but was raised in

McGehee, Arkansas McGehee is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census. History The history of the city of McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee are intricately interwoven. The history of ...

until her family moved to Little Rock. She had been singing and dancing since childhood. After graduating from Little Rock High School, she studied at the Harcum Junior College for Girls in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

, and then completed her education at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. She had a younger sister, Shirley Ann Grayson (August 26, 1937 – February 23, 1971).

Film

Betty Jeanne and her husband, Bob Davis, moved to Hollywood to pursue a film career. She told an interviewer how she acquired her professional acting name. "I went under contract to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

around 1946. They told me 'we can't have a Betty Davis, because of

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

, and we can't have a Betty Grayson because of

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...

'.... Then a guy in the casting department said 'how about Gail Davis?' So that's where it came from." In 1947, she made her motion picture debut in a comedy short film. She then appeared in minor roles in another four films, the first being '' The Romance of Rosy Ridge'', then landed a supporting role to that of star

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

in the 1948 '' The Far Frontier''. From 1948 to 53, Davis appeared in 32 feature films, all but three of which were in the Western genre. Twenty of the Western films were with

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

, produced by his company, Gene Autry Productions, released and distributed by Columbia Pictures,

Television

In 1950, Davis began to guest star in television Westerns, notably in ''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...

'', in which she appeared six times in two roles, including that of a niece whose uncle is trying to stop her pending marriage to a gangster. She guest-starred in 1950s episodes titled "Buried Treasure," "Friend in Need" and "Spanish Gold" of ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

'' and twice each on '' The Range Rider'', ''

The Adventures of Kit Carson ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired from 1951 to 1955 and consisted of 104 episodes. While airing, the show was shown in over 130 markets and was sold to the Coca-Cola Bott ...

'' and ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

''. Beginning in September 1950, through September 1954, she appeared in 15 episodes of ''

The Gene Autry Show ''The Gene Autry Show'' is an American western/cowboy television series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950 until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint chewing gum. Overview Series star Gene Autry h ...

'', sponsored by

Wrigley's Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, also known as Wrigley Company or simply Wrigley's, is an American multinational candy and chewing gum company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is a subsidiary ...

Doublemint Doublemint is a variety of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company; according to early advertisements, it is "double strength" peppermint flavored. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since then. The ...

gum. Gail Davis was the answer to a long-held dream of Autry's—providing Western programming with a star to whom girls could relate. He said: "Little boys have had their idols ... from the beginning of the picture business.... Why not give the girls a Western star of their own?" Davis became that star, but on television rather than in movies, as Autry originally envisioned. Between 1954 and 1957, Davis starred in the ''Annie Oakley'' series which ran for 81 episodes. An adroit horseback rider, Davis also toured North America in Gene Autry's traveling

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

. She went on to manage other celebrities. In 1961, she made a guest appearance on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'' (season 2, episode 8, titled "The Perfect Female") as Thelma Lou's cousin who was a champion skeet shooter. She believed her success as Annie Oakley undermined other opportunities she might have had for other roles in the future. In 1982, she told a reporter "I tried to find other acting work, but I was so identified as Annie Oakley that directors would say, 'Gail, I'd like to hire you, but you're going to have to wait a few years, dye your hair and cut off your pigtails.' Directors just couldn't envision me in a sexy part or playing a heavy. I was always going to be Annie Oakley. So, as they say, I retired."

Recording

While ''Annie Oakley'' was popular on television, Davis made some recordings for Columbia and

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

. Some were targeted toward children, and others were aimed at adults. However, Bob Leszczak wrote in his book, ''From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950-2000'', "Even with two different musical avenues, none of the records caught on with the public."

Later years

Davis and her third husband, Carl Edward Guerriero, retired to the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

.''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture'' website, see External Links During her retirement Davis made guest appearances at western memorabilia shows and film festivals. Her last public appearance was in 1994, when she received the Golden Boot award from the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Family

While at the University of Texas at Austin in 1945, she met and married her first husband, Bob Davis, with whom she had a daughter, Terrie. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1952. During her tenure on ''Annie Oakley'', she had an affair with Gene Autry. On June 25, 1959, she married Richard Pierce, a recording executive, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Death

Davis, then a widow, died of cancer in Los Angeles at age 71. She is interred there in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

Honors

For her contribution to the television industry, Gail Davis has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6385 Hollywood Blvd. In 2004, she was inducted posthumously into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Davis' exhibit at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame recalls her impact on young girls through the ''Annie Oakley'' series:

"Back then I knew the show was having a positive impact, especially on little girls. It wasn't until years later that I realized just how much. Little girls had turned into influential women, thanking my portrayal of Annie for showing them the way."Gail Davis exhibit, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Fort Worth, Texas

Selected filmography

* '' The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' (1947) - Baggett Daughter (uncredited) * '' The Judge Steps Out'' (1948) - Young Mother with Baby Carriage (uncredited) * '' If You Knew Susie'' (1948) - Ms. Gail (uncredited) * '' They Live by Night'' (1948) - Girl at Parking Lot (uncredited) * '' The Far Frontier'' (1948) - Susan Hathaway * '' Death Valley Gunfighter'' (1949) - Trudy Clark * '' Frontier Investigator'' (1949) - Janet Adams * '' Law of the Golden West'' (1949) - Ann Calvert * '' Brand of Fear'' (1949) - Anne Lamont * ''

South of Death Valley ''South of Death Valley'' is a 1949 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Earle Snell. The film stars Charles Starrett, Gail Davis, Fred F. Sears, Lee Roberts (actor), Lee Roberts, Richard Emory, Clayton ...

'' (1949) - Molly Tavish * '' Sons of New Mexico'' (1949) - Eileen MacDonald * '' Trail of the Rustlers'' (1950) - Mary Ellen Hyland * '' West of Wyoming'' (1950) - Jennifer Draper * '' Six Gun Mesa'' (1950) - Lynne Gregory * '' Cow Town'' (1950) - Ginger Kirby * ''

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

'' (1950) - Melody Colton * '' Operation Pacific'' (1951) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Texans Never Cry'' (1951) - Nancy Carter * ''

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

'' (1951) - Elaine Lassiter * '' Silver Canyon'' (1951) - Dell Middler * '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951) - Thelma (uncredited) * '' Yukon Manhunt'' (1951) - Jane Kenmore * '' Flying Leathernecks'' (1951) - Virginia Blithe (uncredited) * '' Two Tickets to Broadway'' (1951) - Showgirl in Deli (uncredited) * '' Valley of Fire'' (1951) - Laurie * '' Overland Telegraph'' (1951) - Terry Muldoon * ''

The Old West ''The Old West'' is a series of books about the history of the American Old West era, published by Time-Life Books from 1973 through 1980. Each book focused on a different topic specific for the era, such as cowboys, American Indians, gamblers ...

'' (1952) - Arlie Williams * '' Wagon Team'' (1952) - Connie Weldon * '' Blue Canadian Rockies'' (1952) - Sandra Higbee * '' Winning of the West'' (1953) - Ann Randolph * '' On Top of Old Smoky'' (1953) - Jen Larrabee * '' Goldtown Ghost Riders'' (1953) - Cathy Wheeler * '' Pack Train'' (1953) - Jennifer Coleman * '' Alias Jesse James'' (1959) - Annie Oakley (uncredited)

Selected television

References

External links

*
''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'' web article
encyclopediaofarkansas.net
The Colt Revolver in the American West—Gail Davis' Single Action Army
theautry.org
"Winsome Annie Oakley", a feature about Gail Davis
''Radio and Television Mirror'' September 1955
"Golden Girl", a feature about Davis
''Radio and Television Mirror'', January 1957 {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Gail 1925 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Western (genre) television actors Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Deaths from cancer in California Little Rock Central High School alumni People from Desha County, Arkansas Actresses from Little Rock, Arkansas RCA Victor artists Moody College of Communication alumni Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees