Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren; March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress who starred in serial films in the 1930s and low–budget feature films in the 1940s as a leading lady. She is best remembered for playing Dale Arden in the science-fiction serials '' Flash Gordon'' (1936) and '' Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars'' (1938).Obituary '' Variety'', March 4, 1991.

Early life

Rogers was born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren in Belmont, Massachusetts. Her father was an immigrant from

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden. She graduated from Belmont High School. She had hoped to study art, but in 1933 she won a beauty contest sponsored by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

that led to her career in Hollywood. Rogers starred in several serials for Universal between 1935 and 1938, including '' Ace Drummond'' and ''Flash Gordon''.

Early career

Rogers was one of seven women chosen out of 2,700 passengers on excursion boats and ferries who were interviewed for roles in the 1934 film '' Eight Girls in a Boat''. The group began work in Hollywood on September 3, 1933. By 1937, Rogers was the only one of the seven featured as an actress.

''Flash Gordon''

The actress 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 ...

in 1935, and started receiving screen credit. She was assigned the ingenue role of Dale Arden in the first two ''Flash Gordon'' serials. Buster Crabbe and Rogers were cast as the hero and heroine in the first serial, ''Flash Gordon''. The evil ruler Ming the Merciless ( Charles B. Middleton) lusted after her, and Gordon was forced to rescue her from one situation after another. While filming the series in 1937, her costume caught fire and she suffered burns on her hands. Co-star Crabbe smothered the fire by wrapping a blanket on her. In the first serial, Arden competed with Princess Aura ( Priscilla Lawson) for Gordon's attention. Rogers' character was fragile and totally dependent on Gordon for her survival, yet in the first episode, Gordon had to hold onto her parachute for his survival. Lawson's Princess Aura was domineering, independent, voluptuous, conniving, sly, ambitious, and determined to make Gordon her own. In ''Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars'', the second serial, Rogers sported a totally different look. She had dark hair and wore the same modest costume in each episode. Rogers told writer Richard Lamparski that she was not eager to do the second serial and asked her studio to excuse her from the third.

Feature films

Despite starring in serials, Rogers felt she was not going to improve her career unless she could participate in feature films. This ambition was somewhat restricted by studio policy: she was then under contract to Universal, which then specialized in low-budget action and western fare and seldom made big-budget productions. Universal did give her ingenue leads in modest features, including '' Conflict'' (1936, as

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

's leading lady) and '' Night Key'' (1937, with

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

and Warren Hull. The actress, accustomed to the fast-paced production of serials, discovered that working in feature films was tedious, with repeated takes of dialogue scenes. Rogers left Universal for 20th Century-Fox in 1938, where she appeared steadily in the studio's lower-budget product, including its popular series films featuring Michael Shayne ('' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'', 1940), The Cisco Kid ('' Viva Cisco Kid'', 1940), and Charlie Chan (''

Charlie Chan in Panama ''Charlie Chan in Panama'' is a 1940 mystery film starring Sidney Toler. It is an uncredited remake of Jacques Deval's novel ''Marie Galante'', produced by 20th Century Fox in 1934, directed by Henry King (director), Henry King. Plot Charlie Chan ...

'', 1940). The only major motion picture Jean Rogers appeared in at Fox was the Tyrone Power feature '' Brigham Young''; it was a supporting role and she was billed eighth. It didn't lead to further "A-picture" assignments, and Rogers left Fox in 1940. Her fortunes seemed to improve when she was signed by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 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 ...

, the most important studio in the industry, in 1941. After a promising start with '' Design for Scandal'' (1941) with Rosalind Russell and Walter Pidgeon, she found herself getting "B" assignments exclusively, like '' Whistling in Brooklyn'' (1943) with Red Skelton and '' A Stranger in Town'' (1943) with

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

. She never did appear in another major MGM film, and was dropped by the studio in 1943. She began freelancing at other studios, and her name still had marquee value for smaller studios like Monogram and

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. Her last appearance was in a supporting role in the suspense film '' The Second Woman,'' released in 1950 by United Artists.

Later life

Rogers married Dan Winkler in 1943 after leaving MGM. They were married until his death in 1970. Because she starred mainly in low-budget films, she was never a major star. Rogers was a lifelong Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. She was a practicing

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. She died in Sherman Oaks in 1991 at the age of 74 following surgery.Obituary ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', February 28, 1991. She was later cremated and her ashes returned to her family.

Selected filmography

*'' Footlight Parade'' (1933) as Chorus Girl (uncredited) *'' Eight Girls in a Boat'' (1934) (with Dorothy Wilson) as School Girl (uncredited) *'' Stand Up and Cheer!'' (1934) as Dancer (uncredited) *'' Twenty Million Sweethearts'' (1934) as Radio Fan (uncredited) *'' Dames'' (1934) as Chorus Girl (uncredited) *'' Manhattan Moon'' (1935) (with ZaSu Pitts) as Joan *'' Lady Tubbs'' (1935) as Debutante (uncredited) *'' His Night Out'' (1935) as Information (uncredited) *'' Stormy'' (1935) as Kerry Dorn *'' Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery'' (1935, Serial) (with Noah Beery Jr.) as Betty Lou Barnes *'' Fighting Youth'' (1935) as Blonde Student *'' The Adventures of Frank Merriwell'' (1936 serial) (with Donald Briggs) as Elsie Belwood *'' Don't Get Personal'' (1936) as Blondy *'' Flash Gordon'' (1936, Serial) (with Buster Crabbe) as Dale Arden *'' Spaceship to the Unknown'' (1936, edited serial) (with Buster Crabbe) as Dale Arden *'' Crash Donovan'' (1936) as Blonde (uncredited) *'' My Man Godfrey'' (1936) (with William Powell) as Socialite (uncredited) *'' Two in a Crowd'' (1936) as Minor Role (uncredited) *'' Ace Drummond'' (1936 serial) (with Noah Beery Jr.) as Peggy Trainor *'' Conflict'' (1936) (with

) as Maude Sangster *'' Mysterious Crossing'' (1936) as Yvonne Fontaine *'' When Love Is Young'' (1937) as Irene Henry *'' Secret Agent X-9'' (1937, Serial) (with Lon Chaney Jr.) as Shara Graustark *'' Night Key'' (1937) (with

) as Joan Mallory *'' The Wildcatter'' (1937) as Helen Conlon *'' Reported Missing'' (1937) as Jean Clayton *'' Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars'' (1938, Serial) (with Buster Crabbe) as Dale Arden *'' Deadly Ray from Mars'' (1938, edited serial) (with Buster Crabbe) as Dale Arden *'' Time Out for Murder'' (1938) as Helen Thomas *'' Always in Trouble'' (1938) (with Jane Withers) as Virginia Darlington *'' While New York Sleeps'' (1938) as Judy King *'' Inside Story'' (1939) as June White *''

Hotel for Women ''Hotel for Women'' (or ''Elsa Maxwell's Hotel for Women'') is a 1939 American drama film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring Ann Sothern, Linda Darnell, and James Ellison (actor), James Ellison. It was Darnell's screen debut. As work publish ...

'' (1939) (with Linda Darnell) as Nancy Prescott *'' Stop, Look and Love'' (1939) as Louise Haller *'' Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence'' (1939) (with Glenn Ford) as Anita Santos *'' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1940) (with Lloyd Nolan) as Alice Stetson *''

'' (1940) (with Sidney Toler) as Kathi Lenesch *'' Viva Cisco Kid'' (1940) (with Cesar Romero) as Joan Allen *'' Brigham Young'' (1940) as Clara Young *'' Yesterday's Heroes'' (1940) as Lee Kellogg *'' Let's Make Music'' (1941) as Abby Adams *'' Design for Scandal'' (1941) (with Rosalind Russell) as Dotty *'' Dr. Kildare's Victory'' (1942) as Annabelle Kirke *'' Sunday Punch'' (1942) as Judy Galestrum *'' Pacific Rendezvous'' (1942) as Elaine Carter *'' The War Against Mrs. Hadley'' (1942) (with Fay Bainter) as Patricia Hadley *'' Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943) (with Ann Sothern) *'' A Stranger in Town'' (1943) (with

) as Lucy Gilbert *'' Swing Shift Maisie'' (1943) as Iris Reed *'' Whistling in Brooklyn'' (1943) (with Red Skelton) as Jean Pringle *'' Rough, Tough and Ready'' (1945) as Jo Matheson *'' The Strange Mr. Gregory'' (1945) as Ellen Randall *'' Gay Blades'' (1946) as Nancy Davis *'' Hot Cargo'' (1946) (with William Gargan) as Jerry Walters *'' Backlash'' (1947; top billing) as Catherine Morland *'' Speed to Spare'' (1948) (with Richard Arlen) as Mary McGee *'' Fighting Back'' (1948) (with Morris Ankrum) as June Sanders *'' The Second Woman'' (1950) (with Robert Young) as Dodo Ferris (final film role)

References

External links

*
Tony LoBue's Dale Arden Page

Rotten Tomatoes Jean Rogers Filmography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Jean 1916 births 1991 deaths Actresses from Massachusetts American film actresses Film serial actresses People from Belmont, Massachusetts American people of Swedish descent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players 20th-century American actresses Belmont High School (Massachusetts) alumni American Lutherans Massachusetts Democrats California Democrats