Maxine Bliss Jennings (March 8, 1909 – January 11, 1991) was an American actress.

Early years

Jennings was born and raised in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, the daughter of Dr. Phillip Bliss Jennings and his wife. During her time as a student at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, she won eight swimming championships. On July 31, 1926, at age 17, Jennings won the Miss Portland beauty pageant, which entitled her to participate in the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

contest.

Career

In Paris, Jennings was a model for women's clothing designed by

Jean Patou Jean Patou (; 27 September 1887 – 8 March 1936) was a French fashion designer, and founder of the Jean Patou brand. Early life Patou was born in Paris, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his u ...

. During her modeling years, she was featured on magazine covers. She also sang on radio and was the original

Old Gold Old gold is a dark yellow, which varies from light olive or olive brown to deep or strong yellow, generally on the darker side of this range. The first recorded use of ''old gold'' as a color name in English was in the early 19th century (exact ...

Girl. On stage, Jennings appeared in ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'', Earl Carroll's ''Vanities,'' and ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

''. Her film debut came in a bit role in ''Girl Crazy''. Her other films included '' Chatterbox'' (1936), '' Second Wife'' (1936) ''Walking on Air'' (1936) and ''You Can't Buy Luck'' (1937).

Personal life

On September 26, 1936, Jennings married animated cartoon film producer

Rudolf Ising Rudolf Carl "Rudy" Ising ( ; August 7, 1903 – July 18, 1992) was an American animator best known for collaborating with Hugh Harman to establish the Warner Bros. and MGM Cartoon studios during the early years of the golden age of American a ...

in Las Vegas, Nevada. She and radio producer Ed Byron were married on May 17, 1940. She married Philip Leverett Saltonstall on February 23, 1946. They had one daughter and were divorced in 1947.

Death

Jennings died on January 11, 1991, in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

'' (1935) * '' Old Man Rhythm'' (1935) * '' Walking on Air'' (1936) * ''

The Witness Chair ''The Witness Chair'' is a 1936 American courtroom drama film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and starring Ann Harding, Walter Abel and Douglass Dumbrille. Plot Late one night, secretary Paula Young ( Ann Harding) leaves the office of her bo ...

'' (1936) * '' The Last Outlaw'' (1936) * ''

The Farmer in the Dell "The Farmer in the Dell" is a singing game, nursery rhyme, folksong, and children's song. It probably originated in Germany and was brought to America by immigrants.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Singing Game'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985) ...

'' (1936) * '' Muss 'em Up'' (1936) * '' Make Way for a Lady'' (1936) * ''

Follow the Fleet ''Follow the Fleet'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, wi ...

'' (1936) * ''

Don't Turn 'em Loose ''Don't Turn 'Em Loose'' is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Ben Stoloff and produced by RKO Radio Pictures, who released the film on September 18, 1936. Written by Harry Segall and Ferdinand Reyher, the production's screenplay is a ...

'' (1936) *'' You Can't Buy Luck'' (1937) *'' We're on the Jury'' (1937) *'' There Goes My Girl'' (1937) *'' Breakfast for Two'' (1937) *'' The Big Shot'' (1937) *''

On Again-Off Again ''On Again-Off Again'' is a 1937 American musical comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures and starring the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. Plot William Hobbs and Claude Horton own a drug-manufacturing company and continuously bicker with ...

'' (1937) *'' Mr. Wong, Detective'' (1938) *'' G.I. War Brides'' (1946) Source: AllMovie

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Maxine 1908 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Portland, Oregon American film actresses University of Oregon alumni Ziegfeld girls