[9] Her early ambition was to be a designer of some kind, until the death of her father in his mid-40s, when she decided to work as a receptionist after high school graduation.

[3] In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes,[10] and made her motion-picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure.

"[14][15] She did not appear in another movie until 1946, when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow for Hunt Stromberg, who released it through United Artists.

[citation needed] In a 2009 interview for the liner notes to another CD, Fine and Dandy, Russell denounced the Columbia album as "horrible and boring to listen to".

[citation needed] Russell's career revived when she was cast as Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) on loan out to Paramount.

[citation needed] Howard Hughes bought RKO Pictures, and would be Russell's main employer for the next few years.

At that studio, Russell co-starred with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra in a musical comedy, Double Dynamite, shot in 1948 and released in 1951.

It was a critical and commercial failure.Hughes cast Russell opposite Robert Mitchum and Vincent Price in His Kind of Woman (1951), a film noir originally directed by John Farrow in 1950 which would be reshot by Richard Fleischer the following year.

Russell did two more film noirs: The Las Vegas Story (1952) with Price and Victor Mature, and Macao (1952) with Mitchum.

[citation needed] Russell played Dorothy Shaw in the hit film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) opposite Marilyn Monroe for 20th Century Fox.

[6] The movie's penultimate moment showed Russell in a form-fitting one-piece bathing suit with strategic cutouts, performing a then-provocative musical number titled "Lookin' for Trouble".

In her autobiography, Russell said that the revealing outfit was an alternative to Hughes' original suggestion of a bikini, a very racy choice for a movie costume in 1954.

In 1953, Russell and her first husband, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bob Waterfield, formed Russ-Field Productions.

[24][25] Russ-Field loaned out Russell's services for appearing as Amanda Lawrence in Foxfire (1955) at Universal, opposite Jeff Chandler.

[27] Russ-Field produced Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), a sequel to Blondes in which Russell starred alongside Jeanne Crain, for release through United Artists.

Haines was a former vocalist in the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, while Davis was a British emigrant who had moved to the United States after success entertaining American troops stationed in England during World War II.

The Capitol LP was issued on CD in 2008, in a package that also included the choral singles by the original quartet and two tracks with Fleming replacing Della Russell.

A collection of some of Russell's gospel and secular recordings was issued on CD in Britain in 2005, and it includes more secular recordings, including Russell's spoken-word performances of Hollywood Riding Hood and Hollywood Cinderella backed by a jazz group that featured Terry Gibbs and Tony Scott.

In 1959, she debuted with a tour of Janus in New England, performed in Skylark and also starred in Bells Are Ringing at the Westchester Town House in Yonkers, New York.

[38][39] Russell moved into television, appearing in episodes of Colgate Theatre, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Death Valley Days (the "Splinter Station", 1960) and The Red Skelton Hour.

[41] Russell made her first movie appearance in a number of years in Fate Is the Hunter (1964), in which she was seen as herself performing for the USO in a flashback sequence.

[42] In 1971, Russell starred in the musical drama Company, making her debut on Broadway in the role of Joanne, succeeding Elaine Stritch.

[44] Also in the 1970s, Russell appeared in television commercials as a spokesperson for Playtex's "'Cross-Your-Heart Bras' for us full-figured gals", featuring the "18-Hour Bra".

[49] In the 1996 HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn, Erika Nann portrayed Russell leaving her hand imprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre alongside Monroe.

[50][44] In 2001, Russell was portrayed by Renee Henderson in the CBS miniseries Blonde, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates.

[44] After Russell became pregnant with her high-school sweetheart Bob Waterfield's baby, she underwent a botched abortion in 1942 that left her unable to bear children.

[57] On August 25, 1968, one month after her divorce from Waterfield, Russell married actor Roger Barrett, whom she had met at a stock company production.

[42] At the height of her career, Russell started the "Hollywood Christian Group", a weekly Bible study at her home which was attended by many of the leading names in the film industry.

[64][65][66] Russell was a prominent supporter of the Republican Party, and attended Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration, along with such other notables from Hollywood as Lou Costello, Dick Powell, June Allyson, Hugh O'Brian, Anita Louise and Louella Parsons.

She was a recovering alcoholic who went into rehab at age 79, and described herself in a 2003 interview, saying, "These days, I am a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist.