Gladys Gale (January 15, 1891 – October 4, 1948) was an American nightclub singer and vaudeville performer, before becoming a character actress in films during the 1930s and 1940s. The wife of a millionaire, she led a checkered life before dying under mysterious circumstances in a Los Angeles hotel room under an assumed name.
Life and early career Born Gladys Lanphere on January 15, 1891, in Monmouth, Illinois,Resting Places she married millionaire Park Benjamin. During the Prohibition Era she became a nightclub performer in a speakeasy in New York City, also appearing on the vaudeville stage in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Film career and death Gale went to Hollywood in 1931, where she made her film debut in RKO's Smart Woman in a small role. She used the stage name of Gladys Gale, instead of her married name, Gladys Benjamin. Over her fifteen-year film career, she would appear in over 30 feature films, mostly in smaller roles, with the occasional featured part. Some of her more notable films include: the gangster film, She Couldn't Take It (1934), starring George Raft and Joan Bennett; the Mae West 1936 vehicle, Klondike Annie, in which she played a dance hall girl at the age of 45; Frank Capra's 1938 classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Claude Rains; and the 1942 melodrama, Lady for a Night, starring John Wayne and Joan Blondell. Her final screen appearance would be in a small role in Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), which starred Gail Russell.
On October 3, 1948, Gale checked into a Los Angeles hotel under an assumed name with a man, calling themselves Mr. and Mrs. Statler. In the morning her body was discovered, nude, with the room trashed. No cause for her death was ever established. Gale is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Filmography
+ Gladys Gale filmographyYearTitleRoleNotes 1931 Smart Woman Mrs. Preston - Peggy's MotherRKO Pictures1932 The Music Box Mrs. von Schwarzenhoffen (uncredited) MGM Laurel and Hardy short film comedy1934 Broadway BillHead nurseColumbia Pictures1934Desirablelarge womanWarner Bros. Pictures1934 Wake Up and Dream Prima donnaUniversal Pictures1934 The Party's OverPatron in Art Gallery (uncredited)Columbia Pictures1934 Among the Missing Mrs. RandallColumbia Pictures1934 Fugitive LadyMiss SmithColumbia Pictures1934 Men of the Night Mrs. EverettColumbia Pictures1934The Captain Hates the Sea Passenger's wifeColumbia Pictures1935 Circus Shadows Peerless Pictures Studios1935A Feather in Her HatColumbia Pictures1935Love Me ForeverColumbia Pictures1935 She Couldn't Take ItColumbia Pictures1935 CarnivalBaby judgeColumbia Pictures1935 Men of the HourColumbia Pictures1935She Married Her BossColumbia Pictures1936Klondike Annie Dance hall girlParamount PicturesScreenplay by Mae West who also starred1936 Navy BornRepublic Pictures1936 Pride of the Marines Woman managerColumbia Pictures1936 Dancing FeetMrs. BlaneRepublic Pictures1936 CounterfeitTouristColumbia Pictures193745 Fathers 20th Century Fox1937The Devil Is DrivingColumbia Pictures1937I Promise to Pay ReceptionistColumbia Pictures1937Find the WitnessMrs. RiceColumbia Pictures1938Up the RiverBingo player 20th Century Fox1939Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonCommittee WomanColumbia Pictures1942 Joan of OzarkMrs. FaddenRepublic Pictures1942Lady for a NightMotherRepublic Pictures1943So's Your Uncle Elastic womanUniversal Pictures1945 An Angel Comes to Brooklyn Sarah GibbonsRepublic Pictures1945 Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe Unknown 20th Century Fox1945Our Hearts Were Growing UpMrs. AppleyParamount Pictures
Stage + Broadway credits of Gladys Benjamin (Gale)DateTitleRole Oct 02, 1912 - Oct 19, 1912The Charity GirlMadame BowwowskiDec 30, 1912 - Apr 05, 1913All for the LadiesChorusMar 30, 1914 - May 09, 1914The Belle of Bond StreetHildaFeb 17, 1916 - Jun 10, 1916Robinson Crusoe, Jr.Chorus
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