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Shirley Ross

Shirley Ross

Actor · Died March 9, 1975, aged 62 · Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Blonde, vivacious and obviously talented, Shirley Ross had the promisings of a big musical film star, but her career remained strictly second-string throughout her fairly short career. She is best remembered through her pairing with an entertainment legend: Shirley was afforded the opportunity of duetting with Bob Hope on the song "Thanks for the Memory" in the splashy musical The Big Broadcast of 1938. The song, of course, became Bob's beloved signature tune. Shirley was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska in 1913. Her family moved west and she attended Hollywood High School, later studying at UCLA. Blessed with a gorgeous musical instrument, and an adept piano player as well, Shirley went on to sing with Gus Arnheim's band on the west coast, appearing at all the swanky clubs of the day, including the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, while making a decent name for herself on radio. She also appeared in a west coast production of "Anything Goes". MGM initially scooped her up, making her unbilled debut in the Jean Harlow starrer Blonde Bombshell (1933). She continued on just as obscurely in the films Hollywood Party (1934), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Girl from Missouri (1934), The Merry Widow (1934), and Age of Indiscretion (1935), but was finally promoted to a minor featured role in the classic earthquake epic San Francisco (1936) with Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald, in which Shirley sang "Happy New Year". In 1936, she found more visible work over at Paramount and spent the next few years there paired up vocally and romantically with either Bing Crosby or Bob Hope in their popular vehicles - The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936), Waikiki Wedding (1937), Thanks for the Memory (1938), Paris Honeymoon (1939), and Some Like It Hot (1939). Though most were trifling, insignificant time fillers, she was a diverting beauty and quite serviceable in them. She was even given the chance to topline a few of her own movies such as Prison Farm (1938), Sailors on Leave (1941), and A Song for Miss Julie (1945), which was her swan song. After leaving pictures, Shirley Ross was little heard or seen. Married first to agent John Kenneth 'Ken' Dolan, then to Everett S. 'Eddie' Blum, she had three children - two sons and a daughter. She died in Menlo Park, California of cancer in 1975.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 7, 1913
Died
March 9, 1975 (aged 62)
From
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 8% in 30 days

What are Shirley Ross' films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
53%
Morality
29%
Self
13%
Society
5%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 3
Shapeshifter
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
3
Warm
3
Romantic
3
Tense
1
Triumphant
1

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Shirley Ross' films?

As of October 24, 2026, none of Shirley Ross' 9 MovieCove titles is streaming on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Shirley Ross' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

27 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Matinee Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • A Song for Miss Julie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Valerie Kimbro

  • Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Actor

  • Sailors on Leave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Linda Hall

  • Kisses for Breakfast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Juliet Marsden

  • Unexpected Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Dianna Donovan

  • Some Like It Hot(1939)

    as Lily Racquel

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Cafe Society (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Bells Browne

  • Paris Honeymoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Barbara Wayne

  • Thanks for the Memory(1938)

    as Anne Merrick

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Prison Farm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jean Forest

  • The Big Broadcast of 1938(1938)

    as Cleo Fielding

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Blossoms On Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Sally Shea

  • Waikiki Wedding(1937)

    as Georgia Smith

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Hideaway Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Toni Ainsworth

  • The Big Broadcast of 1937 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Gwen Holmes

  • San Francisco(1936)

    as Trixie

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Devil's Squadron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Eunice

  • It's in the Air(1935)

    as Cigar Stand Clerk (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • I Live My Life(1935)

    as Vi (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Calm Yourself (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ruth Rockwell

  • Age of Indiscretion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Dotty

  • Two Hearts in Wax Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mannequin Shirley (uncredited)

  • Buried Loot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Girl in Apartment (uncredited)

  • What Price Jazz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Singer

  • Manhattan Melodrama(1934)

    as Singer in Cotton Club

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Bombshell(1933)

    as Singer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 54th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 27 titles from 1933 to 1955.

Highest rated

San Francisco (1936)

Midcredits 81st

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting27 of 27: 27 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score58th

By decade

1930s22 · acting1940s4 · acting1950s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Shirley Ross' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

I Live My Life (1935)

79th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Midcredits 84th · 75% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Shirley Ross work with?

People who share at least 2 of Shirley Ross' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bob Hope shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers