Julie Gibson (born Gladys Camille Soray; September 6, 1913 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer and radio, television and film actress who had a career in movies during the 1940s.[1] Gibson, who retired from the industry in 1984, was known for her work opposite The Three Stooges. She also collaborated with Orson Welles, John Huston, Ida Lupino and The Bowery Boys.[2]
Early years
Gibson was born in Lewiston, Idaho, on September 6, 1913,[3][2] the daughter of Grover Cleveland Soray and Maude M. (née Peregrine) Soray. She graduated from Lewiston High School. She and her older sister Rea entertained local dramatics and music communities, with Julie singing and her sister playing harmony ukulele, before starting a stage act known as "Camille Soray and Her Girlfriends" that played The Granada Theatre.[4]
Career
Gibson, after performing at the Victor Club in Portland, joined Bob Young's orchestra as a soloist in 1935 performing for radio station KSL in Salt Lake City and, after winning a talent quest, joined Eddie Duchin's Orchestra paying to syndicated broadcasts from Los Angeles. She gained notice singing with the Jimmie Grier orchestra in 1937.[5] The same year, she joined the cast of Joe Penner's radio program.[6] She made her first film appearances in small roles in the films Nice Girl? and The Feminine Touch (both 1941).[1][citation needed] Her first featured role was in the 1944 film Lucky Cowboy. This was followed by a series of starring roles in such films as Chick Carter, Detective, Bowery Buckaroos, and Are You with It? She also appeared in the Three Stooges' films Three Smart Saps and Sock-a-Bye Baby.[citation needed]
"Dissatisfied with the roles she was getting, Gibson broke her contract with Paramount and departed for Paris, where she replaced Faye Emerson in a filmed weekly series, Paris Cavalcade of Fashions, for U.S. movie chains. In the French capital, Gibson became a press representative for Fox and was assigned to the Huston films Moulin Rouge (1952) and Beat the Devil (1953)."[2]
In the 1950s, Gibson's career was relegated mostly to mid-sized to smaller supporting roles in films and on television. In the 1960s, she served as a Dialogue Supervisor on two dozen episodes of the television sitcom Family Affair.[citation needed] She also worked as an accent coach to help actors in films to speak appropriately for their characters' backgrounds.[7] Gibson also dubbed vocals for Betty Hutton and Diana Lynn in some films. She also went to Europe and supplied English voices for foreign stars in Italian and French films.[7]
Personal life
On March 18, 1939, Gibson married bandleader Jimmy Grier[8] in Tucson, Arizona. She sued for divorce from him in October 1940,[9] and the divorce was granted on November 26, 1940.[10] Her marriage to Dean Dillman ended in divorce in 1967. She was married to actor and film director Charles Barton from 1973 until his death in 1981.[1] She had 5 children. Gibson was interviewed by The Three Stooges Journal in 2004.[citation needed] She celebrated her 105th birthday in September 2018.[5] Gibson died in her sleep in North Hollywood, Los Angeles on October 2, 2019, aged 106.[2]
^"Sings With Penner". The Evening News. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. October 22, 1937. p. 28. Retrieved November 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abJohnson, Erskine (January 8, 1964). "Julie Gibson, Accent Coach". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. p. 24. Retrieved November 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Band Leader Weds In City". Arizona Daily Star. Arizona, Tucson. March 19, 1939. p. 17. Retrieved November 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
