A Birthday Tribute to Ellen Drew

Actress Ellen Drew was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 23, 1914.

Drew was discovered when waitressing at C.C. Brown's, a Hollywood Boulevard ice cream parlor which I loved visiting as a child, and signed by Paramount Pictures.

Drew's birth name was Esther Loretta Ray, and in her early film appearances she was billed by her nickname, Terry Ray, before eventually switching to Ellen Drew.

Drew is a particular favorite of mine, an interesting blend of beauty, sweetness, and intelligence. She graced films from 1936 to 1957, appearing in a handful of additional TV episodes before retiring from acting in 1961.

Favorite Drew film appearances include CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940), in which she played the supportive sweetheart of Dick Powell.

She was superb as the alcoholic wife of Thomas Gomez in JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947), which reunited her with Dick Powell:

THE SWORDSMAN (1948) had a weak leading man in Larry Parks, but Drew surely never looked lovelier onscreen than she did in this Technicolor film.

She appeared opposite John Payne in a good film noir, THE CROOKED WAY (1949):

My favorite Drew performance is as the wife of Joel McCrea in STARS IN MY CROWN (1950). The movie reunited her with McCrea, whom she appeared opposite in REACHING FOR THE SUN (1941) nearly a decade earlier; they play a preacher and his wife who are raising an orphaned nephew (Dean Stockwell).

She was also excellent as spunky Nan, Randolph Scott's ranching neighbor in MAN IN THE SADDLE (1951).

Drew was married and divorced four times. She died in Palm Desert on December 3, 2003, and was survived by a son from her first marriage, along with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

For anyone interested who might want to hunt for a back issue, there's a very lengthy profile of Drew by Jeff Gordon in the January 2002 issue of Classic Images. It's filled with photos and is the most complete account I've ever read of Drew's life and career.

Ellen Drew films reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: INTERNES CAN'T TAKE MONEY (1937), THIS WAY PLEASE (1937), THE BUCCANEER (1938), CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940) (also here), CHINA SKY (1945), JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947), THE SWORDSMAN (1948), THE CROOKED WAY (1949), DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950), STARS IN MY CROWN (1950), MAN IN THE SADDLE (1951) (also here).

Additional notable titles in which Drew appeared include IF I WERE KING (1938), SING, YOU SINNERS (1938), FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS (1940), BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN (1940), TEXAS RANGERS RIDE AGAIN (1940), THE MAD DOCTOR (1940), THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL (1941), REACHING FOR THE SUN (1941), OUR WIFE (1941), MY FAVORITE SPY (1942), ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945), THE MAN FROM COLORADO (1948), THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1951), THE GREAT MISSOURI RAID (1951).

Update: Here are reviews of DANGEROUS TO KNOW (1938), in which she had a bit role billed as Terry Ray, and her much larger role the same year in IF I WERE KING (1938).

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