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Gloria Jean Schoonover was born on April 14, 1926 in Buffalo, New York and she and her family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania shortly afterward. Her father owned a music store; her mother, who had been a circus bareback rider, took care of Gloria and her three siblings.

Gloria's singing ability was discovered when she was little; by 5 she was singing in the Scranton area. At 12 she was taken to an audition by Universal director Joe Pasternak, who was looking for a new child singer to replace studio icon Deanna Durbin, who was being steered into ingenue and young-adult roles. Although hundreds of Shirley-Temple-perfect girls competed, natural-looking Gloria was chosen and she and her mother headed to Hollywood.

In 1939 Gloria made her first film, "The Under-Pup", which made her an instant hit with moviegoers. Happy with their young coloratura soprano, Universal cast her in "If I Had My Way," which co-starred Bing Crosby. Next came "A Little Bit of Heaven," which many consider her best film; then a co-starring role with W.C. Fields in "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break," her most-seen film.

At this point in 1941, Gloria was at the pinnacle of her career, yet her star wasn't soaring. She had outgrown her Little Miss Fixit roles, as Durbin had a few years earlier, but Durbin was in command of the older-girl roles for the better pictures. Unsure what to do with Jean, Universal moved her to the "Hepcat" movies, which appealed to the teenagers of that day. "What's Cooking", "Get Hep to Love", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and "It Comes Up Love," were all shot in 1942 and "Mr. Big," and "Moonlight in Vermont" followed in 1943; all were stock B-films. Like many Universal stars, Gloria had a few seconds onscreen in the war-effort picture "Follow the Boys" in 1944. After that came the rather good "Pardon My Rhythm" with Mel Torme, who became a close friend. Then in "Ghost Catchers" she was teamed with popular comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. The forgettable "Reckless Age" was next; its main distinction was as the first in which Gloria played a more mature role.

Gloria was to star in one of four episodes of Julien Duvivier's "Flesh and Fantasy," alongside such stars as Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, and Barbara Stanwyck. But the movie was found to be too long and Gloria's segment was cut out. Some additional footage was added and the result was "Destiny." Gloria's performance won rave reviews, but the actual movie met with only modest success. Gloria followed this with three more Universal films: "I'll Remember April," "River Gang," and "Easy to Look At."

At this point, on bad advice from her agent, Gloria decided to go on tour instead of renewing her Universal contract. The tour underperformed and she returned to Hollywood in 1947, but she found herself in negligible demand. Groucho Marx gave her a minor role in his film "Copacabana"; this appearance ultimately landed her four more: in "I Surrender, Dear," "Manhattan Angel," "An Old-Fashioned Girl," and "There's a Girl in My Heart."

As the 1950s began, Gloria made several singing shorts that aired during television's early days. Other than that and a few guest appearances on TV series, her acting career was virtually finished. She appeared in 1955's forgettable "Air Strike" and worked in a couple of film that were never released. Jerry Lewis found her working as a restaurant hostess and gave her a part in his movie "The Ladies' Man," which was meant to relaunch her career, but her scenes didn't make the final cut. Shortly after, she was briefly married and had a son; at that point she virtually retired from the screen and went to work for the cosmetics firm Redken until 1993, when she retired.

Gloria was reintroduced to a limelight of sorts by the magic of eBay, where her movies, some of which are in the public domain, were being sold. With her sister Bonnie's help (she handled the computer end of things, as Gloria didn't do "Windows") she got onto eBay and sold copies of the movies she appeared in, as well as signed photographs of herself (old publicity shots). Spurred by the popularity of these, she published her autobiography, "Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven" in 2005.

After her sister Bonnie's death in 2007, Gloria moved to Hawaii to live with her son and his family.

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Gordon started out later in life with a desire to act. He joined Frank Dowse's famed Mountain View Playhouse on the San Francisco Penninsula. After training with Dowse he was given small parts in plays then bigger roles came his way. He won Best Supporting Actor Award for Playing the Chaplain in Dowse's production of "The Ladys' Not For Burning." As another Frank Dowse trained actor he graduated to parts on TV and a major film.

Jorge Bolet was born on 15 November 1914 in Havana, Cuba. He is known for À la place du coeur (1998), Song Without End (1960) and Music for You (1951). He died on 16 October 1990 in Mountain View, California, USA.

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Richard Lert was born on 19 September 1885 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor. He was married to Vicki Baum. He died on 25 April 1980 in Mountain View, California, USA.

Jerry Lawson was born on 1 December 1940 in New York City, New York, USA. He died on 9 April 2011 in Mountain View, California, USA.

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Jay Miner was born on 31 May 1932 in Prescott, Arizona, USA. He was married to Caroline. He died on 20 June 1994 in Mountain View, California, USA.

Russ Sholl was born on 7 December 1923 in Rawlins, Wyoming, USA. Russ is known for Crusader Rabbit (1950). Russ died on 9 April 2007 in Mountain View, California, USA.

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Baruch S. Blumberg was born on 28 July 1925 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and editor, known for Carlos Marighella - Quem Samba Fica, Quem Não Samba Vai Embora (2011) and Plagues (1988). He was married to Jean Liebsman Blumberg. He died on 5 April 2011 in Mountain View, California, USA.

John R. Pierce was born on 27 March 1910 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. John R. is known for Gateways to the Mind (1958). John R. was married to Brenda Woodward. John R. died on 2 April 2002 in Mountain View, California, USA.