It was voluptuous Jane Russell's cleavage that brought her to the attention of eccentric Hollywood producer, Howard Hughes. It was the exposure of too much of said cleavage in the 1941 film, The Outlaw, that brought the censors down on Hughes and brought Jane Russell an avalanche of publicity. But it was Russell's ability to both laugh at and rise above her sex symbol status and prove herself a talented actress, a lovely singer, and a gifted comedienne that made her one of Hollywood's top stars during the 1950s.

Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota. The daughter of a former actress and an office manager, Russell moved to Southern California at nine months and it was there she grew up, a tall, fun-loving tomboy. The oldest of five children, and the only girl, she loved the outdoors, and spent much...