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person_profile-Barbara Jo Allen

Barbara Jo Allen Died at age: 68

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Barbara Jo Allen

Date of Birth:

Sep 02, 1906

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Sep 14, 1974

Biography of

Barbara Jo Allen

    From Wikipedia

    Barbara Jo Allen (September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an actress also known as Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 1950s. She based the character on a woman she had seen delivering a PTA literature lecture in a confused manner. As Vague, she popularized the catch phrase "You dear boy!"

    Allen's acting ability first surfaced in school plays. Following her high school graduation, she went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. Concentrating on language, she became proficient in French, Spanish, German and Italian. After the death of her parents, she moved to Los Angeles where she lived with her uncle.

    In 1937, she debuted on network radio drama as Beth Holly on NBC's One Man's Family, followed by roles on Death Valley Days, I Love a Mystery and other radio series. According to Allen, her Vera Vague character was “sort of a frustrated female, dumb, always ambitious and overzealous… a spouting Bureau of Misinformation.” After Vera was introduced in 1939 on NBC Matinee, she became a regular with Bob Hope beginning in 1941.

    Allen appeared in at least 60 movies and TV series between 1938 and 1963, often credited as Vera Vague rather than her own name. The character she created was so popular that she eventually adopted the character name as her professional name. From 1943 to 1952, as Vera, she made more than a dozen comedy two-reel short subjects for Columbia Pictures.

    In 1948, she did less acting and instead opened her own commercial orchid business, while also serving as the Honorary Mayor of Woodland Hills, California. In 1953, as Vera, she hosted her own television series, Follow the Leader, a CBS audience participation show. In 1958, she appeared as Mabel, the boss of the flight attendants, in Jeannie Carson's syndicated version of her situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! The program aired only six episodes in syndication.

    Allen's first marriage was to actor Barton Yarborough. They had one child together. In 1946, the couple co-starred in the two-reel comedy short, Hiss and Yell, nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Subject. In 1931-32, Allen married Charles H. Crosby. In 1943, she married Bob Hope's producer, Norman Morrell. They had one child and were married for three decades, until her 1974 death in Santa Barbara, California.

Photos of

Barbara Jo Allen

Photos ( 1 Photos

Filmography of

Barbara Jo Allen

Found 30 Movies in total

The Three Stooges Follies

Vera Clayton (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 1974

The Sword in the Stone

Scullery Maid (voice) (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1963

Born to Be Loved

Irene Hoffman ( Actor )

... 1959

Sleeping Beauty

Fauna (voice) ( Actor )

... 1959

The Opposite Sex

Dolly DeHaven ( Actor )

... 1956

Mohawk

Aunt Agatha ( Actor )

... 1956

Columbia Laff Hour

Vera Vague (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 1956

Earl Carroll Sketchbook

Sherry Lane ( Actor )

... 1946

Snafu

Madge Stevens ( Actor )

... 1945

Lake Placid Serenade

Countess ( Actor )

... 1944

Girl Rush

Suzie Banks ( Actor )

... 1944

Rosie the Riveter

Vera Watson ( Actor )

... 1944

Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid

Mrs. Terwilliger ("Blue Eyes") ( Actor )

... 1944

Moon Over Las Vegas

Auntie ( Actor )

... 1944

Cowboy Canteen

Vera Vague ( Actor )

... 1944

Get Going

Matilda Jones ( Actor )

... 1943

Swing Your Partner

Vera Vague ( Actor )

... 1943

Ice Capades Revue

Aunt Nellie ( Actor )

... 1942

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Tabitha Hazy ( Actor )

... 1942

Priorities on Parade

Mariposa Ginsbotham ( Actor )

... 1942

Larceny, Inc.

Mademoiselle Gloria ( Actor )

... 1942

Design for Scandal

Janie ( Actor )

... 1941

Buy Me That Town

Henriette Teagarden ( Actor )

... 1941

Ice-Capades

Vera Vague ( Actor )

... 1941

Kiss the Boys Goodbye

Myra Stanhope ( Actor )

... 1941

The Mad Doctor

Louise Watkins (as Barbara Allen [Vera Vague]) ( Actor )

... 1940

Melody and Moonlight

Adelaide Barnett ( Actor )

... 1940

Melody Ranch

Veronica Whipple ( Actor )

... 1940

Broadway Melody of 1940

Ms. Konk (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1940

The Women

Receptionist (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1939