Jean Rogers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Rogers
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Jean Rogers in the late 1930s
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| Born |
Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren
March 25, 1916 Belmont, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | February 24, 1991 (aged 74) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1933–1951 |
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Notable work
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Flash Gordon, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars |
| Spouse(s) |
Dan Winkler
(m. 1943; died 1970) |
Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren; March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress. She was famous for starring in exciting adventure films called serials in the 1930s. She also played the main female character, known as a leading lady, in many lower-budget movies in the 1940s. Jean Rogers is most remembered for her role as Dale Arden in the science-fiction serials Flash Gordon (1936) and Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938).
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Early Life and Start in Acting
Jean Rogers was born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren in Belmont, Massachusetts. Her father had moved to the U.S. from Sweden. She finished high school in Belmont.
Jean wanted to study art, but her life changed in 1933. She won a beauty contest held by Paramount Pictures, a big movie studio. This win helped her start her acting career in Hollywood. Between 1935 and 1938, Jean starred in several serials for Universal. These included Ace Drummond and the famous Flash Gordon.
Becoming a Star in Hollywood
Jean Rogers was one of only seven young women chosen for roles in the 1934 film Eight Girls in a Boat. Over 2,700 people tried out for these parts! The group started working in Hollywood in September 1933. By 1937, Jean was the only one of these seven women who became a well-known actress.
Playing Dale Arden in Flash Gordon
Jean Rogers became very famous for playing Dale Arden in the first two Flash Gordon serials. She and Buster Crabbe played the main hero and heroine in the first serial, Flash Gordon. While they were filming in 1937, Jean's costume caught fire! Luckily, her co-star Buster Crabbe quickly put out the flames by wrapping a blanket around her. She got some burns on her hands.
In the first Flash Gordon serial, Dale Arden competed with Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson) for Flash Gordon's attention. Dale Arden was shown as a gentle character who often needed Flash Gordon's help. Princess Aura, on the other hand, was strong, clever, and wanted Flash Gordon for herself. Their rivalry was a big part of the film's excitement. For the second serial, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, Jean Rogers looked very different. She had dark hair and wore the same simple costume in every episode. Jean later said she didn't really want to do the second serial. She even asked her studio if she could skip the third one, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe.
Moving to Feature Films
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Even though she was a star in serials, Jean Rogers wanted to act in feature films. These are longer, standalone movies, not broken into parts like serials. She found that working on feature films was often more difficult. In 1936, she played the main female role alongside John Wayne in the movie Conflict. The next year, she co-starred with Boris Karloff in the crime movie Night Key.
During the 1940s, Jean Rogers only appeared in feature films. Some of these included The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940) with Lloyd Nolan, and Viva Cisco Kid (1940) with Cesar Romero. She also appeared in Design for Scandal (1941) with Rosalind Russell and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943) with Red Skelton.
Jean wasn't always happy with the movie studios. She felt she was often put into B-movies, which were lower-budget films, and paid less. So, she decided to work as a freelancer. This meant she worked for different companies like 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) instead of being tied to just one. Her last movie role was in 1950, in a suspense film called The Second Woman.
Later Life and Retirement
Jean Rogers married Dan Winkler in 1943. She kept working as a freelance actress until she retired in 1951. Because she mostly starred in lower-budget films, she never became one of the biggest movie stars. In an interview from 1979, she talked about her career and why she chose not to play Dale Arden in the third Flash Gordon serial.
Jean Rogers was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party. She supported Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election. She was also a practicing Lutheran.
Jean Rogers passed away in Sherman Oaks in 1991. She was 74 years old and died after having surgery. Her body was later cremated, and her ashes were given back to her family.
Images for kids
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Jean Rogers in the late 1930s
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Jean Rogers with John Wayne and Ward Bond in Conflict (1936)
