Iris Adrian
(1912 - 1994)Another of the blonde bombshells, her career paralleled most of the others in this category. Platinum blonde hair, chipmunk cheeks, sparkling eyes, a chorus girl figure along with a shrill, brassy demeanor put her at the top of this particular category of actresses. They always played the gangster’s moll, a sassy girlfriend, a gold digger or the ‘other woman.’ Some of those in this category include: Barbara Pepper, Joan Blondell, Gloria Grahame, Veda Ann Borg and Claire Trevor. Petite 5’ 4" Iris Adrian was one of the best. She was born Iris Adrian Hofstadter on May 29, 1912 in Los Angeles, California. Her father died during a flu epidemic towards the end of World War I so she was forced to quit school, which she was not fond of anyway, and go to work. She won a contest and was hired as a chorine at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood. She later toured with the Fred Waring band and eventually ended up with the Ziegfeld Follies. It was during this time that she created her famed wisecracking, brassy blonde characterization. It was inevitable that she’d eventually be discovered by some Hollywood agent for stage and television. She started in films and her credits include: "Paramount on Parade" (1930) in a cameo appearance, her film debut; "The Gay Deception" (1930) uncredited, as Gettel’s Wife; "Stolen Harmony" (1935) as Sunny Verne; "Grand Exit" (1935) as Diane; "Murder at Glen Athol" (1936) as Muriel Randel; "Stage Struck" (1936) uncredited, as Miss DeRue; "Mister Cinderella" (1936) as Lil, Maizie’s Friend; "Our Relations" (1936) with Laurel & Hardy, as Alice, the Beer Garden Girl, one of my favorite of her roles; "Gold Diggers of 1937" (1936) uncredited, as Verna; "Lady Luck" (1936) as Rita; "One Third of a Nation" (1939) as Myrtle; "Go West" (1940) with the Marx Brothers, as Mary Lou; "Horror Island" (1941) as Arleen Grady; "Road to Zanzibar" (1941) with Hope & Crosby, as French Soubrette in Café; "Too Many Blondes" (1941) as Hortense; "Sing Another Chorus" (1941) as Francine La Verne; "Hard Guy" (1941) as Goldie; "New York Town" (1941) as Toots O’Day; "Swing it Soldier" (1941) as Dena; "Wild Geese Calling" (1941) as Mazie; "Meet the Chump" (1941) as Blonde; "Roxie Hart" (1942) as Two-Gun Gertie; "To the Shores of Tripoli" (1942) as Okay’s Girlfriend; "Jukebox Jenny" (1942) as Jinx Corey; "Calaboose" (1942) as Gert; "Ladies Day" (1943) as Kitty McClouen; "Lady of Burlesque" (1943) as Gee Gee Graham; "Submarine Base" (1943) as Dorothy; "Action in the North Atlantic" (1943) uncredited, as Jenny O’Hara; "Career Girl" (1944) as Glenda; "Bluebeard" (1944) as Mimi; "I’m From Arkansas" (1944) as Doris; "Alaska" (1944) as Kitty; "Road to Alcatraz" (1945) as Louise Rogers; "The Stork Club" (1945) as Gwen; "Boston Blackie’s Rendezvous" (1945) as Martha; "Vacation in Reno" (1946) as Bunny Wells; "Cross My Heart" (1946) as Miss Baggart; "Philo Vance Returns" (1947) as Maggie McCarthy; "Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap" (1947) as Dance Hall Hostess; "Out of the Storm" (1948) as Ginger; "The Paleface" (1948) with Bob Hope, as Pepper; "The Sky Dragon" (1949) as Wanda LaFern; "Trail of the Yukon" (1949) as Paula; "Tough Assignment" (1949) as Gloria, the Moll; "Blondie’s Hero" (1950) as Mae; "Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance" (1950) as Miss Tuttle; "Sideshow" (1950) as Nellie; "Once a Thief" (1950) as Pearl; "G.I. Jane" (1951) as Lt. Adrian; "My Favorite Spy" (1951) as Lola; "Carson City" (1952) as Saloon Girl in Fight; "Highway Dragnet" (1954) as Sally, Café Waitress; "Carnival Rock" (1957) as Celia; "The Buccaneer" (1958) as Frowsy Wench; "Blue Hawaii" (1961) with Elvis Presley, as Enid Garvey; "The Errand Boy" (1961) with Jerry Lewis, as Anastasia-Anastasia; "That Darn Cat!" (1965) as Landlady; "The Odd Couple" (1968) uncredited, as Waitress; "The Love Bug" (1968) as Carhop; "Scandalous John" (1971) as Mavis; "The Apple Dumpling Gang" (1975) as Poker Polly; "The Shaggy D.A." (1976) as Manageress; "Freaky Friday" (1977) as Bus Passenger and "Herbie Goes Bananas" (1980) as Loud American Wife, her final film. On TV she was a regular on "The Ted Knight Show" (1978) as Dottie. She appeared in the TV movies "Getting Married" (1978) and "Murder Can Hurt You" (1980). She guest starred on many TV series including: "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok"; "The Munsters"; "The Beverly Hillbillies"; "Petticoat Junction"; "Green Acres"; "Get Smart" and "The Love Boat." She was married three times to Charles Over from 1935 until their divorce in 1936 and then George Jay. Her final marriage to football star Ray ‘Fido" Murphy lasted for over 30 years. She died on September 17, 1994, as a result of injuries suffered in the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Hollywood, California at age 82.
From Great Character Actors, Page 9.
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