biographyToday Rogers is best known for portraying Dale Arden in Universal's sci-fi serials Flash Gordon (1936; with Buster Crabbe) and Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938; with Buster Crabbe). Unhappy with Universal's offerings and tired of the grueling and sometimes dangerous serial production schedule, in 1938 Rogers left Universal for 20th Century-Fox. Her first film at the studio was the second-billed mystery Time Out for Murder (1938; with Michael Whalen and Gloria Stuart). Her roles at Fox were indeed an improvement and she broke free of serials in such films as the romance Hotel for Women (1939; with Ann Sothen and Linda Darnell) and the programmer Charlie Chan in Panama (1940; with Sidney Toler, Lionel Atwill, and Kane Richmond). Although Fox offered her better roles than had Universal, in 1941 she left Fox for MGM, then the top studio in Hollywood, to move into better films and attempt to break out of B pictures. Rogers married agent/talent scout Dan Winkler on January 7, 1939, but the couple parted ways in April 1941. She and Winkler remarried in 1943 and remained together until his death in 1970. Unfortunately, she was fired from MGM for remarrying her husband against the wishes of studio head Louis B. Mayer, so for the remainder of her career, Rogers freelanced at other studios. |
the films of jean rogersFlash Gordon (1936)With Buster Crabbe in Universal's 13-chapter serial Flash Gordon. This release, considered the first science fiction serial, was wildly popular and spawned many imitations.Mysterious Crossing (1936)Reported Missing (1937)Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)From Universal's 15-chapter serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, aka Mars Attacks the World, with Buster CrabbeInside Story (1939)LEFT: With John 'Dusty' King, June Gale, and Michael Whalen in the 20th Century Fox B drama Inside Story. RIGHT: With Michael WhalenThe Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940)Yesterday's Heroes (1940)Design for Scandal (1941)Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942)Sunday Punch (1942)From the MGM comedy/drama Sunday Punch with William Lundigan. Both Rogers and Lundigan were discovered for films by Charles RogersThe War Against Mrs. Hadley (1942)A Stranger in Town (1943)From the MGM drama A Stranger in Town with Frank Morgan and Richard CarlsonThe Strange Mr. Gregory (1945)With Donald Douglas in the Monogram mystery The Strange Mr. Gregory. Douglas died of a sudden illness just three weeks after the film premieredGay Blades (1946)With Allan Lane in the Republic comedy Gay BladesBacklash (1947)later yearsWith marriage and motherhood, along with her walking papers from MGM, Rogers' film career quickly lost momentum. Giving birth to her daughter in March 1944, Rogers made just a few more film appearances. Of her post-war films, probably the best is the film noir thriller Backlash (1947; with Richard Travis). In her final film, The Second Woman (1950; with Robert Young and Betsy Drake), Rogers was relegated to supporting status. She ended her career in 1950 and concentrated on raising her children. Her husband, Dan Winkler, passed away in 1970. In her later years, Jean Rogers suffered from poor health and, after a series of strokes, she passed away on February 24, 1991, at the age of 74. |
filmographyFILM
|
jean rogers trailers now showingjean rogers film now showing |
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered September 22, 2011.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information