Lorna Gray

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Biography

As a teenager, Virginia Mae "Ginger" Pound was hired as a vocalist with the Roger Pryor band. Signed to a Columbia Pictures contract in 1939, Ginger Pound was transformed into Lorna Gray. Under this cognomen, she played leads in B's like The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) and bits in A's like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). She was especially noticeable in Columbia's two-reel product, playing opposite the likes of Buster Keaton (Pest From the West) and the Three Stooges (Three Sappy People, Rockin' Thru the Rockies, You Nazty Spy!). She moved on to Republic, alternating as a serial heroine (Captain America) and villainess (The Perils of Nyoka). In 1946, Lorna Gray underwent a second name change, reemerging as Adrian Booth. While she was well received by the public in films like Valley of the Zombies (1946), Oh! Susanna (1950), and The Sea Hornet (1951), she never truly reached the top ranks of stardom, and retired in 1954. Adrian Booth is the widow of actor David Brian. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Lorna Gray
Born Virginia Pound
July 26, 1917 (1917-07-26) (age 94)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Other names Adrian Booth, Adrian Brian
Occupation Actress
Years active 1937 - 1951

Lorna Gray (born July 26, 1917) is an American film actress, known for her comic roles and later as a villainess. She is best known for her role as Mattie Herring in the 1940 Three Stooges film You Nazty Spy!

Contents

Career

Before appearing in films, Gray sang with a group in Cleveland called Ben Yost's Varsity Coeds, who performed primarily in movie theaters before the movie began. Although she had a film test at Universal Studios and a brief contract with Paramount Pictures, she made her first big film for Columbia Pictures.

Curly Howard shaves a wealthy socialite (Ann Doran) in Three Sappy People. Gray (center) looks on.

Gray also starred opposite John Wayne in Red River Range and appeared in the title role in O, My Darling Clementine.

In her Paramount films, such as Hold 'Em Navy she was credited as Virginia Pound, but she was given the name Lorna Gray by Columbia and she used it from 1938 until 1945, when she left Columbia and moved to Republic Pictures. At Republic, she adopted the name Adrian Booth, which she has used ever since.[1]

Booth was awarded the Golden Boot Award in 1998 and was still attending film festivals into her 90s.[1] She appeared as a guest at the annual Three Stooges convention held in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2011.

Selected filmography

References

External links


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Mentioned in

Adrian Booth (Actor, Western/Action)
The Girl Who Dared (1944 Mystery Film)
Three Sappy People (1939 Film)
Bullets for Rustlers (1940 Western Film)
Drums of the Desert (1940 Adventure Film)