Jan Duggan
Biography
Jan Duggan was an American stage and film actress whose theatrical career began in 1933, when she played the Bowery Nightingale in a Los Angeles Theatre Mart revival of The Drunkard. Born Genevieve Hussey in St. Louis, Missouri, she trained in voice, sang light opera and gave concerts there, and later taught voice lessons in Dallas. Her screen career started in 1934, when W. C. Fields put The Drunkard into his comedy The Old Fashioned Way; she became one of his favorites and appeared in several of his films. Her 1930s movies included Wagon Wheels, The County Chairman, A Damsel in Distress (1937), and Mountain Music, while the 1940s brought Manhattan Heartbeat, The Big Store, and Dudes Are Pretty People. Between 1933 and 1957 she sang in The Drunkard at the Los Angeles Theatre Mart for 20 of those 24 years, a run she put at over 7,300 performances.
95years old at death
- Born Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Died
- Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 7 years1930 to 1937
Every film, newest first
- 1937A Damsel in DistressIMDb rating 6.8
- 1934Forsaking All OthersIMDb rating 6.4
- 1930DixianaIMDb rating 5.3
Genres
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First role
In 1933, a revival of The Drunkard at the Los Angeles Theatre Mart cast Duggan as the "Bowery Nightingale", the role that launched her theatrical career.
Big break
W. C. Fields interpolated The Drunkard into his 1934 film comedy The Old Fashioned Way, which started Duggan's film career.
Beyond film
Duggan performed in The Drunkard at the Theater Mart in Los Angeles, singing between the second and third acts. She did this for 20 of the 24 years spanning 1933 to 1957, and she put the number of performances at more than 7,300.
Jan Duggan movies on Netflix
Worked with
Jan Duggan made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Joan Crawford's page
Clark Gable's page
Fred Astaire's page
Mary Gordon's page
Sidney Bracey's page
Eddy Chandler's page
All films by George Stevens
W.S. Van DykeDirector, 1 film, 1934
All films by W.S. Van Dyke
Luther ReedDirector, 1 film, 1930
All films by Luther Reed
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.