Editing Rosalind Russell (section)

===Early career===
Russell began her career as a fashion model and was in many Broadway shows. Against parental objections, she took a job with a stock company for seven months at Saranac Lake, New York, and then Hartford, Connecticut.<ref name="showgirl"/> Afterwards, she moved to Boston, where she acted for a year with a theater group run by [[Edward E. Clive]]. Later, she appeared in a revue in New York (''[[The Garrick Gaieties]]''). There, she took voice lessons and had a brief career in opera, which was cut short because she had difficulty reaching high notes.<ref name="showgirl"/>

In the early 1930s, Russell went to Los Angeles, where she was hired as a contract player for [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]]. When she first arrived on the lot, she was ignored by most of the crew and later told the press she felt terrible and humiliated at Universal, which affected her self-confidence.<ref name="stand">"Take the Stand, Rosalind Russell" by Ed Sullivan, ''[[Pittsburgh Press]]'', July 14, 1939, p. 27</ref> Unhappy with Universal's leadership, and second-class studio status at the time, Russell set her sights on [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], and was able to get out of her Universal contract on her own terms. When MGM first approached her for a screen test, Russell was wary, remembering her experience at Universal. However, when she met MGM's [[Benny Thau]] and Ben Piazza, she was surprised; they were "the soul of understanding".<ref name="stand" /> Her screen test was directed by [[Harold S. Bucquet]], and she later recalled that she was hired because of a closeup he took of her.<ref name="stand" />

[[File:RozRussell&NormaShearer.jpg|right|thumb|In ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939) with [[Norma Shearer]] ]]
[[File:Lionel Barrymore 61st birthday 1939.jpg|right|thumb|Lionel Barrymore's 61st birthday in 1939, standing: [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]], [[Clark Gable]], [[Louis B. Mayer]], [[William Powell]], [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]], seated: [[Norma Shearer]], [[Lionel Barrymore]], and Rosalind Russell]]
Under contract to MGM, Russell debuted in ''[[Evelyn Prentice]]'' (1934). Although the role was small, she received good notices, with one critic saying that she was "convincing as the woman scorned".<ref>"William Powell, Myrna Loy Score on Capitol Screen", ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'', November 19, 1934, p. 12</ref> She starred in many comedies such as ''[[Forsaking All Others]]'' (1934) and ''[[Four's a Crowd]]'' (1938), as well as dramas, including ''[[Craig's Wife (1936 film)|Craig's Wife]]'' (1936) (the second of three film adaptations of the [[Craig's Wife|play of the same name]]; [[Joan Crawford]] starred in the third) and ''[[The Citadel (1938 film)|The Citadel]]'' (1938). Russell was acclaimed when she co-starred with [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]] in the MGM drama ''[[West Point of the Air]]'' (1935). One critic wrote: "Rosalind Russell as the 'other woman' in the story gives an intelligent and deft handling to her scenes with Young."<ref>"Amusements", ''The Daily Times: Rochester and Beaver'', August 11, 1935, p. 9</ref> She quickly rose to fame, and by 1935, was seen as a replacement for actress [[Myrna Loy]], as she took many roles for which Loy was initially set.<ref>"For Your Amusement" by Miriam Bell, ''[[The Miami News]]'', October 30, 1935, p. 11</ref>

In her first years in Hollywood, Russell was characterized, both in her personal life and film career, as a sophisticated "lady". This dissatisfied Russell, who said in a 1936 interview:

<blockquote>Being typed as a lady is the greatest misfortune possible to a motion picture actress. It limits your characterizations, confines you to play feminine sops and menaces and the public never highly approves of either. An impeccably dressed lady is always viewed with suspicion in real life and when you strut onto the screen with beautiful clothes and charming manners, the most naive of theatergoers senses immediately that you are in a position to do the hero no good. I earnestly want to get away from this. First, because I want to improve my career and professional life and, secondly because I am tired of being a clothes horse – a sort of hothouse orchid in a stand of wild flowers.<ref name="sock">"Rosalind Russell Yearns To Be Socked on Her Chin", ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', March 3, 1936, p. 16</ref></blockquote>

Russell approached director [[Frank Lloyd]] for help changing her image, but instead, Lloyd cast her as a wealthy aristocrat in ''[[Under Two Flags (1936 film)|Under Two Flags]]'' (1936).<ref name="sock"/> She was then cast as catty gossip Sylvia Fowler in the comedy ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939), directed by [[George Cukor]]. The film was a major hit, boosting Russell's career and establishing her reputation as a comedienne.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

[[File:hgf3.jpg|thumb|left|With [[Cary Grant]] and [[Ralph Bellamy]] in ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (1940)]]
Russell continued to display her talent for comedy in the classic [[screwball comedy]] ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (1940), directed by [[Howard Hawks]]. In the film, a reworking of Ben Hecht's story ''The Front Page'', Russell plays quick-witted ace reporter Hildy Johnson, who was also the ex-wife of her newspaper editor Walter Burns ([[Cary Grant]]). Russell had been, as she put it, "Everyone's fifteenth choice" for the role of Hildy in the film. Before her being cast, Howard Hawks had asked [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Irene Dunne]], [[Claudette Colbert]], [[Jean Arthur]], [[Margaret Sullavan]], and [[Ginger Rogers]] if they would like to play the brash, fast-talking reporter in his film. All of them refused.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/206/his-girl-friday#articles-reviews|title=His Girl Friday (1940)|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=January 11, 2014|archive-date=June 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610001808/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/206/His-Girl-Friday/articles.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Russell found out about this while riding on a train to New York, when she read an article in ''The New York Times'' stating that she had been cast in the film and listing all the actresses who had turned down the part.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}
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