Jeanette Loff

Jeanette Loff

Loff in 1929
Born Janette Clarinda Lov
(1906-10-09)October 9, 1906
Orofino, Idaho, U.S.
Died August 4, 1942(1942-08-04) (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Ammonia poisoning of undetermined origin
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active 1927-1934
Spouse(s)
  • Harry Rosenbloom (m. 1929–29)
  • Bert E. Friedlob (m. 1936–42)

Jeanette Loff (born Janette Clarinda Lov; October 9, 1906 – August 4, 1942) was an American actress and singer who began her career as a contract player for Pathé Exchange and later, Universal Pictures, in the late 1920s. She appeared in over twenty films during the course of her seven-year career. Loff formally retired from acting in 1934. She died on August 4, 1942 from ammonia poisoning in Los Angeles at the age of 35.

Early life

Loff was born Janette Clarinda Lov in Orofino, Idaho[1][2] to Marius and Inga Loff.[3] Her family name was originally Lov and for a while she used the stage name "Jan Lov".[4] She was the eldest of a family of five children. Her father was Danish and her mother was Norwegian.[5] Her father was a professional violinist from Copenhagen.[6] The family relocated to Wadena, Saskatchewan, Canada[7] during her infancy, and later to Ottertail, Minnesota, where she lived with her younger sister, Irene.[lower-alpha 1]

At the age of 11, Loff played the title role in the play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. At 16 she was a lyric soprano and had the leading role in an operetta, Treasure Hunters. When she was seventeen the family moved to Portland, Oregon, where Loff continued her musical education at the Ellison-White Conservatory of Music. She played the organ in theaters in Portland as Jan Lov. Sometimes she appeared singing theater prologues during vacations from school.[8][9]

Career

Loff's motion picture career began with an uncredited role in the silent film version of Uncle Tom's Cabin.[10] She was signed to a contract by Cecil B. DeMille, and was soon cast as in ingénue roles in almost every instance. This enticed her to take a break from her movie career and perform on stage. In 1928, Loff was the first person to ride with Santa Claus down Hollywood Boulevard at the first Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles.[11]

Her last screen role before she briefly retired was in the Paul Whiteman revue, King of Jazz (1930).[5] Her performance as a vocalist in the film was praised by Mordaunt Hall in a New York Times review.[12] She also had a lead role in Party Girl (1930) opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and received critical acclaim for her performance.[13]

She remained under contract to Universal Pictures for some months but made no additional films. She went to New York City and appeared in musical plays and with orchestras. Loff returned to films with a role as a country girl in Mating Time. Her final motion picture performances came in Hide-Out, Flirtation, and Million Dollar Baby, all from 1934.[6]

Personal life

Loff was married twice; her first marriage was to jewelry salesman Harry K. Roseboom. They married on October 8, 1926 and were divorced in 1929 when she claimed he became jealous and violent while watching her onscreen.[4]Later, in 1936 she wed Los Angeles businessman Bertram Eli Friedlob (1906-1956) to whom she remained married until her death.

Death

On August 1, 1942, Loff ingested ammonia at her Beverly Hills home which left her with a severe burns to her throat and mouth.[14] She died three days later of ammonia poisoning on August 4, 1942 in Los Angeles. The New York Times reported she had ingested the ammonia "on the coast,"[15] and coroners were unable to determine whether she ingested ammonia either accidentally or intentionally.[14] She had been suffering from a stomach ailment and may have accidentally taken the wrong bottle of medication.[16] Her family has always maintained that she was murdered. Her remains are buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes Ref.
1927 Uncle Tom's Cabin Auction Spectator Uncredited [10]
1927 My Friend from India Marion/Ruth Brooks [17]
1928 The Man Without a Face [18]
1928 Hold 'Em Yale Helen Alternative title: At Yale [19]
1928 The Black Ace [20]
1928 Man-Made Women Marjorie [21]
1928 Annapolis Betty Alternative title: Branded a Coward [22]
1928 Love Over Night Jeanette Stewart [23]
1929 The Forty-Five Caliber War Ruth Walling Alternative title: 45 Calibre War [24]
1929 The Sophomore Barbara Lange Alternative title: Compromised [25]
1929 The Racketeer Millie Chapman Alternative title: Love's Conquest [26]
1930 Party Girl Ellen Powell Alternative title: Dangerous Business [13]
1930 The Boudoir Diplomat Greta [27]
1930 Fighting Thru; or, California in 1878 Alice Malden Alternative title: Fightin' Ranch [28]
1930 King of Jazz Vocalist Performer of number "The Bridal Veil" [12]
1934 Missouri Nightingale Lou Morrison, the St. Louis Woman [29]
1934 A Duke for a Day [30]
1934 Benny, from Panama Jeanette Foy [30]
1934 Hide-Out Blonde #2 Uncredited [31]
1934 Flirtation Also stars Ben Alexander and Arthur Tracy [14]
1934 Million Dollar Baby Rita Ray [32]

Notes

  1. ↑ According to U.S. Census records from the 1910 United States Census, Jeanette Loff resided with her parents, Marius (age 30) and Inga (age 25), and her sister Irene (age 3) in Ottertail, Minnesota.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Howe, Herbert (May 1929). "The All Star Blonde". Photoplay: 37–8.
  2. ↑ Carter, Charles (1930). "Yes, Yes, Jeanette!". Screenland: 66.
  3. 1 2 "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 13 July 2017), Jeanette C Loff in household of Marius Loff, Sverdrup, Otter Tail, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 178, sheet 4A, family 45, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 714; FHL microfilm 1,374,727.
  4. 1 2 "Jeanette Loff - Blonde Beauty". JeanetteLoff.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Coons, Robbin (December 6, 1933). "Hollywood Sights & Sounds". The Gettysburg Times. Pennsylvania, Gettysburg. p. 2. Retrieved April 28, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "Jeanette Loff - Tragic Film Player". Bizarre Los Angeles: Photography and Forgotten History. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ Gersdorf, Phil (1928). "Jeanette Loff: Tagged for Glory". Screenland: 34–5; 93.
  8. ↑ "Jeanette Loff". Ancestry.com Year: 1930; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Ellison-White Lyceum and Chautauqua Association". Rectors and Visitors of the University of Virginia. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Jeanette Loff and Rod La Rocque in "Love Over Night" - At the Theaters". The Amarillo Globe-Times. Amarillo, Texas. October 31, 1928. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  11. ↑ Marling, Karal Ann (2009). Merry Christmas! Celebrating America’s Greatest Holiday. Harvard University Press. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-674-04062-5.
  12. 1 2 Hall, Mordaunt (May 3, 1930). "THE SCREEN; A Sparkling Extravaganza. "The Living Corpse."". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Hall, Mordaunt (January 2, 1930). "THE SCREEN". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set). McFarland. p. 451. ISBN 9781476625997.
  15. ↑ "MISS LOFF DIES OF POISON; Former Film Actress Swallowed Ammonia Saturday on Coast". The New York Times. August 6, 1942. p. 22.
  16. ↑ "Jeanette Loff - Blonde Beauty". JeanetteLoff.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  17. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 530.
  18. ↑ Rainey 1990, p. 156.
  19. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 357.
  20. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 62.
  21. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 489.
  22. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 20.
  23. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 459.
  24. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 269.
  25. ↑ "The Sophomore". Films in Review. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. 39: 189. 1988.
  26. ↑ "The Racketeer". International Motion Picture Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company: 1226. 1936.
  27. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 79.
  28. ↑ American Film Institute 1997, p. 244.
  29. ↑ "Missouri Nightingale". The New Yorker. 38: 24. 1935.
  30. 1 2 Filmography for Jeanette Loff. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Jeanette Loff List of Movies". TV Guide. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Million Dollar Baby". Motion Picture. Mcfadden-Bartell. 4: 18. 1934.

Works cited

Other sources

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