Jodean Russo

 

Jodean Russo (1932-2010) was a talented and versatile actress who worked extensively in American stage, film and television for several decades. Fans of American 1970s television may recognize her as she appeared in quite a few high-profile shows during that era, but not many are aware that she was also a big player on the Roman dubbing scene. From 1961 to 1967, Jodean was living in Rome, and during that time, she established herself as one of the top actresses in English dubbing. If you are into peplum, western and Eurospy films, you have probably heard her voice hundreds of times – without knowing it was her. For a sampling of some of Jodean’s memorable dubbing performances, just check out the video below:

 

 

 

 

Born as Jodean Rowan Busby on 12 November 1932, in Grass Valley, California, she was raised in Napa and started her acting career after moving to Southern California at the age of 18. She received her theater and film training at Pasadena Playhouse, where she met the man who was to become her husband of many years, Italian-American actor Tony Russo, known professionally as Tony Russel. The two were married in 1951, and their only child, a son named Del, was born the following year.

 

Tony Russel, Jodean's husband of many years.

While Tony kept himself busy with uncredited film roles and various TV guest spots, Jodean concentrated on stage work before finally making her debut on the big screen with the film for which she is probably best known today: the zero-budget western Revenge of the Virgins (1959), written by infamous grade-Z filmmaker Ed Wood. Featuring a tribe of topless Indian women, the films – which clocks in at less than an hour – was one of the earliest Hollywood westerns to feature nudity. Jodean herself was not among the topless Indian women, however, but instead played one of the main roles as a prospector’s greedy wife. Revenge of the Virgins has since gone on to become a camp classic, and according to her obituary in The Press Democrat, Jodean became aware of the film’s following late in life and found it a source of much amusement.

 

Jodean in the cult classic Revenge of the Virgins.

 

In 1960, Tony landed his first leading role in the Korean War flick War Is Hell, which was successful in Europe and led to film offers from Italian producers. Thus, Tony, Jodean and their young son Del packed their bags and headed off to Rome in the fall of 1961. There, Tony was to establish himself as a popular leading man in a series of Italian peplum, Eurospy and science fiction films, but he also became involved in the rapidly growing English dubbing scene and even ended up becoming president of the dubbing organization the English Language Dubbers Association (ELDA). Following her husband’s lead, Jodean began to work with dubbing, too, and even Del ended up dubbing – making him one of the few child dubbers active on the scene during those days.

 

Del Russel, Jodean and Tony's son.

 

As dubbers, Jodean and Tony dubbed both leading as well as supporting roles and often worked together on the same films. Dubbing actor Rodd Dana knew the pair well and remembered them fondly when I asked him about them:

“I had known them both from Pasadena Playhouse days, when Tony and I were both in Romeo and Juliet, produced by NBC. We remained friends until they left Rome, and later divorced. They both dubbed so many roles it is impossible to designate anything specific. They were both excellent at all they did.”

Ted Rusoff, when interviewed about his dubbing career for Video Watchdog, mentioned Jodean only briefly, saying she used to dub ingénues. This remark, however, really doesn’t do any justice to Jodean and the incredible range and versatility she possessed. Yes, she dubbed her share of damsels in distress, but more often than not, the characters she dubbed were plucky and headstrong heroines which Jodean’s voice brought to life with an impressive amount of spunk and feistiness. She could also do bad girls and seductresses with the same kind of ease, and Rodd Dana recalls Jodean also had a particular talent for comedic parts, being able to distort her voice to do screwy, high-pitched funny voices. Check out the video below for some great examples of Jodean’s spirited dubbing performances:

 

 

While in Rome, Jodean did not limit herself only to dubbing, but did some occasional on-screen acting as well. The most famous example was the Hollywood spectacle Cleopatra (1963), in which Jodean played a minor part, together with her son Del, who won the role of Caesarion at age 7. It is not known which part Jodean played or if the footage of her remains in the finished film.

A more prominent role came in the little-known film Desideri d’estate a.k.a. Desires of the Summer (1964) in which she appears in a prominent part as the glamorous wife of Gabriele Ferzetti. For this film, she was billed under the name “Jodine Remond”.

Various images of Jodean from the Italian film Desideri d'estate.

 

Another substantial part came not in a film, but in a photo-novel by the name of La ballata delle nuvole (i.e., The ballad of the clouds), published in 22 parts in the weekly magazine Bolero Film in 1965. This espionage-themed story starred Maurice Poli in the role of secret agent Tom Dollar, while Jodean (billed as “Jodean Remond”) is one of his love interests. The success of this photo-novel led to Poli reprising the role in a follow-up photo-novel called S.O.S. Salvate l’umanità, and finally, to bringing the character to the big screen for the film Tom Dollar (1967).

 

Images from the photo-novel Una ballata delle nuvole (1965)

 

In 1967, Jodean’s Roman adventure came to an end. She was eager to return to the US, where her family lived, and so she, Tony and Del made their way back to Los Angeles. There, Jodean resumed her acting career, becoming an active presence on the Theater West and the Cellar, Cast and Nomads Theaters. She also appeared in some high-profile films, like Airport (1970), Johnny Got His Gun (1971) and Funny Lady (1975), though only in very minor roles.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Jodean was very active on television. She appeared on such daytime soaps as The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, and played memorable guest starring roles on a number of hit primetime shows, including The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files, The Six Billion Dollar Man and Little House on the Prairie. Check out the video below for a small sample of Jodean’s onscreen work:

Jodean guest starred on the TV series The Outsider, in the episode "I Can't Hear You Scream", in 1968. It was one of her first roles after returning to the US.

Jodean is seen very briefly in the hit film Airport (1970) as the wife of George Kennedy.

As a nurse in the film Johnny Got His Gun (1971).

Jodean guest starred four times on the TV series The Streets of San Francisco. Her first appearance was in the season 2 episode "Shield of Honor" in 1973.

As the mother of Richard Doran and Mimi Saffian in Harrad Summer (1974), the little-loved sequel to the famous The Harrad Experiment (1973).

As a kooky character on the cop show Adam-12, episode "Krash" (1974).

As a hard-drinking and unhappily married woman in the TV series The FBI, episode "Confessions of a Madman" (1974).

As a prostitute in the Streets of San Francisco episode "Endgame" (1975).

One of Jodean's best and most prominent roles was a great dramatic part as the long-suffering of wife of a patient plagued by violent attacks on the medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D., episode "The Tidal Wave" (1975).

As a doctor treating William Conrad in the TV series Cannon, episode "The Set Up" (1975).

Another showy part as a woman who ends up being taken as hostage in S.W.A.T., episode "Silent Night Deadly Night" (1975).

As a wedding guest in the film Funny Lady (1975).

Another appearance on The Streets of San Francisco, in the episode "Underground" (1976).

In the TV series Emergency!, episode "The Exam" (1976).

In a great part as a medium in The Six Million Dollar Man, episode "The Ghostly Teletype" (1977).

Jodean made her fourth and final appearance on The Streets of San Francisco in the episode "Hang Tough" (1977).

The Rockford Files, in the episode "Requiem for a Funny Box" (1977).

In the TV movie Ruby and Oswald (1978).

As Josie the saloon girl on Little House on the Prairie. Jodean played this character for three episodes in 1978.

After 23 years of marriage, Jodean divorced Tony Russel in 1974. She would then go on to marry artist Michael Lawrence, son of the well-known actor Marc Lawrence, in 1978, at which point she changed her name to Jodean Lawrence. The marriage was to prove short-lived, but she continued to be billed as Jodean Lawrence for the rest of her career. Unfortunately, her roles became much smaller and further in between in the 1980s, and Jodean ultimately decided to retire from acting and instead became a talent agent with the firm Barr-Wilder in Los Angeles.

 

In a guest role on the sitcom Archie Bunker's Place, episode "The Boys' Night Out" (1983).

With Jerry Lewis in the comedy Cracking Up (1983).

Jodean's final television role came on the primetime soap Falcon Crest, in the episode "Hornet's Nest" (1988).

 

Jodean spent several years in Santa Fe, New Mexico before moving to Santa Rosa and then Sebastopol in the early 1990s. The acting bug never completely left her, and she appeared in “Foxfire” at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center and in “Taking a Stab at O'Keefe” at Studio Be in Santa Rosa. According to the IMDb, she ended her career with two small films roles in 2001.

She passed away on March 18, 2010, aged 77, of natural causes stemming from dementia, and was survived by her son Del and granddaughter Sascha.

Although she never became a big name, Jodean Russo was a successfully working actress for nearly 50 years, proving herself as a highly versatile and talented performer. She was equally talented as a dubbing actress, and I hope that this post will bring more attention and recognition to this great lady’s work on the English dubbing scene in Rome.

Below you’ll find a complete list of the dubbing roles I’ve found for Jodean so far, but since her voice has only just recently been identified, her English dubbing filmography is currently not very long. Hopefully, it’ll grow much longer with time.

 

English dubbing filmography:

 

- Battle of the Worlds (1961) - voice of Eve Barnett (Maya Brent)

- Drakut the Avenger (1961) - voice of Milena (Rosalia Maggio)

- Rage of the Buccaneers (1961) - voice of Luana (Liana Orfei)

- Romulus and the Sabines (1961) - voice of Rea (Mylène Demongeot)

- Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown (1962) - voice of Lolo (Bella Cortez)

- Caesar the Conqueror (1962) - voice of Publia (Raffaella Carrà)

- Colossus of the Arena (1962) - voice of Resia (José Greci)

- The Rebel Gladiator (1962) - voice of Arminia (José Greci)

- The Shadow of Zorro (1962) - voice of Dan’s Girl (Diana Lorys)

- The Slave (1962) - voice of Saida (Ombretta Colli)

- Zorro at the Court of Spain (1962) - voice of Consuelo (Maria Grazia Spina)

- The Black Duke (1963) - voice of Lucrezia Borgia (Gloria Osuna)

- Samson and the Sea Beasts (1963) - voice of Amanda (Margaret Lee)

- The Shortest Day (1963) - voice of Naja (Virna Lisi)

- The Slave Girls of Sheba (1963) - voice of Rosalana (Hélène Chanel)

- The Slave Queen of Babylon (1963) - voice of Semiramis (Yvonne Furneaux)

- Thor and the Amazon Women (1963) - voice of Ghebelgor (Carla Foscari)

- Behind the Mask of Zorro (1964) - voice of Manuela de Riva (Maria José Alonso)

- Gunmen of the Rio Grande (1964) - voice of Clementine Hewitt (José Greci)

- Hercules Against the Barbarians (1964) - voice of Armina (José Greci)

- Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964) - voice of Agar (Anna Maria Polani)

- Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (1964) - voice of Esperia (Anna Maria Polani)

- Hercules, Prisoner of Evil (1964) - voice of Katia (Maria Teresa Orsini)

- The Heroes of Fort Worth (1964) - voice of Anna (Monica Randall)

- Lost Treasure of the Aztecs (1964) - voice of Misia (Anna Maria Polani)

- The Spartan Gladiators (1964) - voice of Helea (Paola Pitti)

- Tarzak Against the Leopard’s Men (1964) - voice of Kitty (Nuccia Cardinali)

- Terror in the Crypt (1964) - voice of Ljuba (Ursula Davis)

- 008: Operation Exterminate (1965) - voice of Agent MacDonald (Ingrid Schoeller)

- 30 Winchesters for El Diablo (1965) - voice of Pamela Webb (Alessandra Panaro)

- Espionage in Lisbon (1965) - voice of Olga (Jeanne Valérie)

- The Man Who Came to Kill (1965) - voice of Norma O'Connor (Gloria Milland)

- Red Dragon (1965) - voice of Blanche Coty (Margit Saad)

- Spy Hunt in Vienna (1965) - voice of Vicky (Jana Brejchová)

- A Stranger in Sacramento (1965) - voice of Rona Barnett (Barbara Frey)

- The Wild, Wild Planet (1965) - voice of Abductor Chief (Moa Tahi)

- Blood at Sundown (1966) - voice of Joselita (Erika Blanc)

- El Cisco (1966) - voice of Maude Lowell (Cristina Gaioni)

- A Few Dollars for Django (1966) - voice of Sally Norton (Gloria Osuna)

- Seven Dollars to Kill (1966) - voice of Emily (Loredana Nusciak)

- The Sheriff with the Gold (1966) - voice of Jane (Caterina Trentini)

- Sugar Colt (1966) - voice of Josephine (Soledad Miranda)

- A Taste for Killing (1966) - voice of Molly Kennebeck (Patrizia Del Frate)

- 32 Caliber Killer (1967) - voice of Janet Sullivan (Lucy Scay)

- Blueprint for a Massacre (1967) - voice of Patricia Johnson (Gabriella Andreini)

- Crossfire in Caracas (1967) - voice of Ingrid (Tere Velazquez)

- Danger!! Death Ray (1967) - voice of Lucille (Delfi Mauro)

- Dick Smart 2.007 (1967) - voice of Lady Lister (Margaret Lee)