Shirley Jones: The Oklahoma! Star Who Won the Oscar

Born on March 31, 1934, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Shirley Mae Jones began her career in show business by attending an open audition organized by John Fearnley, casting director for Rodgers and Hammerstein. Her voice immediately impressed Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, who signed her to a personal contract, a rare privilege at the time.

Her theatrical debut came with a small role in South Pacific, followed by a part in Me and Juliet, where she progressed from chorus member to lead understudy. In 1955, she was chosen as the female lead for the film adaptation of Oklahoma!, directed by Fred Zinnemann. This was followed by other musicals such as Carousel (1956), The Sun Comes Up (1957), and The Music Man (1962).

Her professional breakthrough occurred in 1960 with Elmer Gantry, directed by Richard Brooks. Jones played Lulu Bains, a prostitute who exposes the hypocrisy of the preacher Elmer Gantry, portrayed by Burt Lancaster. For this role, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1961, marking her ability to take on complex roles far removed from musicals.

After the Oscar, she worked in films such as the western Two Rode Together (1961) by John Ford, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963) by Vincente Minnelli, and The Thrill of It All (1963) by George Sidney. In 1964, she filmed The Secret of the Chinese Carnation in Italy, directed by Vittorio Sala and George Marshall. In 1970, she again portrayed a prostitute, this time in a comedic role in the parody western Never Steal Anything Small, directed by Gene Kelly. In 1969, she reunited with Richard Brooks in The Happy Ending.

From 1970, she focused mainly on television, starring in the series The Partridge Family (1970-1974), where she played Shirley Partridge, a widowed mother and singer of a family band. The series was successful and earned her two Golden Globe nominations. In 1979, she returned to film with Irwin Allen’s disaster movie The Swarm, starring Michael Caine, Karl Malden, and Sally Field.