Classic Movie Travels: Ellen Drew
Ellen Drew was born Esther Loretta Ray on November 23, 1914, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father, Joseph, was a barber and her mother, Norine, was a homemaker. She also had an older brother named Arden.
In 1919, the family relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where she attended Francis W. Parker School.
When her parents separated in 1931, she worked several jobs. She lied about her age to work at Marshall Field department store, where she worked in the accounting department for six months. She then worked at Grant’s five-and-dime in Englewood, Illinois, selling costume jewelry and baby clothes. At around the same time, the manager of Grant’s entered her into a beauty contest through the Englewood Kiwanis Club, where she won the title of “Miss Englewood.”
She ultimately moved to Hollywood with two friends to become an actress, with encouragement from her friends and mother. While in Hollywood, she was working at Brown’s Confectionary Shop near Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. There, she developed an alternative to the hot fudge sundae called the “Cinderella,” made with peaches, strawberries, pineapple, roasted almonds, sherbet, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. While working at the ice cream shop, she was noticed by customer and actor William Demarest. He aided her in her attempt to join the film industry, though she initially turned down his assistance because she had just begun a romance with make-up artist Fred Wallace at the shop. Wallace became her first of four husbands, with the marriage producing a son: David “Skipper.”
Ultimately, she reconnected with Demarest to pursue an acting career. As she entered film acting, she adopted the stage name of Terry Ray; however, the name was already in use by a male actor. In a 1937 newspaper photograph, the two are seen drawing lots from a hat. Actor Terry Ray became Terry Rains and actress Terry Ray (Ellen Drew) kept her name the same. She later tried to use the name Erin Drew after years of also working under her birth name. Ultimately, she became known as Ellen Drew when her career was in full swing at Paramount Pictures.
Drew performed on the radio in programs such as Suspense, Silver Theater, and the Kate Smith Hour.
Drew could be spotted alongside Bing Crosby in Sing You Sinners (1938) and with George Raft in The Lady’s from Kentucky (1939). She also worked with the likes of Dick Powell in Christmas in July (1940) and Johnny O’Clock (1947); Glenn Ford in The Man from Colorado (1948); and Vincent Price in The Baron of Arizona (1950). In addition, she was incredibly active during the war effort, traveling for weeks at a time to England.
When her movie career declined in the 1950s, she turned to television. One of her final roles was in a Perry Mason episode, entitled “The Case of the Larcenous Lady.”
Drew was married a total of four times to Fred Wallace (1935-1940); screenwriter Sidney “Sy” Bartlett (1949-1949); advertising executive William T. Walker (1951-1967); and Motorola executive James Edward Herbert (1971-1976). All marriages ended in divorce.
She passed away on December 3, 2003, in Palm Desert, California, from a liver illness at age 89. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.
Today, there are some tributes to Drew. In 1920, she lived with her parents and older brother at 3 Fountain Ct., Kansas City, Missouri. In 1930, they lived at 6604 Normal Ave., Chicago, Illinois. None of these homes remain.
Frances W. Parker School remains in operation at 330 W. Webster Ave., Chicago, Illinois.
By 1950, she lived at 527 N. Maple Dr., Beverly Hills, California. This home stands.
In 1955, she resided at 9470 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, which no longer stands.
Drew is honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California.
Drew also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring her work in motion pictures. It is located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, California.
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–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub
Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.
Annette Bochenek, Ph.D., is a film historian, professor, and avid scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the “Hometowns to Hollywood” blog, in which she profiles her trips to the hometowns of classic Hollywood stars. She has also been featured on the popular classic film-oriented television network, Turner Classic Movies. A regular columnist for Classic Movie Hub, her articles have appeared in TCM Backlot, Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, The Dark Pages Film Noir Newsletter, and Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine.
