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Gale Storm

Actress/Singer
Graduate of San Jacinto High School, Houston

Gale Storm was born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in Bloomington, Texas, on April 5, 1922. Her father died when she as still a baby, and her mother made hats to sustain their home, which had a wood stove and no plumbing.

While a junior at San Jacinto High School in Houston, Storm was persuaded by a drama teacher to enter a national radio contest. Storm and soon-to-be-husband Lee Bonnell met in Hollywood, California, while trying out for “The Gateway to Hollywood Contest” held at the CBS Radio Studio. Both ended up winning a one-year studio contract.

It was this contest that first brought her into the professional acting ranks with a motion picture contract at RKO and her new name, Gale Storm. Storm and Bonnell were married in 1941 had four children; they were together until Bonnell’s death in 1986.

Prior to becoming a sensation on the small screen, Storm starred in nearly three dozen feature films, including “It Happened on 5th Avenue” (1947), “The Underworld Story” (1950), and “The Kid From Texas” (1950), starring fellow Texan Audie Murphy.

Storm is possibly best known for creating the role of Margie Albright on the long-running television series “My Little Margie.” She also created the character of Susanna Pomeroy on the situation comedy “Oh, Susanna!”

Storm made her singing debut on Dot Records in 1955. Within four months, three of her songs were among the top 20 best-sellers in the nation. Her two gold records, “I Hear You Knocking” and “Dark Moon,” are among the most memorable recordings of the 1950s. Other notable recordings are “Never Leave Me,” “Memories Are Made of This,” “Teen Age Prayer,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “IvoryTower.”