Gloria Pall was Hollywood’s ultimate rebel — too glamorous, too bold, and way ahead of her time.
And when networks pulled her shows, she had one response that stunned everyone…
Born in Brooklyn on July 15, 1927, Gloria Pall would grow into a model, actress, TV hostess, and writer — a woman who lived boldly in an era that didn’t always welcome fearless women.
Growing up in poverty during the Great Depression, Gloria learned early how to be resourceful. After her father died, she stepped up and embraced challenges head-on. During World War II, she joined the Civil Air Patrol as an aircraft mechanic — an unusual job for a woman at the time — but it perfectly suited her adventurous spirit.
Sometimes Gloria’s life veered into true adventure. In the summer of 1945, she was working at the USO headquarters on the 56th floor of New York City’s Empire State Building — when suddenly, a U.S. Army B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the 79th floor. Fourteen people were killed, but Gloria narrowly escaped with her life.
”It threw me across the room, and I landed against the wall. We didn’t know if it was a bomb or what happened. It was terrifying,” Pall told NPR in 2008.
Pulled the show
After the war, Gloria turned heads as a model.
Her platinum-blonde hair, curvy figure, and piercing blue eyes made her one of the most photographed glamour girls of the 1950s. She posed for men’s magazines like Modern Man, Rogue, and Follies, cementing her status as a post-war pin-up icon.
But Gloria wasn’t content to just look beautiful — she had bigger ambitions. In 1954, she caused a sensation with her TV character, Voluptua, billed as “the girl who makes grown men blush.” Reclining on satin sheets in tight gowns, she hosted late-night films with a seductive, tongue-in-cheek style meant to parody the era’s obsession with sensuality.
Fans quickly gave her nicknames like “Eyeful Tower” and “Miss Cleavage” for her curvy figure and plunging necklines. Her sultry on-camera poses and playful remarks soon earned her yet another title: “Corruptua.”
But not everyone was thrilled.
Religious groups, PTA members, and conservative lawmakers accused the sultry hostess of immorality, and KLAC-TV pulled the show after just seven episodes. The press dubbed her “too hot for TV,” but the brief scandal only cemented her legendary status.
Jailhouse Rock with Elvis
Gloria challenged the norms of the 1950s and paved the way for future provocateurs like Mae West, Madonna, and Elvira.
”She was quite openly in touch with her sexuality, and that was an incredibly dangerous thing to do,” said R.H. Green, author and documentary filmmaker.
Gloria didn’t let controversy stop her.
She appeared in films like The Crimson Kimono, Jailhouse Rock alongside Elvis Presley, and 20 Million Miles to Earth, while also landing TV roles on Perry Mason and The Red Skelton Hour. Though she never became an A-list star, she remained a visible, glamorous presence in Hollywood, rubbing elbows with legends like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Her off-screen life was equally colorful. Gloria dated high-profile men but never married a “Hollywood prince,” fiercely guarding her independence, a trait that became central to her persona. She drove a lavender 1957 Ford Thunderbird and favored outfits in shades of purple.
Gloria Pall husband
By the 1960s, Gloria transitioned into business, opening a chain of bridal and tuxedo shops called “Glorious Gloria’s” in Los Angeles. Her flair for fashion and self-promotion turned the stores into a success, and she became a mini-celebrity in L.A.’s bridal world.
In 1965, Gloria wed Allen Kane, and it was during this second marriage that she had her only child, a son named Jefferson Kane. Allen owned a Ford dealership, and the couple moved to Florida and Atlanta before eventually returning to California in the late 1970s. The couple divorced in 1984.
Later in life, she penned several memoirs, including Voluptua: Story of a TV Love Goddess, chronicling her scandalous TV days and offering insight into the challenges women faced in the entertainment industry.
“People assumed I had it all. But being sexy came with a price. It made people underestimate me,” she said.
Gloria also focused on her real-estate career. Outside her lavender-hued real estate office, a sign boldly declared: ”Call Pall.”
Gloria Pall cause of death
Gloria Pall passed away on December 30, 2012, at age 85, leaving behind a legacy of fearlessness, humor, and reinvention. According to reports, she died of heart failure.
Near the end of her life, when asked what she would say to those who campaigned to take her Voluptua character off the air in the 1950s, Pall laughed and delivered three simple words: ”Get a life.”
Gloria Pall wasn’t just a pin-up or a TV scandal; she was a woman who refused to be defined by anyone but herself. Today, she’s celebrated by vintage glamour enthusiasts, classic film buffs, and feminist historians alike.
In an era obsessed with image, Gloria Pall proved that guts, vision, and resilience are what make a woman unforgettable. She dared to challenge the status quo —and the world still remembers.
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