Storm was born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in Bloomington in Victoria County, Texas. The youngest of five children, she had two brothers and two sisters. Her father, William Walter Cottle, died after a year-long illness when she was just seventeen months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to raise the children alone. One of her sisters gave Josephine the middle name "Owaissa," a Norridgewock Amerindian word meaning "bluebird." Storm's mother Minnie took in sewing, then opened a millinery shop in McDade, Texas, which failed, and finally moved the family to Houston. Storm learned to be an accomplished dancer and became an excellent ice skater at Houston's Polar Palace. She performed in the drama club at both Albert Sidney Johnston Junior High School and San Jacinto High School.
When she was 17 years old, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on Gateway to Hollywood, broadcast from the CBS Radio studios in Hollywood, California. First prize was a one-year contract with a movie studio. She won and was immediately given the stage name Gale Storm. Her performing partner (and future husband), Lee Bonnell from South Bend, Indiana, became known as Terry Belmont.
In Gallatin, Tennessee in November 1954, a 10-year-old girl, Linda Wood, was watching Storm on a Sunday night television variety show, NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour, hosted by Gordon MacRae, singing one of the popular songs of the day. Linda's father asked her who was singing and was told it was Gale Storm from My Little Margie. Linda's father Randy Wood was president of Dot Records, and he liked Storm so much that he called to sign her before the end of the television show. Her first record, "I Hear You Knockin'," a cover version of a rhythm and blues hit by Smiley Lewis, sold over a million copies. The follow-up was a two-sided hit, with Storm covering Dean Martin's "Memories Are Made of This" backed with her cover of Gloria Mann's "A Teenage Prayer." That was followed by a hit cover of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Storm's subsequent record sales began to slide but soon rebounded with a cover of her own labelmate Bonnie Guitar's haunting ballad "Dark Moon" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Storm had several other hits and headlined in Las Vegas and appeared in numerous stage plays. Amazingly, Storm only recorded for approximately two years with Dot and then gave up recording because of her husband's concerns with the time she had to devote to that career. Equally amazing, almost her entire recording career was based on her quickly recording cover versions of new hits by other artists (one, a cover of Joni James' "I Need You So," was never released). Many felt that Storm's covers often were better than the originals, and she developed a large following.
After winning the contest in 1940, Storm made several films for the studio, RKO Radio Pictures. Her first was Tom Brown's School Days, playing opposite Jimmy Lydon and Freddie Bartholomew. She worked steadily in low-budget films released during this period. In 1941 she sang in several Soundies, three-minute musicals produced for "movie jukeboxes."
Storm acted and sang in Monogram Pictures' popular Frankie Darro series, and played ingénue roles in other Monogram features with the East Side Kids, Edgar Kennedy and The Three Stooges, most notably in the film Swing Parade of 1946. Monogram had always relied on established actors with reputations, but in Gale Storm the studio finally had a star of its own. She played the lead in the studio's most elaborate productions, both musical and dramatic. She shared top billing in Monogram's Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher (1943), opposite Edgar Kennedy, Richard Cromwell, and Frank Graham in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.
American audiences warmed to Storm and her fan mail increased. She performed in more than three dozen motion pictures for Monogram, experience which made possible her success in other media. She became an American icon of the 1950s, starring in two highly successful television series. It was also in this decade that her singing career took shape. She appeared on such variety programs as ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.
n 1950, Storm made her TV debut in Hollywood Premiere Theatre on ABC. From 1952 to 1955, she starred in My Little Margie. The show, which co-starred former silent film actor Charles Farrell as her father, was originally a summer replacement for I Love Lucy on CBS, but ran for 126 episodes on NBC and CBS. The series was broadcast on CBS Radio from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors.
Storm's popularity was capitalized on when she served as hostess of the NBC Comedy Hour in the winter of 1956. That year she starred in another situation comedy, The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh! Susanna), featuring another silent movie star, ZaSu Pitts. The Gale Storm show ran for 143 episodes between 1956 and 1960. Storm appeared regularly on other television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. She was both a panelist and a "mystery guest" on What's My Line?
Storm was married and widowed twice. In 1941, she married Lee Bonnell (1918–1986), then an actor and later a businessman. They had four children: Peter, Phillip, Paul and Susanna. She married the second time in 1988 to Paul Masterson (1917–1996).
In her later years she struggled with alcoholism, in her own words:
During the 1970s I experienced a terribly low and painful time of dealing with alcoholism. I had Lee's unfailing support through the entire ordeal. My treatment and recovery were more than rugged. At that time, there was such a stigma attached to alcoholism, particularly for women, that it could be hazardous to your reputation and career. I thank God daily that I have been fully recovered for more than 20 years. During my struggle, I had no idea of the blessing my experience could turn out to be! I've had the opportunity to share with others suffering with alcoholism the knowledge that there is help, hope, and an alcohol free life awaiting them.
Storm was a great believer in the benevolence of God and was very much a Christian and later became an active member of the South Shores Church. She once said of this:
Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me.
Storm made occasional television appearances in later years, such as Love Boat, Burke's Law, and Murder, She Wrote. In 1981, she published her autobiography, I Ain't Down Yet, which described her battle with alcoholism. She was also interviewed by author David C. Tucker for The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms, published in 2007 by McFarland and Company.
Storm continued to make personal appearances and autographed photos at fan conventions, along with Charles Farrell from the My Little Margie series. She also attended events such as the Memphis Film Festival, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
Storm lived alone in Monarch Beach, California, near two of her sons and their families, until failing health forced her into a convalescent home, near San Francisco in Danville, California. She died there on June 27, 2009.
Storm has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to recording, radio, and television.
Lucky Lips
Gale Storm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Lucky lips, lucky lips)
When I was just a little girl
With long, silky curls
My mama told me, honey
You've got more that other girls
But you'll still wear diamond clips
And you'll never have to worry
'Cause you've got lucky lips
[CHORUS]
Lucky lips are always kissin'
Lucky lips are never blue
Lucky lips will always find
A pair of lips that will be true
[VERSE]
I don't need a four leaf clover
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms
(With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms)
I'll never get heartbroken
No, I'll never get the blues
And if I play that game of love
I know I just can't lose
When they spin' that wheel of fortune
All I do is kiss my chips
And I know I picked a winner
'Cause I've got lucky lips
[Repeat CHORUS]
[Repeat VERSE]
(Lucky lips, lucky lips)
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms
The song "Lucky Lips" by Gale Storm is a playful and upbeat tune about the power of having lucky lips. The song is addressed to the singer's younger self, reminiscing on the words of wisdom her mother gave her. Her mother told her that she may not be physically attractive, but she has something more important – lucky lips. The chorus repeats the catchy phrase "lucky lips are always kissin'", implying that lips that are lucky attract romantic partners easily.
The song implies that having lucky lips makes the singer invincible in the game of love, and she will always have a fellow in her arms. She doesn't need a good luck charm as long as she has her lips, which are both lucky and true. She confidently declares that she will never get heartbroken, and even in the game of fortune, all she has to do is kiss her chips to be a winner. Overall, the song celebrates the power of confidence, positivity, and self-love, and highlights the importance of charisma and personality over physical appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a little girl
With long, silky curls
My mama told me, honey
You've got more that other girls
From an early age, I was told by my mother that I was special and had something exceptional about me that other girls didn't have. With my long, silky curls, I felt as though I was unique and stood out from the crowd.
Now, you may not be good looking
But you'll still wear diamond clips
And you'll never have to worry
'Cause you've got lucky lips
It doesn't matter if I'm not considered conventionally attractive because I have something even better - lucky lips. With them, I'll attract those who want to spoil me with diamond clips and gifts, and I won't have to worry about anything because my lucky lips will always come through for me.
Lucky lips are always kissin'
Lucky lips are never blue
Lucky lips will always find
A pair of lips that will be true
My lucky lips are always in demand as people seek out my affectionate kisses. People are drawn to me and want to be around me, and my lucky lips help me find someone who will always be faithful.
I don't need a four leaf clover
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms
I don't need any other good luck charm or talismans when I have the power of my lucky lips. With them, I'll always find a fellow who wants to be with me.
I'll never get heartbroken
No, I'll never get the blues
And if I play that game of love
I know I just can't lose
My lucky lips protect me from heartbreaks and sadness, and I know that with them, I can never lose in the game of love.
When they spin' that wheel of fortune
All I do is kiss my chips
And I know I picked a winner
'Cause I've got lucky lips
Even in games of chance, my lucky lips come through for me. I don't have to worry about picking the wrong card or number because my lucky lips will help me win and pick the right one.
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms
At the end of the day, my lucky lips are all I need to find someone to hold close and fall asleep with in my arms.
Contributed by Matthew A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rockake
Best version I have heard of this song. A very good singer and very good at
singing rhythm and blues. And hey, back in those days popular songs were
recorded by a whole lot of other singers. Charlie Gracie´s million-seller, "Butterfly",
was copied by Andy Williams (who also sold a million), but also by the old big-band singer Bob Carroll, who also scored a minor hit with "Butterfly" only going as high as no.61. Bill Allen also recorded the song as well as Billy Williams who himself was a black singer. Record companies wanted their own versions of popular songs. Gale Storm, Bill Haley, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley are often accused to be stealing black peoples songs but that was not the case. Fats Domino even thanked Pat Boone in public because Pat´s version of "Ain´t That A Shame" had paid the diamond ring Domino wore on one of his fingers. And black record people could ask white record companies to cut their songs in order to make their songs popular.
RockinRedRover
Better than Ruth Brown ??!!!.................... you're entitled to your opinion, of course, but come on.
Jeannie Pryor
Great Song,Talented,and lovely Singer!! Thanks for posting!!!!! Nov.23,2015.
whispperson
Love listening to this incredible singer. Leiber and stroller wrote this classic.
Barnlush
Hello Mark Gallagher! Thanks a million for posting this delightful song!
Darla Haines
Gail Storm in My Little Margie is one of the first TV shows I remember. 💕
CarlDuke
Best version of this song.
Jay Raskin
Great, thanks. Lucy gets all the raves, but pound for pound of laughs, I think Gale Storm was just as funny, if not more so.
Barney Fyfe
Great Song!!! Thanks for sharing.
JOBRAIL1
We shall miss you Gale! RIP