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.
Memories Are Made of This
Gale Storm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't beat the memories you gave-a me
Take one fresh and tender kiss
Add one stolen night of bliss
One girl, one boy; some grief, some joy
Memories are made of this
Fold it lightly with a dream
Your lips and mine, two sips of wine
Memories are made of this
Then add the wedding bells, one house where lovers dwell
Three little kids for the flavor, stir carefully through the days
See how the flavor stays
These are the dreams you will savor
With His blessings from above
Serve it generously with love
One man, one wife, on love through life
Memories are made of this
Memories are made of this
Sweet sweet memories you gave to me
In Gale Storm's song Memories Are Made of This, she reminisces about the sweet memories that were given to her. She starts by stating that memories are unbeatable and precious possessions that are always treasured. She then describes the components of these memories, starting with a fresh and tender kiss, followed by a stolen night of bliss. She adds that memories are a combination of both grief and joy.
Furthermore, Gale Storm suggests that a small moon beam and a dream folded lightly can cement the memories. She also highlights the sips of wine and the kisses shared between two lovers as another component that makes the memories. She then adds that the memories become complete when love results in marriage, and children are added to the mix. She emphasizes that the dreams need careful stirring through the days to make the flavor last. Finally, she suggests that these dreams have a divine origin and should be generously served with love.
Overall, Gale Storm describes memories as something that can never be erased and are always treasured. Memories consist of little moments of happiness that are beautifully intertwined to become an unforgettable experience. She also highlights the significance of love, and how memories become complete when love is blessed and shared abundantly.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet sweet memories you gave-a me
The memories you gave me were truly sweet and will be treasured forever.
Take one fresh and tender kiss
Start with a gentle and innocent kiss.
Add one stolen night of bliss
Mix in a night of pure happiness and excitement that was shared together secretly.
One girl, one boy; some grief, some joy
Combine two people who experienced both ups and downs in their journey through life together.
Memories are made of this
These are the moments that will be forever ingrained in our minds and hearts.
Don't forget a small moon beam
Don't forget to include the magic and wonder of nature in these memories.
Fold it lightly with a dream
Merge it all together with the aspirations and hopes of the future.
Your lips and mine, two sips of wine
Take two people sharing a drink and a kiss, enjoying each other's company.
Then add the wedding bells, one house where lovers dwell
Move ahead in time to the two lovers continuing their journey in life together, starting a family and a home.
Three little kids for the flavor, stir carefully through the days
Add the bittersweet moments of raising a family, with all its challenges and rewards.
See how the flavor stays
Notice how the flavor of these memories lingers through time and space.
These are the dreams you will savor
These are the moments that will be cherished and remembered forever.
With His blessings from above
Acknowledging the grace and blessings that come from a higher power.
Serve it generously with love
Share and honor these memories with a generous spirit of love and gratitude.
One man, one wife, on love through life
Summing up the message of the song, that life is about two people who commit to love and cherish each other through all the ups and downs and memories that come their way.
Memories are made of this
Once again affirming that these memories are what life is all about and what makes it worth living.
Lyrics © DEHR FAMILY MUSIC, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frank Miller, Richard Dehr, Terry Gilkyson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jeannie pryor
Nicely written words ,sung by a"Fantastic,lovely lady!!!"Thanks for sharing !!!! Dec. 18 ,2021.
wareidav
The era where the girls and guys could really sing.. Arrangements to marvel at. Lyrics to dream too. Wonderful
Darrell Pryor
Nicely Done by a" very TALENTED,and LOVELY" Singer. Thank you for posting, Always A pleasure to listen to Gale Storm....What an angel!!!!!!This happens to be My wife"s and my Favorite Song( Married now for 54(soon) 55 years!!! Listen to the words ,they say it all!!! March 11 , 2020
J. Bruce Fox
Gale singing up a Storm . Wonderful sound.
jeannie pryor
Lovely song sung by a lovely,talented singer!!! Thanks for posting!!! Feb. 1 , 2018.
Mary Magee
The singers back then had unique voices.
Roger Black
You know what made them unique to now ?............they could sing !
Darrell Pryor
nicely done.... Talented,lovely Singer!!!!Aug. 7 , 2019.
betty stephenson
beautiful version of this song
John R Harden The Old Prospector
Never again will we have wonderful singers like Ms. Storm and many others.Us seniors miss you.