London's 35-year acting career began in films in 1944 and included playing opposite Gary Cooper in Man of the West (1958) and Robert Mitchum in The Wonderful Country (1959). She achieved continuing success in the TV medical drama Emergency! (1972–1979), co-starring her real-life husband, Bobby Troup, and produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb, in which London played the female lead role of nurse Dixie McCall. She and Randolph Mantooth, who played one-half of her medical students, a paramedic, in the series, were very close to her family, until her death in 2000.
Born in Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a vaudeville song-and-dance team. When she was fourteen the family moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, she began appearing in movies. She graduated from the Hollywood Professional High School in 1945.
London began singing under the name Gayle Peck in public in her teens before appearing in a film. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (wife of actor Alan Ladd), while working as an elevator operator. Her early film career, however, did not include any singing roles.
London recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles. Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957 Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."
London's debut recordings were for the Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded four tracks that would later be included on the compilation album Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the album, for which London recorded the standards "Don't Worry About Me", "Motherless Child", "A Foggy Day", and "You're Blasé".
London's most famous single, "Cry Me a River", was written by her high-school classmate Arthur Hamilton and produced by Troup. The recording became a million-seller after its release in December 1955 and also sold on reissue in April 1983 from the attention brought by a Mari Wilson cover. London performed the song in the film The Girl Can't Help It (1956), and her recording gained later attention in the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006). The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the HBO television series Six Feet Under and appears on its soundtrack album. London's "Must Be Catchin'" was featured in the 2011 premiere episode of the ABC series Pan Am. Her last recording was "My Funny Valentine" for the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds film Sharky's Machine (1981).
Other popular singles include "Hot Toddy", "Daddy", and "Desafinado". Recordings such as "Go Slow" epitomized her career style: her voice is slow, smoky, and playfully sensual.
She was married to Jack Webb, of Dragnet fame. Her obvious beauty and self-poise (she was a pinup girl prized by GIs during World War II) contrasted with his pedestrian appearance and stiff-as-a-board acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). This unlikely pairing arose from his and her love for jazz; their marriage lasted from July 1947 to November 1953. They had two daughters, one who was killed in a traffic accident in the 1990s and one who survived London. In 1954, having become somewhat reclusive after her divorce from Jack Webb, she met jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup at a club on La Brea Blvd. They married on December 31, 1959 and remained married until Troup's death in February 1999. Together, they had one daughter and twin sons.
London suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health until her death in Encino, California, at the age of seventy-four, survived by four of her five children. She died on18th October 2000, and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Hard Hearted Hannah
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The weather there is nice and warm!
The climates of a Southern brand,
But here's what I don't understand:
They got a gal there, a pretty gal there,
Who's colder than an Arctic storm,
Got a heart just like a stone,
Even ice men leave her alone!
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
The vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Leather is tough, but Hannah's heart is tougher,
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer!
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
Is her delight, they say,
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
There was Hannah pouring water on a drownding man!
She's Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
The vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Talk of your cold, refrigeratin' mamas,
Brother, she's a polar bear's pajamas!
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
Is her delight, they say,
An evening spent with Hannah sittin' on your knees,
Is like travelin' through Alaska in your BVDs.
She's Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!
Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah
She's got the right name, The vamp of Savannah
Any time a woman can take a great big pan
And start pouring water on a drownin' man
She's hard hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah GA
Oh she's sweet as sour milk
The song "Hard Hearted Hannah" by Julie London is a playful tune that tells the story of a notorious woman named Hannah, who resides in Savannah, Georgia. The singer sings about the warm weather and Southern charm of the city, but expresses confusion about the presence of a woman so cold-hearted that even ice men leave her alone. This woman is introduced as Hannah, who is likened to an Arctic storm and whose heart is just as hard as a stone. She is called the vamp of Savannah because she loves to tease, thrill, torture, and kill men. The singer even witnesses her pouring water on a drowning man at the seashore. The song concludes by emphasizing her toughness and the polar opposite of her personality to the warm and friendly Savannah.
Line by Line Meaning
In old Savannah, I said Savannah,
I just want to clarify that when I say Savannah, I'm talking about the city in Georgia.
The weather there is nice and warm!
The climate in this Southern city is quite pleasant and inviting.
The climates of a Southern brand,
This is another way of emphasizing that Savannah's weather is representative of the typical climate of the American South.
But here's what I don't understand:
However, there is one thing that confuses and baffles me about Savannah.
They got a gal there, a pretty gal there,
There is a woman in Savannah who is quite attractive.
Who's colder than an Arctic storm,
Despite her physical beauty, this woman has an incredibly cold and unfeeling personality.
Got a heart just like a stone,
Her heart is as hard and unyielding as a piece of stone.
Even ice men leave her alone!
Even men who are typically reserved and unemotional can't seem to handle her iciness and stay away from her.
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
This woman goes by the name of Hard Hearted Hannah.
The vamp of Savannah,
She is known around town as a seductress and a woman who exploits men's weaknesses.
The meanest gal in town;
She is renowned for being an incredibly cruel and vindictive person.
Leather is tough, but Hannah's heart is tougher,
While leather is often used to make tough and durable products, this woman's heart is even stronger and more resilient than any material object.
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer!
This woman takes pleasure in causing pain and agony in the men she interacts with.
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
She enjoys playing with the emotions of men, pushing their limits, and causing them great harm in the process.
Is her delight, they say,
According to popular belief, this woman finds genuine joy in causing pain and heartache to others.
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
I once witnessed this woman at the beach wielding a large cooking pan.
There was Hannah pouring water on a drownding man!
To my surprise, she used this pan to pour water on a man who appeared to be drowning in the ocean.
Talk of your cold, refrigeratin' mamas,
This woman's iciness and lack of feeling surpasses even that of typical 'cold' and unfeeling mothers.
Brother, she's a polar bear's pajamas!
In other words, this woman is even colder and more unfeeling than a polar bear.
An evening spent with Hannah sittin' on your knees,
To have this woman sitting on your lap for an extended period of time would be quite the experience, indeed.
Is like travelin' through Alaska in your BVDs.
The sensation of sitting with this woman would be akin to traveling through a frigid and barren place like Alaska while wearing only your underwear.
Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah?
It's truly hard to fathom a person being as emotionally unfeeling as this woman is rumored to be.
She's got the right name, The vamp of Savannah.
It certainly seems like 'Hard Hearted Hannah' is the most fitting name for this woman.
Any time a woman can take a great big pan
The fact that this woman uses a large cooking pan as a weapon is rather startling.
And start pouring water on a drownin' man
To use this pan to pour water on someone who is in danger of drowning is quite cruel and unusual behavior.
She's hard hearted Hannah;
Make no mistake, this woman really is as cold and unfeeling as people say.
The Vamp of Savannah GA!
Her seductive and exploitative behavior make her a very dangerous woman to cross paths with in Savannah.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB BIGELOW, CHARLES BATES, JACK YELLEN, MILTON AGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind