ENTERTAINER DETAIL: Shirley Jones

Shirley Jones is available for concerts and personal appearances at your next corporate or special event.

Shirley Jones booking informationBob Hope has called her "the first lady of American song." Audiences who only know her as Mrs. Shirley Partridge have missed seeing Shirley Jones at her best. She's a wonderfully versatile actress, capable of delivering Oscar-winning dramatic performances.

Named after child star Shirley Temple, Shirley Jones started singing at the age of six. Jones started formal training at the age of 12 and would dream of singing with her idol, Gordon MacRae. Upon graduating from high school, Shirley Jones went to New York to audition for the casting director of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Taken by Shirley Jones beautifully trained voice, she was signed as a nurse in the Broadway production of "South Pacific". Within a year, Shirley Jones would be in Hollywood to appear in her first film 'Oklahoma!' as the farm girl in love with cowboy Gordon MacRae. 'Oklahoma! (1955)' would be filmed in CinemaScope and Todd-AO wide screen and would take a year to shoot. After that, Shirley Jones returned to Broadway for the stage production of "Oklahoma!" before returning to Hollywood for 'Carousel (1956)'. But by this time, musicals were a dying art she would have a few lean years.

She would work on Television in programs like "Playhouse 90". With a screen image comparable to "peaches 'n' cream", Shirley Jones wanted a darker role to change her image. In 1960, she would be cast as the vengeful prostitute in the Richard Brooks dramatic film 'Elmer Gantry'. With a brilliant performance against an equally brilliant Burt Lancaster, Shirley Jones would win the Oscar for Supporting Actress. But the public wanted the good Shirley so she was cast as Marion, the librarian, in the successful musical 'The Music Man (1962)'. Robert Preston had played the role on Broadway and his performance along with Shirley Jones was magic. Jones would again work with little Ronny Howard in 'The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)'. But the movies changed in the 60's and Shirley Jones image did not fit so she would see her movie career stop in 1965.

shirley jones in concertThere was always nightclubs, but Shirley Jones would be remembered by another generation as Shirley Partridge in the Television Series "The Partridge Family". While the success of the show would do more for her stepson, teen idol David Cassidy, it would keep her name and face in the public view for the four years that the series ran. Never mind the clothes, the show still plays in reruns. After the show ended, Shirley Jones would spend the rest of the 70's in the land of Television movies. The 1975 Television movie "The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975)" would be made as a pilot for a series that was not picked up. In 1979, Shirley Jones would appear in a comedy show called "Shirley", but the show would be off the air the next year. Shirley Jones would appear infrequently in the 80's and would appear in video's extolling fitness and beauty at the end of the decade.

Today, Shirley Jones has been busy touring the world and performing in concert. In addition, Shirley has been busy on the lecture circuit delivering her message on the topics of:

  • Entertainment
  • Inspiration
  • Media Personalities
  • Society And Culture
  • Women's Issues

Shirley Jones can also be seen guest appearing on popular network shows as "The Drew Carey Show," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "That 70's Show."

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