Russell Arms

The handsome singing star of television's "Your Hit Parade" began his career at Warner Bros., where he debuted in the 1941 classic, "The Man Who Came to Dinner."  He was soon given the big build-up, in "Wings for the Eagle" (released in 1942), but by the time it hit the theaters (and Louella Parsons predicted big things for him), Russ was then in the service, reading his glowing reviews in a foxhole!

At the war's end, the government forced the studios to re-hire their contract players--but only for six months. Wasted in small parts, the soon-to-be freelancer found work in "B" westerns, supporting everybody from Lash LaRue to Eddie Dean to Charles Starrett and finally Gene Autry, where he had his best vehicles.

Dating the most beautiful girls in Hollywood, including Janis Paige, it was singer-actress Marilyn Maxwell who encouraged Russell Arms to sing.

Moving to New York, where he starred on several game and variety programs, he finally made it big when he began his long stint as one of four regulars (Snooky Lanson, Dorothy Collins and Giselle McKenzie) on the Lucky Strike "Your Hit Parade." He was the only cast member to have a top ten record ("Cinco Robles"), and was the reason so many television sets were sold at the time.

During hiatus, he went to Hollywood to appear as Doris Day's nerdy boyfriend in the Technicolor "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (1953).

When Rock and Roll music came in, he left the show and guested on many popular series of the time--"Perry Mason," "December Bride," "Lock Up," "Gunsmoke," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Rawhide," "Buckskin," and, later on, "Dragnet," and finally "Hardcastle and McCormack."

He retired to Palm Springs, but has recently located to the Midwest.