- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAlaine Charlotte Dorothy Brandes
- Nickname
- Miss Double Distilled Honey
- American actress of the 1940s and '50s, a former Esquire model and wartime pin-up girl. She got her start in Hollywood via a scholarship to the Max Reinhardt workshop on the strength of being 'The Coca Cola Girl' and elected 'ad queen of Chicago'. Her first starring role on stage was in 'Seventeen' in 1940. Her subsequent film career was desultory and after a year under contract to Paramount as a stock bit part player, she protested by changing her name from Alicia Brandes to Rebel Randell. While she did eventually appear in several minor films, Rebel became a much bigger star on radio in the 1950's. The only female DJ in Hollywood, she broadcast (at KCBS) for the American Forces Radio Service as hostess of 'Radio Calling' and, later, 'Jukebox, USA'. She was popularly known as 'Miss Double Distilled Honey' and 'The Girl whose Voice could Melt an Iceberg'. Rebel also made headlines as a result of several stormy failed marriages: twice to radio personality William M. Moore (aka Peter Potter) and a particularly acrimonious third to actor/salesman Glenn Thompson.- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis
- SpousesWalter J. Hurd(January 5, 1967 - May 17, 1977) (divorced)Glenn Burgess(September 21, 1953 - December 8, 1953) (annulled)Peter Potter(September 18, 1946 - October 9, 1947) (divorced)Peter Potter(May 16, 1943 - June 6, 1944) (divorced)
- In the Fall of 1952, she found big success as Hollywood's only female disc jockey with her Armed Forces Radio Service program "America Calling" on KCBS. She claimed she had the world's biggest telephone bill - at least $2,000 a month. Between records, she awarded a free phone call to a GI overseas and his family at home. She paid those bills herself. Only one minute of the phone call was heard on the air, after which the bosomy disc jockey lets the rest of the conversation be private from the estimated radio audience of 244,000,000. It also garnished the most mail received as well.
- In the 1950s she discovered that a New Orleans stripper began using her name, and she had to take legal action to stop her.
- Popular G.I. pin-up girl during the 1940s and did several layouts, including one for Esquire magazine.
- Born and raised in Chicago, and graduated from Foreman High School.
- She was crowned "Movie Glamour Girl of 1940" by the Motion Pictures Still Photographers Association.
- I loved my work and I took it seriously.
- One of the problems of being an actor is that you work, and then you don't work. The time that you don't work might be extensive and you do still have to continue to live.
- [on Dave O'Brien, with whom she worked on Dead or Alive (1944)] . . . the funniest guy--he had that series of Pete Smith shorts at Metro. I laugh when I think about him and picture him in my mind. He was the best comedian; very humorous; he would make everybody laugh--a great talent; such a humorist. But of course he could play it straight.
- [on The Three Stooges, with whom she made several two-reelers at Columbia] Curly [Curly Howard] was the funniest; everything about him was funny. Shemp [Shemp Howard] was good, too. The Stooges would discuss everything before a take--I don't think they had a script. They were very serious--then become clowns on the set! Cookoo Cavaliers (1940) was my favorite. I wore a bathing suit and they followed me around.
- [on Christine McIntyre] Christine McIntyre was a very sweet girl. Very talented. She could sing, do comedy, anything. She's that beautiful blonde who was in so many Columbia shorts. Part of their ensemble, so to speak.
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