In the 1950s and 60s, actress Joi Lansing, celebrated for her stunning looks and curvy figure, worked hard to show the world that her measurements didn’t define her talent.
Often compared to Marilyn Monroe, she became a recognizable figure on television and a beloved icon in B-movies. Despite her efforts and undeniable charm, true stardom always seemed just out of reach for her. Unfortunately, this struggle for recognition was not the greatest tragedy in her life.
#1. She Was A Grandpa’s Girl
Joi Lansing, born Joy Rae Brown on April 6, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah, had a unique childhood.
Although her parents separated when she was just a year old, she wanted for nothing. Her well-off, devout Mormon grandparents, particularly her grandfather Ray, showered her with love and fulfilled her every wish.
From a young age, Joi’s greatest desire was to become a star, so she eagerly pursued drama and piano lessons to nurture her dreams.
#2. She Won A Coveted Spot
Her mother remarried and moved the family to Los Angeles in 1935. By the age of 14, Joi was already working as a swimsuit model.
A few years later, she won a talent competition hosted by MGM Studios and made two appearances in the film Easter Parade, starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. But this was just the beginning of her journey.
In 1948, MGM recognized her talent and signed her to a contract—and for good reason.
#3. She Was A Knockout
Standing at 5’5” with blonde hair, green eyes, and hourglass measurements of 39-23-35, Joi embodied the ideal starlet. Her flawless peaches-and-cream complexion was striking, though she often felt insecure about the roundness of her plump cheeks.
Later in her career, she viewed her beauty as a mixed blessing, stating, “I was always known as a glamour girl and categorized as only that. It was very limiting.” Yet, in those early days, she held onto the hope that her looks would ultimately serve her well in the industry.
#4. She Was In Good Company
The studio enrolled Joi at the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting, alongside other emerging actresses like Janet Leigh, Ava Gardner, and Esther Williams.
There, she honed her poise and performance skills, while also meeting another student named Marilyn Monroe. Though they weren’t particularly close, it’s likely that Marilyn had hopes of a deeper friendship.
#5. Some Don’t Like It Hot
Joi claimed that Marilyn flirted with her and invited her to Palm Springs for some—wink-wink—“personal time.”
While she knew that studios sometimes encouraged such liaisons between actresses to prevent unwanted pregnancies, she declined the invitation, feeling nervous and unsure about their relationship.
Later in life, Joi did explore a romantic relationship with a woman, but at that time, she was falling for someone else.
#6. She Wasn’t Ready
In 1948, Joi married her first husband, Jack Shelton, a handsome friend of a fellow starlet. However, her mother disapproved of the match and persuaded her to get a divorce within the same year. This split became one of Joi’s biggest regrets.
She later reflected that she was too young to appreciate what a wonderful person Jack was, even calling him the love of her life at one point. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her second husband.
#7. She Got FaceTime
The MGM publicity department leveraged Joi’s image to promote every film she appeared in, even if her screen time was minimal. She enjoyed more visibility on posters and lobby cards than in actual performances.
For her minor role in the 1949 film Take Me Out to the Ball Game, alongside Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, the studio crafted an entire press release announcing that 2,500 men in Boston had voted her “The Girl We Would Most Like to Take to the Ballgame.” And the hype didn’t end there.
#8. She Was A Cover Girl
The powerful publicity machine successfully landed Joi—then still relatively unknown—on the coveted cover of Life Magazine in March 1949.
Inside, silent film director Hal Roach praised her, stating that he had personally chosen her to play the “dumb blonde” in a series of short films for the emerging medium of television.
With her “well-rounded good looks and flair for slapstick comedy,” he predicted she would become a TV star. He was right, but it would take some time before that became a reality.
#9. She Made A Mistake
On March 3, 1950, Joi married Columbia Pictures executive Jerry Safron, but she regretted the decision almost immediately.
Just four months later, they found themselves in divorce court. A judge denied Joi’s request for temporary alimony, while Jerry accused her of plunging him into debt with her extravagant spending habits.
To add to the turmoil, the court ruled that their marriage was invalid from the start because Jerry’s hasty Mexican divorce from his previous wife was not legally recognized. Joi’s love life was mirroring the struggles of her career—both were proving challenging.
#10. She Couldn’t Catch A Break
After her divorce, Joi attended university while still making appearances on screen in less-than-stellar projects like Hat Check Girl, Model, and Showgirl.
She was particularly disappointed to miss out on two significant roles that went to Marilyn Monroe: Miss Casswell in All About Eve and Angela Phinlay in The Asphalt Jungle.
To make matters worse, MGM dropped her contract. Perhaps it felt like the right moment to get married again, but unfortunately, her choice was Lance Fuller.
#11. She Was Unlucky In Love
In 1951, Joi married struggling actor Lance Fuller, but soon began to resent the financial burden of paying for his acting lessons. “No Hollywood actress,” she remarked, “unless she is a big star, can afford an actor for a husband.”
The bigger issue was his late nights spent gambling, often bringing his poker buddies home. Joi divorced him just two years later, but her crumbling love life was only part of her growing list of challenges.
#12. Something Had To Give
Joi found ample work in big-budget musicals like Singin’ in the Rain and The Merry Widow, but she was often relegated to the role of a pretty blonde in the background.
While she appreciated the opportunities, she felt frustrated, saying, “I grew to realize I was going nowhere. I was used solely for decoration and never given the chance to act or sing.” Yet, when she did get the opportunity to sing, she was undeniably a showstopper.
#13. She Entertained The Air Force
In the spring of 1949, Joi joined a Hollywood troupe that toured Military Air Transport Service outposts in Europe, Africa, Iceland, and Japan to entertain the personnel.
Reporters lauded her bluesy singing voice, noting that her rendition of “Embraceable You” consistently earned the most wolf-whistles and cheers throughout the globe-trotting tour.
Although Joi would eventually shift her focus to her singing career, Hal Roach’s prediction came true first.
#14. TV Saved Her
Joi landed a significant break when actor Robert Cummings chose her for a recurring role in his 1955 sitcom Love That Bob.
The show featured Robert as a girl-chasing photographer, with Joi portraying his favorite model, Shirley Swanson, across 125 episodes. Finally, she had a character with both a first and last name!
Joi made such an impression on producer Paul Henning that he later cast her as a semi-regular in The Beverly Hillbillies. With this opportunity, her TV career was truly off and running—and so was she.
#15. Her Body Was Her Temple
Bob Cummings, a health enthusiast, introduced Joi to weightlifting, and she quickly adopted his routine of taking handfuls of vitamins. She even became a spokesperson for Tiger’s Milk, one of the first protein shakes on the market.
Publicity teams eagerly promoted her as Bob’s fitness protégé, branding her as a clean-living, vice-less, Mormon glamour girl-next-door, even if much of that image wasn’t entirely accurate. Behind closed doors, Joi certainly had her vices.
#16. She Married Superman
By 1956, Joi had become such a familiar face that she appeared as herself on an episode of I Love Lucy. She also guest-starred on hit shows like Perry Mason and Maverick.
In 1958, she had a guest role on The Adventures of Superman, playing a policewoman who pretends to marry the Man of Steel as part of a trap for the villains.
This role could have led to a more permanent position if not for the untimely death of star George Reeves. Yet, true stardom continued to elude her, even as she was willing to pay the price.
#17. She Starred In The Worst
Despite always hoping for better roles, Joi took what she could get, appearing in B-movie flops like The Atomic Submarine and Queen of Outer Space—where she didn’t even get to play the queen.
Her film Hillbillys in a Haunted House was even featured in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. Often, landing the better parts comes down to connections, and fortunately for Joi, she knew one of the most powerful actors in the business.
#18. Her Ex Scared Her
Joi had a brief affair with a man named “Lenny,” who happened to be a mob boss in Cleveland. He was much more invested in the relationship than she was, so she decided to end it, claiming she had reconciled with Stan.
A few years later, when an opportunity to sing at a popular Cincinnati nightclub arose, Joi worried about running into Lenny but didn’t want to pass it up. She hoped to stay under his radar—but fate had other plans.
