June Allyson
About June Allyson
Though she despised the appellation "the girl next door," this was how June Allyson was promoted throughout most of her MGM career. The blonde, raspy-voiced actress was born in a tenement section of the Bronx. Her career nearly ended before it began when 8-year-old June seriously injured her back in a fall. For four years she wore a steel brace, then spent several more months in physical therapy. Thanks to the financial support of her grown half-brother, June was able to take dancing lessons. At 19, she made her film debut in the Vitaphone short Swing for Sale (1937). In her earliest movie appearances (notably the 1937 Educational Studios 2-reeler Dime a Dance) June projected a far more worldly, all-knowing image than she would convey in her later feature films. After co-starring in such Broadway productions as Sing Out the News, Very Warm for May and Panama Hattie and Best Foot Forward, June was signed to an MGM contract in 1942. The studio quickly began molding June's screen image of a freckled-faced, peaches-and-cream "best girl" and perfect wife. She was permitted to display some grit in The Girl in White (1952), playing New York City's first woman doctor, but most of her screen characters were quietly subordinate to the male leads. One of her favorite co-stars was James Stewart, with whom she appeared in The Stratton Story (1949) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954). In 1955, she completely broke away from her on-camera persona as the spiteful wife of Jose Ferrer in The Shrike (1955), a role for which she was personally selected by the demanding Ferrer. June was the wife of actor/ producer/ director Dick Powell, a union that lasted from 1945 until Powell's death in 1963, despite several well-publicized breakups. She starred in and hosted the 1960 TV anthology series The June Allyson Show, produced by Powell's Four Star Productions. After her film career ended, June made a handful of nightclub singing appearances; in 1972, she made a brief screen comeback in They Only Kill Their Masters, astonishing her fans by playing a murderess. In recent years, June Allyson has appeared in several TV commercials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Name: | Relation: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Powell | husband | married from August 19, 1945 until his death January 2, 1963 |
| David Ashrow | husband | married in October 1976; acted together on stage in "My Daughter, Your Son" |
| Glenn Maxwell | husband | married in 1963; divorced in 1965; remarried in 1966 and divorced second time; was Dick Powell's barber |
| Richard Powell Jr | son | born in 1950; portrayed his father in "The Day of the Locust" |
| Pamela Allyson Powell | daughter | adopted in 1948; served as Director |
| Clara Geisman | mother | died in 1995 |
| At age eight, injured when tree limb fell on her; wore braces for four years | |
| Began appearing opposite third husband in the stage play "My Daughter, Your Son" | |
| Danced in chorus line at Copacabana nightclub in NYC | |
| Entered Amateur Night dance contests in the Bronx | |
| Headlined the national tour of the stage musical "No, No Nanette" in the 1970s | |
| Performed in chorus line of Broadway musical, "Sing Out the News" at age 20 | |
| 1937 | Appeared in Vitaphone short films; debut, "Swing For Sale" |
| 1938 | Worked in educational films |
| 1939 | Acted in the stage musical "Very Warm for May", directed by Vincente Minnelli |
| 1940 | Understudied Betty Hutton in the stage musical "Panama Hattie", starring Ethel Merman |
| 1941 | Garnered attention in a prominent supporting role in the Broadway musical, "Best Foot Forward", choreographed by Gene Kelly |
| 1943 | First feature film as actress, "Best Foot Foward", recreating her stage role |
| 1944 | Established as a star with the musical films, "Music for Millions" and "Two Girls and a Sailor", the latter her first opposite Van Johnson |
| 1946 | Starred in first dramatic film, "The Secret Heart" |
| 1948 | Last appearance in a musical until the mid-1950s, near the end of her contract with MGM, "Words and Music", in which she was one of many guest stars; performed the song, "Thou Swell"; for the rest of her career, concentrated on comedies and dramas |
| 1953 | Last of five films opposite Van Johnson, "Remains to Be Seen" |
| 1955 | Made annual exhibitors poll, sponsored by the "Motion Picture Herald", of the top ten boxoffice stars; placed 9th |
| 1956 | Last film for MGM for many years, "The Opposite Sex"; film was also her last musical |
| 1959 | Played last feature starring role in "Stranger in My Arms"; was also last film for 13 years |
| 1959 - 1961 | Starred in the TV anthology series, "The June Allyson Show" |
| 1970 | Succeeded Julie Harris as star of the Broadway play "40 Carats"; first stage role in two decades |
| 1972 | Returned to films in "They Only Kill Their Masters" |
| 1978 | Made one-shot return to films in "Blackout" |
| 1984 | Signed long-term contract with Kimberly Clark to be a commercial spokesperson for the company's products Depends & Poise |
| 1990 | Last film acting role in ""Stranger in My House" |
| 1994 | Was one of the hosts of the musical compilation documentary, "That's Entertainment III" |
Notes
In 1988, Allyson was appointed by Ronald Reagan to the Council on Aging.
There is an official Web site devoted to the actress at www.juneallyson.com
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Quick Facts
Also known as
Birth Name : Ella Geisman
Born
1917-10-07 00:00:00.0 in Bronx, New York
Professions
actor, dancer, singer