Hello to all from Joe Bonelli.
Sad news today from Hollywood-- the passing of June Allyson-- but best since her health had deteriorated so badly. Recently on that "other list" we've been talking about "glamour" and "real stars" and Faces that Leap off the Screen ala Gable, Taylor, and today's Johannsen.
But in all of it we forgot about one whose appeal was so much wider than we remembered.
My favorite Allyson quote:
from THE GLENN MILLER STORY:
June: "HON-estly!" (Said dozens of times throughout the film.)
The poigniency of the final scene in that wonderful picture-- a "musical" that was not a "Musical,"-- was quite moving to see. As Helen Miller, Allyson held her kids and quitely wept with a smile as she heard Glenn's "present" to her on the radio
after his plane went down..... the arrangement of the old college song, "Little Brown Jug," that was her simple favorite and that Miller had always joshed away.
I never thought she was much in the 40s musicals nor was she the great dramatic actress or comic-- but she was quietly very good at whatever was required of her and was, simply, in a class by herself. A star made by her times.
RIP June Allyson--- Honestly!
Joe Bonelli
![]()
June Allyson, the perenially perky actress who
played wife, girlfriend and girl-next-door to a long line of leading men in the 40s and 50s, died Saturday at her home in Ojai, California; she was 88. The actress died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis complicated by a long illness, with her husband of 30 years, David Ashrow, at her side. Born Eleanor Geisman in the Bronx, the actress grew up in near-poverty, raised by her divorced mother. After a serious injury at age eight, she spent years confinded in a steel brace, and began both swimming and dancing lessons to increase her mobility. The dancing paid off: in 1938, at age 21, she was cast in the Broadway production
Sing Out the News. A prominent role in
George Abbott's
Best Foot Forward brought her to the attention of Hollywood, and she was later cast by MGM in
the 1943 film version, and signed to a contract by the studio. With her raspy voice, sunny disposition and wholesome good looks, she stood apart from other more glamorous actresses yet endeared herself to both women, who identified with her, and men, who saw her as the "perfect wife." Her appeal was epitomized in such films as
Little Women (1949), where she played the tomboyish Jo opposite
Peter Lawford, and baseball drama
The Stratton Story, her first film with
James Stewart. Offscreen, Allyson caused concern from her studio bosses when she married
Dick Powell, her occasional co-star; the actor had been married twice before and was 13 years her senior, and by most reports their marriage was often tumultuous. In the 50s, Allyson most often played the steadfast wife, most famously opposite previous co-star Stewart in
The Glenn Miller Story and
Strategic Air Command. Other films during the decade included
Executive Suite (with
William Holden),
The Opposite Sex,
The
Shrike (a rare unsympathetic role),
Interlude, and a remake of
My Man Godfrey alongside
David Niven. As husband Powell's health began to decline (he died in 1963), Allyson began her retirement from films, and through the 60s worked mainly in television, including her own show,
The Dupont Show with June Allyson. Her later career consisted mainly of TV movies and guest star appearances on shows ranging from
The Love Boat to
The
Incredible Hulk, and she underwent another turbulent marriage, to Glenn Maxwell, her former husband's barber. In 1976, she married current husband Ashrow, with whom she traveled extensively. To most recent generations, Allyson was known as the upbeat spokeswoman for Depends undergarments, a role she undertook with aplomb as she helped pioneer research for urological and gynecological diseases in senior citizens. Allyson is survived by her husband and two children, daughter Pamela and son Richard, from her marriage to Powell.
--Mark Englehart, IMDb staff
Want to be your own boss? Learn how on
Yahoo! Small Business.
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
