June Allyson
Today is June Allyson's 88th birthday. As she is one of my favorite actresses, I thought I'd give some more information.
Here is some information about her from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
The movies' perennial girl-next-door began her career in a chorus line on Broadway. By the late 1930s, though, the movie bug had bitten, and Allyson was appearing in two-reel shorts such as Dime a Dance (1937) for Educational Pictures, and other mini-musicals for Warner Bros., all filmed in New York. But the pert, diminutive dancer attracted little attention until being featured in the 1941 Broadway show "Best Foot Forward." She was signed by MGM to repeat her stage role in the 1943 film version, and was groomed for stardom.Bright-eyed and bouncy, Allyson became popular in a series of peppy musicals-Thousands Cheer, Girl Crazy (both 1943), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Two Sisters From Boston (1946), and Good News (1947) among them-that exploited her terp talent and husky voice without making great demands on her limited acting ability. The year 1948 marked a change in direction for Allyson's career: Although she'd worked in a few nonmusical films, she was cast in several "straight" movies, including The Three Musketeers (1948) and Little Women (1949). The Stratton Story (1949) offered Allyson the first of three costarring roles with James Stewart-The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and Strategic Air Command (1955) were the others-and solidified her screen image as the kind of girl men like to marry. (In real life she was married to screen crooner/tough guy Dick Powell.)With solid dramatic credentials behind her, Allyson got some good roles in the 1950s-in The Shrike (1955) with Jose Ferrer, for instance-but, overall, her output in the 1950s was largely confined to dismal vehicles, including ill-advised remakes of two classic screwball comedies, You Can't Run Away From It [It Happened One Night] (1956), and My Man Godfrey (1957). Allyson's big-screen appearances have been rare since 1960, but her wholesome image remains fixed in the American consciousness.
Here is some information about her from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
The movies' perennial girl-next-door began her career in a chorus line on Broadway. By the late 1930s, though, the movie bug had bitten, and Allyson was appearing in two-reel shorts such as Dime a Dance (1937) for Educational Pictures, and other mini-musicals for Warner Bros., all filmed in New York. But the pert, diminutive dancer attracted little attention until being featured in the 1941 Broadway show "Best Foot Forward." She was signed by MGM to repeat her stage role in the 1943 film version, and was groomed for stardom.Bright-eyed and bouncy, Allyson became popular in a series of peppy musicals-Thousands Cheer, Girl Crazy (both 1943), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Two Sisters From Boston (1946), and Good News (1947) among them-that exploited her terp talent and husky voice without making great demands on her limited acting ability. The year 1948 marked a change in direction for Allyson's career: Although she'd worked in a few nonmusical films, she was cast in several "straight" movies, including The Three Musketeers (1948) and Little Women (1949). The Stratton Story (1949) offered Allyson the first of three costarring roles with James Stewart-The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and Strategic Air Command (1955) were the others-and solidified her screen image as the kind of girl men like to marry. (In real life she was married to screen crooner/tough guy Dick Powell.)With solid dramatic credentials behind her, Allyson got some good roles in the 1950s-in The Shrike (1955) with Jose Ferrer, for instance-but, overall, her output in the 1950s was largely confined to dismal vehicles, including ill-advised remakes of two classic screwball comedies, You Can't Run Away From It [It Happened One Night] (1956), and My Man Godfrey (1957). Allyson's big-screen appearances have been rare since 1960, but her wholesome image remains fixed in the American consciousness.
posted by Joanna | 8:29 PM
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