JUNE ALLYSONFew actresses were as consistently popular during the golden era of American cinema as June Allyson who died on 8 July 2006 aged 88.After a horrific childhood accident it was feared that Miss Allyson would never walk again but she fought doggedly to recover and even taught herself to dance by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies.Despite her alluring, husky voice Miss Allyson was repeatedly cast in sugary roles and was frequently the faithful, stay-at-home wife.After retiring from the big screen she continued to appear regularly on television and was a long-time spokesperson on the issue of adult incontinency.Ella Geisman was born in the Bronx, New York on 7 October 1917 into a poor family of German immigrant descent. Her father, an alcoholic janitor, abandoned the family when she was six months old.At the age of eight a branch fell from a tree as she cycled underneath and she broke several bones. Doctors told her that she might never walk again but she underwent months of swimming exercises and regained her health.She auditioned for the Broadway musical Sing Out The News in 1938 and was given a part in the chorus line. At the suggestion of the show’s choreographer she changed her name to June Allyson.She continued to perform in musicals and when MGM saw her performance in Best Foot Forward in 1941 they selected her for the film version which came out in 1943. After this she was awarded with an MGM contract.A string of musicals followed until her performance in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) brought her to the attention of the American public who were charmed by her wholesomeness and girl-next-door good looks.She was now given straight roles and enhanced her growing reputation with strong performances in Little Women (1949) and The Glenn Miller Story (1953).Within a relatively short time Miss Allyson had become a huge star in Hollywood and for six years running was voted the Number One Female Box Office Attraction. In 1959 she won a Golden Globe for her performance in Too Young to Kiss .As her film career waned she moved into television and starred in her own television series, The Dupont Show with June Allyson. She also appeared in The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.Miss Allyson married actor-producer Dick Powell in 1945 – they had two children and remained together until his death in 1963. She married and divorced Alfred Maxwell twice before marrying David Ashrow with whom she remained until her death.In 1982 she returned to the public eye with the publication of her autobiography, June Allyson. The book was a success and she appeared on many chat-shows to promote it.During the last twenty years of her life Miss Allyson made appearances on television in commercials for Dupont & Poise products. She became a spokesperson on incontinence issues and set up the June Allyson Foundation in 1997.But it will as the all American girl-next-door of ’40s and ’50s that June Allyson will be most fondly remembered. During Miss Allyson’s heyday, Ginger Rogers said: “She’s the girl every man wants to marry and the girl every woman wants as a friend.”
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