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June Allyson 1917 - 2006

June Allyson of Ojai, Ventura County, California United States was born on October 7, 1917 in Bronx, Bronx County, NY, and died at age 88 years old on July 8, 2006 in Ojai, Ventura County, CA.

June Allyson

Eleanor Geisman

Ojai, Ventura County, California 93023, United States

October 7, 1917

Bronx, Bronx County, New York, United States

July 8, 2006

Ojai, Ventura County, California, 93023, United States

Female

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June Allyson June Allyson (1917 - 2006)

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June Allyson's History: 1917 - 2006

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10/7

1917

Birthday

October 7, 1917

Birthdate

Bronx, Bronx County, New York United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Family (3) Spouse David Ashrow (30 October 1976 - 8 July 2006) (her death) Alfred Glenn Maxwell (1 April 1966 - 17 March 1970) (divorced) Alfred Glenn Maxwell (13 October 1963 - 20 April 1965) (divorced) Dick Powell (19 August 1945 - 2 January 1963) (his death) (2 children) Children Ellen Powell Norman S. Powell Parents Robert Geisman Clara Josephine Provost Trade Mark (2) Her husky speaking and singing voice Full Bottom Lip Trivia (49)
Religious Beliefs

Buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, L.A., CA. June Allyson - Famous memorial ORIGINAL NAME - Ella Geisman BIRTH - 7 Oct 1917 Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA DEATH - 8 Jul 2006 (aged 88) Ojai, Ventura County, California, USA BURIAL Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA MEMORIAL ID 14878295 · View Source MEMORIAL Actress. Born Ella Geisman in the Bronx, New York, New York, she was injured in an accident at age eight and spent four years confined within a steel brace. Swimming therapy slowly gave her mobility again, and she began to study dance as well. She entered dance contests after high school and earned roles in numerous musical films called "Broadway Brevities," the Vitaphone short subjects. In 1938, she made her Broadway debut in the musical "Sing Out the News," a Rodgers and Hart musical. In 1940, she worked the chorus of the Ethel Merman musical "Panama Hattie" with up-and-coming actresses Betsy Blair, Lucille Bremer, Constance Dowling, and Vera Ellen. June was elevated to understudy of Betty Hutton, who was unable to perform due to illness. June's performance impressed producer George Abbott, who gave her a part in his next Broadway musical "Best Foot Forward." During her performance, she caught the eye of MGM executives who bought the rights to the production for later screen release. In 1943, June reprised her role in the film version of "Best Foot Forward." She was signed to an exclusive contract with MGM, and would appear in over forty films for the studio. She was a box-office attraction, paired with many of the major stars of the day, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Jimmy Stewart. Her film credits include, "Two Sisters From Boston" (1946), "Good News" (1946), "The Three Musketeers" (1948), "Little Women" (1949), and "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953). In 1945, June married actor Dick Powell. They had two children, Pamela Allyson Powell (adopted) and Richard Powell, Jr. Dick Powell's death from cancer in 1963 devastated June and she retreated somewhat from film work, appearing only infrequently on screen and slightly more often in television films. Dick Powell was one of the founders of Four Star Television, owning several network shows. At the time of his death, his investments totaled in the tens of millions, leaving June and the children comfortable. In 1970, June was asked to replace Julie Harris on Broadway in David Merrick's musical-comedy, "Forty Carats." She secured the lead in the national touring company of "No, No, Nanette" in 1971. She toured with the show for one year, to favorable reviews. She married Dr. David Ashrow in 1976. He was a retired dentist-turned-actor. They toured the states in dinner theater shows. In 1982, her autobiography, "June Allyson," co-authored by Frances Spatz Leighton, was published. In her later years, she became familiar to television audiences, with her many commercials for Kimberly-Clark products for adult undergarments. She felt it was a good cause and at the time her mother was suffering from incontinence. In 1988, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Federal Council on Aging. Her own foundation raised significant funds for the research and education of problems pertaining to the aging. She remained busy as ever touring the country making personal appearances, headlining celebrity cruises, and speaking on behalf of Kimberly-Clark. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1537 Vine Street, Hollywood, California. She died at her Ojai, California, home from pulmonary respiratory failure complicated by acute bronchitis. Her husband David survived her until April 23, 2007. Family Members Parents Robert Henry J Geisman 1892–1983 Clara Peters Clara Josephine Provost Peters 1897–1994 Spouses Dick Powell Dick Powell 1904–1963 (m. 1945) David Ashrow David Prince Ashrow 1920–2007 (m. 1976)
Professional Career

June Allyson Biography Showing all 68 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Family (3) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (49) | Personal Quotes (7) | Salary (1) Overview (5) Born October 7, 1917 in The Bronx, New York, USA Died July 8, 2006 in Ojai, California, USA (respiratory failure and acute bronchitis) Birth Name Eleanor Geisman Nickname Junie Height 5' (1.52 m) Mini Bio (1) American leading lady whose sweet smile and sunny disposition made her the prototypical girl-next-door of American movies of the 1940s. Raised in semi-poverty in Bronx neighborhoods by her divorced mother, Allyson (nee Ella Geisman) was injured in a fall at age eight and spent four years confined within a steel brace. Swimming therapy slowly gave her mobility again, and she began to study dance as well. She entered dance contests after high school and earned roles in several musical short films. In 1938, she made her Broadway debut in the musical "Sing Out the News." After several roles in the chorus of various musicals, she was hired to understudy Betty Hutton in "Panama Hattie." Hutton's measles gave Allyson a shot at a performance and she impressed director George Abbott so much that he gave her a role in his next musical, "Best Foot Forward." She was subsequently hired by MGM to recreate her role in the screen version. The studio realized what it had in her and offered her a contract. Her smoky voice and winning personality made her very popular and she made more than a score of films for MGM, most often in musicals and comedies. She became a box-office attraction, paired with many of the major stars of the day. In 1945, she married actor-director Dick Powell, with whom she occasionally co-starred. Following Powell's death from cancer in 1963, she retreated somewhat from film work, appearing only infrequently on screen and slightly more often in television films. Occasional nightclub appearances and commercials were her only other public performances since, and she died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis on July 8, 2006, after a long illness. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver Actress. Born Ella Geisman in the Bronx, New York, New York, she was injured in an accident at age eight and spent four years confined within a steel brace. Swimming therapy slowly gave her mobility again, and she began to study dance as well. She entered dance contests after high school and earned roles in numerous musical films called "Broadway Brevities," the Vitaphone short subjects. In 1938, she made her Broadway debut in the musical "Sing Out the News," a Rodgers and Hart musical. In 1940, she worked the chorus of the Ethel Merman musical "Panama Hattie" with up-and-coming actresses Betsy Blair, Lucille Bremer, Constance Dowling, and Vera Ellen. June was elevated to understudy of Betty Hutton, who was unable to perform due to illness. June's performance impressed producer George Abbott, who gave her a part in his next Broadway musical "Best Foot Forward." During her performance, she caught the eye of MGM executives who bought the rights to the production for later screen release. In 1943, June reprised her role in the film version of "Best Foot Forward." She was signed to an exclusive contract with MGM, and would appear in over forty films for the studio. She was a box-office attraction, paired with many of the major stars of the day, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Jimmy Stewart. Her film credits include, "Two Sisters From Boston" (1946), "Good News" (1946), "The Three Musketeers" (1948), "Little Women" (1949), and "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953). In 1945, June married actor Dick Powell. They had two children, Pamela Allyson Powell (adopted) and Richard Powell, Jr. Dick Powell's death from cancer in 1963 devastated June and she retreated somewhat from film work, appearing only infrequently on screen and slightly more often in television films. Dick Powell was one of the founders of Four Star Television, owning several network shows. At the time of his death, his investments totaled in the tens of millions, leaving June and the children comfortable. In 1970, June was asked to replace Julie Harris on Broadway in David Merrick's musical-comedy, "Forty Carats." She secured the lead in the national touring company of "No, No, Nanette" in 1971. She toured with the show for one year, to favorable reviews. She married Dr. David Ashrow in 1976. He was a retired dentist-turned-actor. They toured the states in dinner theater shows. In 1982, her autobiography, "June Allyson," co-authored by Frances Spatz Leighton, was published. In her later years, she became familiar to television audiences, with her many commercials for Kimberly-Clark products for adult undergarments. She felt it was a good cause and at the time her mother was suffering from incontinence. In 1988, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Federal Council on Aging. Her own foundation raised significant funds for research and education of problems pertaining to aging. She remained busy as ever touring the country making personal appearances, headlining celebrity cruises, and speaking on behalf of Kimberly-Clark. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1537 Vine Street, Hollywood, California. She died at her Ojai, California, home from pulmonary respiratory failure complicated by acute bronchitis. Her husband David survived her until April 23, 2007. Bio by: katzizkidz Family Members Parents Robert Henry J Geisman 1892–1983 Clara Josephine Provost Peters 1897–1994 Spouses Dick Powell 1904–1963 (m. 1945) David Prince Ashrow 1920–2007 (m. 1976) Siblings Henry Allyson Geisman 1915–1995 Children Richard Keith Powell 1950–2022 Flowers • 2389
Personal Life & Family

On contract to MGM for 12 years. Was a good friend of Judy Garland. They were both under contract at MGM in the 1940s, and Judy used to give June rides in Judy's car to the studio whenever possible. In interviews after Garland's passing, Allyson said that she could hardly talk about Garland without getting tears in her eyes because she was such a special lady who didn't have appropriate help available to her in her lifetime. She was just 5' 1" and weighed 99 lbs. in 1945. From 1963 to 1975, she had a long term, ill-fated romance with writer/director Dirk Wayne Summers, often announcing to the press that the couple would be married soon. She and Summers were the lead item in Walter Winchell's then influential column more than a few times. They often traveled together through Europe. Although Summers apparently loved her and their life together, he refused her many proposals of marriage, much to her chagrin. Members of the nascent jet-set, they were frequently seen in Cap d'Antibes, Madrid, Rome and London, where they called Hugh Hefner's borrowed Mayfair penthouse home. After the death of first husband Dick Powell, she went through a bitter court battle with her mother over custody of her son Dick Powell Jr., and adopted daughter Pamela Powell. Reports at the time revealed that Dirk Wayne Summers was named legal guardian for Dick and Pamela, as a result of a court petition. After her film career was over, she continued to do occasional Broadway & off-Broadway plays, television appearances and commercials, including her famous Depends commercials, from the 1960s through the 1990s. She was a valued resource in preserving information about Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) and Hollywood's golden years. She was a spokesperson on the issue of incontinence, and was instrumental in establishing the June Allyson Foundation for Public Awareness and Medical Research. She and her husband, Dr. David Ashrow, actively supported fund-raising efforts for both the James Stewart and Judy Garland museums. Stewart and Garland were both close friends. Mother of Dick Powell Jr., and Pamela Powell from her marriage to Dick Powell. Separated from Powell once when she fell in love with actor Alan Ladd during filming of The McConnell Story (1955). Ladd was also married at the time. Very seldom was able to break out of her spry "goody two shoes" types. The couple of times she did, however, were extreme. She played a harsh, cold-hearted wife to José Ferrer in The Shrike (1955) who nags him to the point of a nervous breakdown. Audiences would not accept her in the role and the movie failed at the box office. Another time she played a lesbian murderess in They Only Kill Their Masters (1972), one of her final films. Filed for divorce once during her marriage to Dick Powell, but the turbulent marriage lasted until his death from cancer in 1963. She struggled with alcoholism following his death which may have triggered a custody battle against her mother. Her second husband, Glenn Maxwell, was Dick Powell's former barber. Her last husband, David Ashrow, who survived her, was a retired dentist turned actor. Her father, an alcoholic, abandoned the family when she was six months old. When she was eight years old, she was crushed by a falling tree limb while riding a bicycle. She wore a back brace for four years and taught herself to dance by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. She was told that the accident would prevent her from having children. Her first child, Pamela Powell, was adopted in 1948. In 1950, however, she gave birth to her son, Dick Powell Jr.. In 1945, Harvard Lampoon voted her worst actress of the year. That year's worst actor was regular co-star Van Johnson. Longtime friend of Esther Williams. Along with her husband Dick Powell, she persuaded future President of the United States Ronald Reagan to switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 1962. Married to husband David Ashrow at the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs, California, in October 1976. There is a photograph of the wedding party hanging at the historic hotel garden to this day. In Italy, her films were dubbed mainly by Miranda Bonansea. As she matured, she was dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta and Rina Morelli. She was once dubbed by Andreina Pagnani in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), released in Italy after the war. Good friend of James Stewart and played his wife in three different films. Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007). The film footage showed Miss Allyson on stage at the Academy Awards smiling and laughing. Son Dick Powell Jr. born December 24, 1950. Daughter Pamela Powell born June 18, 1948. She was adopted in August 1948. Could cry on cue, a talent she shared with Margaret O'Brien. Allyson's method for triggering tears was to "try very, very hard not to cry . . . So the more I thought about not crying the more I cried." According to Allyson, during O'Brien's death scene in Little Women (1949), they "could not stop" crying. June married Dr. David Ashrow, a retired dentist-turned actor in October of 1976. June and David toured the country together in the late seventies/early eighties in the stage play "My Daughter, Your Son" to fine reviews. A few years earlier, June starred in the same show with her son Dick Powell Jr.. When she married Alfred Glenn Maxwell, her family allowance from the estate of Dick Powell was reduced from $5,000 per month to $2,500 per month. She initially turned down the opportunity to be a celebrity spokesperson for Depend undergarments because "it was not a very pleasant subject". Reportedly, her mother changed her mind because she convinced Allyson that she could actually help people with a very real and widespread problem that they were too embarrassed to talk about with friends or family. Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1537 Vine Street. In December 1993, June Allyson dedicated the Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Maasdam. Her father, Robert Geisman, was born in Roanoke, VA on September 29, 1892 and died in Ventura County, California on April 19, 1983 at the age of 90. Her mother, Clara Josephine Provost, was born in New York, NY on October 21, 1897 and died on April 23, 1994 in Ventura County, California at the age of 97. She had one sibling, a brother named Henry Allyson Geisman, who was born November 22, 1915 in New York, NY and died Jan 6, 1995 in Riverside, CA. Stepmother of Norman S. Powell and Ellen Powell. After filming The Secret Heart (1946) together, June and her co-star, Claudette Colbert, became great friends. Claudette became godmother to June's daughter, Pamela Powell. In the 1980s, 1990's, and early 2000's, she was the spokeswomen for Depend undergarments. Was close friends with: Esther Williams, Van Johnson, Claudette Colbert, Kathryn Grayson, Judy Garland, Jane Wyman, Gloria DeHaven, Ann Rutherford, James Stewart, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. Her favorite actors were Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, and Meg Ryan. She was fan of the TV shows Touched by an Angel (1994), Mad About You (1992), and Law & Order (1990). Was a fan of the mystery writer Agatha Christie, so much in fact that her personal library consisted of every novel that Christie ever wrote. She also cited the Christie character Jane Marple to be her favorite female detective. Her father was of German descent. Her mother had Dutch, French/French-Canadian, English, and Guernsey Channel Islander roots. Initially wanted to be a doctor, and got into acting merely as a way to make money to pay for medical school. She ended up sticking with it, and instead paid for her brother to become a doctor. She took a lifelong interest in health and medical research. In May 2014, she was honored as Turner Classic Movie's Star of the Month. Allyson claims in her autobiography that in the roman a clef "Center Door Fancy", written by husband Dick Powell's first wife Joan Blondell, the character of "Amy" is a thinly-disguised version of her. It has been theorized by film historian Michael Buckley that "Amy" is an anagram for May, the month just before June. June Allyson confessed in her autobiography that she had a short-term relationship with a young John F. Kennedy. She was a heavy smoker until 1984. The makers of The Love Boat (1977) series frequently cast actors and actresses who had worked together in past projects, in what fans of the show term "pop culture connections". In the segment "Her Own Two Feet" (The Love Boat: The Minister and the Stripper/Her Own Two Feet/Tony's Family (1978)), June Allyson was reunited with frequent costar, Van Johnson, in a story about a husband who is struggling to face the truth that his wife is losing her sight. On August 28, 2019, she was honored with a day of her film work during the Turner Classic Movies Summer Under the Stars. Although she stated in a 2001 interview that she is of Dutch descent and that her family's name was originally Van Geisman, her father was actually of German ancestry. It is unconfirmed whether her father was Jewish. Personal Quotes (7) In real life I'm a poor dressmaker and a terrible cook - anything in fact but the perfect wife. MGM was my mother and father, mentor and guide, my all-powerful and benevolent crutch. When I left them, it was like walking into space. [on Joan Crawford] I tried to be a good listener. I decided that was what she wanted all along - not so much a friend as an audience. [assessing her appeal as a performer] I have big teeth. I lisp. My eyes disappear when I smile. My voice is funny. I don't sing like Judy Garland. I don't dance like Cyd Charisse. But women identify with me. And while men desire Cyd Charisse, they'd take me home to meet Mom. I couldn't dance, and, Lord knows, I couldn't sing, but I got by somehow. Richard Rodgers was always keeping them from firing me. If you see someone without a smile, give him yours. The only parental authority I had was the studio. When I was a star, there was always somebody with me, to guard me. I was not allowed to be photographed with a cigarette, a drink, a cup of coffee or even a glass of water because someone might think it was liquor. When I left the studio I was already married and had two children, but I felt as sad as a child leaving home for the first time.
07/8

2006

Death

July 8, 2006

Death date

Pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis.

Cause of death

Ojai, Ventura County, California 93023, United States
Death location

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Obituary

June Allyson, Adoring Wife in MGM Films, Is Dead at 88 By Aljean Harmetz July 11, 2006 June Allyson, whose perky wholesomeness made her the perfect girlfriend in a series of MGM musicals during the 1940s and the perfect screen wife during the 1950s, died on Saturday at her home in Ojai, Calif. She was 88. Her death was announced yesterday by her daughter, Pamela Allyson Powell. The cause was pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis, she told The Associated Press. Cheerful, blonde, and petite but with a husky voice, Miss Allyson turned from chorus girl into a movie star when she melted into the arms of Van Johnson in “Two Girls and a Sailor” in 1944. For the next decade, Miss Allyson and Mr. Johnson were a romantic team, co-starring in “High Barbaree” (1947), “The Bride Goes Wild” (1948), “Too Young to Kiss” (1951), and “Remains to Be Seen” (1953). She also starred twice opposite Robert Walker — in “Her Highness and the Bellboy” (1945) and “The Sailor Takes a Wife” (1946) — and played a bouncy Jo March in MGM’s glossy 1949 remake of “Little Women.” By 1950, Miss Allyson had made the segue from adoring girlfriend to a devoted wife. She was happy to leave musicals behind. Although she had started in the chorus on Broadway, she told an interviewer in 1951: “I couldn’t dance, and, Lord knows, I couldn’t sing, but I got by somehow. Richard Rodgers was always keeping them from firing me.” She was the steadfast wife of James Stewart’s one-legged baseball player in “The Stratton Story” (1949); the widow left behind by Mr. Stewart’s bandleader in “The Glenn Miller Story” (1953); the worried wife of Mr. Stewart’s baseball player recalled to active duty in “Strategic Air Command” (1955); and the understanding wife who loses Alan Ladd’s jet pilot to honor and duty in “The McConnell Story ( 1955). In “Executive Suite” (1954), she assured her husband, played by William Holden, who was vying for president of the Tredway Corporation, “Darling, if it’s something you really want, that’s all that’s important to either of us.” Ms. Allyson was always modest about her star power. “Women identify with me,” she said in a 1986 interview, “and while men desire Cyd Charisse, they’d take me home to meet Mom.” When Miss Allyson tried to move beyond Peter Pan collars and sugary characters as the harsh and nasty woman who pushes her husband (José Ferrer) into a nervous breakdown in “The Shrike“ (1955), her acting was praised but audiences refused to accept her, and the movie was a box-office failure. June Allyson was born Ella Geisman on Oct. 7, 1917, in the Bronx. Her alcoholic father skipped out when she was 6 months old. When she was 8, she was crushed by a falling tree limb while riding a bicycle. After four years in a back brace, she taught herself to dance by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. The expensive therapy the injuries required tumbled the Geisman family out of genteel poverty into desperation. In her 1982 autobiography, “June Allyson,” written with Frances Spatz Leighton, Miss Allyson said she and her mother were forced to move countless times. The best months were when her mother had a job in a restaurant, she wrote, “because sometimes she could bring home food.” Recovering from her injuries, she tried out for and won a chorus job in a 1938 Broadway revue, “Sing Out the News,” taking the name June (for the month) Allyson. Between 1938 and 1941, Miss Allyson sang and danced in several Broadway shows, including “Very Warm for May,” “Higher and Higher” and “Panama Hattie.” As an understudy to Betty Hutton, who played the comedy lead in “Panama Hattie,” Miss Allyson took over the part for five performances when Miss Hutton came down with measles. In a plot development worthy of an MGM musical, the producer George Abbott saw her performance and offered her a small featured role in his next musical, “Best Foot Forward.” MGM bought the movie rights to the musical, and Miss Allyson was invited to Hollywood to play her role on screen. She stayed at MGM for 11 years and 25 movies. “The only parental authority I had was the studio,” Miss Allyson said in 1972. “When I was a star, there was always somebody with me, to guard me. I was not allowed to be photographed with a cigarette, a drink, a cup of coffee, or even a glass of water because someone might think it was liquor. When I left the studio I was already married and had two children, but I felt as sad as a child leaving home for the first time.” A second-tier star at a studio that prided itself on owning “more stars than there are in heaven,“ Miss Allyson defied the studio boss Louis B. Mayer in only one thing. She fell in love with the married movie star Dick Powell. Mr. Powell divorced his wife, the actress Joan Blondell, and married Miss Allyson in 1945, despite Mr. Mayer’s opposition. Although the marriage was rocky at times — Miss Allyson once filed for divorce — it lasted until Mr. Powell’s death from cancer in 1963 at age 58. In her autobiography, she touched on her struggle with alcoholism after Mr. Powell’s death. Miss Allyson and Mr. Powell co-starred in two mediocre movies in 1950, “The Reformer and the Redhead” and “Right Cross.” Miss Allyson recalled being told that because of her childhood accident, she would never be able to have children, so she and Mr. Powell adopted a baby girl, Pamela, in 1948. Two years later, she gave birth to a son, Richard. Pamela Allyson Powell now lives in Santa Monica, Calif. Richard, of Los Angeles, also survives Miss Allyson, as does her husband, David Ashrow, a dentist whom she married in 1976. A previous marriage, to Mr. Powell’s hairdresser, Glenn Maxwell, in 1963, the year Mr. Powell died, ended in divorce. Miss Allyson’s film career had petered out in the late 1950’s with a remake of “My Man Godfrey “ (1957) opposite David Niven, and a sudsy Ross Hunter melodrama “A Stranger in My Arms” (1959). From 1959 to 1961, she was the host of and occasionally starred in “The DuPont Show With June Allyson,” a dramatic anthology on CBS. After replacing Julie Harris as the star of “40 Carats” on Broadway and touring for a year in a revival of “No, No Nanette,” she returned to the screen and to MGM in 1972 as a lesbian murderess in “They Only Kill Their Masters.” She also appeared on “Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote” and other television shows. In 1985 she became the national spokeswoman for Depend, a diaper for adults with incontinence. Still wearing her trademark pageboy hairdo, she broke one of the last taboos by bringing this uncomfortable subject into the nation’s living rooms by way of television commercials. Writing about Miss Allyson’s autobiography in The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote: “Miss Allyson presents herself as the same sunny, tomboyish figure she played on screen. Even the tough parts of her life — the death of her husband Dick Powell and her subsequent problems with alcoholism — are described in a relatively blithe manner.” Ms. Maslin added that Miss Allyson sounded “like someone who has come to inhabit the very myths she helped to create on the screen.”

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June Allyson lived 9 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 88.

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