June Allyson, one of MGM’s brightest musical comedy stars of the 1940s and ’50s, known for her husky voice, pageboy haircut and girl-next-door effervescence, died Saturday at her home in Ojai. According to her daughter Pamela Allyson Powell, she died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis after a long illness. She was 88.
Allyson got her start in the early days of moviemaking, breaking through in the old studio system as early as 1937 as the vivacious and cute character of any film. She soon matured into one of the grand matrons of Hollywood.
Later in her life June found fame as the someone not afraid to talk about certain problems faced by the elderly and hawking products geared just for them. She also found a new following of scifi and fantasy fans on television with major appearances in such shows as Misfits of Science, The Incredible Hulk and The Sixth Sense.
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