Jack Palance – Academy Award winning actor dies 87, 2006

Hollywood Walk of FamerOscar Award winnerGolden Glove award winner

Jack PalanceJack Palance (born Volodymyr Palahniuk; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. With his rugged facial features, Palance was best known to modern movie audiences as both the characters of Curly and Duke in the two City Slickers movies, but his career spanned half a century of film and television appearances.

Death of Jack Palance
Jack Palance died at the age of 87, of natural causes, at his home in Montecito in Santa Barbara County.He was cremated and his ashes were retained by family and friends

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Jack Palance as a bad guy

Hollywood Walk of Fame
Palance has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1992, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Academy award and nominations
1952 – Nominated – Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Sudden Fear
1953 – Nominated – Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Shane
1992 – Won – Best Actor in a Supporting Role – City Slickers

Complete Filmography of Jack Palace

(1950-2004) (In order of production)

Year Movie title
1950 Panic In The Streets
Halls of Montezuma
1952 Shane
Sudden Fear
1953 Second Chance
Flight To Tangier
Arrowhead
The Man In The Attic
1954 Sign Of The Pagan
The Silver Chalice
1955 Kiss of Fire
The Big Knife
I Died A Thousand Times
1956 Attack
1957 The Lonely Man
House Of Numbers
Flowers Of Mayo
1958 The Man Inside
Ten Seconds To Hell
1959 The Battle Of Austerlitz
1960 Treno Di Natale
The Barbarian
1961 The Mongols
The Last Judgement
Barabbas
1962 Sword Of The Conqueror
Warriors Five
1963 Contempt
Night Train To Milan
1965 Once A Thief
The Spy In The Green Hat
1966 The Professionals
1967 To Kill A Dragon
Torture Garden
1968 They Came To Rob Las Vegas
The Mercenary
The Battle Giants
Marquis De Sade: Justine
1969 The Desperados
The Legion Of The Damned
Che
The McMasters
1970 Monte Walsh
The Companeros
The Horsemen
1971 Chato’s Land
It Can Be Done, Amigo
1972 Tedeum
The Short & Happy Life Of The Brothers Blue
1973 Oklahoma Crude
1974 Craze
1975 The Four Deuces
The Great Adventure
Africa Express
1976 Eva Nera
The Cop In Blue Jeans
Knell-The Bloody Avenger
Safari Express
Rulers Of The City
The Sensuous Nurse
God’s Gun
1977 Welcome To Blood City
Portrait Of A Hitman
1978 One Man Jury
Angels Brigade
1979 Cocaine Cowboys
The Shape Of Things To Come
1980 Without Warning
Hawk The Slayer
1982 Alone In The Dark
1987 Gor
Bagdad Cafe
Outlaw Of Gor
1988 Young Guns
1989 Batman
Tango & Cash
1990 Solar Crisis
City Slickers
1991 Radio Flyer (Voice)
1992 Eli’s Lesson
1993 Cyborg 2 – The Glass Shadow
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold
1994 Cops & Robbersons
The Swan Princess (Voice)
1998 The Incredible Adventures Of Marco Polo
Treasure Island
2001 Prancer Returns

Television Movies/Mini-Series

Year Television title
1968 The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
1973 Dracula
1974 The Godchild
The Hatfields & The McCoys
1975 Bronk
1979 The Last Ride Of The Dalton Gang
The Ivory Ape
1980 The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
1992 Keep The Change
1993 The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics
1995 Buffalo Girls
1997 I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Ebenezer
1999 Sarah, Plain & Tall : Winters End
2001 Living With The Dead
2004 Back When We Were Grownups

Television Shows

Year Television title
1950 Lights Out – The Man Who Couldn’t Remember
1952 Studio 1 – The King In Yellow
Curtain Call – Azaya
Studio 1 – Little Man, Big World
The Gulf Playhouse – The Necktie Party
1953 Danger – Said The Spider To The Fly
The Web – Last Chance
Suspense – The Kiss Off
The Motorola Tv Hour – Brandenburg Gate
Suspense – Cagliostro & The Chess Player
1956 Playhouse 90 – Requiem For A Heavyweight
Zane Grey Theatre – The Lariat
1957 Playhouse 90 – The Last Tycoon
Playhouse 90 – The Death Of Manolete
1963 The Greatest Show On Earth
1965 Convoy – The Many Colours Of Courage
1966 Run For Your Life – The Late Diana Hayes
Alice Through The Looking Glass – (Live Theatre)
1971 Net Playhouse – Trail Of Tears
1973 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
1979 Buck Rogers In The 25th Century – The Planet Of The Slave Girls
Unknown Powers (Presenter/Narrator)
1981 Tales Of The Haunted – Evil Stalks This House
1982 Ripley’s Believe It Or Not (Series)
2001 Night Visions – Bitter Harvest

Ed Bradley – 60 Minutes, CBS News

Ed BradleyEdward Rudolph Bradley, Jr. (June 22, 1941 – November 9, 2006) was an American journalist, best known for 26 years of award-winning work on the CBS News television magazine 60 Minutes. During his earlier career he also covered the fall of Saigon, was the first black television correspondent to cover the White House, and anchored his own news broadcast, "CBS Sunday Night with Ed Bradley." He was the recipient of multiple awards, including 19 Emmy Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Death of Ed Bradley
In the company of his longtime friend Jimmy Buffett, Bradley died on November 9, 2006 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan of complications from leukemia.He was sixty-five.

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Red Auerbach – Legendary basketball coach, Boston Celtics

Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was a highly successful and influential basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics right up until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games (a record at his retirement)[1] and 9 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, a coaching record shared with Phil Jackson. As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional 7 NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials ever in the history of North American professional sports

Death of Red Auerbach
On October 28, 2006, Auerbach died of a heart attack. NBA commissioner David Stern said "the void by his death will never be filled" and ex-players Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, John Havlicek and Larry Bird as well as contemporaries like Jerry West, Pat Riley and Wayne Embry universally hailed Auerbach as one of the greatest personalities in NBA history. Auerbach was survived by his two daughters, Nancy and Randy. Auerbach was buried in Falls Church, Virginia at the King David Memorial Gardens / National Memorial Park on October 31, 2006.

Jane Wyatt – Three times emmy winner, Father Knows Best

Hollywood Walk of FameEmmy award winnerEmmy award winnerEmmy award winner 

Jane WyattJane Waddington Wyatt (August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was a three-time Emmy-winning American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television series Father Knows Best and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television show, "Star Trek".

Death of Jane Wyatt
Jane Wyatt died on October 20, 2006 of natural causes at her home in Bel-Air, California. She was 96 years old.

Though one of her early suitors was John D. Rockefeller III, Wyatt was married to investment broker Edgar Bethune Wardon from November 9, 1935 until his death on November 8, 2000, just one day short of the couple’s 65th wedding anniversary. The couple met in the late 1920s when both were weekend houseguests of Franklin D. Roosevelt at Hyde Park. Wyatt was survived by two sons, and according to an obituary in The Washington Post, a third son died in infancy in the early 1940s.

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin CD Book Memorabilia
Buy from Amazon.com: Steve Irwin book, DVD, memorabilia

Steve Irwin RememberStephen Robert Irwin (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert and television personality. He achieved world-wide fame from the television program The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series co-hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. Together with her, he also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by his parents in Beerwah, Queensland.

Steve Irwin’s Cause of Death:
Steve Irwin died in 2006 after being fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb. Steve Irwin was 44 years old at the time of his death.

Born: 22 February 1962 Essendon, Victoria, Australia
Died: 4 September 2006 (aged 44) Batt Reef, Queensland, Australia
Occupation: Naturalist, Zoologist, Conservationist, Television Personality
Spouse: Terri Irwin, Children? Bindi Sue Irwin, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin
Website: CrocodileHunter.com.au

Glenn Ford – MEGA star, The original 3:10 to Yuma

Hollywood Walk of FamerGolden Globe Winner 

Glnn Ford DeathGwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was an acclaimed Canadian-born actor from Hollywood’s Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades. Ford was a versatile actor best known for playing either cowboys or ordinary men in unusual circumstances.

Death of Glenn Ford
Flenn Ford suffered a series of minor strokes which left him in frail health in the years leading up to his death.
Glenn Ford was 90 years old at the time of his death

Early life and career
He was born to Anglo-Quebecer parents at Jeffrey Hale Hospital in Quebec City, Quebec and was a great-nephew of Canada’s first Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. Ford moved to Santa Monica, California with his family at the age of eight, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1939.

Glenn Ford – Scene from "Gilda"

Jack Warden,

Emmy Award Winner 

Jack Warden ActorJack Warden (September 18, 1920 – July 19, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated American character actor.

Death of Jack Warden
Jack Warden died of heart and kidney failure in a New York hospital on July 19, 2006.
Jack Warden was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Career
Warden had his first credited film role in The Man with My Face in 1951, and in 1952 he began a three-year role in the television series Mr. Peepers. After a role as a sympathetic corporal in From Here to Eternity (1953), Warden’s breakthrough film role was his performance as Juror No. 7, a salesman who wants a quick decision in a murder case, in 12 Angry Men (1957).

He received a supporting actor Emmy Award for his performance as Chicago Bears coach George Halas in Brian’s Song (1971), and was nominated for Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He also had notable roles in such films as All the President’s Men (1976), …And Justice for All and Being There (both 1979), Used Cars (in which he played a celebrated dual role in 1980), The Verdict (1982), Problem Child (1990) and its sequel (1991), While You Were Sleeping (1995), and the Norm MacDonald film Dirty Work (1998).

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Carbon Copy (1981) trailer – Jack Warden taking a small roll here

Jack Warden’s biography & filmography continues 

Warden appeared in over one hundred movies, typically playing gruff cops, sports coaches, trusted friends and similar roles, during a career which spanned six decades. His last film was 2000s The Replacements, opposite Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves.

Personal life
Warden married French actress Vanda Dupre in 1958 and had one son, Christopher. Although they separated in the 1970s they never divorced.

Early life
Warden was born John H. Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Laura M. (née Costello) and John Warden Lebzelter, who was an engineer and technician. Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he was expelled from high school for fighting and eventually fought as a professional boxer under the name Johnny Costello. He had 13 welterweight bouts but earned little money. He worked as a nightclub bouncer, tugboat deckhand and lifeguard before joining the Navy in 1938. He was stationed in China for three years with the Yangtze River Patrol.

In 1941, he joined the United States Merchant Marine; but quickly tiring of the long convoy runs, he switched to the Army in 1942 where he served as a paratrooper in the elite 101st Airborne Division during World War II. In 1944, on the eve of the D-Day invasion (during which many of his friends died), Warden shattered his leg by landing on a fence during a night-time practice jump in England. After almost a year in the hospital (during which time he read a Clifford Odets play and decided to become an actor after the end of the war), he recovered enough to participate in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

After leaving the military with the rank of sergeant, he moved to New York City and pursued an acting career on the G.I. Bill. He joined the company of the Dallas Alley Theater and performed on stage for five years. In 1948 he made his television debut on The Philco Television Playhouse and Studio One. He made an uncredited film debut in 1951 in You’re in the Navy Now, a movie which also featured the film debuts of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson.

Filmography
The Replacements (2000)
Bulworth (1998)
Chairman Of The Board (1998)
Dirty Work (1998)
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Problem Child 3: Junior in Love (1995)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Toys (1992)
Problem Child 2 (1991)
Problem Child (1990)
The Presidio (1988)
Dead Solid Perfect (1988)(Cable TV)
Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987) (TV)
September (1987)
Crazy Like a Fox (1984) TV Series
Crackers (1984)
The Verdict (1982)
So Fine (1981)
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Used Cars (1980)
Being There (1979)
Topper (1979) (TV)
The Bad News Bears (1979) TV Series
…And Justice for All (1979)
Death on the Nile (1978)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Raid on Entebbe (1977) (TV)
The White Buffalo (1977)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Jigsaw John (1976) TV Series
Shampoo (1975)
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974)
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973)
Brian’s Song (1971) (TV)
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)
Bye Bye Braverman (1968)
N.Y.P.D. (1967) TV Series
The Invaders (1967) TV series guest appearance
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965) TV Series
The Thin Red Line (1964)
Bewitched – It Shouldn’t Happen To A Dog (1964) TV series Guest appearance
Donovan’s Reef (1963)
The Asphalt Jungle (1961) TV Series
Wake Me When It’s Over (1960)
The Twilight Zone (1960) TV series Guest appearance
That Kind of Woman (1959)
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Darby’s Rangers (1958 film)
12 Angry Men (1957)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Mr. Peepers (1952) TV Series
Man with My Face (1951)
You’re in the Navy Now (1951) (uncredited)  

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Red Buttons – Comedian, Actor, dies 87

Hollywood Walk of FameOscar WinnerGolden Globe Winner 

Red ButtonsRed Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American comedian and actor.

Death of Red Buttons
Red Buttons died of vascular disease on July 13, 2006 at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Red Buttons was 87 years old. Buttons had been ill for some time and was with family members when he passed away

Early life
Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants. At sixteen years old, Buttons got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan’s Tavern in City Island, Bronx. The combination of his red hair and the shiny buttoned bellhop uniform inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him Red Buttons, the name under which he would later perform.

Later that same summer, Buttons worked on the Borscht Belt; his straight man was Robert Alda. In 1939, Buttons started working for Minsky’s Burlesque; in 1941, José Ferrer chose Buttons to appear in a Broadway show The Admiral Had a Wife. The show was a farce set in Pearl Harbor, and it was due to open on December 8, 1941. It never did, as it was deemed inappropriate after the Japanese attack. In later years Buttons would joke that the Japanese only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.

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Career
In September 1942, Buttons at last got his Broadway debut in Vickie with Ferrer and Uta Hagen. Later that year, he appeared in the Minsky’s show Wine, Women and Song; this was the last Burlesque show in New York City history, as the Mayor La Guardia administration closed it down. Buttons was on stage when the show was raided.

1943 saw Buttons in the Army Air Corps. He was chosen to appear in the Broadway show Winged Victory, as well as appearing in the Darryl F. Zanuck movie version. He later went on to entertain troops in the European Theater of operations in the same unit as Mickey Rooney.

After the war, Buttons continued to do Broadway shows. He also performed at Broadway movie houses with the Big Bands. In 1952, Buttons received his own variety series on television – The Red Buttons Show ran for three years, and achieved high levels of success. His catch phrase from the show, "strange things are happening," entered the national vocabulary briefly in the mid-1950s.

His role in Sayonara was a dramatic departure from his previous work. In that film, he played Joe Kelly, an American airman stationed in Kobe, Japan during the Korean War, who falls in love with Katsumi, a Japanese woman (played by Miyoshi Umeki), but is barred from marrying her by military rules intended to reassure the local populace that the U.S. presence is temporary. His portrayal of Kelly’s calm resolve not to abandon the relationship and touching reassurance of Katsumi impressed audiences and critics alike; both he and Umeki won Academy Awards for the film. After his Oscar-winning role, Buttons performed in numerous feature films, including Hatari!, The Longest Day, Harlow, The Poseidon Adventure, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Pete’s Dragon, and 18 Again! with George Burns. Buttons also made many memorable TV appearances on programs including Little House on the Prairie, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ER and Roseanne.

He became a nationally recognizable comedian, and his "Never Got A Dinner" sketch was a standard at the Dean Martin roasts for many years.

Number 71 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time, Buttons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television, located at 1651 Vine Street.

Personal life
Buttons was married to actress Roxanne Arlen in 1947, but it soon ended in divorce. His next marriage was to Helayne McNorton, from December 8, 1949 until 1963. His last marriage was to Alicia Pratt, which lasted from January 27, 1964 until her death in March 2001. Buttons had two children, daughter Amy Buttons and son Adam Buttons. He was the advertising spokesman for the Century Village, Florida retirement community.

Buttons was an early member of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts, and at the time, Rabbi Jerome cutler was the Rabbi.

Year Film Role Other notes
1947 Winged Victory Whitey/Andrews Sister as Cpl. Red Buttons
13 Rue Madeleine Second Jump Master uncredited
1951 Footlight Varieties Himself
1957 Sayonara Airman Joe Kelly Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Nominated – BAFTA Award for most promising newcomer
1958 Imitation General Cpl. Chan Derby  
1959 The Big Circus Randy Sherman  
1961 One, Two, Three MP sergeant uncredited
1962 Hatari! Pockets  
Five Weeks in a Balloon Donald O’Shay  
The Longest Day Pvt. John Steele  
Gay Purr-ee Robespierre voice
1963 A Ticklish Affair Uncle Cy  
1964 Your Cheatin’ Heart Shorty Younger  
1965 Up from the Beach Pfc. Harry Devine  
Harlow Arthur Landau Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1966 Stagecoach Peacock  
1969 The Moviemakers Himself short subject
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Sailor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1971 Who Killed Mary What’s ‘Er Name? Mickey  
1972 The Poseidon Adventure James Martin  
1976 Gable and Lombard Ivan Cooper  
1977 Viva Knievel! Ben Andrews  
Pete’s Dragon Hoagy  
1978 Movie Movie Peanuts/Jinks Murphy  
1979 C.H.O.M.P.S. Bracken  
1980 When Time Ran Out Francis Fendly  
1985 Alice in Wonderland The White Rabbit  
1988 18 Again! Charlie  
1990 The Ambulance Elias Zacharai  
1994 It Could Happen to You Walter Zakuto  
1999 The Story of Us Arnie Jordan  
2001 Odessa or Bust The Old Man short subject
2004 Goodnight, We Love You   documentary
2005 Sid Bernstein Presents… Himself documentary

June Allyson – Golden Globe winner, Actress from 1940s 1950s

Hollywood Walk of FamerGolden Glove Winner 

June AllysonJune Allyson (October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was a Golden Globe-winning American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

Death of June Allyson
June Allyson had been in failing health since undergoing a hip-replacement surgery, and died at her home in Ojai, California on July 8, 2006. She was 88 years old. Her death was a result of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis. Her husband of nearly 30 years, David Ashrow, was at her side.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, June Allyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1537 Vine Street.

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Filmography

Features
Best Foot Forward (1943)
Thousands Cheer (1943)
Girl Crazy (1943)
Meet the People (1944)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Music for Millions (1944)
Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945)
The Sailor Takes a Wife (1945)
Two Sisters from Boston (1946)
Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
The Secret Heart (1946)
High Barbaree (1947)
Good News (1947)
The Bride Goes Wild (1948)
The Three Musketeers (1948)
Words and Music (1948)
Little Women (1949)
The Stratton Story (1949)
The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)
Right Cross (1950)
 Too Young to Kiss (1951)
The Girl in White (1952)
Battle Circus (1953)
Remains to Be Seen (1953)
The Glenn Miller Story (1953)
Executive Suite (1954)
Woman’s World (1954)
Strategic Air Command (1955)
The Shrike (1955)
The McConnell Story (1955)
The Opposite Sex (1956)
You Can’t Run Away from It (1956)
Interlude (1957)
My Man Godfrey (1957)
A Stranger in My Arms (1959)
They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)
Blackout (1978)
That’s Entertainment! III (1994)
A Girl, Three Guys, and a Gun (2001)
 
Short subjects
Ups and Downs (1937)
Pixilated (1937)
Swing for Sale (1937)
Dime a Dance (1937)
Dates and Nuts (1937)
Not Now (1938)
 Sing for Sweetie (1938)
The Prisoner of Swing (1938)
The Knight Is Young (1938)
All Girl Revue (Short subject, 1940)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood, City of Stars (1956)

Biography

Early life
Allyson was born Eleanor (Ella) Geisman in the Bronx, New York City to Clara Provost and Robert Geisman on October 7, 1917. Her paternal grandparents, Harry Geisman and Anna Hafner, were immigrants from Germany, although Allyson has claimed that her last name was originally "Van Geisman", and was of Dutch origin.June was six months old when her alcoholic father who’d worked as a janitor abandoned the family. Her mother worked as a telephone operator and restaurant cashier. Allyson was brought up in near poverty. At eight, a dead tree branch fell on her while she was bicycling. Several bones were broken, and doctors said she would never walk again. She underwent months of swimming exercises and regained her health.

Career
After graduating from a wheelchair to crutches to braces, she was inspired to dance by obsessively watching Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies. In 1938, fully recovered, she tried out for a chorus job in the Broadway show "Sing out the News." The choreographer gave her a job and a new name: Allyson, a family name, and June, for the month.

Like other musical performers in New York, the 5’1" Allyson found work in movie short subjects that were filmed there. Her first opportunity came from Educational Pictures at its Astoria, Long Island studio. Educational cast her as an ingenue opposite singer Lee Sullivan, comic dancers Herman Timberg, Jr. and Pat Rooney, Jr., and future comedy star Danny Kaye. When Educational ceased operations, Allyson moved over to Vitaphone in Brooklyn, and starred or co-starred (with dancer Hal LeRoy) in musical shorts until that studio discontinued New York production in 1940.

Allyson returned to the New York stage. After her appearance in Best Foot Forward in 1941, she was selected for the 1943 film version, and followed it up with several other musicals, including Two Sisters from Boston (1946) and Good News (1947). She also played straight roles such as Constance in The Three Musketeers (1948), the tomboy Jo March in Little Women (1949), and a nurse in Battle Circus (1953). June was very adept at opening the waterworks on cue, and many of her films incorporated a crying scene. Fellow MGM player Margaret O’Brien recalled that she and Allyson were known as "the town criers."

In 1950, June Allyson had been signed to appear opposite Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding, but had to leave the production due to pregnancy. (She was replaced initially by Judy Garland, and later Jane Powell.)

James Stewart was a frequent co-star, teaming up with Allyson in films such as The Glenn Miller Story, The Stratton Story and Strategic Air Command.

Allyson was an extremely active star in the 1940s and 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the comedy Too Young To Kiss in 1951. In 1955, she was named the ninth most popular movie star in the annual Quigley Exhibitors Poll and the second most popular female star (behind Grace Kelly). She starred in 1956 with a young rising star named Jack Lemmon in a musical comedy, You Can’t Run Away From It.

After her film career ended in the late 1950s, Allyson starred on television as hostess and occasional star of The DuPont Show with June Allyson. The anthology series lasted two seasons. In later years the actress appeared on popular shows such as The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.

Personal life
On August 19, 1945, Allyson caused Hollywood studio chiefs some consternation by marrying Dick Powell, who was 13 years her senior and had been previously married to Mildred Maund and Joan Blondell. They had two children, Pamela Allyson Powell (adopted in 1948 through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in an adoption arranged by Georgia Tann) and Richard Powell, Jr. born on December 24, 1950. The couple briefly separated in 1961, but reconciled and remained married until his death on January 2, 1963, which led to Allyson’s effective retirement from the screen.

Following Powell’s death, she went though a bitter court battle with her mother over custody of her children, Ricky and Pamela. Reports at the time revealed that writer/director Dirk Summers, with whom Allyson was romantically involved from 1963 to 1975, was named legal guardian for Ricky and Pamela as a result of a court petition. Members of the nascent jet-set, Allyson and Summers were frequently seen in Cap d’Antibes, Madrid, Rome and London. However, Summers refused to marry her and the relationship did not last. Allyson twice married and divorced Powell’s barber, Alfred Glenn Maxwell, who she claimed physically abused her. During this time, Allyson struggled with alcoholism, which she overcame in the mid-seventies. She was married to David Ashrow, a dentist turned actor, from 1976 until her death. The couple occasionally performed together in regional theater.

Allyson returned to the Broadway stage in 1970 in the play Forty Carats and later toured in a production of No, No Nanette.

Dick Powell had been a major television player with his own production company, Four Star, owning several network shows. When he died, Allyson was left very well off and didn’t need to work. She occasionally made appearances on talk and variety shows.

After Dick Powell developed kidney problems and died of cancer, June Allyson committed herself to charitable work on his behalf. She championed the importance of research in urological and gynecological diseases in seniors, and represented the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in commercials for Depend adult diapers. Her name made the headlines again when actor-turned-agent Marty Ingels publicly charged Allyson with not paying his large commission on the Depend deal. Allyson counter-charged that Ingels was harassing her with dozens of phone calls daily and nightly.

Allyson made a special appearance in 1994 in That’s Entertainment III, as one of the film’s narrators. She spoke about MGM’s golden era, and introduced vintage film clips.

Syd Barrett – Founding member of Pink Floyd dies 60

Syd BarrettRoger Keith "Syd" Barrett (January 6, 1946 – July 7, 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and artist. He is most remembered as a founding member of British progressive rock band Pink Floyd, providing major musical and stylistic direction in their early work, although he left the group in 1968 amidst speculations of mental illness exacerbated by heavy drug use.

Death of Syd Barrett
Barrett died on Friday 7 July 2006 at his home in Cambridge. He died of pancreatic cancer, but this was usually reported as "complications from diabetes." The occupation on his death certificate was given as "retired musician."

According to a local Cambridge newspaper, Barrett left approximately £1.25 million to his two brothers and two sisters. This income was apparently largely acquired via royalties from Pink Floyd compilations and live recordings which featured songs he had written whilst with the band.

A tribute concert was held at the Barbican Centre, London on 10 May 2007 with Robyn Hitchcock, Captain Sensible, Damon Albarn, Chrissie Hynde, Kevin Ayers and his Pink Floyd bandmates performing (albeit not on stage at the same time for the last).