American film actress June Haver (1926-2005) was a popular alternative to the musical film stars Betty Grable and Alice Faye in several musicals of the 1940s. Haver's second husband was film star Fred MacMurray, whom she married after she retired from show business.
![June Haver]()
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W. 175. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
![June Haver]()
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W. 362. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
![June Haver]()
British Real Photograph postcard, no. 189.
June Haver was born June Stovenour in Rock Island, Illinois. She later took the last name of her stepfather Bert Haver. After the family moved to Ohio, seven-year-old June entered and won a contest of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Her mother Marie Stovenour being an actress and her stepfather Bert Haver being a musician, Haver often doubted who she - careerwise - wanted to follow. At age eight, she won a film test by imitating famous actresses including Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, and Helen Hayes. Haver's mother, however, prohibited her daughter from becoming a child actress in the film industry, feeling she was too young.
At age 10, she moved back to Rock Island, where she began performing for Rudy Vallee. Working regularly as a band singer by her teens, she performed with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra for $75 a week. Furthermore, she became a well-known child star on the local radio.
In the summer of 1942, June Haver moved to Hollywood, where she finished high school. She acted in plays in her spare time and during a performance as a southern belle, she was discovered by a scout from 20th Century Fox. In 1943, Haver signed a $3,500 a week contract with the studio and made her film debut playing an uncredited role as a hat-check girl in the musical The Gang's All Here (Busby Berkeley, 1943).
She was dropped shortly after because the studio executives felt that she looked too young, but was later re-signed after her costume and hairstyle were changed. 20th Century Fox had plans to mold Haver as a glamour girl stand-in for the studio's two biggest stars, Betty Grable and Alice Faye. She debuted on-screen in a supporting role as Cri-Cri in Home in Indiana (Henry Hathaway, 1944).
According to the actress, she had just turned seventeen years old when her scenes were filmed. Even before Home in Indiana was released, she was assigned to replace Alice Faye in the Technicolor-musical, Irish Eyes Are Smiling (Gregory Ratoff, 1944). Later that year she co-starred with future husband, Fred MacMurray, in Where Do We Go From Here? (Gregory Ratoff, 1945), which was the only time the pair appeared together in a film.
![June Haver]()
Dutch postcard, no. 3193. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
![June Haver]()
British postcard in The People series by Show Parade Picture Services, London, no. P. 1050. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
During her career at Fox, June Haver was originally groomed to be the next Betty Grable (she was known as 'Pocket Grable). She even co-starred with Grable in The Dolly Sisters (Irving Cummings, 1945), a biographical film about Jennie and Rosie Dolly, Hungarian-born identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the twentieth century.
In 1946, she starred and received first-billing in Wake Up and Dream (Lloyd Bacon, 1946) with John Payne, and Three Little Girls in Blue (H. Bruce Humberstone, 1946); both of which were well received and brought moderate success.
The following year, the role of Katie was written into the film I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (Lloyd Bacon, 1947) just for Haver. In 1947 she married trumpeter Jimmy Zito but they divorced in 1948.
Possibly best known for her roles in optimistic musicals, Haver's comedy star-turn in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (F. Hugh Herbert, 1948) was a major success. The same year, she starred as Marilyn Miller in the musical Look for the Silver Lining (David Butler, 1949). To resemble the actress as much as possible, Haver had to drive to the studio an hour earlier for make-up.
The following year, she would star in The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (David Butler, 1950) and I'll Get By (Richard Sale, 1950).
![June Haver]()
Belgian postcard, no. AX 159. Photo: Warner Bros.
![June Haver]()
Dutch postcard by DRC, no. 42. Photo: 20th Century Fox / MPEA.
In 1951, June Haver was teamed with Fox's newest asset, Marilyn Monroe, in the low-budget comedy Love Nest (Joseph Newman, 1951). Even though Haver was the lead and received top-billing, most of the film's publicity centered around Monroe, who had a minor role and garnered under-the-title billing.
Love Nest was June Haver's only full-length film in black and white. Her other 15 releases between 1943 and 1953 were shot in three-strip Technicolor, something of a record for a Hollywood Golden Age actress.
In 1952 she became engaged to John Duzik, but the happiness was shortlived. He died less than a year later. In 1953 after her last film role in The Girl Next Door (Richard Sale, 1953) and because of John's death she entered the Sisters of Charity convent in Xavier, Kansas, but she had to leave less than a year later due to an illness she was suffering.
In 1954, she married actor Fred MacMurray. Following her marriage, Haver remained largely retired from acting. Her last appearances were as herself on TV in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1958) and Disneyland (1959).
Haver and MacMurray would adopt two daughters and remain together until MacMurray's death in 1991. June Haver died from respiratory failure in 2005 at her home in Brentwood, California at the age of 79. She left two stepchildren (by MacMurray's first marriage), her adopted twin daughters, and seven grandchildren.
![June Haver]()
Dutch postcard by Van Leer's Fotodrukindustrie N.V., Amsterdam, no. 331. Photo: Warner Bros.
![June Haver]()
British postcard in the Film Star Autograph Portrait Series by L.D. Ltd, London, no. 88. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Source: Denny Jackson (IMDb), Find A Grave, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W. 175. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W. 362. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
British Real Photograph postcard, no. 189.
A glamour girl stand-in for the studio's two biggest stars
June Haver was born June Stovenour in Rock Island, Illinois. She later took the last name of her stepfather Bert Haver. After the family moved to Ohio, seven-year-old June entered and won a contest of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Her mother Marie Stovenour being an actress and her stepfather Bert Haver being a musician, Haver often doubted who she - careerwise - wanted to follow. At age eight, she won a film test by imitating famous actresses including Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, and Helen Hayes. Haver's mother, however, prohibited her daughter from becoming a child actress in the film industry, feeling she was too young.
At age 10, she moved back to Rock Island, where she began performing for Rudy Vallee. Working regularly as a band singer by her teens, she performed with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra for $75 a week. Furthermore, she became a well-known child star on the local radio.
In the summer of 1942, June Haver moved to Hollywood, where she finished high school. She acted in plays in her spare time and during a performance as a southern belle, she was discovered by a scout from 20th Century Fox. In 1943, Haver signed a $3,500 a week contract with the studio and made her film debut playing an uncredited role as a hat-check girl in the musical The Gang's All Here (Busby Berkeley, 1943).
She was dropped shortly after because the studio executives felt that she looked too young, but was later re-signed after her costume and hairstyle were changed. 20th Century Fox had plans to mold Haver as a glamour girl stand-in for the studio's two biggest stars, Betty Grable and Alice Faye. She debuted on-screen in a supporting role as Cri-Cri in Home in Indiana (Henry Hathaway, 1944).
According to the actress, she had just turned seventeen years old when her scenes were filmed. Even before Home in Indiana was released, she was assigned to replace Alice Faye in the Technicolor-musical, Irish Eyes Are Smiling (Gregory Ratoff, 1944). Later that year she co-starred with future husband, Fred MacMurray, in Where Do We Go From Here? (Gregory Ratoff, 1945), which was the only time the pair appeared together in a film.
Dutch postcard, no. 3193. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
British postcard in The People series by Show Parade Picture Services, London, no. P. 1050. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
During her career at Fox, June Haver was originally groomed to be the next Betty Grable (she was known as 'Pocket Grable). She even co-starred with Grable in The Dolly Sisters (Irving Cummings, 1945), a biographical film about Jennie and Rosie Dolly, Hungarian-born identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the twentieth century.
In 1946, she starred and received first-billing in Wake Up and Dream (Lloyd Bacon, 1946) with John Payne, and Three Little Girls in Blue (H. Bruce Humberstone, 1946); both of which were well received and brought moderate success.
The following year, the role of Katie was written into the film I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (Lloyd Bacon, 1947) just for Haver. In 1947 she married trumpeter Jimmy Zito but they divorced in 1948.
Possibly best known for her roles in optimistic musicals, Haver's comedy star-turn in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (F. Hugh Herbert, 1948) was a major success. The same year, she starred as Marilyn Miller in the musical Look for the Silver Lining (David Butler, 1949). To resemble the actress as much as possible, Haver had to drive to the studio an hour earlier for make-up.
The following year, she would star in The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (David Butler, 1950) and I'll Get By (Richard Sale, 1950).
Belgian postcard, no. AX 159. Photo: Warner Bros.
Dutch postcard by DRC, no. 42. Photo: 20th Century Fox / MPEA.
The Sisters of Charity convent
In 1951, June Haver was teamed with Fox's newest asset, Marilyn Monroe, in the low-budget comedy Love Nest (Joseph Newman, 1951). Even though Haver was the lead and received top-billing, most of the film's publicity centered around Monroe, who had a minor role and garnered under-the-title billing.
Love Nest was June Haver's only full-length film in black and white. Her other 15 releases between 1943 and 1953 were shot in three-strip Technicolor, something of a record for a Hollywood Golden Age actress.
In 1952 she became engaged to John Duzik, but the happiness was shortlived. He died less than a year later. In 1953 after her last film role in The Girl Next Door (Richard Sale, 1953) and because of John's death she entered the Sisters of Charity convent in Xavier, Kansas, but she had to leave less than a year later due to an illness she was suffering.
In 1954, she married actor Fred MacMurray. Following her marriage, Haver remained largely retired from acting. Her last appearances were as herself on TV in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1958) and Disneyland (1959).
Haver and MacMurray would adopt two daughters and remain together until MacMurray's death in 1991. June Haver died from respiratory failure in 2005 at her home in Brentwood, California at the age of 79. She left two stepchildren (by MacMurray's first marriage), her adopted twin daughters, and seven grandchildren.
Dutch postcard by Van Leer's Fotodrukindustrie N.V., Amsterdam, no. 331. Photo: Warner Bros.
British postcard in the Film Star Autograph Portrait Series by L.D. Ltd, London, no. 88. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Source: Denny Jackson (IMDb), Find A Grave, Wikipedia, and IMDb.