June Preisser (June 26, 1918 – September 19, 1984) was an American actress, popular in musical films during the late 1930s and through the 1940s, many of which capitalized on her skills as an acrobat.

Life and career

Born June 26, 1918 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

and later for the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Follies of the ...

in 1934 and 1936. June Preisser in Gallant Sons trailer

The Preisser sisters were successful in the United States, and performed in Europe, including for George VI of the United Kingdom. Cherry retired after her June 22, 1937, marriage, ending their team. In 1938, June tumbled alone in the Broadway musical ''You Never Know''. June was signed to a film contract by MGM. Her first film, ''Dancing Co-Ed'' (1939), provided only a small part, but her next film, '' Babes in Arms'' (1939), gave her a significant role opposite

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

and

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...

. She performed with Rooney and Garland again in '' Strike Up the Band'' (1940), and with Rooney in two "Andy Hardy" films, ''Judge Hardy and Son'' (1939) and '' Andy Hardy's Private Secretary'' (1941). In 1940, Preisser appeared in ''Gallant Sons'', a comedic murder mystery. The following year, she played her first lead role opposite

Jimmy Lydon James Joseph Lydon (May 30, 1923 – March 9, 2022) was an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s. Early life Lydon was born in Harrington Park, New Jersey on May 3 ...

in '' Henry Aldrich for President'' (1941), and followed this with '' Sweater Girl'' (1942), opposite Eddie Bracken. She continued her career following her marriage in 1942 to radio announcer J. Moss Terry. The couple had a son, Richard Josiah “Ricky”, the following year and later divorced. By this time, MGM had little interest in promoting Preisser’s career. She left MGM and began working for

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios in ...

. Preisser continued to appear in musical comedies over the next few years, and played the character Dodie Rogers in seven The Teen Agers films with Frankie Darro and Noel Neill from 1946 to 1948. She made her final film appearance in ''Music Man'' (1948). After appearing in a Los Angeles theater production of '' Annie Get Your Gun'', Preisser retired from acting.

Later years and death

After retiring from acting in the early 1950s, Preisser taught dancing and acrobatics in Los Angeles. She then moved with her son, Richard Josiah Terry, to

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. From 1972 until her death, Preisser worked at Pompano Office Supply with her son. In the early morning hours of September 19, 1984, Preisser was the passenger in her son’s car when the two were involved in a fatal car accident in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2 ...

. Richard Terry died at the scene while Preisser died of her injuries at North Broward Medical Center.

Filmography

*''Wash Your Step'' (1936) as June O'Brien *'' Dancing Co-Ed'' (1939) as "Ticky" James *'' Babes in Arms'' (1939) as "Baby" Rosalie Essex *'' Judge Hardy and Son'' (1939) as Euphrasia "Phrasie Daisy" Clark *'' Strike Up the Band'' (1940) as Barbara Frances Morgan *'' Gallant Sons'' (1940) as Miss Dolly Matson *'' Andy Hardy's Private Secretary'' (1941) as Euphrasia "Phrasie Daisy" Clark *'' Henry Aldrich for President'' (1941) as Geraldine Adams *'' Sweater Girl'' (1942) as Susan Lawrence *''

Babes on Swing Street ''Babes on Swing Street'' is a 1944 musical comedy film directed by Edward C. Lilley and starring Ann Blyth, Peggy Ryan, and Andy Devine. It was produced by Universal Pictures. Plot Barber's daughter Trudy Costello gives close shaves at her ...

'' (1944) as Fern Wallace *'' Murder in the Blue Room'' (1944) as Jerry *'' Let's Go Steady'' (1945) as Mable Stack *'' I'll Tell the World'' (1945) as Marge Bailey *'' Junior Prom'' (1946) as Dodie Rogers *'' Freddie Steps Out'' (1946) as Dodie Rogers *'' High School Hero'' (1946) as Dodie *'' Vacation Days'' (1947) as Dodie Rogers *'' Sarge Goes to College'' (1947) as Dodie Rogers *'' Two Blondes and a Redhead'' (1947) as Patti Calhoun *'' Smart Politics'' (1948) as Dodie Rogers *'' Campus Sleuth'' (1948) as Dodie Rogers *'' Music Man'' (1948) as June Larkin

References

External links

* * * * in '' Babes in Arms'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Preisser, June 1918 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New Orleans American female dancers American film actresses American stage actresses Burials in Florida Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Road incident deaths in Florida