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June Haver (born Beverly June Stovenour; June 10, 1926 – July 4, 2005) was an American film actress, singer and dancer. Once groomed by 20th Century Fox to be "the next Betty Grable," Haver appeared in a string of Musical film, but she never achieved Grable's popularity. Haver's second husband was the actor Fred MacMurray, whom she married after she retired from showbusiness.
When Haver was 10, the family returned to Rock Island, where she began performing for Rudy Vallée and became a well-known child star on the radio. She worked regularly as a band singer by the time that she was in her teens, performing with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra for $75 a week. She also worked with bandleaders Dick Jurgens and Freddy Martin.
In 1946, Haver starred and received top billing in Wake Up and Dream and Three Little Girls in Blue, 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 just for Haver.
Haver's comedy star turn in 1948's Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! was a major success. The same year, she starred as Marilyn Miller in the musical Look for the Silver Lining (1949).
The following year, she starred in The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady and I'll Get By. In 1951, Haver was teamed with Fox's newest asset, Marilyn Monroe, and previous costar William Lundigan (her co-star from I'll Get By) in the low-budget comedy Love Nest. Though Haver was the lead and received top billing, most of the film's publicity centered on Monroe, who had a minor role and garnered under-the-title billing. Love Nest was Haver's only full-length film in black and white. Her other 15 films between 1943 and 1953 were shot in three-strip Technicolor.
Following her marriage to MacMurray in 1954, Haver mostly retired from acting (her last appearances were as herself on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in 1958 and in Disneyland '59). Her final film appearance was in 1953's The Girl Next Door. Haver and MacMurray adopted two daughters and remained together until MacMurray's death in 1991.
At the urging of friends Ann Miller and Ann Rutherford, Haver finally joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the age of 75. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Haver has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1777 Vine Street.
On March 9, 1947, Haver married trumpet player James Zito. She had met him at age 15 while touring with Ted Fio Rito's orchestra. They initially lost contact after Haver moved from Illinois to Beverly Hills but started dating when Haver made a short visit to her home town when she was already a film actress. Haver filed for divorce less than a year after eloping with Zito, winning interlocutory decree on March 25, 1948. She admitted to the press that the marriage was a failure from the beginning, saying: "I want to forget as soon as possible. We hadn't been married hours before I realized I had never really known Jimmy. He was a stranger. He was either down in the dumps or up high. I never knew from one moment to the next how he would be."
After her divorce from Zito, Haver started dating Dr. John L. Duzik, whom she had dated before her marriage to Zito. They planned to marry, but Duzik died on October 31, 1949, following surgery complications. While taking care of him in his final days, she started attending church more often. According to friends, she was inspired to become a nun during this period. Following Duzik's death, Haver reportedly became tired of Hollywood and did not fall in love with the men whom she dated afterward. In February 1953, Haver became a postulant nun with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, an organization based in Leavenworth, Kansas, and she stayed until October, saying she left because of "poor health."
Around this time, Haver met Fred MacMurray, one of the wealthiest and most conservative actors in Hollywood, and a romantic relationship developed. On June 28, 1954, they were married. She told the press: "When I married Fred, he was terribly set in his ways. He was a fuss-budget. He hadn't quite progressed to being a lint picker, but he was already an ash-tray emptier, and that's just about as set in his ways as a man can get." Haver insisted on adopting a girl, but MacMurray, 18 years her senior, initially refused, explaining that he already had been a father. Shortly after, he agreed to adopt a child and, with the help of a doctor, they were able to adopt twin daughters. MacMurray died in 1991.
Haver died from respiratory failure on July 4, 2005, in Brentwood, California, at the age of 79. She was buried with MacMurray at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Haver was a Republican and supported Ronald Reagan's campaign for governor of California in 1966.
Personal life
Haver insisted that she had always been very close with her family. Her sisters followed her to Hollywood and served as her stand-ins, and her mother was Haver's personal secretary.
Archive
The Academy Film Archive houses the Fred MacMurray-June Haver Collection. The film material is complemented by material in the Fred MacMurray and June Haver papers at the academy's Margaret Herrick Library.
Filmography
Chorus Girl / Hat-Check Girl Chorine Jenny
External links
Categories: 1926 Births, 2005 Deaths, 20th-century American Actresses, 21st-century American Actresses, 20th-century American Singers, 20th Century Studios Contract Players, Actresses From Illinois, American Film Actresses, Burials At Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Deaths From Respiratory Failure In The United States, People From Brentwood, Los Angeles, People From Rock Island, Illinois, Catholics From Illinois, Illinois Republicans, California Republicans, American Roman Catholics
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