Gloria DeHaven, star of 1940s '50s films, dead at age 91
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gloria DeHaven, the daughter of vaudeville stars who carved out her own successful career as the bright-eyed, vivacious star of Hollywood musicals and comedies of the 1940s and '50s, died Saturday in Las Vegas.
After minor roles in "Best Foot Forward" and "Broadway Rhythm," DeHaven achieved stardom in 1944's "Two Girls and a Sailor," in which she and June Allyson played sisters vying for the affections of Van Johnson.
MGM went on to employ DeHaven frequently as the second lead in such lightweight films as "Summer Holiday," ''Summer Stock," ''The Yellow Cab Man" (with Red Skelton) and "Three Little Words," the biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.
DeHaven never achieved the top stardom Allyson and Kathryn Grayson enjoyed in musical movies for MGM, but had better luck at other studios, starring with Donald O'Connor in "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby," Tony Curtis in "So This Is Paris" and Glenn Ford in "The Doctor and the Girl."
In her youth, DeHaven often toured with her parents, a popular song-and-dance team billed in Broadway shows, vaudeville and silent movies as Mr. and Mrs. Carter DeHaven.
After the vaudeville era died, her father worked as an assistant director on Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times."