Ella Geisman was born on October 7, 1917. Her father left her mother when she was six years old and basically was non-existent in her life from then on. Ella had always been mesmerized by Hollywood and idolized stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. So much so, that she wanted to learn to dance and would do so, by watching their movies and imitating them to pick up some of their routines, when she was too poor to afford dancing lessons. Her dreams were shattered when a tree limb fell on her, as she was riding her bike when she was eight years old and broke half the bones in her body. Little Ella made it through and was soon dancing again, after four years of baring a steel brace.

Money had always been a problem for Ella and her mom and Ella went to Broadway when she was older to help out. After much traditional heart break, a new name (June Allyson), and time she made a splash and stole the show in Best Foot Forward. One performance her future husband Dick Powell was in the audience. "Richard," as June would call him, and his wife requested to meet the young starlet and he wrote later of their meeting:

Why I bother to put this down I don't know except she was the cutest thing anyone ever saw.

He went on later to say:

Anyway, this afternoon I had to attend a formal luncheon and I got stuck with the most stubborn hunk of chicken I've ever had the displeasure of eating...Then, suddenly, I felt someone's eyes on me and I looked up. And there was that same little girl I saw last night and she was convulsed with laughter.

Best Foot Forward was adapted for film and most of the principal cast was used for the MGM production. It was on the MGM lot that June met Judy Garland, as June's first part in a movie was in Judy's film, Girl Crazy, with Mickey Rooney. Judy and June would remain friends until Judy's death in 1969. In the meantime, Judy Garland and Dick Powell--who was also on the MGM lot at the time--acted as mentors to the young starlet.

As June was rising to stardom Dick Powell's marriage to Joan Blondell failed. After dating for some time, Allyson found herself married to the baby-face tenor and helped take care of her step children. June craved her own children as well and for the longest time was not able to have a child of her own and adopted a little girl. So the couple adopted a little girl named her Pamela. Time gave them a son, which they named Ricky.

June was heartbroken when her Richard died of cancer and it took a while for her to jump back onto her feet again. She married to Dr. David Ashrow for 30 years at the time of her death. She died of natural causes on July 8, 2006.

June Allyson was the girl next door to the boys who were fighting "over there" and beyond. One whom has had courage in facing some slippery slopes of despair. She's the girl everyone wanted to come home to, her image will always live on as the "sweet and lovely" young lady Americans have fallen for over and over again.