June Kirby

June Kirby
Born(1928-01-05)January 5, 1928
DiedMarch 6, 2022(2022-03-06) (aged 94)
OccupationActress
Years active1951–1984
Spouses
  • Roy Whitlock
  • Bob Przybysz

June Shirley Kirby (January 5, 1928 – March 6, 2022) was an American actress[1][2] and model,[3] who spent most of her career as a wardrobe mistress in Hollywood productions' costume departments.[4] She was a showgirl at The Diamond Horseshoe[5] in the late forties and was spotted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which offered her a couple of film parts as a Goldwyn Girl[6][7][8] such as in Vincente Minnelli's Kismet (1955) and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Guys and Dolls (1955)[9] featured opposite Marlon Brando,[10] Larri Thomas and Pat Sheehan.[11][12] Kirby also performed on Broadway in As the Girls Go (1948-1950),[13] and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.[14]

Early years

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Born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Kirby was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey[15] and earned a diploma at James J. Ferris High School in Jersey City.[16] She later attended Kingston University where she studied fashion.[17]

Modeling

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Kirby also worked as a model. In 1946, she was named "posture queen of America" by the National Chiropractic Association.[18] She was in Famous Models Magazine dated June 1950.[19]

Personal life

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Kirby dated men such as Mickey Rooney.[20] She married Roy B. Whitlock on August 20, 1960, and they had a daughter named Shawn. Whitlock died on December 23, 1984. She later married Bob Przybysz.[21] Kirby died on March 6, 2022, aged 94, in Aiken, South Carolina.[22]

Filmography

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Actress

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Year Title Director Role Notes
1955 Kismet Vincente Minnelli Harem lady - Goldwyn Girl
1955 Guys and Dolls Joseph L. Mankiewicz The Hot Box Girls number The number included Kirby, Pat Sheehan and Larri Thomas.
1955 The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre Eddie Davis - Season 1, Episode 26: What Do You Want in a Show.
1957 Highway Patrol Eddie Davis Barbara Franklin Season 2, Episode 18: Statute of Limitations.
1957 The Garment Jungle Vincent Sherman & Robert Aldrich. The model
1957 Silk Stockings Rouben Mamoulian Model
1958 The Last Hurrah John Ford Model
1960 Bells Are Ringing Vincente Minnelli Party Guest

Costume designer

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Year Title Director Notes
1954 The Diamond Dennis O'Keefe & Montgomery Tully
1955 - 1956 Fabian of the Yard Charles Saunders 5 episodes:
- The Masterpiece
- Cocktail Girl
- The Ribbon Trap
- The Sixth Dagger
- The Lover's Knot
1962 Lunch Hour James Hill
1972 Along the Way (1972) T.S. Lyndon-Haynes & John Reeve

Wardrobe department

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Year Title Director Head of Costume Notes
1956 The Adventures of the Big Man Don Chaffey 10 episodes:
- The Smugglers
- The Frightened Angels
- The Door of Gold
- The Thief
- Lady Killer
- The Gun Runners
- Secret Enemy
- The Magenta Box
- The Amazon Bandit
- The Bomb
1971 On the Buses Harry Booth Rosemary Burrows
1983 The Keep Michael Mann Anthony Mendleson
1984 Supergirl Jeannot Szwarc Emma Porteous

Special effects

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Year Title Director Notes
1982 The Dark Crystal Jim Henson & Frank Oz Creatures fabricator for the Mystic Unit

References

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  1. ^ Koper, Richard (2010-03-31). Fifties Blondes: Sexbombs, Sirens, Bad Girls and Teen Queens. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-521-4.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2007: F-L. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. ^ Pageant. Good Earth Corporation. 1955.
  4. ^ Samuel Claesson (March 31, 2023). Top Models. Sequoia Press. p. 187. ISBN 9798889921806.
  5. ^ Monahan, Patrick (2014-01-24). "The Diamond Horseshoe, the World War II-Era Nightclub Resurrected by Randy Weiner and Simon Hammerstein". Vanity Fair Blogs. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  6. ^ "Stars Find World Tour Broadening". Kingsport News. Kingsport, Tennessee. Kingsport News. July 7, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved November 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (1976). Samuel Goldwyn Presents. A. S. Barnes. ISBN 978-0-498-01658-5.
  8. ^ Cinéma (in French). Fédération française des ciné-clubs. 1985.
  9. ^ Kurtti, Jeff (1996). The Great Hollywood Musical Trivia Book. New York: Applause Books. p. 41. ISBN 1-55783-222-6.
  10. ^ Guérif, François (1977). Marlon Brando (in French). PAC. ISBN 978-2-85336-108-8.
  11. ^ Perone, James E. (2005). Woodstock: An Encyclopedia of the Music and Art Fair. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33057-5.
  12. ^ Cahiers Du Cinema in English. Cahiers Publishing. 1966.
  13. ^ "June Kirby". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  14. ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (August 11, 1951). "Voice of Broadway". The News-Herald. Pennsylvania, Franklin. The News-Herald. p. 4. Retrieved January 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ Cail, Howard L. "Here’s A Goldwyn Quintet In Guys And Dolls", Evening Express, September 15,1955. Accessed March 19, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "June.... A native of Bay Ridge, N.Y., she grew up in Jersey City. Following high school Miss Kirbv went back over the Hudson River to train as a model and study dramatics"
  16. ^ Adams, Vincent. "Modeling, Teaching, Acting, Keep June of Bay Ridge Busy", New York Daily News, November 23, 1948. Accessed March 19, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "One of the busiest girls in Brooklyn is lovely June Kirby of Bay Ridge, who scarcely has time to say 'good morning' before plunging into her daily routine.... In the class book at Ferris High School in Jersey City June is listed as the prettiest member of her class and the girl with the most glamorous hair."
  17. ^ Lentz, Harris (March 2023). "Obituaries". Classic Images. p. 42.
  18. ^ "(photo caption)". Corsicana Daily Sun. Texas, Corsicana. Corsicana Daily Sun. October 26, 1946. p. 9. Retrieved January 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1950). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
  20. ^ Lait, Jack (April 1, 1952). "Broadway and Elsewhere". The Pocono Record. Pennsylvania, Stroudsburg. The Pocono Record. p. 16. Retrieved January 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ^ "June Whitlock Przybysz". Augusta Journal. March 2022. p. 1.
  22. ^ "June Kirby - The Private Life and Times of June Kirby. June Kirby Pictures". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
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