Hollywood star of '40s, '50s musicals DeHaven dies at 91
LOS ANGELES — 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. She was 91.
As an MGM contract player, the attractive DeHaven also posed for her share of bathing suit pictures, which made her a pinup favorite of GIs during World War II.
As a teenager, she toured with big bands led by Bing Crosby’s brother Bob and others. An MGM talent scout spotted her at a concert in Texas.
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. In the latter film, she portrayed her own mother.
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.”
With her movie career waning in the 1950s, DeHaven turned to television and theater. She hosted ABC’s 15-minute “Gloria DeHaven Show,” appeared on numerous variety specials and became a regular on Bob Hope’s overseas tours to entertain U.S. soldiers.
She also starred in the series “Nakia,” “Delta House” and “Girl Talk” and played lengthy roles in the soap operas “Ryan’s Hope” and “As the World Turns.”
