June Travis
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| June Travis | |
| Birth name | June Dorothea Grabiner |
| Born | August 7, 1915 (age 91) Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown |
June Travis (b. August 7, 1915) was a motion picture actress from Chicago, Illinois.
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[edit] Appearance and education
Her real name was June Dorothea Grabiner. She was the daughter of Harry Grabiner, vice-president of the Chicago White Sox in the 1930s. She had dark brown hair and eyes which were an enchanting green color. Her face was freckled. Travis was 5'4" and her weight was approximately 116 pounds. She attended Parkside Grammar School in Chicago and later, UCLA. When she returned to Illinois she matriculated at the University of Chicago.
[edit] Screen actress
A Paramount Pictures vice-president noticed her in Miami, Florida at a White Sox exhibition game. He offered Travis a screen test when she came to Pasadena, California, where the major league baseball team trained. The first time she was presented with a screen contract, she suffered from screen fright and turned it down. She returned to Chicago and school. The next winter she accepted a film studio offer in Palm Springs, California, even though she remained shy.
Travis made her screen debut in Stranded (1935), a film which co-starred Kay Francis and George Brent. She played the role of Mary Rand. She followed this with a part in Not On Your Life (1935), with Warren William and Claire Dodd. Howard Hawks directed her in Ceiling Zero (1936), a Warner Brothers feature. In preparation for her role, Travis learned flying, navigation, and parachute jumping from Amelia Earhart. The aviatrix gave her instructions in September 1935. The film co-starred James Cagney and Pat O'Brien.
Travis became known as the Queen of the B-movies on the Warner Brothers lot. Later she said that if she had remained in Hollywood two more years, she would have been a star. However, following three years, she came home to Chicago for Christmas with her parents. She did not return to making motion pictures. Her final movie appearances were in 1938, when nine films were released. Some of the titles are Federal Man-Hunt, Little Orphan Annie, The Night Hawk, The Gladiator, and Mr. Doodle Kicks Off.
[edit] Marriage
In August 1935 Travis became engaged to playwright Jack Kirkland. Kirkland was the author of the theatrical success, Tobacco Road, and formerly the husband of Nancy Carroll.
By the late 1970s Travis was performing on stage. She admitted that the transition from acting on film was a difficult one.
[edit] References
- Long Beach, California Press-Telegram, Actress looks back at what might have been, April 23, 1977, Page 16.
- Los Angeles Times, Wrong Sex For Baseball, Girl Turns Actress, April 15, 1935, Page 19.
- Los Angeles Times, Another Society Bud Lured To Movies, April 20, 1935, Page 13.
- Los Angeles Times, The Pageant of the Film World, April 27, 1935, Page A9.
- Los Angeles Times, Kirkland's Troth Seen, August 20, 1935, Page A1.
- New York Times, Screen Notes, September 21, 1935, Page 18.
- New York Times, Miss Earhart Teaches Aviation, September 26, 1935, Page 25.
