Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009 · Movie
as Self
Joan Leslie
1925-01-26
•
Detroit, Michigan, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress, dancer, and vaudevillian who, during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as High Sierra, Sergeant York, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel was born on January 26, 1925, in Highland Park, Michigan, the youngest child of John and Agnes Brodel. At 15, Leslie had her first significant role as the crippled girl in High Sierra (1941), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino. The same year she played in Sergeant York as York's fiancée. Leslie had a supporting role in The Male Animal (1942) as Olivia de Havilland's younger sister. In Yankee Doodle Dandy (also 1942) she portrayed George M. Cohan's girlfriend/wife. By now, Leslie had become a star whose on-screen image was described as "sweet innocence without seeming too sugary." Leslie was in four motion pictures released during 1943: The Hard Way, starring Ida Lupino and Dennis Morgan; The Sky's the Limit (1943), starring with Fred Astaire; the wartime film This Is the Army (1943) with Ronald Reagan; and finally Thank Your Lucky Stars. During World War II, she was a regular volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen, where she danced with servicemen and signed hundreds of autographs. She was featured with Robert Hutton, among many others, in the Warner Bros. film Hollywood Canteen (1944). In 1946 Leslie's career took a dive when she took Warner Brothers to court in order to get released from her contract based on moral and religious grounds because of the parts they kept giving her. She wanted more serious and mature roles. In 1947, the Catholic Theatre Guild gave Leslie an award because of her "consistent refusal to use her talents and art in film productions of objectionable character." As a result of this, Jack Warner used his influence to blacklist her from other major Hollywood studios. From this point on Leslie had a more irregular film career. In 1947, she signed a two-picture contract with the poverty row studio Eagle-Lion Films. The first one was Repeat Performance (1947), a film noir. The other was Northwest Stampede (1948) in which she performed with James Craig. In 1952, she signed a short-term deal with Republic Pictures. One of the films she made for Republic was Flight Nurse (1953). Her last film was The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956). However, she continued making sporadic appearances in television shows while her children were at school. She retired from acting in 1991, after appearing in the TV film Fire in the Dark. Leslie died on October 12, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. She was 90. Her survivors include her two children and one sister, Betty. On October 8, 1960, Joan Leslie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. In 1999, she was one of the 250 actresses nominated for the American Film Institute's selection of the 25 greatest female screen legends to have debuted before 1950. On August 12, 2006, she received a Golden Boot Award for her contributions to Western television shows and movies.
Filmography
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Hollywood Gangster
2008 · Movie
as Self
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
2008 · Movie
as Self
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
2008 · Movie
as Self
Sergeant York: Of God and Country
2006 · Movie
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Hollywood Helps the Cause
2006 · Movie
as Self
Curtains for Roy Earle
2003 · Movie
as Self
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998 · Movie
as Self
Inside the Dream Factory
1995 · Movie
as Self
James Cagney: Top of the World
1992 · Movie
as Self
Fire in the Dark
1991 · Movie
as Ruthie
Shades of L.A.
1990 · TV Show
Turn Back the Clock
1989 · Movie
as Party Guest
Charley Hannah
1986 · Movie
as Sandy Hannah
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · TV Show
as Lillian Appletree
Showbiz Goes to War
1982 · Movie
as (archive footage)
Simon & Simon
1981 · TV Show
The Incredible Hulk
1977 · TV Show
The Keegans
1976 · Movie
as Mary Keegan
Charlie's Angels
1976 · TV Show
as Catherine
Police Story
1973 · TV Show
Branded
1965 · TV Show
The Revolt of Mamie Stover
1956 · Movie
as Annalee Johnson
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955 · TV Show
Jubilee Trail
1954 · Movie
as Garnet Hale
Hell's Outpost
1954 · Movie
as Sarah Moffit
Woman They Almost Lynched
1953 · Movie
as Sally Maris
Flight Nurse
1953 · Movie
as Lt. Polly Davis
General Electric Theater
1953 · TV Show
as Sarah Owens
Hellgate
1952 · Movie
as Ellen Hanley
Toughest Man in Arizona
1952 · Movie
as Mary Kimber
Man in the Saddle
1951 · Movie
as Laurie Bidwell Isham
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
1951 · Movie
as Claudia
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · TV Show
Born to Be Bad
1950 · Movie
as Donna
The Skipper Surprised His Wife
1950 · Movie
as Daphne Lattimer
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Lux Video Theatre
1950 · TV Show
as Vanessa Cook
Northwest Stampede
1948 · Movie
as Chris Johnson
Repeat Performance
1947 · Movie
as Sheila Page
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So You Want to Be in Pictures
1947 · Movie
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Janie Gets Married
1946 · Movie
as Janie Conway
Two Guys from Milwaukee
1946 · Movie
as Connie Reed
Cinderella Jones
1946 · Movie
as Judy Jones
Rhapsody in Blue
1945 · Movie
as Julie Adams
Too Young to Know
1945 · Movie
as Sally Sawyer
Parade of Aquatic Champions
1945 · Movie
as Herself
Where Do We Go from Here?
1945 · Movie
as Sally Smith / Prudence / Katrina
Hollywood Canteen
1944 · Movie
as Self
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I Am an American
1944 · Movie
as Self (uncredited)
The Hard Way
1943 · Movie
as Katherine 'Katie' Blaine
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943 · Movie
as Pat Dixon
The Sky's the Limit
1943 · Movie
as Joan Manion
This Is the Army
1943 · Movie
as Eileen Dibble
The Voice That Thrilled the World
1943 · Movie
as Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Stars on Horseback
1943 · Movie
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942 · Movie
as Mary
The Male Animal
1942 · Movie
as Patricia Stanley
High Sierra
1941 · Movie
as Velma
Sergeant York
1941 · Movie
as Gracie Williams
The Wagons Roll at Night
1941 · Movie
as Mary Coster
The Great Mr. Nobody
1941 · Movie
as Mary Clover
Thieves Fall Out
1941 · Movie
as Mary Matthews
Nine Lives Are Not Enough
1941 · Movie
as Receptionist (uncredited)
High School
1940 · Movie
as Patsy
Alice in Movieland
1940 · Movie
as Alice Purdee (as Joan Brodel)
Laddie
1940 · Movie
as Shelley Stanton
Susan and God
1940 · Movie
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Star Dust
1940 · Movie
as College Girl (uncredited)
Foreign Correspondent
1940 · Movie
as Jones' Sister (uncredited)
Young as You Feel
1940 · Movie
as Girl (as Joan Brodel)
Two Thoroughbreds
1939 · Movie
as Wendy Conway (as Joan Brodel)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
1939 · Movie
as Mayme, Journalism Student (uncredited)
Love Affair
1939 · Movie
as Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
Winter Carnival
1939 · Movie
as Betsy Phillips
Men with Wings
1938 · Movie
as Young Patricia Falconer
Camille
1936 · Movie
as Marie Jeanette (uncredited)
