June Marlowe
Encyclopedia
June Marlowe was an American actress, who appeared in six Our Gang
short subjects as the lovely schoolteacher Miss Crabtree.
. She was a prolific actress in silent film
s during the 1920s, appearing in films opposite John Barrymore
and Rin Tin Tin
. She was one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars
of 1925. Her career did well until the introduction of talking pictures. Marlowe did not make an easy transition, and by 1930 she was starting to drift away from acting.
one day in a Los Angeles, California
, department store
. McGowan was searching for an actress to portray the schoolteacher in the Our Gang series of children's comedies. After producer Hal Roach
suggested that brunette Marlowe don a blonde wig to match the hair of the lead kid in the series, Jackie Cooper
, she was given the part of Miss Crabtree.
Marlowe and Cooper were paired together in three Our Gang films, Teacher's Pet, School's Out
and Love Business
. She also had a small role in 1931's Little Daddy
. In addition to her work in Our Gang, Marlowe appeared in fellow Roach stars Laurel and Hardy
's first feature film, Pardon Us
.
After Cooper left Our Gang in 1931 to appear in MGM features, Marlowe's Miss Crabtree character was used in only two more shorts, 1931's Shiver My Timbers
and 1932's Readin' and Writin'
.
In 1933, Marlowe married Hollywood businessman Rodney Sprigg and retired from motion pictures to become a housewife.
, dying from complications caused by it on March 10, 1984.
Marlowe was originally buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery but was interred in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
in Los Angeles
in 2002.
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short subjects as the lovely schoolteacher Miss Crabtree.
Career
Marlowe was born Gisela Valaria Goetten of German parents in St. Cloud, MinnesotaSt. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
. She was a prolific actress in silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s during the 1920s, appearing in films opposite John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
and Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin was the name given to a dog adopted from a WWI battlefield that went on to star in twenty-three Hollywood films. The name was subsequently given to several related German Shepherd dogs featured in fictional stories on film, radio and television.-Origins:The first of the line Rin Tin...
. She was one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
of 1925. Her career did well until the introduction of talking pictures. Marlowe did not make an easy transition, and by 1930 she was starting to drift away from acting.
Miss Crabtree
By chance, she happened to meet Our Gang director Robert F. McGowanRobert F. McGowan
Robert Francis McGowan was an American film director and producer, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1922 until 1933.-Career:...
one day in a Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
. McGowan was searching for an actress to portray the schoolteacher in the Our Gang series of children's comedies. After producer Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
suggested that brunette Marlowe don a blonde wig to match the hair of the lead kid in the series, Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...
, she was given the part of Miss Crabtree.
Marlowe and Cooper were paired together in three Our Gang films, Teacher's Pet, School's Out
School's Out (1930 film)
School's Out is a 1930 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 102nd Our Gang short to be released.-Plot:...
and Love Business
Love Business
Love Business is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 104th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
. She also had a small role in 1931's Little Daddy
Little Daddy
Little Daddy is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 105th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
. In addition to her work in Our Gang, Marlowe appeared in fellow Roach stars Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
's first feature film, Pardon Us
Pardon Us
Pardon Us is Laurel and Hardy's first feature length comedy film. It was produced by Hal Roach and Stan Laurel, directed by James Parrott, and originally distributed by MGM in 1931.- Plot :...
.
After Cooper left Our Gang in 1931 to appear in MGM features, Marlowe's Miss Crabtree character was used in only two more shorts, 1931's Shiver My Timbers
Shiver My Timbers
Shiver My Timbers is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 109th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
and 1932's Readin' and Writin'
Readin' and Writin'
Readin' and Writin' is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
.
In 1933, Marlowe married Hollywood businessman Rodney Sprigg and retired from motion pictures to become a housewife.
Death
In her later years, she suffered from Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, dying from complications caused by it on March 10, 1984.
Marlowe was originally buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery but was interred in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2002.