JUNE HAVOC, ONE OF DO40’S FIRST ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS, DIES AT 97

JUNE HAVOC, one of DO40's earliest and most illustrious Advisory Board members, passed away on March 28. The sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, she will live forever as Baby June in the musical: "Gypsy: A Musical Fable." And she had an extraordinary career as an actress, vaudevilliane, director and author. 

Despite (or because of?) her fame/reputation as the sister of Lee, Havoc had a rough time with the publication of Lee's memoir, which of course inspired the musical.  Initially, therefore, she refused to allow her name to be used in the show. Eventually, she gave permission, although the sisters did not speak again till Gypsy was dying in 1969. (left, June Havoc in Gentleman’s Agreement movie trailer)

While still a teenager, Havoc ran away from her mother’s infamous domination  and appeared in several Broadway shows, notably "Pal Joey," as well in such films as "My Sister Eileen," "Gentleman's Agreement," "Brewster's Millions" and "No Time for Love."

As to the notorious Mother, Rose Hovick, she continued to demand her daughters' support financially, even after they'd managed to avoid her grasp, and interestingly, apparently ran a boardinghouse on NYC's Upper West Side, which catered to lesbians. An exciting dramatic note: the story has circulated that Rose shot and killed one of her guests in this establishment, but was never prosecuted (the incident was described as a suicide). According to the Gilbert Theater-Examiner, Gypsy's son, Erik Lee Preminger, claimed that the woman killed was Rose's lover who had enraged her when she made a pass at Gypsy.

After the death of their mother, the sisters wrote memoirs: Lee's "Gypsy" came out in 1957 and Havoc wrote: "Early Havoc" and, later, "More Havoc".  The former was turned into a play that she wrote and directed: "Marathon '33" which had a short but unsuccessful run on Broadway. But Havoc was nominated for a 1964 Tony Award as Best director.   At the time of Gypsy's death in 1970, the two sisters had reconciled and Havoc went on to enjoy many more years in the "business." No doubt many anecdotes and stories will surface with the death of this icon.