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June Blair, a familiar face of 1950s and 1960s television, has died. The actress and Playboy model was 90. Blair died of natural causes at home in Sherman Oaks, CA, daughter-in-law Susan Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter. The actress’ niece Tracy Kristine Nelson, an alum of Square Pegs and Father Dowling Mysteries, also confirmed Blair’s passing on Facebook. In her post, Tracy hailed her “sweet, gorgeous” aunt. Born Margaret June Blair on October 30, 1932, Blair is best known for her role on the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The show aired on ABC between 1952 and 1966 and starred her then-husband, David Nelson, his brother, Ricky, and the brothers’ parents, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. After guest-starring in other roles on the show, Blair played June Nelson, David’s onscreen wife, between Season 10 and Season 14 in what would become her final screen role. Prior to her time on Ozzie and Harriet,...

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June Blair, who portrayed the wife of her real-life husband, David Nelson, on the reality-bending ABC family comedy The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, has died. She was 90.

Blair died Monday of natural causes at her home in Sherman Oaks, her daughter-in-law Susan Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.

Shortly after posing as Playboy‘s Playmate of the Month in January 1957, the redheaded Blair starred as a woman mixed up in a complex theft of narcotics in the film noir Hell Bound (1957), starring John Russell.

Then, in 1959 releases, she portrayed a vulnerable secretary at a construction firm in The Rabbit Trap, starring Ernest Borgnine, and was one of three daughters of a nuclear scientist (future Batman butler Alan Napier) — Venetia Stevenson and Diane Jergens were the others — in Island of Lost Women.

Blair had just come off a turn as a saloonkeeper on the...

Here are a few bits of trivia about the beloved family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” It ran 14 seasons from 1952-66, a record until Fxx’s “It Always Sunny in Philadelphia” kicked off its 15th season last year. But “Philadelphia” has only aired 162 episodes compared to a whopping 435 for “Ozzie and Harriet.”

Despite the fact it aired 14 years, the series only cracked the top 30 in its 11th season where it came in 29th place. The exterior shots were actually of the Nelsons’ real home at 1822 Camino Palmero Street in L.A. (it recently sold for 5.9 million) and the interiors were recreations of their own home. Though the TV Ozzie didn’t seem to have a job, the real-life Ozzie starred, produced, co-wrote and directed “Ozzie and Harriet.”

Topics were far from controversial. There was a whole episode revolving around the fact that a local store delivered new chairs that they hadn’t ordered.

If you watch TV series from the 1950s, it appears that being a wife and mother was something just short of perfection. Just look at our favorite sitcom moms of the era-June Cleaver, Harriet Nelson and Donna Stone. They were always happy and peppy. They even wore pearls as they were vacuuming the living room or scrubbing the tub. But a lot of women of the era lived lives of quiet desperation. They may have had a college degree but wasn’t able to pursue a career because it got in the way of being a housewife and mom.

Influential writer Shirley Jackson was one such woman. The acclaimed writer of horror and the supernatural including the brilliant short story “The Lottery” and the best-selling novel “The Haunting of Hill House” was also expected by her husband literary critic and Bennington College professor Stanley Hyman to take care of their...

For Johnny Galecki, also known as physicist Leonard Hofstadter on “The Big Bang Theory,” the end of an era is in sight; CBS recently announced that after a dozen years, season 12 will be the last for the 10-time Emmy-winning show, which has spurred household catchphrases and the TV spinoff “Young Sheldon.” Along with Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, Galecki helped the nerd comedy climb to the top of the ratings.

Galecki drew his first mention in Variety in 1987 when he was cast in the NBC pilot “Kowalski Loves Ya,” later named “Time Out for Dad,” starring football legend Dick Butkus. Since then, he has scored a Golden Globe nomination, as well as Emmy and Critics Choice nominations for his work on “The Big Bang Theory,” and rumors are swirling as to whether he’ll reprise his role as David Healy in the upcoming “Roseanne” spinoff, “The Conners.

The most competitive Emmy categories this Sunday feature women. The names alone are dazzling: Elisabeth Moss, Robin Wright, Keri Russell, Claire Foy, Viola Davis, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Felicity Huffman. It is such a strong group that actresses like “Homeland” star Claire Danes were left out. And those are just for dramatic roles. It has not always been thus. Starting in the 1950s, names like Lucille Ball, Jane Wyatt, Donna Reed and Loretta Young were beginning their repeated runs for Emmy glory, often for playing housewives who rarely were allowed to know best. Only Harriet Nelson.

Fred Astaire ca. 1935. Fred Astaire movies: Dancing in the dark, on the ceiling on TCM Aug. 5, '15, is Fred Astaire Day on Turner Classic Movies, as TCM continues with its “Summer Under the Stars” series. Just don't expect any rare Astaire movies, as the actor-singer-dancer's star vehicles – mostly Rko or MGM productions – have been TCM staples since the early days of the cable channel in the mid-'90s. True, Fred Astaire was also featured in smaller, lesser-known fare like Byron Chudnow's The Amazing Dobermans (1976) and Yves Boisset's The Purple Taxi / Un taxi mauve (1977), but neither one can be found on the TCM schedule. (See TCM's Fred Astaire movie schedule further below.) Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals Some fans never tire of watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing together. With these particular fans in mind, TCM is showing – for the nth time – nine Astaire-Rogers musicals of the '30s,...

Looks like we picked the wrong week to quit celebrating milestones.

Hard to believe it's been 35 years since "Airplane!" took flight (on July 2, 1980) and taught us all to speak jive, order the chicken instead of the fish, and avoid calling each other "Shirley." Three and a half decades later, the airline disaster parody remains one of the funniest films ever made, one that generations of viewers have watched over and over -- though probably never as an in-flight movie.

Still, as many times as you've seen it, there's much you may not know about how it was made. In honor of "Airplane!" turning 35, here are a few facts every fan must know about the comedy classic.

1. Strip away all the jokes, and "Airplane!" is essentially a remake of a little-known 1957 air disaster movie called "Zero Hour!" The writing/directing team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker lifted the plot,...

As we look back on People's 40 fabulous years, we can't help but linger on some of the images that have us saying, "We put who on the cover?" For every Most Beautiful Woman there's a cover of a lingerie-clad Muppet (see Miss Piggy below), and for every George Clooney wedding album there's someone (er, something) like E.T. True, they were big deals at the time - but that doesn't make them any less hilarious now. Here's a look at some of our favorite gems - and yes, they are definitely real: Mork & Mindy's Pam Dawber Sure, Robin Williams went on...

It would have been impossible for Mark Harmon to have been born anything less than gorgeous. His father was University of Michigan football All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon. His mother, Elyse Knox, was an actress and artist. With this combination of looks, beauty and brains, he couldn't miss. Thomas Mark Harmon was born September 2, 1951 in Burbank, California. He has two older sisters, actress and painter Kristin Nelson, formerly married to singer Ricky Nelson, and Kelly Harmon, actress-model who was once married to auto magnate John DeLorean. Mark attended Los Angeles Pierce College, then transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles where he became the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team in 1972 and 1973. He received the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence in 1973. In his two years as quarterback in coach Pepper Rodger's wishbone offense, UCLA won 17 games and lost only 5. He graduated from UCLA with a B.

Update: If you find yourself walking on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today, be sure to stop and look down: Today is the day William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are awarded their double star, with David Mamet and Aaron Sorkin serving as guest speakers at the ceremony. Let’s all be immediately jealous that we’re not as cool or adorable as these two.

Earlier: Adorable, functional Hollywood couple news? You betcha! William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are getting the rare double star (all the way!) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced...

Adorable, functional Hollywood couple news? You betcha! William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are getting the rare double star (all the way!) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that the famous pair will join a distinguished few who get to take part in a double ceremony. Macy and Huffman, who have been married since 1997 and have two children, will become the second married couple to be honored with their stars on the same day. (The last time was in 2008 for film producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Richard Donner.)

Macy, who currently appears on Shameless,...

David Nelson, best known as the older brother in the television show The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952-66), died of colon cancer on Jan. 11 in Los Angeles. He was 74. David Nelson was the last surviving member of the Ozzie & Harriet cast: Ricky Nelson, who battled drug addiction for years, died in a plane crash in 1978. Harriet Hilliard (Nelson) died in 1994. Ozzie Nelson died in 1975. Surprisingly, the blond, blue-eyed, incredibly handsome Nelson (born Oct. 24, 1936, in New York City) didn't have much of a film career, appearing in supporting roles in only a handful of films. Most notable among these are Mark Robson's Academy Award-nominated potboiler Peyton Place (1957), in which Nelson played Hope Lange's sweetheart (things go sour after she gets raped by her drunken stepfather, Arthur Kennedy); and Joseph M. Newman's The Big Circus (1959), a cliche-ridden circus melodrama that makes The Greatest [...]...

David Nelson, who was the last surviving member of the 1950s sitcom "Ozzie and Harriet," has died, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 74. The cause was colon cancer, Nelson's publicist, Dale Olson, told the paper. Nelson died Tuesday at his home in Century City, California. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" originally debuted on the radio, in 1944, with Nelson's real-life parents Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard. Nelson [pictured, top] and his younger brother Ricky [bottom] replaced the child actors portraying them in 1949. In 1952, the show moved to television...

Actor David Nelson has died at the age of 74. David was best known for his role on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (TV), a family show created by his parents which drew it's plot lines from many of the Nelson's real life experiences. The series ran from 1952 to 1966 and featured David's father, the famous band leader Ozzie Nelson, David's mother, singer Harriet Hilliard, and his teen idol brother, Rick Nelson. David was the last remaining member of his television family. The pioneer actor passed away at his home in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday following a battle with colon cancer. Throughout his career, David added other TV credits to his resume, appearing in such shows as High School USA (TV), The Love Boat (TV), and Up in Smoke (TV). He also directed several television series, including a number of episodes from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (TV...

Hollywood mourns the loss of actor David Nelson who died January 11 at the age of 74. Today, the TV icon's nephew, recording artist Gunnar Nelson, spoke on behalf of his family in regards to David's passing. "On behalf of the Rick Nelson family- Matthew, Tracy, Sam, and myself, I would like to extend our collective and heartfelt sympathies to our Uncle David's wife Yvonne, Sons John, Danny, Eric, James, daughter Teri, and all the grandchildren," said Gunnar, the son of rock legend Rick Nelson. "We will all miss Uncle Dave's laughter and evolved sense of humor. I'm sure that Grandpa Ozzie, Grandma Harriet, and our Pop Rick were all waiting for him to welcome him Home when his time came. His passing is a great loss to the Nelson family as well as to the whole world- but I'm certain that his legacy will endure for generations to come. Our thanks...

Los Angeles — David Nelson, who starred on his parents' popular television show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," has died, a family spokesman said. He was 74.

Nelson, who was battling complications of colon cancer, died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home, said family spokesman and longtime Hollywood publicist Dale Olson.

Nelson was the last remaining member of the Nelsons TV family, which included actor/bandleader Ozzie, his singer wife, Harriet Hilliard and his teen idol brother Rick. The show originated on radio in 1952 as "Here Come the Nelsons," then ran for 320 episodes on TV from 1952 to 1966 as "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" with some of the story lines taken from the stars' own lives. David Nelson also directed and produced numerous episodes of the show throughout its run.

Singer Gunnar Nelson, a son of Rick Nelson, issued a statement Wednesday, saying his uncle's death was "a great loss to the Nelson family.

David Nelson's family was actually way ahead of its time. As stars of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and their sons David and Ricky were doing a sitcom-as-a-play-on-real-life a few years before Lucy and Desi and decades before Larry David took the idea to HBO. And they lasted 14 seasons! Sadly, David Nelson, the surviving member of the quintessential 1950s-era family of four, died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home after battling colon cancer. He was 74. Even before Ozzie and Harriet ended its run on ABC in 1966 (it was in color by then!), David had started a solo acting career, appearing in the classic 1957 film Peyton Place, as well as B-movies like -30-, Day of the Outlaw...

They were the Modern Family of their time, back when cars sported tailfins, Americans raced the Russians to the moon and everybody liked Ike. They were the Cleavers, delivering a bit of sanitized Americana every week on the TV sitcom Leave It to Beaver: stalwart dad Ward, hormonal older brother Wally, trouble-prone kid brother Theodore (better known as "the Beaver," for his oversized front teeth), and the always perfectly coiffed, calm and collected mother, June, played by actress Barbara Billingsley. Billingsley, 94, died early Saturday morning at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a long illness. "Barbara was a patient advisor and teacher.

Barbara Billingsley, one of TV's "ideal" 1950s moms who portrayed the Beaver's mother on "Leave it to Beaver," died in Santa Monica, Calif. on Saturday. She was 94 and had suffered from a rheumatoid disease, according to a family spokesperson.

Beloved by a generation of Baby Boomers, who recall her as the even-keeled June Cleaver, Billingsley was the quintessential '50s mom. Along with such other primetime "moms" as Harriet Nelson and Donna Reed, she projected the era's ideal of suburban womanhood.

"Leave it to Beaver" ran from 1957-63. When the series ended, Billingsley retreated from show business, raising her two boys. She spoofed her good-mother image in "Airplane!" (1980) playing the Jive Lady. She reprised her June Cleaver role in the 1983 TV movie, "Still the Beaver." In 1997, she played Aunt Martha on yet another "Leave it to Beaver" production.

On "Leave It To Beaver," Billingsley starred along with Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow and Hugh Beaumont.

Filed under: Features

Remember how good things were for June Cleaver and Harriet Nelson? Yes, those TV moms had the good life, and troubles were easily solved without much muss or fuss. Sure, that was another century, and the mothers on today's television shows, even the sitcoms, don't have all the answers. Some, in fact, are quite troubled. Here's a look at a few current TV moms who definitely can be called troubled. Troubled in their daily lives with themselves and their families. For these five ladies, Mother's Day may be the one day of the year when things go right. Maybe ...

1. Tara Gregson, 'United States of Tara' There is no more trouble mother on this list than Tara, and her united states are not particularly united at all. She suffers from dissociative identity disorder and has a group of altars who take over her life without warning.

With Mother's Day fast approaching and my own mother far, far away (at her computer), I've been thinking about some of my favorite TV mamas. There are so many classics -- June Cleaver, Harriet Nelson, Clair Huxtable, Roseanne Conner, Marge Simpson, "Aunt Becky," and so on. As a viewer, I tend to marvel the most in "caricature moms" like Arrested Development's Lucille Bluth, Married...With Children's Peg Bundy, Seinfeld's Estelle Costanza ("George likes the bananas!") or, more recently, Mad Men's Betty Draper. As a daughter, I have the biggest soft spots for those who remind me of my own mom,...

McClatchy Newspapers (McT) -- Halloween may still be six weeks off, but don't be surprised if you hear an eerie wail from the ghosts of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Samantha Stephens and Hot Lips Houlihan as you watch TV Wednesday night. It's an evening for reworked genres, and the wraiths may be outraged — and in a couple of cases, a little jealous — at the posthumous cosmetic surgery they've undergone. I don't know if Ozzie and Harriet will like the new versions of themselves in ABC's "Modern Family" (9 p.m.), but I certainly did. For the first time since "Married ... With Children"…...