June Weaver

The distaff member of the popular musical comedy hillbilly trio "The Weaver Brothers and Elviry" of town halls, vaudeville, Broadway and film, sharp-featured June Weaver was born June Petrie in Chicago in 1891. Raised in Springfield, Missouri, she took to the stage fairly young. Divorced with two children by the time she met Leon Weaver and Frank Weaver while touring in the Doctor A.B. Christy's Traveling Medicine shows, she and Leon eventually married near the onset of WWI. In 1921, Leon and Frank teamed up together and worked up an act ("The Weaver Brothers") that was discovered by Alexander Pantages, who signed them up. Out on the vaudeville circuit, they gained a name for themselves and eventually added June to the act. The trio, now renamed "The Weaver Brothers and Elviry" developed a solid following at the Grand Ole Opry and in various theater halls. They also found audiences abroad in Europe with one of their tours culminating in a command performance for the Queen of England. Leon and June's marriage broke up after nine years and they divorced. Surprisingly, younger brother Frank and June fell in love and married. This did not hurt the trio's reputation, however, and the group remained in tact and amicable. Vaudeville and radio show opportunities continued into the Depression-Era 1930s and the group added new generations of the family to their popular "Home Folks Show" performances. At their peak on vaudeville, they shared billing with top acts such as Al Jolson, Beatrice Lillie', Jack Benny, and George Burns and Gracie Allen. Warner Brothers tested their popularity on film with the cornpone trio first appearing in support of Humphrey Bogart, Penny Singleton and Louise Fazenda in the down-home comedy Swing Your Lady (1938). It was Republic Studios however, that moved in quickly to feature the group in their own money-making song-and-dance comedy vehicles for the next several years. Down in 'Arkansaw' (1938) with Ralph Byrd, Jeepers Creepers (1939) with Roy Rogers, In Old Missouri (1940), Grand Ole Opry (1940), Tuxedo Junction (1941), Shepherd of the Ozarks (1942), The Old Homestead (1942) and Mountain Rhythm (1943) may not have been popular with the critics, but war-era film audiences enjoyed the hokey escapism the trio provided with their silly but folksy homespun gags and musical talents on prime display. A niece, Loretta Weaver often appeared in the films as the ingénue, Violey. Due to the Weavers' success, Republic went on to star country's raucous Judy Canova in her own hayseed vehicles. Missing the live audience feel that films didn't provide, the trio left Hollywood by 1943 and returned to their roots -- the Mid-West (notably Missouri) stage. Leon's death in 1950 ended the act. June and Frank moved back to California. Frank died in 1967 and June passed away 12 years later at age 86.