A surfeit of babies

Convoluted connections, #587 in a series...

It is the end of a mad, hectic week - I was at the splendid Stonewall Awards at the V&A last night, and it's Peter Tatchell's annual "state of the nation address" tonight - but we know what le weekend means. Party time!

It also happens to be the centenary today of the lovely Miss June Havoc, who was the original "Baby June", as featured in the classic musical Gypsy (she was Gypsy Rose Lee's sister in real life).

Baby June, Baby Jane - you can see where this is leading... Here's a fab video mash-up of clips from the magnificently camp Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, as a showcase for the reissue of a Hi-NRG gem - One Less Bell To Answer by Pearly Gates...

Whew. Thank Disco It's Friday!

Pearly Gates - One Less Bell To Answer (featuring Whatever Happened To Baby Jane)

Read my tribute to June Havoc on news of her death in 2010.

The biggest little headline in Vaudeville

Sad news of the death of June Havoc, who died on the weekend at the venerable age of 97. June who? you may ask...

Miss Havoc was better-known as "Baby June" during her vaudeville years as the the sister of Gypsy Rose Lee - the inspiration for one of the best musicals of all time, Gypsy. Unaffected by her sister's notoriety, she later went on to appear in a number of movies in the 1940s and 50s such as Four Jacks and a Jill, My Sister Eileen, and Gentleman's Agreement, and on Broadway in Pal Joey.

Here is Miss Havoc herself in a "well-known" role as The Girl With The Big Sombrero:

June Havoc - The Man with the Big Sombrero

And here is the trailer for the original and particularly magnificent movie Gypsy:

Gypsy (1962) official trailer

June Havoc on IMDB