Before She Became June...

Barbara Billingsley, born Dec. 22 1915, was in movies for 12 years before she became TV mom, June Cleaver. They were usually bit parts which she wasn't credited for. Let's take a look at some of them (the few I could find pictures of).

Here she is in The Argyle Secrets (1948)

 

A receptionist in Pretty Baby (1950) - a romantic comedy with hints of Bachelor Mother (1939), this one starring Dennis Morgan, Betsy Drake (third wife of Cary Grant), and Edmund Gwenn.

 

 

She plays a minor character in Three Guys Named Mike (1951). You can watch the full movie here.

 

As a hat-check girl in Angels in the Outfield (1951)

 

And as a costume designer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with Lana Turner

 

source

 

You can watch the scene here (just the first minute).

 

And finally in The Careless Years (1957), just before Leave it to Beaver began.

 

All images found via Google Images

 

A long time ago, I played a lot of these roles that were seemingly nice, but underneath the character was really the murderer. So, I didn't have to do a lot of research for this character. I just had to understand what she was thinking and feeling.