Trivia of Joan Leslie

 Trivia of Joan Leslie (26 January 1925 - 12 October 2015)

*Along with her two older sisters, Betty and Mary Brodel (1916–2015), they shared their mother's musical interest and started to learn how to play instruments, such as the saxophone and the banjo, at an early age. The sisters began performing in front of audiences in acts that included singing and dancing.Joan proved to be the scene stealer of the three sisters because of her impersonations of figures such as Katharine Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier, and Jimmy Durante.

*Her first film role was in Camille (1936), a romantic drama starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor.She played Taylor's younger sister Marie Jeanette, but her speaking scenes were deleted and she was uncredited.

*Leslie gained her first credited role in Ann Sheridan's Winter Carnival (1939) as Betsy Phillips. She was chosen for the part because the director was searching for an actress with a southern accent.

*Jane Russell was initially suggested for the role of Gracie Williams in biopic film York's fiancée (1941), but Alvin C York wanted an actress who neither smoked nor drank.16-year old Joan Leslie eventually got the part.At that time Gary Cooper aged 40 was 24 years her senior. Leslie told the media "Gary gave me a doll on the set.That's how he saw me."

*In film Yankee Doodle Dandy(1942) , 17 years old Joan Leslie portraying Mary Cohan, aging from 18 to 57 throughout proceedings.

*She got leading actress role opposite Fred Astaire in musical The Sky's The Limit (1943).Her vocals for "My Shining Hour" were dubbed by Sally Sweetland. Joan's own singing voice is used for "A Lot in Common With You".

*Her last film was The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) opposite Jane Rusell and Richard Egan, but she continued making sporadic appearances in television shows.She retired from acting in 1991, after appearing in the TV film Fire in the Dark.