If America had a Mom, she would probably be June Lockhart. Few can convey maternal munificence with the conviction of this ever perky, poised and pretty player of stage, film and especially TV. Lockhart grew from child player to ingenue in supporting roles in "A" pictures and leads in "B" movies. The daughter of character actors Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, she made her stage debut at age eight and entered films at age 12 with the 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" (in which her parents also acted). Lockhart won acclaim on the NYC stage in the late 40s, honed her craft on early live TV (gaining a 1952 Emmy nod for Best Actress) and found stardom playing warmly nurturing mothers on TV in the late 50s and 60s, most indelibly on "Lassie" (CBS, 1968-64) and "Lost in Space" (CBS, 1965-68).

The young Lockhart first registered in movies as the older brother's charming girlfriend whom Judy Garland initially misjudges in Vincente Minnelli's classic "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944). Her future beckoned as she played second fiddle to both a remarkable canine and her leading man (Peter Lawford) in the rousing WWII-era sequel "Son of Lassie" (1945). In her first starring role, Lockhart acquitted herself well as a woman manipulated to think herself the "She Wolf of London" (1946), a minor but mildly diverting thriller. She also provided sturdy support to a crime-fighting hubby in "T-Men" (1947), an exceedingly stylish noir outing from director Anthony Mann.