June Allysonwho epitomized the girl next door in movies and on television during the 1940s and '50s, has died after a long illness at her home in Ojai, Calif. She was 88.

The cause of death Saturday was pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis, her daughter Pamela Allyson Powell said. David Ashrow, her husband of nearly 30 years, was at her side.

A singer and dancer best known for several movies she did while under contract with MGM, Allyson starred in comedies, dramas and musicals, including, most memorably, "Two Girls and a Sailor," "Good News" and "The Glenn Miller Story," in which she played the bandleader's wife opposite James Stewart.

Her bouncy athleticism combined with a "husky" singing voice were a sensational combination, particularly during World War II when she represented the sort of woman that many Gls hoped to return home to marry.

In all, Allyson appeared in more than 40 movies and had her own TV series, "The Dupont Show With June Allyson" (1959-61), a lavish anthology show that she hosted and occasionally starred in.

Usually cast as chirpy, indefatigable types, Allyson was particularly exuberant in musicals, including "Best Foot Forward," her 1943 feature-length film debut in which she reprised a role she had played on the Broadway stage, as well as "Thousands Cheer," "Girl Crazy" and "Two Sisters from Boston." She also starred in such popular dramas as "The Three Musketeers," "Little Women," "The Stratton Story" and "Strategic Air Command."

In 1945, Allyson married one of her frequent co-stars, actor-director Dick Powell. Although they separated in 1961, they reconciled and remained together until his death in 1963. They had two children, Pamela, who lives in Santa Monica, and Richard Keith Powell, who lives in Los Angeles.

Contrary to her image, Allyson's personal life was anything but girl-next-door. Following Powell's death from cancer, she battled breakdowns, alcoholism and a disastrous second marriage. In the '60s, she became known as something of a jet-setter, involved in an off-and-on relationship with writer-director Dirk Summers as they traversed hot spots from Cap d'Antibes to Rome and London.

She was born Ella Geisman on Oct. 7, 1917, in the Bronx. When she was 8, she was injured in a fall and spent four years in a knee brace. For physical therapy, she took up swimming and then dance.

Diminutive and bouncy at 5'2", she began in the chorus line, landing a part on Broadway in the musical "Sing Out the News" in 1938, when she adopted the stage name June (taken from the month) Allyson (a family name). She was selected to understudy Betty Hutton in "Panama Hattie," and when Hutton got the measles, Allyson got the part, impressing director George Abbott so much so that he gave her a role in the 1941 musical "Best Foot Forward," which led to her casting in the film version, starring Lucille Ball.

That earned her a contract with MGM, where she worked for the next dozen years. While with the studio, she frequently starred opposite Van Johnson and became close friends with Judy Garland.

Although her acting ability was limited, Allyson's exuberant charm won her impressive dramatic roles, including "Executive Suite" and "The Shrike." In 1959, she starred in "A Stranger in My Arms," her last film for 13 years. Following the run of her TV series in 1961 and Powell's death in '63, she retreated from show business, making only occasional TV appearances.

A few months after Powell's death, Allyson married his barber, Glenn Maxwell. They separated 10 months later, and she sued for divorce, charging that he hit her and abused her in front of the children and passed bad checks for gambling debts.

On Oct. 30, 1976, she married Ashrow, a dentist who became a nutrition expert, and, according to her daughter, Allyson's life became more peaceful.

While she made one of her final screen appearances in 1972 in the MGM horror film "They Only Kills Their Masters," she was last seen on TV in an uncredited role in the 2001 TV movie "These Old Broads," starring MGM alumnae Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds.

For the last 20 years, Allyson represented the Kimberly-Clark Corp. in commercials for Depends and championed the importance of research in urological and gynecological diseases in seniors.

In addition to Ashrow and her children, Allyson is survived by her brother, Arthur Peters of Ventura, Calif., and her grandson, Richard Logan Powell of Los Angeles. A private family memorial will be held in Ojai. A day of remembrance will be scheduled in the fall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.