The daughter of a West Virginia druggist, Joanne came to New York in 1940. In New York, she worked as a model and was cast by Al Jolson, as one of the showgirls in his Broadway play "Hold Onto Your Hats". When the show closed in 1941, Joanne married popular singer Dick Haymes and went with him to Hollywood. Discovered by a talent scout while working in the theater, Joanne made her screen debut in a film called Abie's Irish Rose, and that picture almost ended her career. Two years later, she would become well known with her role of Tess in the classic Western Red River. She followed that with another Western titled She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, again playing opposite John Wayne. With two of the best Westerns directed by John Ford and Howard Hawks, the scripts submitted to her were predominately Western and she became typecast. This was from a woman who said "I simply hated horses...". In 1950, she was cast in another Western called Wagon Master which became the basis for the Ward Bond Television Series called Wagon Train. Even though she did other roles besides Westerns, those roles were not what she is remembered for. She appeared in films like All the King's Men, The Pride of St. Louis and Hell on Frisco Bay. By the mid 50's, Western's were running out of steam and so was her screen career, so she turned to Television where she appeared on shows such as Playhouse 90. In 1960, Joanne was cast in the role of the Eastern Owner of a Dude Ranch in the Television Series Guestward Ho!. Perhaps even funnier that she would play an Easterner after all those Westerns is the fact that her character name was "Babs". The show ended in 1961.



Her mother was president of the Motion Picture Mothers 1975-76. Aunt of professional baseball player Pete LaCock and Suzanne LaCock. Ex-sister-in-law of Sally Carter-Ihnat.