The Goettens moved to the West Coast at the beginning of the '20's. The move was made primarily for John Goetten's health. He would eventually open a large flower market in the movie capital.

The family settled down in Los Angeles. Gisela enrolled in Hollywood High School where she reportedly concentrated on art, planning on an art career.

During these school years she appeared in several plays. It was in one of these, entitled MY IDEAL, that director Malcolm St. Clair noticed Gisela. Louis recalled:

He had a relative in the same play and came to see her. In those days famous Hollywood personalities would attend school functions. HHS was an important part of the community. (Fay Wray was in my dramatics class and was discovered in a school play.) St. Clair was impressed with June's work; he came back stage and invited June to come to the FBO studios for an interview. Mother and June made an appointment with St. Clair. Instead of a screen test she would appear in actual scenes in the FIGHTING BLOOD series, "So we can see how you photograph."

After a screen test had been made, Gisela was cast in the role of lovely western girl "Kitty Reid." The film was shot outdoors in Prescott, Arizona, and gave Gisela the opportunity to flaunt her talent as a horseback rider. She also got more screen time than the movie's leading lady, Marguerite De La Motte, and the Los Angeles Examiner remarked that she had stolen the picture. It was for this film that she was renamed "June Marlowe." Lesser decided that it would be a good name for Gisela as she reminded him of the famous stage actress Julia Marlowe. So Gisela Goetten of Minnesota became June Marlowe of Hollywood.