Jump to content

Joan Davis: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Tags: possible birth or death date change Mobile edit Mobile web edit
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
(44 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Actress, vaudevillian}}
{{short description|American actress, vaudevillian (1912–61)}}
{{For|the cricketer|Joan Davis (cricketer)}}
{{For|the cricketer|Joan Davis (cricketer)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
Line 6: Line 6:
| caption = Davis on ''[[I Married Joan]]'' (c. 1952/53)
| caption = Davis on ''[[I Married Joan]]'' (c. 1952/53)
| birth_name = Josephine Davis
| birth_name = Josephine Davis
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|06|29|mf=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|06|29|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1961|05|23|1912|06|29|mf=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1961|05|23|1907|06|29|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
| resting_place = [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
| nationality = American
| yearsactive = 1935–1955
| yearsactive = 1935–1955
| occupation = Actress, vaudevillian
| occupation = Actress, vaudevillian
Line 18: Line 17:
}}
}}


'''Josephine "Joan" Davis''' (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 1961) was an American [[Comedy|comedic]] actress whose career spanned [[vaudeville]], [[film]], [[radio]], and [[television]]. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy ''[[I Married Joan]]'', Davis had a successful earlier career as a [[B-movie]] actress and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.
'''Josephine "Joan" Davis''' (June 29, 1907 – May 23, 1961) was an American [[Comedy|comedic]] actress whose career spanned [[vaudeville]], film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy ''[[I Married Joan]]'', Davis had a successful earlier career as a screen actress (notably in the [[Abbott and Costello]] comedy ''[[Hold That Ghost]]''), and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.


Born in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], she was the only child of LeRoy Davis and Nina Mae (née Sinks) Davis, who were married in St. Paul on November 23, 1910.<ref>"Joan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 29, 1907. Joan's birth certificate is interesting in that it was altered some 32 years after it was originally filed. It has been stamped with a notation along the bottom edge reading, “Amended by State Registrar pursuant to affidavit filed on _____,” with the date 2-11-44 written by hand. Asterisks indicate three areas of the document that were amended. The birth date, originally recorded as July 4, 1912, was crossed out by hand and changed to June 29. No middle name had been recorded on the original document; “Donna” was subsequently written between the first and last names, with a caret to indicate its placement. The spelling of Joan's mother's maiden name was also corrected. The original document was filled out by Rose Labon, who delivered baby Josephine at the family's residence at 275 Bates Avenue."<br>''Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy'' by David C. Tucker (Biography, pg. 3), McFarland (March 24, 2014),ASIN B00JH2B0ZG, {{ISBN|978-0786477845}}/{{ISBN|0786477849}}.</ref> Davis had been a performer since childhood. She appeared with her husband Si Wills in vaudeville.<ref name=dunning/>
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she was the only child of LeRoy Davis and Nina Mae (née Sinks) Davis, who were married in St. Paul on November 23, 1910.<ref>"Joan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 29, 1907. Joan's birth certificate is interesting in that it was altered some 32 years after it was originally filed. It has been stamped with a notation along the bottom edge, reading “Amended by State Registrar pursuant to affidavit filed on _____,” with the date 2-11-44 written by hand. Asterisks indicate three areas of the document that were amended. The birth date, originally recorded as July 4, 1912, was crossed out by hand and changed to June 29. No middle name had been recorded on the original document; “Donna” was written between the first and last names, with a caret to indicate its placement. The spelling of Joan's mother's maiden name also was corrected. The original document was filled out by Rose Labon, who delivered baby Josephine at the family's residence at 275 Bates Avenue."<br>''Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy'' by David C. Tucker (Biography, pg. 3), McFarland (March 24, 2014), ASIN B00JH2B0ZG, {{ISBN|978-0786477845}}/{{ISBN|0786477849}}.</ref> Davis had been a performer since childhood. She appeared with her husband Si Wills in vaudeville.<ref name=dunning/>


==Career==
==Career==
===Films===
===Films===


Davis' first film was a short subject for [[Educational Pictures]] called ''[[Way Up Thar]]'' (1935), featuring a then-unknown [[Roy Rogers]].<ref name=Vaudeville/> Educational's distribution company, [[Twentieth Century-Fox]], signed Davis for feature films. Tall and lanky, with a comically flat speaking voice, she became known as one of the few female physical clowns of her time. Perhaps best known for her co-starring turn with [[Bud Abbott]] and [[Lou Costello]] in ''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' (1941), she had a reputation for flawless [[physical comedy]].<ref name=HTG/>
Davis' first film was a short subject for [[Educational Pictures]] titled ''[[Way Up Thar]]'' (1935), featuring a then-unknown [[Roy Rogers]].<ref name=Vaudeville/> Educational's distributor, [[Twentieth Century-Fox]], signed Davis for feature films. Tall and lanky, with a comically flat speaking voice, she became known as one of the few female physical clowns of her time, and developed a reputation for flawless [[physical comedy]].<ref name=HTG/> She appeared steadily in Fox features for several years (with [[Alice Faye]], [[Shirley Temple]], [[Jane Withers]], [[The Ritz Brothers]], and [[Sonja Henie]], among others), playing supporting roles in major pictures and larger, featured roles in minor ones.


By the early 1940s Fox was no longer making many comedies, and did not renew her contract. She began freelancing, first at [[Universal Pictures]] with Abbott and Costello, then [[Republic Pictures|Republic]], then [[RKO Radio Pictures|RKO]] with [[Kay Kyser]] and then [[Eddie Cantor]].<ref name=SB/> [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] signed her to star in a pair of musical comedies with [[Jane Frazee]],<ref name=BBB/> and she returned to RKO opposite [[Jack Haley]] in 1945 and Cantor in 1948.<ref name=IYKS/> Her last motion picture was the Columbia comedy feature ''[[Harem Girl]]'' (1952).
Her pantomime sequence in ''[[Beautiful But Broke]]''<ref name=BBB/> (1944) was a slapstick construction-site episode. She also featured in ''[[Tail Spin]]'' (1939) as a supporting actor, for the women's Bendix Air Race circuit. She co-starred with [[Eddie Cantor]] in two features, ''[[Show Business (1944 film)|Show Business]]''<ref name=SB/> (1944) and ''[[If You Knew Susie (film)|If You Knew Susie]]'' (1948).<ref name=IYKS/>


===Radio===
===Radio===
[[File:Joan davis swan soap 1945.jpg|thumb|200px|Swan Soap ad featuring Davis' radio show, 1945]]
[[File:Joan davis swan soap 1945.jpg|thumb|200px|Swan Soap ad featuring Davis' radio show, 1945]]


Joan Davis entered radio with an August 28, 1941, appearance on ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour|The Rudy Vallee Show]]'' and became a regular on that show four months later. Davis then began a series of shows that established her as a top star of radio situation comedy throughout the 1940s. When Vallee left for the Coast Guard in 1943, Davis and [[Jack Haley]] became the co-hosts of the show. With a title change to ''The [[Sealtest Dairy|Sealtest]] Village Store'', Davis was the owner-operator of the store from July 8, 1943, to June 28, 1945, when she left to do ''Joanie's Tea Room'' on CBS from September 3, 1945, to June 23, 1947.<ref name=Tucker2007/> Sponsored by [[Lever Brothers]] on behalf of [[Swan Soap]], the premise had Davis running a tea shop in the little community of Smallville. The supporting cast featured [[Verna Felton]]. [[Harry von Zell]] was the announcer, and her head writer was [[Abe Burrows]], formerly the head writer (and co-creator) of ''[[Duffy's Tavern]]'' and eventually a legendary Broadway playwright.
Joan Davis entered radio with an August 28, 1941, appearance on ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour|The Rudy Vallee Show]]'' and became a regular on that show four months later. Davis then began a series of shows that established her as a top star of radio situation comedy throughout the 1940s. When Vallee left for the Coast Guard in 1943, Davis and [[Jack Haley]] became the co-hosts of the show. With a title change to ''The [[Sealtest Dairy|Sealtest]] Village Store'', Davis was the owner-operator of the store from July 8, 1943, to June 28, 1945 when she left to do ''Joanie's Tea Room'' on CBS from September 3, 1945 to June 23, 1947.<ref name=Tucker2007/> Sponsored by [[Lever Brothers]] on behalf of [[Swan Soap]], the premise had Davis running a tea shop in the little community of Smallville. The supporting cast featured [[Verna Felton]]. [[Harry von Zell]] was the announcer, and her head writer was [[Abe Burrows]], formerly the head writer (and co-creator) of ''[[Duffy's Tavern]]'' and eventually a Broadway playwright.


The tea shop setting continued in ''Joan Davis Time'', a CBS Saturday-night series from October 11, 1947, to July 3, 1948. With [[Lionel Stander]] as the tea shop manager, the cast also included [[Hans Conried]], [[Mary Jane Croft]], [[Andy Russell (singer)|Andy Russell]], the Choraliers quintet, and John Rarig and his Orchestra. ''Leave It to Joan'' ran from July 4 to August 22, 1949, as a summer replacement for ''[[Lux Radio Theater]]'' and continued from September 9, 1949, to March 3, 1950. She was also heard on CBS July 3 through August 28, 1950. She was a frequent and popular performer on [[Tallulah Bankhead]]'s legendary radio variety show, ''[[The Big Show (radio show)|The Big Show]]'' (1950–52).<ref name=dunning/> Davis was also a regular on Eddie Cantor's ''Time to Smile'' program.<ref name=rp>Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows'', pg. 335. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-4513-4}}.</ref>
The tea shop setting continued in ''Joan Davis Time'', a CBS Saturday-night series from October 11, 1947, to July 3, 1948. With [[Lionel Stander]] as the tea shop manager, the cast included [[Hans Conried]], [[Mary Jane Croft]], [[Andy Russell (singer)|Andy Russell]], the Choraliers quintet, and John Rarig and his Orchestra. ''Leave It to Joan'' ran from July 4 to August 22, 1949, as a summer replacement for ''[[Lux Radio Theater]]'' and continued from September 9, 1949, to March 3, 1950. She was heard on CBS July 3 through August 28, 1950. She was a frequent and popular performer on [[Tallulah Bankhead]]'s radio variety show ''[[The Big Show (radio show)|The Big Show]]'' (1950–1952).<ref name=dunning/> Davis was also a regular on Eddie Cantor's ''Time to Smile'' program.<ref name=rp>Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows'', pg. 335. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-4513-4}}.</ref>


===Television===
===Television===
⚫
Davis was the star of the unsold pilot ''[[Let's Join Joanie]]'', recorded in 1950. The proposed series was a television adaptation of ''Leave It to Joan''. When ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' premiered in October 1951 and became a top-rated TV series, sponsors wanted more of the same.<ref name=Vaudeville/> ''[[I Married Joan]]'' premiered in 1952, casting Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge ([[Jim Backus]]), who got her husband into wacky jams with or without the help of a younger sister, played by her real-life daughter [[Beverly Wills]]. Davis was also one of the show's executive producers. ''I Married Joan'' did not achieve the ratings success enjoyed by ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', but during its first two years, it received moderately successful ratings, even cracking the top 25 for the 1953–1954 season. However, by the start of its third year, not only were the ratings beginning to slip, but Davis began experiencing heart trouble. As a result, the series was canceled in the spring of 1955.<ref name=dunning/> ''I Married Joan'' experienced greater success in syndication; it was one of the early series to take advantage of that avenue.


⚫
After Davis's death in May 1961, ''I Married Joan'' was pulled from syndication until litigation over her estate, including her residuals from the show's syndicated reruns, could be settled in court (an issue complicated by the deaths of all of her next of kin in a [[Beverly Wills|house fire]] in 1963).<ref name=Vaudeville/>
⚫
Davis was the star of the unsold pilot ''[[Let's Join Joanie]]'', which was recorded in 1950. The proposed series was a television adaptation of ''Leave It to Joan''. When ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' premiered in October 1951 on [[CBS Television]] and became a top-rated TV series, sponsors wanted more of the same.<ref name=Vaudeville/> ''[[I Married Joan]]'' premiered in 1952 on [[NBC]], casting Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge ([[Jim Backus]]), who got her husband into wacky jams with or without the help of a younger sister, played by her real-life daughter, [[Beverly Wills]]. Davis was also one of the show's executive producers. ''I Married Joan'' did not achieve the ratings success enjoyed by ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', but during its first two years, it received moderately successful ratings, even cracking the top 25 for the 1953–1954 season. However, by the start of its third year, not only were the ratings beginning to slip, but Davis began experiencing heart trouble. As a result, the series was canceled in the spring of 1955.<ref name=dunning/> ''I Married Joan'' experienced greater success in off-network [[broadcast syndication|syndication]]; it was one of the earliest series to take advantage of that avenue.


⚫
In 1956, a year after ''I Married Joan'' ended its primetime run, Davis was approached by ABC to star in ''The Joan Davis Show''. The premise of this series had Davis playing a musical-comedy entertainer who had raised a daughter on her own. Davis used her real name as the lead character. Veteran actress [[Hope Summers]] was cast as Joan's housekeeper, and Wills was signed to play Joan's daughter, also named Beverly. Ray Ferrell was cast as Joan's grandson Stevie. In the pilot, Joan was introduced to her five-year-old grandson for the first time and was trying to convince Beverly, despite her hectic show-business schedule and her somewhat zany personality, that she was a loving and responsible grandmother. The pilot did not sell as a series for ABC. It was forgotten among Davis' television work until many years later when the [[Paley Center for Media|Museum of Television and Radio]] in New York discovered the program and added it to its collection.<ref name=Paley/>
⚫
After Davis's death in the spring of 1961, ''I Married Joan'' was pulled from syndication until litigation over her estate---including her residuals from the show's syndicated reruns---could be settled in court (an issue complicated by the deaths of all of her next of kin in 1963), according to the ''Los Angeles Times''.<ref name=Vaudeville/>

⚫
In 1956, a year after ''I Married Joan'' had ended its primetime run, Davis was approached by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] to star in ''The Joan Davis Show''. The premise of this proposed series had Davis playing a musical comedy entertainer who had raised a daughter on her own. Davis used her real name as the lead character. Veteran character actress [[Hope Summers]] was cast as Joan's housekeeper, and Wills was signed to play Joan's daughter, also named Beverly. Ray Ferrell was cast as Joan's grandson Stevie. In the pilot, Joan was introduced to her five-year-old grandson for the first time and was trying to convince Beverly, despite her hectic show-business schedule and her somewhat zany personality, that she was a loving and responsible grandmother. The pilot did not sell as a series for ABC. It was forgotten among Davis' television work until many years later when the [[Paley Center for Media|Museum of Television and Radio]] in New York discovered the program and added it to its collection.<ref name=Paley/>


==Death==
==Death==
On May 22, 1961, Davis died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at the age of 53 at her home in [[Palm Springs, California]].<ref name=Cullen/><ref name=obit/> She was interred in the [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City|Holy Cross Cemetery]] mausoleum in [[Culver City, California]].<ref name=Tucker2007/> On October 24, 1963, Davis' mother, daughter Beverly Wills, and two grandchildren were all killed in a house fire in Palm Springs.<ref name=Cullen/>
On May 23, 1961, Davis died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at age 53 at her home in [[Palm Springs, California]].<ref name=Cullen/><ref name=obit/> She was interred in the [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City|Holy Cross Cemetery]] mausoleum in Culver City, California.<ref name=Tucker2007/> On October 24, 1963, Davis' mother, daughter Beverly Wills, and two grandchildren were all killed in a house fire in Palm Springs.<ref name=Cullen/>


Joan Davis has two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 1501 [[Vine Street]] and one for radio in the 1700 block of Vine.<ref name=Starwalk/>
Joan Davis has two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 1501 Vine Street and one for radio in the 1700 block of Vine.<ref name=Starwalk/>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 114: Line 112:
|1937
|1937
|''[[You Can't Have Everything]]''
|''[[You Can't Have Everything]]''
|<center>—</center>
|{{center|—}}
|Uncredited
|Uncredited
|<ref name=Monush>{{cite book |last1=Monush |first1=Barry |title=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965 |date=2003 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-1-55783-551-2 |page=179 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&q=film+%22Joan+Davis%22&pg=PA179 |language=en}}</ref>
|<ref name=Monush>{{cite book |last1=Monush |first1=Barry |title=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965 |date=2003 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-1-55783-551-2 |page=179 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&q=film+%22Joan+Davis%22&pg=PA179 |language=en}}</ref>
Line 173: Line 171:
|-
|-
|1938
|1938
|''[[Just Around the Corner]]''
|''[[Just Around the Corner (1938 film)|Just Around the Corner]]''
|Kitty
|Kitty
|
|
Line 311: Line 309:
|-
|-
|1948
|1948
|''[[If You Knew Susie#In popular culture|If You Knew Susie]]''
|''[[If You Knew Susie (film)|If You Knew Susie]]''
|Susie Parker
|Susie Parker
|
|
Line 352: Line 350:
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Harem Girl |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50503-HAREM-GIRL?cxt=filmography|website=catalog.afi.com |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Harem Girl |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50503-HAREM-GIRL?cxt=filmography|website=catalog.afi.com |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1952
|1952-1955
|''[[Strip Tease Girl]]''
|
|
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Strip Tease Girl |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50393-STRIP-TEASE-GIRL?cxt=filmography|website=catalog.afi.com |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref>
|-
|1952 to 1955
|''[[I Married Joan]]''
|''[[I Married Joan]]''
|Joan Stevens
|Joan Stevens
Line 403: Line 395:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Joan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Joan}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1961 deaths]]
[[Category:1961 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox contract players]]
[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]]
[[Category:Actresses from Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Actresses from Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
Line 417: Line 409:
[[Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
[[Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
[[Category:Actresses from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:Actresses from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:Comedians from California]]
[[Category:Comedians from California]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Comedians from Saint Paul, Minnesota]]

Revision as of 22:23, 18 August 2024

For the cricketer, see Joan Davis (cricketer).
Joan Davis
Davis on I Married Joan (c. 1952/53)
Born
Josephine Davis

(1907-06-29)June 29, 1907
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 23, 1961(1961-05-23) (aged 53)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Occupation(s)Actress, vaudevillian
Years active1935–1955
Spouse
Si Wills
​
​
(m. 1931; div. 1948)​
ChildrenBeverly Wills

Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1907 – May 23, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy I Married Joan, Davis had a successful earlier career as a screen actress (notably in the Abbott and Costello comedy Hold That Ghost), and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she was the only child of LeRoy Davis and Nina Mae (née Sinks) Davis, who were married in St. Paul on November 23, 1910.[1] Davis had been a performer since childhood. She appeared with her husband Si Wills in vaudeville.[2]

Career

Films

Davis' first film was a short subject for Educational Pictures titled Way Up Thar (1935), featuring a then-unknown Roy Rogers.[3] Educational's distributor, Twentieth Century-Fox, signed Davis for feature films. Tall and lanky, with a comically flat speaking voice, she became known as one of the few female physical clowns of her time, and developed a reputation for flawless physical comedy.[4] She appeared steadily in Fox features for several years (with Alice Faye, Shirley Temple, Jane Withers, The Ritz Brothers, and Sonja Henie, among others), playing supporting roles in major pictures and larger, featured roles in minor ones.

By the early 1940s Fox was no longer making many comedies, and did not renew her contract. She began freelancing, first at Universal Pictures with Abbott and Costello, then Republic, then RKO with Kay Kyser and then Eddie Cantor.[5] Columbia signed her to star in a pair of musical comedies with Jane Frazee,[6] and she returned to RKO opposite Jack Haley in 1945 and Cantor in 1948.[7] Her last motion picture was the Columbia comedy feature Harem Girl (1952).

Radio

Swan Soap ad featuring Davis' radio show, 1945

Joan Davis entered radio with an August 28, 1941, appearance on The Rudy Vallee Show and became a regular on that show four months later. Davis then began a series of shows that established her as a top star of radio situation comedy throughout the 1940s. When Vallee left for the Coast Guard in 1943, Davis and Jack Haley became the co-hosts of the show. With a title change to The Sealtest Village Store, Davis was the owner-operator of the store from July 8, 1943, to June 28, 1945 when she left to do Joanie's Tea Room on CBS from September 3, 1945 to June 23, 1947.[8] Sponsored by Lever Brothers on behalf of Swan Soap, the premise had Davis running a tea shop in the little community of Smallville. The supporting cast featured Verna Felton. Harry von Zell was the announcer, and her head writer was Abe Burrows, formerly the head writer (and co-creator) of Duffy's Tavern and eventually a Broadway playwright.

The tea shop setting continued in Joan Davis Time, a CBS Saturday-night series from October 11, 1947, to July 3, 1948. With Lionel Stander as the tea shop manager, the cast included Hans Conried, Mary Jane Croft, Andy Russell, the Choraliers quintet, and John Rarig and his Orchestra. Leave It to Joan ran from July 4 to August 22, 1949, as a summer replacement for Lux Radio Theater and continued from September 9, 1949, to March 3, 1950. She was heard on CBS July 3 through August 28, 1950. She was a frequent and popular performer on Tallulah Bankhead's radio variety show The Big Show (1950–1952).[2] Davis was also a regular on Eddie Cantor's Time to Smile program.[9]

Television

Davis was the star of the unsold pilot Let's Join Joanie, recorded in 1950. The proposed series was a television adaptation of Leave It to Joan. When I Love Lucy premiered in October 1951 and became a top-rated TV series, sponsors wanted more of the same.[3] I Married Joan premiered in 1952, casting Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus), who got her husband into wacky jams with or without the help of a younger sister, played by her real-life daughter Beverly Wills. Davis was also one of the show's executive producers. I Married Joan did not achieve the ratings success enjoyed by I Love Lucy, but during its first two years, it received moderately successful ratings, even cracking the top 25 for the 1953–1954 season. However, by the start of its third year, not only were the ratings beginning to slip, but Davis began experiencing heart trouble. As a result, the series was canceled in the spring of 1955.[2] I Married Joan experienced greater success in syndication; it was one of the early series to take advantage of that avenue.

After Davis's death in May 1961, I Married Joan was pulled from syndication until litigation over her estate, including her residuals from the show's syndicated reruns, could be settled in court (an issue complicated by the deaths of all of her next of kin in a house fire in 1963).[3]

In 1956, a year after I Married Joan ended its primetime run, Davis was approached by ABC to star in The Joan Davis Show. The premise of this series had Davis playing a musical-comedy entertainer who had raised a daughter on her own. Davis used her real name as the lead character. Veteran actress Hope Summers was cast as Joan's housekeeper, and Wills was signed to play Joan's daughter, also named Beverly. Ray Ferrell was cast as Joan's grandson Stevie. In the pilot, Joan was introduced to her five-year-old grandson for the first time and was trying to convince Beverly, despite her hectic show-business schedule and her somewhat zany personality, that she was a loving and responsible grandmother. The pilot did not sell as a series for ABC. It was forgotten among Davis' television work until many years later when the Museum of Television and Radio in New York discovered the program and added it to its collection.[10]

Death

On May 23, 1961, Davis died of a heart attack at age 53 at her home in Palm Springs, California.[11][12] She was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery mausoleum in Culver City, California.[8] On October 24, 1963, Davis' mother, daughter Beverly Wills, and two grandchildren were all killed in a house fire in Palm Springs.[11]

Joan Davis has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 1501 Vine Street and one for radio in the 1700 block of Vine.[13]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1935 Way Up Thar Jennie Kirk Mack Sennett Short subject [3]
1935 Millions in the Air Singer [14]
1936 Bunker Bean Mabel, Bunker's Secretary Uncredited [15]
1937 The Holy Terror Lili [16]
1937 On the Avenue Miss Katz – Dibble's Secretary [17]
1937 Time Out for Romance Midge Dooley [18]
1937 The Great Hospital Mystery Flossie Duff Alternative title: Dead Yesterday [19]
1937 Angel's Holiday Strivers [20]
1937 Sing and Be Happy Myrtle [21]
1937 You Can't Have Everything
—
 Uncredited [22]
1937 Wake Up and Live Spanish Dancer [23]
1937 Thin Ice Orchestra Leader Alternative titles: Lovely to Look at
Der Komet 		[24]
1937 Life Begins in College Inez Alternative titles: Life Begins at College
The Joy Parade 		[25]
1937 Love and Hisses Joan [26]
1938 Keep Smiling Self [27]
1938 Sally, Irene and Mary Irene Keene [28]
1938 Josette May Morris [29]
1938 My Lucky Star Mary Dwight [30]
1938 Hold That Co-ed Lizzie Olsen Alternative title: Hold That Girl [4]
1938 Just Around the Corner Kitty [31]
1939 Tail Spin Babe Dugan [32]
1939 Skinny the Moocher The Maid Uncredited [8]
1939 Too Busy to Work Lolly [33]
1939 Day-Time Wife Joyce Applegate [34]
1940 Free, Blonde and 21 Nellie [35]
1940 Sailor's Lady Myrtle [36]
1940 Manhattan Heartbeat Edna Higgins [37]
1941 For Beauty's Sake Dottie Nickerson [38]
1941 Hold That Ghost Camille Brewster Alternative title: Oh, Charlie [39]
1941 Sun Valley Serenade Miss Carstairs [40]
1941 Two Latins from Manhattan Joan Daley [41]
1942 Yokel Boy Molly Malone Alternative title: Hitting the Headlines [42]
1942 Sweetheart of the Fleet Phoebe Weyms [43]
1943 He's My Guy Madge Donovan [44]
1943 Two Señoritas from Chicago Daisy Baker [45]
1943 Around the World Joan Davis [46]
1944 Beautiful But Broke Dottie Duncan [6]
1944 Show Business Joan Mason [5]
1944 Kansas City Kitty Polly Jasper [47]
1945 She Gets her Man Jane "Pilky" Pilkington [48]
1945 George White's Scandals of 1945 Joan Mason [49]
1946 She Wrote the Book Jane Featherstone [50]
1948 If You Knew Susie Susie Parker [7]
1949 Make Mine Laughs [51]
1950 The Traveling Saleswoman Mabel King Producer [52]
1950 Love That Brute Mamie Sage [53]
1950 Let's Join Joanie Unaired CBS pilot [8]
1951 The Groom Wore Spurs Alice Dean [54]
1952 Harem Girl Susie Perkins [55]
1952-1955 I Married Joan Joan Stevens 99 episodes
Producer 		[3]

Award nominations

Year Award Category
1953 Emmy Awards Best Comedienne

See also

References

  1. ^ "Joan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 29, 1907. Joan's birth certificate is interesting in that it was altered some 32 years after it was originally filed. It has been stamped with a notation along the bottom edge, reading “Amended by State Registrar pursuant to affidavit filed on _____,” with the date 2-11-44 written by hand. Asterisks indicate three areas of the document that were amended. The birth date, originally recorded as July 4, 1912, was crossed out by hand and changed to June 29. No middle name had been recorded on the original document; “Donna” was written between the first and last names, with a caret to indicate its placement. The spelling of Joan's mother's maiden name also was corrected. The original document was filled out by Rose Labon, who delivered baby Josephine at the family's residence at 275 Bates Avenue."
    Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy by David C. Tucker (Biography, pg. 3), McFarland (March 24, 2014), ASIN B00JH2B0ZG, ISBN 978-0786477845/ISBN 0786477849.
  2. ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. pp. 295–298. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
  4. ^ a b "Hold That Co-ed". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Show Business". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Beautiful But Broke". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "If You Knew Susie". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Tucker, David C. (2007). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. pp. 30, 78–79. ISBN 978-0-7864-8732-5.
  9. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows, pg. 335. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  10. ^ "Joan Davis Show, The {pilot} (TV)". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America. Routledge. pp. 297–298. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2.
  12. ^ "Television Comedienne Joan Davis Dies At 53". St. Petersburg Times. UPI. May 24, 1961. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  13. ^ "Joan Davis". Los Angeles Times Hollywood Star Walk. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  14. ^ "Millions in the Air". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  15. ^ Tucker, David C. (2014). Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy. McFarland. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4766-1502-8.
  16. ^ "The Unholy Terror". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "On The Avenue". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "Time Out for Romance". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Great Hospital Mystery". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  20. ^ "Angel's Holiday". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  21. ^ "Sing and Be Happy". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  22. ^ Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-55783-551-2.
  23. ^ "Wake Up and Live". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  24. ^ "Thin Ice". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  25. ^ "Life Begins in College". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  26. ^ "Love and Hisses". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  27. ^ "Keep Smiling". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  28. ^ "Sally, Irene and Mary". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  29. ^ "Josette". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  30. ^ "My Lucky Star". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  31. ^ "Just Around the Corner". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  32. ^ "Tail Spin". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  33. ^ "Too Busy to Work". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  34. ^ "Day-Time Wife". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  35. ^ "Free, Blonde and 21". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  36. ^ "Sailor's Lady". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  37. ^ "Manhattan Heartbeat". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  38. ^ "For Beauty's Sake". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  39. ^ "Hold That Ghost". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  40. ^ "Sun Valley Serenade". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  41. ^ "Two Latins from Manhattan". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  42. ^ "Yokel Boy". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  43. ^ "Sweetheart of the Fleet". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  44. ^ "He's My Guy". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  45. ^ "Two Señoritas from Chicago". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  46. ^ "Around the World". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  47. ^ "Kansas City Kitty". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  48. ^ "She Gets her Man". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  49. ^ "George White's Scandals of 1945". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  50. ^ "She Wrote the Book". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  51. ^ "Make Mine Laughs". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  52. ^ "The Traveling Saleswoman". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  53. ^ "Love That Brute". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  54. ^ "The Groom Wore Spurs". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  55. ^ "Harem Girl". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.

Further reading

  • Ohmart, Ben. Hold That Joan – The Life, Laughs & Films of Joan Davis. Albany: BearManor Media, 2007. ISBN 1-59393-046-1
  • Rapp, Philip. The Television Scripts of Philip Rapp. Albany: BearManor Media, 2006. ISBN 1-59393-070-4.
  • Karol, Michael. Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen. iUniverse, 2006. pp. 22–24. ISBN 0-595-40251-8.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joan Davis.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joan_Davis&oldid=1241028719"