Joan Davis
Joan Davis (born June 29, 1912 in Saint Paul , Minnesota as Madonna Josephine Davis , † May 22, 1961 in Palm Springs , California ) was an American actress and comedian , who was best known for appearances in comedies.
Life
Her careers include vaudeville , film , radio and television . Her first film, which also featured a then unknown Roy Rogers , was Way Up Thar (1935) for Educational Pictures . Then Educational's sister company, Twentieth Century Fox, signed Davis. Tall and lanky with a funny voice, she was known as one of the few female clowns of her time. She had a successful career in B-movies and as the lead star on a comedic radio show that aired in the 1940s. Perhaps best known for her collaborations with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hold That Ghost (1941), which gave her a reputation as a flawless physical performer in comedy matters. Her pantomime appearance in the 1944 film Beautiful but Broke is a slapstick episode and the timing of movement and reactions seen in it is very precise.
She also worked with Eddie Cantor in Show Business (1944) and If you Knew Susie (1948). Outside of the screen scenery, Cantor and Davis were also close friends. The actress was best known for the comedic television series I Married Joan , which aired from 1952 to 1955. Then she largely withdrew into private life, also because of health problems.
On May 22, 1961, she died of a heart attack at the age of 48. She was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery Mausoleum in Culver City, California. On October 24, 1963, Joan Davis's mother, daughter Beverly Wills , also an actress, and their two children were killed in a house fire in Palm Springs , California. For her contribution to the film industry, Joan Davis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , 1501 Vine Street.
Filmography
- 1935: Way Up Thar
- 1935: Millions in the Air
- 1936: Bunker Bean
- 1937: The Holy Terror
- 1937: On the Avenue
- 1937: Time Out for Romance
- 1937: The Great Hospital Mystery
- 1937: Angel's Holidays
- 1937: Sing and Be Happy
- 1937: You Can't Have Everything
- 1937: Wake Up and Live
- 1937: Thin Ice
- 1937: Life Begins in College
- 1937: Love and Hisses
- 1938: Sally, Irene and Mary
- 1938: Josette
- 1938: My Lucky Star
- 1938: Hold That Co-ed
- 1938: Just Around the Corner
- 1939: Tail Spin
- 1939: Skinny the Moocher
- 1939: Too Busy to Work
- 1939: Day-Time Wife
- 1940: Free, Blonde and 21
- 1940: Sailor's Lady
- 1940: Manhattan Heartbeat
- 1941: For Beauty's Sake
- 1941: Hold That Ghost
- 1941: Adopted Happiness (Sun Valley Serenade)
- 1941: Two Latins from Manhattan
- 1942: Yokel Boy
- 1942: Sweetheart of the Fleet
- 1943: He's My Guy
- 1943: Two Señoritas from Chicago
- 1943: Around the World
- 1944: Beautiful But Broke
- 1944: show business
- 1944: Kansas City Kitty
- 1944: She Gets Her Man
- 1944: George White's Scandals
- 1946: She Wrote the Book
- 1948: If You Knew Susie
- 1950: The Traveling Saleswoman
- 1950: Love That Brute
- 1951: The Groom Wore Spurs
- 1952: Harem Girl
- 1952–1955: I Married Joan (TV series, 98 episodes)
Award nominations
- Emmy Award for Best Comedienne (1953)
literature
- Ben Ohmart: Hold That Joan - The Life, Laughs & Films of Joan Davis . BearManor Media, Albany 2007, ISBN 1-59393-046-1 .
- Philip Rapp: The Television Scripts of Philip Rapp . BearManor Media, Albany 2006, ISBN 1-59393-070-4 .
- David C. Tucker: The Women Who Made Television Funny . McFarland, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7864-2900-4 .
Web links
- Joan Davis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Davis, Joan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Davis, Madonna Josephine |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | american actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 29, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint Paul , Minnesota |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 22, 1961 |
| Place of death | Palm Springs , California , United States |