Joan Davis

Josephine Madonna Davis (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 1961), known professionally as Joan Davis, 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. Davis had been a performer since childhood. She appeared with her husband Si Wills in vaudeville.

Davis was also a regular on Eddie Cantor's Time to Smile program. Davis had an affair with Cantor over the course of four years. Writer Budd Schulberg commented, "Everybody knew about the affair with Joan Davis -- everybody in the business." The relationship culminated in her divorce from Si Wills in December 1947, while the Cantor-Davis film If You Knew Susie was in production. After the divorce was finalized and the picture was completed, Davis and Cantor went their separate ways.

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 on the CBS network and became a top-rated TV series, sponsors wanted more of the same, I Married Joan experienced greater success in syndication; it was one of the early series to succeed with local stations.

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. 1935 Millions in the Air Singer 1936 Bunker Bean Mabel, Bunker's Secretary Uncredited 1937 The Holy Terror Lili 1937 On the Avenue Miss Katz – Dibble's Secretary 1937 Time Out for Romance Midge Dooley 1937 The Great Hospital Mystery Flossie Duff Alternative title: Dead Yesterday 1937 Angel's Holiday Strivers 1937 Sing and Be Happy Myrtle 1937 You Can't Have Everything Uncredited 1937 Wake Up and Live Spanish Dancer 1937 Thin Ice Orchestra Leader Alternative titles: Lovely to Look atDer Komet 1937 Life Begins in College Inez Alternative titles: Life Begins at CollegeThe Joy Parade 1937 Love and Hisses Joan 1938 Keep Smiling Self 1938 Sally, Irene and Mary Irene Keene 1938 Josette May Morris 1938 My Lucky Star Mary Dwight 1938 Hold That Co-ed Lizzie Olsen Alternative title: Hold That Girl 1938 Just Around the Corner Kitty 1939 Tail Spin Babe Dugan 1939 Too Busy to Work Lolly 1939 Day-Time Wife Joyce Applegate 1940 Free, Blonde and 21 Nellie 1940 Sailor's Lady Myrtle 1940 Manhattan Heartbeat Edna Higgins 1941 For Beauty's Sake Dottie Nickerson 1941 Hold That Ghost Camille Brewster Alternative title: Oh, Charlie 1941 Sun Valley Serenade Miss Carstairs 1941 Two Latins from Manhattan Joan Daley 1942 Yokel Boy Molly Malone Alternative title: Hitting the Headlines 1942 Sweetheart of the Fleet Phoebe Weyms 1943 He's My Guy Madge Donovan 1943 Two Señoritas from Chicago Daisy Baker 1943 Around the World Joan Davis 1944 Beautiful But Broke Dottie Duncan 1944 Show Business Joan Mason 1944 Kansas City Kitty Polly Jasper 1945 She Gets her Man Jane "Pilky" Pilkington 1945 George White's Scandals of 1945 Joan Mason 1946 She Wrote the Book Jane Featherstone 1948 If You Knew Susie Susie Parker 1949 Make Mine Laughs compilation feature of musical and comedy sketches, including the "Who Killed Vaudeville?" number from George White's Scandals 1950 The Traveling Saleswoman Mabel King Producer 1950 Love That Brute Mamie Sage 1950 Let's Join Joanie Unaired CBS pilot 1952 Harem Girl Susie Perkins 1952-1955 I Married Joan Joan Stevens 99 episodesProducer