Joyce Mathews

Joyce Mathews (born Jane Mathews; December 5, 1919 – January 17, 1999) was an American actress, dancer, and showgirl who appeared in films, on Broadway, and in early television productions from the late 1930s through the 1950s. She was known for her stage and screen work as well as for her marriages to comedian Milton Berle, theatrical producer Billy Rose, and actor Don Beddoe.

Early life

Mathews was born Jane Mathews on December 5, 1919, in New York City. She later attended the Ida M. Fisher School in Miami Beach, Florida, where she studied art before entering show business. She subsequently changed her first name from Jane to Joyce.

She appeared in several motion pictures, including The Big Broadcast of 1938 and Artists and Models Abroad (1938). Additional film credits included All Women Have Secrets (1939), Sudden Money (1939), and Mister Universe (1951).

On Broadway, she appeared in the musical Hold On to Your Hats, associated with Al Jolson. By the early 1950s, she was also working in television.

Personal life

Her first marriage was to Gonzales Gomez. The couple divorced in 1947, remarried in June 1949, and divorced again in 1950 in the Virgin Islands.

In July 1951, Mathews was hospitalized following a reported suicide attempt at the New York apartment of theatrical producer Billy Rose.

Mathews married Rose July 2, 1956 and they divorced July 23, 1959. They then remarried on December 29, 1961, only to divorce again on February 10, 1964, exactly two years before he died.

In 1974, Mathews married actor Don Beddoe.

By 1977, she owned and operated a travel agency in California.

Mathews lived in California in her later years. She died on January 17, 1999, in Laguna Beach, California, at the age of 79.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1932 Jewel Robbery Maid Uncredited 1933 Sitting Pretty Blonde Chorus Girl Uncredited 1936 College Holiday Dancer Uncredited 1936 The Champ's a Chump Student Uncredited (Short) 1937 Wells Fargo Pioneer Girl Uncredited 1937 Daughter of Shanghai Girl Uncredited 1937 Bulldog Drummond's Revenge Minor Role Uncredited 1937 True Confession Girl in Cocktail Lounge Uncredited 1937 Thrill of a Lifetime Chorus Girl Uncredited 1938 Bluebeard's Eighth Wife Undetermined Role Uncredited 1938 Dangerous to Know Minor Role Uncredited 1938 Tip-Off Girls Tessie Uncredited 1938 The Big Broadcast of 1938 Chorus Girl Uncredited 1938 The Buccaneer Undetermined Role Uncredited 1938 Artists and Models Abroad Jersey 1938 Arrest Bulldog Drummond Undetermined Secondary Role Uncredited 1938 Say It in French Girl Uncredited 1938 The Arkansas Traveler Girl Uncredited 1938 Sing You Sinners Hat-Check Girl Uncredited 1938 You and Me Sales Clerk Uncredited 1938 Cocoanut Grove Dancer Uncredited 1938 College Swing Student Uncredited 1939 Midnight Girl Uncredited 1939 King of Chinatown Nightclub Girl Uncredited 1939 Cafe Society Girl Uncredited 1939 St. Louis Blues Dancer Uncredited 1939 Boy Trouble Patricia Fitch 1939 Disbarred Cigarette Girl Uncredited 1939 All Women Have Secrets Peggy 1939 $1,000 a Touchdown Lorelei 1939 Honeymoon in Bali Girl with Umbrella Uncredited 1939 Night Work Patricia Fitch 1939 Million Dollar Legs Bunny Maxwell 1939 Sudden Money Yolo 1939 I'm from Missouri Bit Role Uncredited 1940 The Way of All Flesh Telegraph Girl Uncredited 1940 Those Were the Days! Telephone Operator Uncredited 1941 Ball of Fire Chorus Girl Uncredited 1947 A Double Life Janet Uncredited 1949 The Barkleys of Broadway Genevieve Uncredited 1951 Mister Universe Maroni's Moll

Television

Year Title Role Notes 1950 Armstrong Circle Theatre Episode appearance 1 episode 1950 The Silver Theatre Episode appearance 1 episode 1951 Somerset Maugham TV Theatre Hostess 1 episode