Judy Canova
Judy Canova | |
---|---|
Born | Juliette Canova (some sources indicate Julietta Canova) November 20, 1913 Starke, Florida, U.S. |
Died | August 5, 1983 Hollywood, California, U.S. | (aged 69)
Occupations |
|
Spouses | Robert Burns
(m. 1936; div. 1939)James Ripley
(m. 1941; ann. 1941)Chester B. England
(m. 1943; div. 1950)Filberto Rivero
(1950–1964) |
Children | 2, including Diana Canova |
Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),[1] born Juliette Canova[2] (some sources indicate Julietta Canova), was an American comedienne, actress, singer and radio personality[3] who appeared on Broadway and in films. She hosted her own self-titled network radio program, a popular series broadcast from 1943 to 1955.
Biography
Early career
Canova was born in Starke, Florida, one of seven siblings, to Joseph Francis Canova, a businessman, and Henrietta E. Canova (née Perry), a singer. Canova claimed that her family originated in the Pyrenees mountains of Spain,[4] but other sources indicate that the family may have been from the island of Menorca.[5]
She began her showbusiness career with a family
Stardom: Radio, Broadway, films and recordings
Canova's fame began when as a teenager when bandleader Rudy Vallée offered her a guest spot on his radio show The Fleischmann Hour. The Canova family performed on the radio often in the 1930s, and they made their Broadway theater debut in the revue Calling All Stars.
Canova signed with Warner Bros. and appeared in short subjects and minor features before signing with Paramount Pictures for one year.[citation needed] After she starred in the 1939 Broadway musical comedy Yokel Boy with Buddy Ebsen, executives at Republic Pictures, with a customer base largely in rural areas, signed Canova in 1940 shortly after the show ended its run. Canova quickly became Republic's leading female star, playing country women who typically blundered into trouble in such titles as Scatterbrain (1940), Sis Hopkins (1941) and Joan of Ozark (1942). However, Canova did not appear in Republic's film adaptation of Yokel Boy; her role was played by Joan Davis.[citation needed]
Canova left Republic in 1943 over a salary dispute and signed with Columbia Pictures for three feature films: Louisiana Hayride (1944), Hit the Hay (1945) and Singin' in the Corn (1946). She returned to Republic in 1951 to star in color comedy features, beginning with Honeychile, until 1955.[citation needed]
Radio and television
In 1943, Canova starred in
Canova's radio and film careers ended in 1955. Although she made a smooth transition to television, her radio show was not made into a television series. She made frequent guest appearances on television shows such as
Canova appeared in two failed television series pilots. In 1967, she portrayed Mammy Yokum in an NBC adaptation of Al Capp's Li'l Abner.[11] She also starred in The Murdocks and the McClays, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the Virginia hills, which aired on ABC in August 1970 as the final installment in a three-part showcase of pilots titled Comedy Preview.[12]
Singing
Canova recorded for the
Business
In 1954, Canova and her husband obtained controlling interest in the Los Angeles–based company Camera Vision Productions, Inc, which developed an automated camera that was reported to reduce television and film production costs by as much as 50%.[13]
Legacy
Conova is honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for her contributions to the film industry at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard and one for her radio career at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard.[14][15]
Personal life
Canova's first husband was New York insurance man Robert Burns, whom she married in 1936.[16][17] While still married, she became romantically involved with Edgar Bergen in 1937 but divorced Burns in 1939.[18] Canova was briefly married to James Ripley in 1941. Her third marriage, to Chester B. England in 1943, ended in divorce by 1950. She married her final husband, musician Filberto Rivero, in 1950.[19] The marriage produced daughter Diana Canova, a singer and actress known for her television roles on Soap and I'm a Big Girl Now, but ended in 1964.
Canova died in 1983 from cancer at age 69. Her ashes were interred in the secluded Columbarium of Everlasting Light section at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[20]
Filmography
Features:
- In Caliente (1935) – Specialty Singer
- Going Highbrow (1935) – Annie
- Broadway Gondolier (1935) – Hillbilly Specialty (uncredited)
- Artists & Models (1937) – Toots
- Thrill of a Lifetime (1937) – Herself
- Scatterbrain (1940) – Judy Hull
- Sis Hopkins (1941) – Sis Hopkins
- Puddin' Head (1941) – Judy Goober
- Sleepytime Gal (1942) – Bessie Cobb
- True to the Army (1942) – Daisy Hawkins
- Joan of Ozark (1942) – Judy Hull
- Chatterbox (1943) – Judy Boggs
- Sleepy Lagoon (1943) – Judy Joyner
- Louisiana Hayride (1944) – Judy Crocker
- Hit the Hay (1945) – Judy Stevens / Helen Rand
- Singin' in the Corn (1946) – Judy McCoy
- Honeychile (1951) – Herself
- Oklahoma Annie (1952) – Herself
- The WAC from Walla Walla (1952) – Herself
- Untamed Heiress (1954) – Herself
- Carolina Cannonball (1955) – Herself
- Lay That Rifle Down (1955) – Herself
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) – Sheriff's Wife
- Cannonball! (1976) – Sharma Capri
Short subjects:
- The Song of Fame (1934) – Herself
- Husband's Holiday (1935)
- Meet the Stars #7: Meet Roy Rogers (1941) – Herself
- Meet the Stars #8: Stars Past and Present (1941) – Herself
- Screen Snapshots: Radio Shows (1945) – Herself
- Screen Snapshots: Fashions and Rodeo (1945) – Herself
- Screen Snapshots: The Judy Canova Show (1946) – Herself
- Screen Snapshots: Famous Hollywood Mothers (1947) – Herself
Television:
- NBC Matinee Theater (1955)
- The Red Skelton Show (1956)
- The Steve Allen Show (1957)
- The Danny Thomas Show (1958)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) (Season 5 Episode 33: "Party Line") – Helen Parch
- Vacation Playhouse (1965)
- Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1967)
- Lil Abner (1967)
- The Murdocks and the McClays (1970)
- Love, American Style (1973)
- Police Woman (1974)
- The Love Boat (1977)
Listen to
- OTR Network Library: The Judy Canova Show (10 episodes), otr.net; accessed December 12, 2014.
Bibliography
- Ohmart, Ben. Judy Canova: Singin' in the Corn, BearManor Media, 2010. ISBN 1-59393-316-9
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2, pp. 47–48), census records show an earlier birth date. The 1920 census shows age 7 in January 1920 for Julia Canova. 1920 Census. Starke, Florida. Household of Joe and Retta Canova, indicates 1912. The 1930 census shows age 17 in April 1930 for Juliaett Canova. 1930 census Jacksonville Florida. Line 21. Household of Retta Canova, also indicates 1912.The 1940 census shows age 26 1940 censusLos Angeles, California. Household of Harry Canova (brother).
- ^ Judy Canova birth name, canova3.com; accessed December 12, 2014.
- ^ Obituary, Variety, August 10, 1983.
- ^ "The Rosemary Clooney Show – Judy Canova". YouTube. Retrieved November 18, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ "Juliette Canova". Canova Family Tree. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Artist Info". Metason. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ Canova, Judy (2004), Ozark nightingale, Collector's Choice Music, retrieved 12 January 2020
- ^ "Cinema Films of 1940 Holiday Films for the Week". The Scotsman [Midlothian, Scotland]. 31 December 1940. p. 7.
- ^ "Judy Canova Show - OTR". OldTimeRadio. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Not enough people are talking about Judy Canova". learning2share. June 23, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- The Durham Sun. p. 11C.
- Fort Lauderdale News. 1970-07-03. p. 15D.
- ^ "Judy Canova, Husband Buy Control of Camera Vision" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 7, 1954. p. 36. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Judy Canova - Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Judy Canova - Hollywood Walk of Fame". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Hollis, Tim. "Ain't That a Knee-Slapper--Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century." University Press of Mississippi, 2008.
- ^ "Judy Canova Asks For Second Divorce." Hudson (NY) Register, 16 July 1941.
- ^ "Second Fiddle to Dummy, Canova Quits Bergen." Philadelphia Inquirer, 2 September 1937.
- ISBN 978-1479328598.
- ^ Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites
External links
- Judy Canova at IMDb
- Judy Canova at the Internet Broadway Database
- Canova Family Tree
- Judy Canova at Find a Grave
- Kevin Lause, "Judy Canova" in St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture.
- Judy Canova Yahoo Group
- "Tex and Judy" video clip.