biography
Born Madonna Josephine Davis in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 29, 1907 (some sources cite 1912 as her year of birth), zany comedienne Joan Davis began her show business career
in vaudeville as a child. Her comedy routines were a hit with audiences, but as Davis began to mature into a young woman, she was forced into retirement by audiences who were
used to seeing her as preadolescent. After graduating from high school, she took a few menial jobs and, still longing for the stage, returned to vaudeville. But by the late 1920s,
with the advent and acceptance of sound films, vaudeville was beginning to perish.
In the summer of 1931, Davis married 35-year old vaudeville veteran straight man Si Wills, with whom she had
become a comedy act; two years later their daughter Beverly was born. By the mid 1930s, Davis made her way to California in an attempt to break into films. She was almost
immediately successful, securing a role in the Mack Sennett short Way Up Thar (1935). Upon the release of the short, RKO signed Davis to a contract, but the
studio didn't use her effectively, so she and and RKO parted ways soon after. In 1936, 20th Century Fox put her under contract with much greater
success; her first feature for the studio was the musical The Holy Terror (1937; with Jane Withers). Fox began casting Davis in supporting
roles for comedic relief in such films as On the Avenue (1937; with Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, and Alice Faye), Sally, Irene and
Mary (1938; with Alice Faye and Fred Allen), and Sailor's Lady (1940; with Nancy Kelly, Jon Hall, and
Dana Andrews).  LEFT: RKO still from 1936. RIGHT: Late 1930s 20th Century-Fox still
Davis's contract at Fox lapsed in 1941, which allowed her to freelance at other studios. A breakthrough role for her was in the
Abbott and Costello comedy Hold
That Ghost (1941; with Evelyn Ankers and Richard Carlson). In
lower budget films, Davis was the star attraction in Republic's comedy Yokel Boy (1942; with Albert Dekker) and the Columbia
comedy Kansas City Kitty (1944; with Jane Frazee and Bob Crosby). She also enjoyed a radio following at this time, joining the
cast of Rudy Vallee's radio show in 1941. When Vallee entered the service during World War II in 1943, Davis took over the program. In
1945, she went to CBS to star in her own radio show and was the highest paid female radio performer at that time. Davis continued making
movies through the early 1950s, when her final film Harem Girl (1952; with Peggie Castle) was released.
She then set her sights on television, starring in her own NBC series I Married Joan (1952-1955; with Jim Backus) for which she
started her own production company. |
the films of joan davisLife Begins in College (1937)
From the Ritz Brothers vehicle Life Begins in College with Nat PendletonThin Ice (1937)
As the orchestra leader in the Sonia Henie film Thin IceTime Out for Romance (1937) 
From Time Out for Romance. LEFT: 20th Century-Fox promotional photo. RIGHT: With Michael Whalen, Claire Trevor, and Chick ChandlerFor Beauty's Sake (1941)
From the 20th Century-Fox comedy For Beauty's Sake with Cliff Clark, Lotus Long, and Ned SparksHold That Ghost (1941) 
From the hilarious Universal comedy Hold That Ghost. LEFT: With Richard Carlson, Bud Abbott, Evelyn Ankers, and Lou Costello. RIGHT: With Lou CostelloSweetheart of the Fleet (1942)  
From the wartime comedy Sweetheart of the Fleet. LEFT: With Jinx Falkenburg, Joan Woodbury, and Irving Bacon. CENTER: With Jinx Falkenburg and Joan Woodbury. RIGHT: With veteran comedian Tim RyanHe's My Guy (1943)
With Fuzzy Knight and Dick Foran in He's My GuyShe Gets Her Man (1945)
With veteran actor Charles Korvin on the set of She Gets Her ManShe Wrote the Book (1946)
Universal promotional photo from She Wrote the BookIf You Knew Susie (1948)
With Eddie Cantor in the RKO musical comedy If You Knew SusieThe Groom Wore Spurs (1951)
A behind-the-scenes photo with director Richard Whorf on the set of The Groom Wore Spurslater yearsWith the frantic pace of her film and radio career, Joan Davis's marriage to Si Wills suffered, and the couple parted ways in 1947. In 1948, she was briefly engaged to business man Danny Ellman and in 1957 was engaged to engineer Harvey Stock, but the latter relationship became violent and she ended things between the two in 1959. Davis never remarried.Jumping ship from film to television, Davis's production company filmed Davis's NBC comedy I Married Joan from 1952 through 1955. Making it a family affair, she hired ex-husband Si Wills as head writer for the series and cast her daughter Beverly Wills in the role of Joan's younger sister. By 1955, ratings for the series had begun to sag, and Davis was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Afterward, the wealthy Davis went into semi retirement. She appeared on several late 1950s variety shows including The Garry Moore Show and shot a few pilots for proposed TV programs, but none was successful in finding a network buyer. On May 22, 1961, Davis suffered a heart attack and died in Palm Springs at the age of 53. Her daughter and ex-husband made headlines after her death, wrangling over the million-dollar estate of Joan Davis, including the rights to her television series, which was eventually settled in favor of her daughter. Tragically, on October 24, 1963, Beverly Wills fell asleep while smoking a cigarette; her Palm Springs home caught fire, killing her, her two sons, and Davis's mother. Wills was survived by her third husband and her father. |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered October 24, 2002.
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