Judy Canova

Birthday: November 20th, 1913 Date of Death: August 5th, 1983 Place of Birth: Starke, Florida, USA

From Wikipedia

Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983), born

Juliette Canova, (some sources indicate Julietta Canova), was an American

comedienne, actress, singer, and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway

and in films. She hosted her own self-titled network radio program, a popular

series broadcast from 1943 to 1955.

When bandleader Rudy Vallée offered the still-teenaged

Canova a guest spot on his radio show in 1931, The Fleischmann Hour, the door

opened to a career that spanned more than five decades. The popularity of the

Canova family led to numerous performances on radio in the 1930s, and they made

their Broadway theater debut in the revue Calling All Stars. An offer from

Warner Bros. led to several bit parts before she signed with Republic Pictures.

She recorded for the RCA Victor label and appeared in more than two dozen

Hollywood films, playing leading roles as well as supporting parts, including

Scatterbrain (1940), Joan of Ozark (1942), and Lay That Rifle Down (1955).

In 1943, she began her own radio program, The Judy Canova

Show, that ran for twelve years—first on CBS and then on NBC. Playing herself

as a love-starved Ozark bumpkin dividing her time between home and Southern

California.

By the time her radio program ended in 1955, Canova made a

smooth transition to television with appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour,

The Steve Allen Show, Matinee Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Make Room For

Daddy,and other shows. In 1967, she portrayed Mammy Yokum in an unsold TV pilot

adapted from Al Capp's Li'l Abner. She also worked on Broadway and in Vegas

nightclubs through the early 1970s, touring with No, No Nanette in 1971. She

appeared as a mystery guest on the TV show What's My Line on July 18, 1954.

Canova is honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

for her contribution to the film & television Industry.