Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. , 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 2
1940 census
Los Angeles, California. Household of Harry Canova (brother). born Juliette Canova (some sources indicate Julietta Canova), was an American comedian, actress, singer, and

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

personality. She appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and in films. She hosted her own self-titled network radio program, a popular series broadcast from 1943 to 1955.

Biography

Early career

She was born in Starke, Florida, one of seven siblings, to Joseph Francis Canova, a businessman, and Henrietta E. Canova (née Perry), a singer. Young Juliette (or Julietta) became "Judy" and began her show-business career with a family

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

routine, joining her sister Annie and brother Zeke. Their performances as the Three Georgia Crackers took them from Florida theaters to the Village Barn, a

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

club. Canova sang, yodeled, and played guitar, and she was typed as a wide-eyed likable country bumpkin, often barefoot and wearing her hair in braids, sometimes topped with a straw hat. Sometimes she was introduced as The Ozark Nightingale or The Jenny Lind of the Ozarks. In an interview with Rosemary Clooney she said that her family came from the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

Mountains of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, though other sources say the island of

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

Stardom: Radio, Broadway, films, and recordings

When bandleader

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

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 Calling All Stars may refer to: *Calling All Stars (1934 musical), a 1934 Broadway musical *Calling All Stars (1937 musical) ''Calling All Stars'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Smith and starring Arthur Askey, Evely ...

''. An offer from

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

led to specialty appearances in short subjects and minor features before she signed with Paramount Pictures for one year. Canova left the movies in 1939 to star in a Broadway musical comedy, ''Yokel Boy'', opposite

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...

. Executives at Republic Pictures, whose customer base was largely in rural areas, saw ''Yokel Boy'' and signed Canova in 1940, shortly after the show ended its run. Judy Canova quickly became Republic's leading female star, playing country gals who always blundered into trouble, in such titles as ''Scatterbrain'' (1940), ''Sis Hopkins'' (1941), and ''Joan of Ozark'' (1942). Strangely, Canova did not appear in Republic's film adaptation of ''

Yokel Boy ''Yokel Boy'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and written by Isabel Dawn. It is based on the 1939 play ''Yokel Boy'' by Lew Brown. The film stars Albert Dekker, Joan Davis, Eddie Foy Jr., Alan Mowbray, Roscoe Karns an ...

''; her role was taken by

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1907 – May 22, 1961) 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 earl ...

. Canova left Republic in 1943 over a salary dispute and was quickly signed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

for three feature films, each released annually. Republic wooed her back in 1951 to star in comedy features, now in color, and she made six more pictures through 1955. She recorded for the RCA Victor label. Canova family 1938

In 1943, she began her own radio program, ''

The Judy Canova Show ''The Judy Canova Show'' is an American old-time radio comedy-variety program. It was broadcast on CBS July 6, 1943 – June 27, 1944, and on NBC January 13, 1945 – June 30, 1951, and December 29, 1951 – May 28, 1953. Each version differed from ...

'', that ran for 12 years: first on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

and then on NBC. Playing herself as a love-starved Ozark bumpkin dividing her time between home and Southern California, Canova was accompanied by a cast that included voicemaster Mel Blanc as Pedro (using the accented voice he later gave the cartoon character

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

) and Sylvester (using the voice that later became associated with the Looney Tunes character); Ruth Perrott as Aunt Aggie;

Ruby Dandridge Ruby Jean Dandridge (née Butler; March 3, 1900 – October 17, 1987) was an American actress from the early 1900s through to the late 1950s. Dandridge is best known for her role on the radio show '' Amos 'n Andy'', in which she played Sadi ...

as Geranium;

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

as Benchley Botsford; and

Sharon Douglas Sharon Douglas (born Rhoda-Nelle Rader; October 16, 1920 – June 18, 2016) was an American film and radio actress, most active in the 1940s and 1950s. Early life The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.M. Rader, Douglas was born in Stephens County, Okla ...

as Brenda.

Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfiste ...

, Sheldon Leonard,

Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

, and

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's '' Dud ...

also appeared sporadically. Judy Canova Billboard

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she closed her show with the song " Goodnight Soldier" ("Wherever you may be... my heart's lonely... without you") and used her free time to sell U.S. War Bonds. After the war, she introduced a new closing theme that she once said she remembered her own mother singing to her when she was a small child: :Go to sleep-y, little baby. :Go to sleep-y, little baby. :When you wake :You'll patty-patty cake :And ride a shiny little pony.

Television

Her radio and movie careers ended in 1955. Canova made a smooth transition to television; she never transitioned the radio show to a standalone television series (in contrast to many of her contemporaries) but made frequent guest appearances on ''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...

'', ''

The Steve Allen Show ''The Steve Allen Show'' was an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC,

'', ''

Matinee Theatre ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. E ...

'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...

'', ''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show f ...

'', 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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

nightclubs through the early 1970s, touring with the revival of '' No, No Nanette'' in 1971. She appeared as a mystery guest on the TV show ''

What's My Line ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' on July 18, 1954.

Business

In 1954, Canova and her husband obtained controlling interest in Camera Vision Productions Incorporated. The Los-Angeles-based firm developed a new type of camera which was reported to reduce production costs for TV film and motion pictures from 30 to 50 percent by providing automatic adjustments of steps that previously had to be done manually.

Personal life

Her first husband (1936–39) was Robert Burns—a New York insurance man, not the comedian-actor. While still legally wed to Burns, she became romantically involved with Edgar Bergen in 1937 before breaking the engagement. Canova was next briefly married to James Ripley in 1941; the union was annulled later that year. Her third marriage was to Chester B. England in 1943, which ended in divorce by 1950. Her fourth and final husband was musician Filberto Rivero in 1950. She lived in Palm Springs, California, from 1956 to 1959. The union produced a daughter, Diana, but the marriage ended in 1964. Diana Canova is an actress best known for her role as Corinne on ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

''.

Death

In 1983, at age 69, Judy Canova died from cancer and her ashes were interred in the secluded Columbarium of Everlasting Light section, at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

in Glendale, California.''Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites''
/ref> Her ashes are among those of her siblings Annie and Zeke Canova. Canova is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the film industry (6821 Hollywood Boulevard) and a second star for her radio career (6777 Hollywood Boulevard).

Filmography

Features: * ''

In Caliente ''In Caliente'' (also known as ''Viva Señorita'') is a 1935 American romantic musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Dolores del Río and Pat O'Brien. The film was written by Ralph Block and Warren Duff. The musical numbers wer ...

'' ( 1935) – Specialty Singer * ''

Going Highbrow ''Going Highbrow'' is a 1935 American comedy-musical film directed by Robert Florey. Guy Kibbee and ZaSu Pitts play a newly rich couple, so eager to buy their way into society they hire a waitress to pose as their daughter. Plot summary Cas ...

'' (1935) – Annie * '' Broadway Gondolier'' (1935) – Hillbilly Specialty (uncredited) * '' Artists & Models'' ( 1937) – Toots * '' Thrill of a Lifetime'' (1937) – Herself * '' Scatterbrain'' (

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

) – Judy Hull * '' Sis Hopkins'' ( 1941) – Sis Hopkins * '' Puddin' Head'' (1941) – Judy Goober * '' Sleepytime Gal'' (

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

) – Bessie Cobb * ''

True to the Army ''True to the Army'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell, written by Art Arthur, Bradford Ropes, Edmund L. Hartmann and Val Burton, and starring Judy Canova, Allan Jones, Ann Miller, Jerry Colonna, Clarence Kolb, Edwar ...

'' (1942) – Daisy Hawkins * '' Joan of Ozark'' (1942) – Judy Hull * '' Chatterbox'' (

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

) – Judy Boggs * '' Sleepy Lagoon'' (1943) – Judy Joyner * ''

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the ...

'' ( 1944) – Judy Crocker * '' Hit the Hay'' (

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

) – Judy Stevens / Helen Rand * ''

Singin' in the Corn ''Singin' in the Corn'' is a 1946 American Comedy Western film directed by Del Lord and written by Isabel Dawn, Monte Brice, and Elwood Ullman. The film stars Judy Canova, Allen Jenkins, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Alan Bridge, Charles Halton and ...

'' ( 1946) – Judy McCoy * '' Honeychile'' (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

) – Herself * ''

Oklahoma Annie ''Oklahoma Annie'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Jack Townley and Charles E. Roberts. The film stars Judy Canova, John Russell, Grant Withers, Roy Barcroft, Emmett Lynn and Frank Ferguson. The film ...

'' (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

) – Herself * '' The WAC from Walla Walla'' (1952) – Herself * ''

Untamed Heiress ''Untamed Heiress'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, written by Barry Shipman and starring Judy Canova, Don "Red" Barry, George Cleveland, Taylor Holmes, Chick Chandler and Jack Kruschen. It was released on April 1, 19 ...

'' ( 1954) – Herself * '' Carolina Cannonball'' ( 1955) – Herself * '' Lay That Rifle Down'' (1955) – Herself * ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'' ( 1960) – Sheriff's Wife * '' Cannonball!'' (

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

) – Sharma Capri Short Subjects: * ''The Song of Fame'' (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

) – 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'' (

) – Herself * ''Screen Snapshots: Fashions and Rodeo'' (1945) – Herself * ''Screen Snapshots: The Judy Canova Show'' ( 1946) – Herself * ''Screen Snapshots: Famous Hollywood Mothers'' ( 1947) – Herself

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.

References

External links

* *

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Canova, Judy 1913 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Actresses from Palm Springs, California American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Deaths from cancer in California People from Starke, Florida Vaudeville performers