Donald Novis
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Donald George Novis (3 March 1906 – 23 July 1966) was an English-born American
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
.


Early life

Novis was born on 3 March 1906 in
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
,
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
to Frederick George Novis and Charlotte Morris.California County Marriages, 1850-1952, online database, FamilySearch.org Shortly after his birth, Novis and his family emigrated to Canada, where they eventually settled in
Chapleau, Ontario Chapleau is a township (Canada), township in Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada. It is the access point to one of the world's largest wildlife preserves. Chapleau has a population of 1,942 according to the 2021 Canadian census. The major industri ...
. On 8 November 1908, the family entered the United States through Detroit on their way to Los Angeles. Novis was educated at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Pasadena High School and
Whittier College Whittier College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic-serving institution, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 ...
. He was a soloist in two churches, and he sang on radio station KPSN.


Atwater Kent contest

In 1928, Novis won the national Atwater Kent Foundation singing competition after having won a preliminary regional contest that included contestants from nine western states. The victory in the second national Radio Audition earned $5,000 cash and a two-year university scholarship for Novis.


Career

Novis pursued an acting and singing career. He made his film debut as the Country Boy in the detective film ''
Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who ...
'' (1929). He appeared on screen in numerous films up to 1937, often as a singer in films like '' One Hour with You'' (1932) and '' This Is the Night'' (1932). His appearances in films were thereafter limited. He sang on several film soundtracks and notably recorded the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated song "Love Is a Song" for the Disney animated feature film ''
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
'' (1942). He and Gloria Grafton introduced the popular song " My Romance" in the film ''
Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...
'' (1935). In 1930, Novis made his
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 Stre ...
debut as Hoheno in the original production of 's ''Luana''. He performed in only one other Broadway musical during his career, Matt Mulligan, Jr. in
Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...
and
Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; " The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; " Bewitched, Bo ...
's ''
Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...
'' in 1935-1936. In 1938 he starred in a production of
Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...
's ''
Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...
'' at the
Los Angeles Civic Light Opera The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera (LACLO) was an American theatre/opera company in Los Angeles, California. Founded under the motto "Light Opera in the Grand Opera manner" in 1938 by impresario Edwin Lester, the organization presented fifty season ...
. Novis was also highly active as a singer with
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
s and as a radio entertainer in the 1930s, including having his own program on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
beginning on 15 June 1932. He performed frequently with
Anson Weeks Anson Weeks (February 14, 1896, Oakland, California – February 7, 1969, Sacramento, California) was an American pianist and the leader of a popular west coast dance band from the late 1920s through the 1960s, primarily in San Francisco. He made ...
and his band and was often heard on the radio programme ''
Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most popular ...
''. He also played Matt Mulligan in the
old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...
adaptation of ''Jumbo'' (1935-1936) on NBC. From 1932–1934 he led his own orchestra which made several recordings for
Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...
. In 1955 Novis co-created the script for the long-running “Golden Horseshoe Revue” at
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
’s
Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company, Disney around the world. Themed to the American frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and Settler, pioneers, ...
with
Wally Boag Wallace Vincent Boag (September 13, 1920 – June 3, 2011) was an American performer known for his starring role in Disney's long-running stage show the '' Golden Horseshoe Revue'' and as the voice of Jose the parrot in Walt Disney's Enchanted T ...
. The show ran continuously to 1986, and Novis himself starred in the production from its inception until his retirement 9 years later in 1964.


Personal life

On 4 November 1929,Novis's Associated Press obituary says, "He married his first wife ... in 1931 ..." Novis married his first wife, soprano Emma Julietta Burnett, at
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
. Four years later, they were divorced. In February 1938, Novis married his second wife, Dorothy Bradshaw, a former
Ziegfeld girl The term "Ziegfeld Girl" (or "Ziegfeld Follies Girl") is used broadly to describe the "singers, showgirls, comediennes, nddancers" who appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' ...
, at the Sky Harbor Airport in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. By his second wife, Novis had two daughters, Carol Jean and Leslie Katherine Novis. He died at
Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census. Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles a ...
on 23 July 1966."Donald Novis, Radio Singer of '30s, Dies" Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1966. Retrieved on 15 June 2013 from Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage and Death Announcements, 1851-2003, online database, Ancestry.com


Death

Novis died of pneumonia in
Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...
in 1966 at the age of 60. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two brothers, and a sister.


Selected filmography

*''
Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who ...
'' (1929) *'' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1930) *'' Love In The Rough'' (1930) * ''
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
'' (1930) *'' One Hour With You'' (1932) *'' The Singing Plumber'' (1932) *'' The Big Broadcast'' (1932) *'' We Do Our Part'' (1935) *'' Cut Out For Love'' (1937) *''
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
'' (1942) Only voice * '' Sweethearts of the U.S.A.'' (1944) * ''
Lady And The Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...
'' (1955) Only Voice


Notes


External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Novis, Donald 1906 births 1966 deaths English male musical theatre actors English male film actors English tenors 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British male opera singers Pasadena High School (California) alumni English emigrants to the United States Deaths from pneumonia in California