Frances Day (born Frances Victoria Schenk; December 16, 1907April 29, 1984) was an American actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the UK in the 1930s. Her career began as a nightclub cabaret singer in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She made her London stage debut as a double act at the New Cross Empire with the dancer

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

(later a distinguished actor), billed as "Mills and Day".Dann, John (2017). ''Maud Coleno's Daughter: The Life of Dorothy Hartman, 1898–1957''. Kibworth: Matador. p. 125. This led to a chorus role in the 1929 West End production of '' The Five O'Clock Girl'' at the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

, which toured the provinces in 1930. She married Beaumont Alexander, an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n agent and publicist in London, in 1927. He masterminded her early career as a dancer in West End nightclubs, where she created favourable notoriety by performing in a G-string with only an ostrich fan for cover. The couple divorced in 1938, and she never remarried.

Later years

She acted regularly in films until 1941, and appeared on the London stage in musical revues like

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

's ''Black Vanities'' (1941, in which she sang with Bud Flanagan). In the 1950s she made only four films but found a new career as a regular panelist on the British version of ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'', which ran from July 16, 1951, until May 13, 1963.
She was also a close "theatrical" friend of the

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

heiress Dorothy Hartman, owner of Lendrum & Hartman Limited, the major distributor of Buick and Cadillac cars in London. She was a regular guest at her country home – Stumblehole Farm, Dean Oak Lane, near

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

in Surrey.

Death

She died of

chronic myeloid leukemia Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also known as chronic myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumula ...

, aged 76, in

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. The town is situated we ...

, after retreating into reclusion in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

when her career and public life ended. She left what remained of her estate to a young solicitor, Howard McBrien, in her handwritten will, which included the following directive:

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
there be no notice or information of any kind of my death, except for and if a death certificate is obligatory. Any persons, private or Press, you shall simply say that I am no longer at this address. "Gone away. Destination unknown", and that is the truth.

Discography

* "Ooh! That Kiss" (1932) * "Happy-Go-Lucky-You" (1932) * "Now You're Here" (1933) * "It's Best to Forget" (1933) * "Excuse Me" (1934) * " Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" (1934) * "Let's Lay Our Heads Together" (1935) * "I'd Do the Most Extraordinary Things" (1935) * "Pardon My English" (1935) * "Dancing With a Ghost" (1935) * "Swing" (1936) * "Me and My Dog" (1936) * "A Little White Room" (1937) * "Artificial Flowers" (1937) * "Because You Are You" (1937) * "Midnight and Music" (1937) * " I've Got You Under My Skin" (1937) * " Easy to Love" (1937) * "Whispers in the Dark" (1937) * "I Will Pray" (1937) * "How Do You Do, Mr. Right?" (1938) * " It's D'Lovely" (1938) * "But in the Morning, No!" (1941) * " It's D'Lovely" (1941) * " Underneath the Arches" (1941) * " Do I Love You?" (1941) * "I L-L-Love You So" (1941) * "Much More Lovely" (1941) * "A Pair of Silver Wings" (1941) * "The Wheels of Love" (1955) * "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?" (1955) * "Met Rock" (1956) * "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956)

Stage credits

*'' Out of the Bottle'' (1932) *'' How D'You Do?'' (1933) *'' Jill Darling'' (1934) *''

Floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibility adequate for safe task performance, ornament ...

'' (1937) *'' The Fleet's Lit Up'' (1938) *'' Black and Blue'' (1939) *'' Black Vanities'' (1941) *'' DuBarry Was a Lady'' (1942) *'' Evangeline'' (1946) *'' Buoyant Billions'' (1949) *''

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

'' (1949)

Filmography

* '' The Price of Divorce'' (1928) * ''

Such Is the Law ''Such Is the Law'' is a 1930 British drama film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Frances Day, C. Aubrey Smith and Kate Cutler. It was made at Cricklewood Studios.Wood p.70 Premise A mother attempts to save her daughter's marriage. C ...

'' (1930) * ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

'' (1930) * "O.K. Chief" (1931) – BIP short * '' The First Mrs. Fraser'' (1932) * '' The Girl from Maxim's'' (1933) * '' Two Hearts in Waltz Time'' (1934) * ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' (1934) * '' Oh, Daddy!'' (1935) * ''

You Must Get Married ''You Must Get Married'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Leslie Pearce and starring Frances Day, Neil Hamilton and Robertson Hare. It was based on a novel of the same title by David Evans. Premise In order to be able to work in Br ...

'' (1936) * '' Public Nuisance No. 1'' (1936) * '' Dreams Come True'' (1936) * '' Who's Your Lady Friend?'' (1937) * '' The Girl in the Taxi'' (1937) * '' Kicking the Moon Around'' (1938) * '' Room for Two'' (1940) * '' Fiddlers Three'' (1944) * ''Buoyant Billions'' (1949) – BBC

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

, based on

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

* ''Call It a Day'' (1950) –

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...

special * ''A Summer's Day'' (1950) – BBC TV special * '' Tread Softly'' (1952) * '' There's Always a Thursday'' (1957) * "The Witching Hour" (1958) – episode of '' Armchair Theatre''

References

External links

*
Frances Day
at Theatricalia
Frances Day
at About the Artists *
Frances Day in Burma
(1945) –

British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

newsreel *
You Bring Out the Savage in Me
– '' Oh, Daddy!'' (1935) *
The Life Of Your Party
(c.1936) – with the Savoy Orpheans * *
I'm for You, a Hundred Percent
(1932) – with the Savoy Orpheans
Frances Day: The Forgotten Bombshell of the 1930s
– Alex Q. Arbuckle
Frances Day: Biography of Newark's Golden Girl
– Guy Sterling {{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Frances 1907 births 1984 deaths American stage actresses American film actresses Actresses from East Orange, New Jersey American expatriate actresses American expatriates in England Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey Nightclub performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Deaths from chronic myeloid leukemia Deaths from leukemia in England