Joan
Davis
Joan Davis appeared to be a ‘library blank
page’ and this month I thought I would
share the information collected so far in the
hope that colleagues who worked with her in
the West End of London, in Blackpool, or later
in Australia, will be able to fill in many of
the gaps.
Who’s
Who in the Theatre provides the basic information.
Born London, February 1906, father John Edwards
Davis, mother Charlotte Marion (Read). Commenced
her career as a child dancer at the Palace,
Reading in 1914, engaged as assistant ballet
mistress at Drury Lane in 1933, her first engagement
as a dance director was for ‘No! No! Nanette’
in 1936.
There
follows a long list of glittering productions
in the West End and abroad, but only in the
monthly issues of the Dancing Times do we get
a closer personal picture of this most professional
lady of the theatre.
Already
appearing with great success at the Victoria
Palace, Joan and her partner Katrina went to
study at the Zelia Raye School. Zelia obviously
recognised Joan’s great talent and by
1929 she was employed as an assistant at the
school.
The
ISTD Stage Branch, established in 1933, had
Zelia Raye, Joan Davis, Italia Conti, Mollie
Suffield and Freddie Lord (all elected fellows)
as the first Stage Branch Committee, with Jack
Hulbert as an Hon. Fellow and Vice-President.
With
the increased demand for Joan as a producer
and dance director in the West End and abroad,
the team of Zelia Raye and Joan Davis came to
an end and the Joan Davis Studio was opened
in 1936 in Gt. Newport Street.
She
always maintained a close involvement with the
Stage Branch and continued to lecture, write
articles and teach at Congress.
Over
the years, she earned great respect and gained
many friends in the theatre world, and this
is very evident in just one of the letters of
appreciation:
‘Dear
Joan,
I just want to tell you how deeply I appreciate
your work of doing the dances for ‘Careless
Rapture’. Not only is your talent greatly
in evidence in the ensemble dancing, but every
girl and boy has the advantage of your individual
care, and that makes your training seem to me
to be far superior to any other dance producer
in your own field.
Again many thanks,
Ivor Novello”
I
have been able to contact one or two of her
colleagues and each has said “If you write
anything about her, please say what a lovely
person she was, and so highly regarded”.
I would be most grateful for any details about
(1) Joan and her partner Cyril Farmer’s
demonstrations of Ballroom during the war, (2)
Her school at 204 Church Street, Blackpool,
(3) Her work with the Children’s Ballet
at the Tower Ballroom (4) Any information from
the 1970’s onwards in Australia. The folder
of information is gradually expanding and makes
fascinating reading.
Above:
Appearing in Cabaret at the Tricity Restaurant
1934 |
