Judy Canova

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BIRTHDAY

November 20, 1916

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

DIED

August 05, 1983

RECENT CREDITS

The All-Star Salute to Mother's Day (TV) May. 10, 1981

Cannonball (FILM) Jan. 1, 1976

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (FILM) Jun. 1, 1960

The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV) Sep. 10, 1950

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BIOGRAPHY

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Known as the 'Queen of the Hillbillies', Canova perfected her act as child performer with her sister Anne and brother Zeke as part of the "Canova Cracker Trio". Upon graduating from high school, she moved to New York and developed the basic character that she essayed throughout much of her career: a man-chaser in pigtails, dressed in oversized ankle boots, bobby sox, short plain skirt, checkered blouse and straw hat who was given to produce an "ear-bursting yodel". Canova and her siblings were signed a regulars on the Rudy Vallee radio show in 1933 and the following year, joined by yet another brother Pete, made their Broadway debut in the Ziegfeld revue "Calling All Stars". The quartet were featured in the film "In Caliente" (1935) but Canova had a moment of her own: during a lavish Spanish production number, she emerged from the shadows to parody the leading lady. The success of that number led to a 3 picture deal at Warner Brothers. In "Artists and Models" (1937), she played her first "straight" role. Canova and her siblings became the first "hillbilly" act to appear on TV when they were featured in an experimental NBC broadcast in 1939. She appeared in a number of B-movies produced by Republic Pictures, including "Scatterbrain" (1940), "Puddin' Head" (1941) and "Joan of Ozark" (1942).

Canova headlined her own CBS radio show in 1943 but low ratings forced its cancellation. She had better luck with her second attempt on NBC (1945-53) surrounded by a cast of characters that included Hans Conreid, Mel Blanc and Sheldon Leonard. She continued her busy career juggling the radio show, appearances in Las Vegas and films. After several failed attempts to land a TV series in the 1960s, Canova went into semi-retirement. Her last film appearance was a cameo in "Cannonball" (1976). She was the mother of actress Diana Canova.

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