Joan Banks
Joan Banks in 1939
BornOctober 30, 1918
Petersburg, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 18, 1998(1998-01-18) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active1950–1967
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1940; died 1962)​
Children2

Joan Banks (October 30, 1918 – January 18, 1998) was an American film, television, stage, and radio actress (described as "a soapbox queen"),[1] who often appeared in dramas with her husband, Frank Lovejoy.

Early life

Banks attended a school of Russian ballet as a little girl and excelled as a swimmer during high school.[2] Her talent earned her a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Art,[3] and she attended Hunter College.[4]

Career

Radio

Banks first appeared on radio with Walter O'Keefe in 1936, when she was 18.[2] At that same age, she became the first "feminine stooge" for Stoopnagle and Budd on their show.[5] Her other roles on radio programs include:

ProgramRole
Bringing Up FatherNora [6]
Buck Private and His Girl"snooty" deb[7]
Gangbustersvarious
Her Honor, Nancy Jamessecretary[3]
John's Other WifeRoberta Lansing[8]
My Friend IrmaJane Stacy [9]
The Home of the Brave[10]N/A
The O'NeillsPeggy O'Neill Kayden[2]
This Day Is OursEleanor MacDonald[11]
Valiant LadyJoan Hargrave-Scott[12]
Young Widder BrownCamilla [4]

Film

Banks began her Hollywood career with small roles in such films as Cry Danger (1951) and Washington Story (1952). She became better known in the 1950s and early 1960s for her many appearances as a supporting actress in films such as My Pal Gus.[13]

Television

On March 25, 1958, Banks co-starred with husband Lovejoy in an episode of his Meet McGraw program.[14] In 1972, Banks appeared in the CBS movie Return to Peyton Place.[15]

She made five appearances on Perry Mason, including four roles as the murderer: in 1957, she played Karen Alder in "The Case of the Negligent Nymph"; in 1958, she played Valerie Brewster in "The Case of the Fancy Figures"; in 1960, she played Mrs. Joseph Manley in "The Case of the Mythical Monkeys"; in 1961, she played Rhonda Houseman in "The Case of the Left-Handed Liar"; and in 1964, she played Nellie Conway in "The Case of the Woeful Widower". In 1958, she appeared as Clara Hood in the episode, "Fatal Memory," on the TV series "Wanted: Dead or Alive." She also made four appearances on National Velvet, two appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents,[1] and single appearances on shows such as Ford Theatre,[16] I Love Lucy, Private Secretary, Date with the Angels, The Rough Riders, Mr. Adams and Eve, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bewitched, and again two appearances on Hazel.

On October 2, 1962, Frank Lovejoy died of a heart attack in bed at the couple's New York residence. At the time, Banks and he were appearing together in a New Jersey stage production of Gore Vidal's play The Best Man,[17] but they had been off the night he was stricken. Banks' career in radio continued after her work in television subsided, and she appeared in 33 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater from 1974 to 1980.

Personal life

Banks married fellow actor Frank Lovejoy, whom she met when both had roles on the radio soap opera This Day Is Ours.[1] The couple had two children, Judy and Steve.[18]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1951Cry DangerAlice Fletcher
1951Bright VictoryJanet Grayson
1952Washington StoryMrs. Vatek
1952My Pal GusIvy Tolliver
1956Alfred Hitchcock PresentsMargaretSeason 1 Episode 30: "Never Again"
1957Alfred Hitchcock PresentsLeeSeason 2 Episode 24: "The Cream of the Jest"
1957Mister CoryLily
1960 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Mrs. Edna Gilroy Episode: "Here Comes the Groom"
1960Let's Make LoveSecretaryUncredited
1961Return to Peyton PlaceMrs. HumphriesUncredited

References

  1. 1 2 3 D'Arcy, Jeanne (March 19, 1958). "Role She Enjoys Most Is Being Mrs. Lovejoy". The Logansport Press. The Logansport Press. p. 4. Retrieved March 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. 1 2 3 "New Cast Members". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. May 24, 1941. p. 20. Retrieved March 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. 1 2 "Stars on Parade". The Evening Independent. The Evening Independent. October 31, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved March 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. 1 2 DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. p. 22.
  5. ↑ "Femme Stooge Makes Good" (PDF). Radio Daily. February 10, 1937. p. 2. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3 – via Internet Archive. bringing up father radio.
  7. ↑ "Just An Act". The Evening News. The Evening News. July 18, 1941. p. 18. Retrieved March 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ↑ "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. Vol. 14, no. 2. June 1940. p. 48. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. p. 472.
  10. ↑ "Hopes to Be Singer". The Evening News. The Evening News. January 27, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved March 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ↑ Senseney, Dan (September 1940). "What's New from Coast to Coast" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. Vol. 14, no. 5. pp. 36–37, 72. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950. The Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-16240-X. p. 249.
  13. ↑ "My Pal Gus ad". Freeport Journal-Standard. Freeport Journal-Standard. March 17, 1953. p. 9. Retrieved March 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ↑ "Top Viewing Today". Independent. Independent. March 25, 1958. p. 26. Retrieved March 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ↑ "Small Town Bigotry in 'Return to Peyton Place'". The Odessa American. March 12, 1972. p. 74. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ↑ Vernon, Terry (June 28, 1956). "Tele-Vues". Independent. Long Beach Independent. p. 44. Retrieved March 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ↑ Frank Lovejoy at AllMovie
  18. ↑ "Easter Sunday". The la Crosse Tribune. The La Crosse Tribune. March 25, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved March 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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