Judy Canova Movies
The Florida-born daughter of a cottonbroker father and concert-singer mother, Judy Canova joined her siblings in a radio singing act in Jacksonville when she was 10-years old. Judy had hoped to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, but the exigencies of the Depression depleted her family's income. Relocating in New York City with her mother, Judy studied tap-dancing, taught a contortion-dancing class, and hit the nightclub circuit. Discovered by Rudy Vallee, Judy became a solo "hillbilly" singer on Vallee's radio show, then worked on bandleader Paul Whiteman's series, establishing herself as a cornpone comedienne. After appearing with her brother and sister in a 1934 Hollywood stage revue, Judy made her movie debut in Warner Bros. In Caliente, singing a comic reprise of the film's hit song "The Lady in Red." More radio and vaudeville work followed, and then Judy co-starred with Phil Silvers in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. This led to a 15-year association with Republic Pictures, where Judy became one of that studio's biggest moneymakers in such raucous vehicles as Sis Hopkins (1941), Sleepy Lagoon (1942), Oklahoma Annie (1946) and Carolina Cannonball (1955). Among her best films were a pair of co-starring stints with Joe E. Brown, Joan of Ozark (1942) and Chatterbox (1943). In 1943, she inaugurated her own radio comedy series on CBS, which garnered high ratings for the next twelve years. After both her radio and movie contracts expired in 1955, Judy was seen infrequently on television and in nightclubs; her last film appearances were in 1960's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and 1976's Cannonball. Married four times, Judy Canova was the mother of TV actress Diana Canova of Soap fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Paul Bartel rips off his own Death Race 2000 in this mindless car-crash saga, containing more twisted metal than a bombed-out steel mill. The nominal storyline concerns an illegal auto race from Los Angeles to New York that promises the winner 100,000 dollars. David Carradine is Coy "Cannonball" Buckman, the race leader who drags his girlfriend, Linda (Veronica Hamel), along for the ride. Cade Redman (Bill McKinney) tools around in a loud red Trans Am, while Cannonball's nemesis barrels along in a big, black Plymouth, trying to outsmart Cannonball at every turn and exit ramp. The pile-ups keep building, and the cameos (Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Sylvester Stallone, Joe Dante, Paul Bartel) keep coming, but Cannonball must make it to New York to collect his winnings. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Bill McKinney, (more)
- 1960
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MGM's all-star 1960 filmization of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn surgically removes the sociological subtext of Mark Twain's novel in the interests of "entertainment for the whole family." The emphasis is on the adventuresome escapades of Huck (Eddie Hodges) and fugitive slave Jim (played by boxing champ Archie Moore), and on the comic elements inherent in the characters of the King (Tony Randall) and the Duke (Mickey Shaughnessy). In the manner of Around the World in 80 Days, every role is filled by a "name" actor: featured in the cast are Judy Canova, Andy Devine, Buster Keaton, Sterling Holloway, Finlay Currie, Josephine Hutchinson and John Carradine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, Eddie Hodges, (more)
- 1960
Raucous comedianJudy Canova plays it straight in this episode as Helen Parch, a small-town gossip who shares a telephone party line with two other ladies, Betty (Gertrude Flynn) and Emma (Ellen Corby). Years earlier, Helen had relinquished the phone to a man claiming to be making an emergency call, only to find out that the man was simply contacting his bookie. Subsequently, Helen refused to hang up during an actual emergency that resulted in a death. Now, it is Helen's turn to find herself in a desperate situation -- and this time, it is her "friends" Betty and Emma who won't give up the party line. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this musical comedy, a young woman endures the drudgery of working as a charwoman in her aunt's hotel. She is not paid much for her hard work. To make her drab existence a little more exciting, she enrolls in a correspondence charm course, which unbeknownst to her is a scam. Soon the swindlers show up and plan to use her to help them con her aunt and a bank president out of their money. When one of the con men sees the good hearted girl working with the orphans on her family farm, he has a sudden change of heart. Her life takes a sudden turn for the better when oil is discovered under her farm. Suddenly the drab little drudgess finds herself living like a duchess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Robert Lowery, (more)
- 1955
Cornpone comedienne Judy Canova tackles a science-fiction theme in Carolina Cannonball, her last starring vehicle for Republic Pictures. This time, Canova and her grandpa Andy Clyde comprise the entire population of the ghost town of Roaring Gulch. They put food on the table by operating the Carolina Cannonball, a trolley service to the nearest city. Early one morning, an atomic-powered missile crashes just outside of Judy's house. She appropriates the missile's engine and attaches it to the Cannonball, considerably improving the trolley's speed capacity. Before long the pair are up to their necks in federal agents and enemy spies. Before the obligatory slapstick-chase finale, Judy Canova is permitted to sing a song or two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Andy Clyde, (more)
- 1954
Judy Canova is right in her element in the rowdy Republic musical Untamed Heiress. Canova plays Judy, the daughter of a famous opera singer who once bankrolled prospector Andrew "Cactus" Clayton (George Cleveland). Now Clayton hopes to repay the favor, but first he must reclaim his stash of gold from the crooked Williams (Hugh Sanders). Judy helps the old coot by taking on not only Williams, but duplicitous private detectives Walter Martin (Taylor Holmes) and Eddie Taylor (Chick Chandler), not to mention gangsters Spider Mike (Donald Barry) and Louie (Jack Kruschen). It'd be cute to say that too many crooks spoil the broth, but the truth of the matter is that Untamed Heiress is most entertaining, even for non-fans of the rambunctious Canova. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Don "Red" Barry, (more)
- 1952
Army Capers was the bland British title of the raucous Republic musical The Wac From Walla Walla. Hillbilly songstress Judy Canova is the eponymous heroine, who accidentally enlists in the army at the outset of the film. Canova proves the equal of any man in uniform when she foils the insidious schemes of enemy agents Roy Barcroft and Allen Jenkins. And, of course, she finds true love, in the form of tall, dark and handsome lieutenant Steve Dunne. Judy Canova gets to sing four songs in this sappy but successful military farce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
In this musical comedy, a rambunctious small-town girl inadvertently joins the Army and decides to make the best of it. Songs include: "Lovey," "If Only Dreams Came True," "Boy, Oh Boy," "Song of the Women's Army Corps." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Stephen Dunne, (more)
- 1951
After a lengthy absence from the screen, Judy Canova returned in the raucous musical Honeychile. The plot had been utilized in several previous Republic films, but was good for yet another go-round here. Canova plays Judy, a would-be songwriter who sends one of her tunes to a big-city composer. When the song, published under another author's name, becomes a hit, music agent Eddie Price (Eddie Foy Jr.) heads to the sticks to negotiate a contract with Judy. By now, however, she doesn't want to sell her song: instead, she wants all the royalties for herself. Eddie's efforts to get her to change her mind are stymied by the presence of Judy's muscle-bound boyfriend Joe Boyd (Alan Hale Jr.) Somehow, everything is resolved during a climactic chuck-wagon race. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Eddie Foy, Jr., (more)
- 1951
Judy Canova continues to bring home the box-office bacon for Republic Pictures in Oklahoma Annie. Judy plays Judy, Queen of the Cowgirls, a backwoods shopkeeper who falls in love with new sheriff Dan Fraser (John Russell). In order to stay in close proximity with the handsome lawkeeper, Judy performs an act of courage which earns her a deputy's badge. Working together, Judy and Dan do their best to rid their community of corrupt politicians, beginning with their assault on a local gambling den. When Dan is kidnapped by the bad guys, Judy rallies all the womenfolk in town and heads to the rescue. Even nonfans of Judy Canova will enjoy this rambunctious musical comedy, with the star functioning full-force on all eight cylinders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, John Russell, (more)
- 1946
With a title like Singin' in the Corn, how could the star be anyone else but rambunctious rustic comedienne Judy Canova. This time, Canova plays Judy McCoy, a carnival mind-reader playing the boonies in the company of her partner Glen Cummings (Allen Jenkins). Judy's travelling days come to an end when she inherits her late uncle's estate. But the will has a proviso: She won't get a penny unless she returns a ghost town to a local singing Indian tribe (That's right, operator, a singing Indian tribe). The villain, Honest John Richards (Alan Bridge), connives to turn the Indians against Judy, but she is rescued by the intervention of her uncle's ghost! Director Del Lord, a graduate of Columbia's comedy 2-reelers, relies heavily on stock footage from earlier films to bring the running time up to 64 minutes: one critic commented that editor Aaron Stell should have been credited as co-director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Allen Jenkins, (more)
- 1945
In this tuneful comedy, an opera talent scout is in the country one day when he overhears a beautiful hillbilly milkmaid singing to her cow. The gal has an exquisite voice and he immediately snaps her up and takes her to the big city to become his newest star. Unfortunately, for all her musical gifts, the poor girl couldn't act her way out of a milk pail and so the wily agent has her sing off-stage while her double performs on stage. Things go okay for a time, but then the singer rebels, finding opera music tiresome and too snobby. One night she decides to sing her own version of Rossini's "William Tell" which she calls "Tillie Tell." The audience goes mad with delight and she becomes a great success. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
But for the presence of the Columbia "torch lady" in the opening credits, it would be easy to mistake Judy Canova's Louisiana Hayride for one of her concurrently-produced Republic musicals. The rambunctious Canova is cast as backwoods heiress Judy Crocker, who comes to Hollywood in hopes of crashing the movies. Con artists J. Huntington McMasters (Richard Lane) and Canada Brown (George McKay) try to use Judy's presumed gullibility to their advantage, but she proves a little shrewder than she looks. Several of Canova's cornpone tunes were co-written by Saul Chaplin, later a top Hollywood musical director. And that's not all: the star's two handsome leading men are none other than Lloyd Bridges and future producer-director Ross Hunter! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Ross Hunter, (more)
- 1943
In this musical comedy, a plucky young woman launches a successful campaign and becomes mayor of her tiny hometown. Now she must also rid her town of rampant corruption and get it back on track. Songs include: "If You Are There," "You're the Fondest Thing I Am Of," "I'm Not Myself Anymore" (Ned Washington, Phil Ohman), "Sleepy Lagoon" (Jack Lawrence, Eric Coates), "I'm On My Way," "I Do" (Buddy Pepper, Inez James), "Take It And Git" (James T. Marshall, Johnny Green). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
The sure-fire combination of Judy Canova and Joe E. Brown paid off in big laughs and excellent box-office returns in the bizarre wartime musical Joan of Ozark. While hunting quail near her home, hillbilly Judy (Canova) catches a carrier pigeon bearing a message for a ring of Nazi spies. She turns the bird over to the FBI and is lauded as a heroine-much to the dismay of Philip Munson (Jerome Cowan), whose posh New York nightclub is a cover for his Fifth Column activities. As luck would have it, theatrical agent Cliff Little (Joe E. Brown) has been sent to the Ozarks to scare up new talent for Munson's club. Little wants to sign Judy for a singing contract, but she'll have none of it until he poses as a G-Man and appoints her an honorary "G-Woman." To keep Judy happy once they're back in New York, Cliff pretends to be a spy while wandering around the nightclub-and thus it is that our hapless hero and heroine stumble upon Munson's nest of Nazis. It's hard to determine which is sillier in Joan of Ozark: Joe E. Brown's imitation of Adolf Hitler or the Keystone Kop-like climactic airplane chase. Also good for a few yocks is the closing musical number, set in "the future"-namely, 1952! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Joe E. Brown, (more)
- 1942
Judy Canova plays Bessie Cobb, a kitchen worker at a Miami hotel who happens to have a crackerjack singing voice. The bell captain, Chick Patterson, learns that band leader Danny Marlowe is looking for a new girl singer, and a contest will be held at the hotel to choose one. Chick sees this as a way to make some significant money, which would allow him to marry his sweetheart, and so he persuades Bessie to enter. Chick takes a recording of Bessie to Marlowe, only to discover that gangster Honest Joe Kincaid is ordering Marlowe to choose his moll, Sugar, instead. Marlowe doesn't want to do this, but he's in over his head with gambling debts. Chick plays Bessie's record, but tells Marlowe that the voice belongs to Sugar. When Sugar comes to town, Danny and his pals kidnap her and Bessie goes on, pretending to be her. Unfortunately, Sugar's former boy friend sends two hit men to take care of her -- and they abduct Bessie, assuming she is Sugar. Things get even more complicated before all identities are straightened out and Bessie emerges the winner of the contest. Songs include the title number and "Barrelhouse Bessie from Basin Street." ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Though it ain't Noel Coward, Chatterbox is the funniest of the two Judy Canova-Joe E. Brown vehicles for Republic. Brown is hilariously cast as Rex Vane, a pompous radio cowboy star who's never been any further west than his living room. When Rex is signed to appear in a film, it becomes painfully apparent that he can neither ride nor shoot. But rambunctious Judy Boggs (Judy Canova) can do both, and it is Judy who helps guide the vain Vane through his moviemaking experiences. Rex proves himself to be a genuine hero in a slapstick finale "borrowed" from Chaplin's The Gold Rush. Naturally, both Brown and Canova are given ample opportunity to sing, as are guest performers Spade Cooley and the Mills Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Judy Canova, (more)
- 1942
In this musical comedy set during WW II, a circus aerialist desires to be closer to her lover, a soldier. When she finds herself chased by gangsters, the woman dresses up as a man and joins the military. Mayhem ensues as she tries to undergo training and keep her sex a secret. The secret is revealed at the end, when the camp puts on a show and the gangsters suddenly appear. Luckily the police arrive at the same time and justice prevails. Songs include: "In the Army," "Need I Speak," "Jitterbug's Lullaby," "Spangles on My Tights," "Wacky for Khaki" (Frank Loesser, Harold Spina), "Swing in Line" (Loesser, Joseph J. Lilley), "Love in Bloom" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin), and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Allan Jones, (more)
- 1941
In this cornball musical comedy, a hillbilly gal and her uncle struggle to keep sly city slickers from getting their land. It is an uphill battle as their farm is located on Fifth Avenue, New York City. The slickers then resort to trickery by offering the girl a phony singing gig on the radio. Unfortunately for them, something goes wrong and the girl's heartfelt singing is heard all over the town. Of course she is a big hit. Songs include: "Hey Junior", "You're Telling I", "Manhattan Holiday", and "Puddin' Head" (all by Eddie Cherkose, Sol Meyer, Jule Styne). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Francis Lederer, (more)
- 1941
Previously filmed with Mabel Normand in 1920, the old Rose Melville stage property Sis Hopkins was trotted out in 1941 for Republic's newest star, raucous cornpone comedienne Judy Canova. Sporting pigtails and dressed like a potato sack, Sis Hopkins (Canova) shows up at the doorstep of her snooty rich relations in the Big City after her family farm burns down. Though she immediately ingratiates herself to her uncle, bathroom-appliance mogul Horace Hopkins (Charles Butterworth), Sis runs afoul of her bitchy, beautiful cousin Carol (played by a pre-stardom Susan Hayward). Determined to humiliate our heroine and send her packing, Carol arranges for Sis to partipate in a sorority-initiation striptease. Fortunately, Sis wins out in the finale, while Carol must endure such indignities as a well-aimed pan of water and a misplaced bathroom plunger. As a bonus, Sis wins the heart of college bandleader Jeff Farnsworth (Bob Crosby). Adding to the general merriment of Sis Hopkins is Jerry Colonna as a zany college professor. Judy Canova sings several of her patented country-western ditties, then surprises her fans with a "straight"operatic rendition from La Traviata. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Charles Butterworth, (more)
- 1940
This early Judy Canova vehicle was conceived along the same lines as the 1937 20th Century-Fox musical Kentucky Moonshine. A movie studio sends its talent scouts to hillbilly country, there to find a new singing star. Actually it's all a publicity stunt; the studio has planted a Hollywoodite in the hills to await a phony discovery. But the scouts come upon genuine mountain girl Judy Canova instead, and it is she who makes the grade in Tinseltown. Canova's crowning moment in Scatterbrain is the scene in which she washes a floor gliding about on roller skates with brushes tied to them, while singing that top-40 favorite "Benny the Beaver". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Canova, Alan Mowbray, (more)
- 1937
"Camp Romance," a place for the romantically challenged, provides the setting of this musical. The story centers on a frumpy secretary's crush on her handsome boss, the camp manager. The manager has been working on a musical. Just as he is about to finish it, the secretary gives herself a makeover, turns into a drop- dead knockout, and romantic bliss ensues. Songs include: "Keeno, Screeno and You," "I'll Follow My Baby," "Thrill of a Lifetime," "Paris in Swing," "Sweetheart Time," "It's Been a Whole Year," "If We Could Run the Country for a Day." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yacht Club Boys, Judy Canova, (more)
- 1937
Jack Benny had one of his first starring film roles in this breezy comedy with plenty of music. Benny plays Mac Brewster, an advertising man trying to hold on to his biggest client, a silver company run by Alan Townshend (Richard Arlen). Elsewhere in the office, Paula Sewell (Ida Lupino) longs to compete in the Artists and Models Ball and win the title of Queen. However, professional models are frowned upon at the Ball, and all entrants must be debutantes, which is two strikes against Paula; besides, snooty Cynthia Wentworth (Gail Patrick) looks to be a shoo-in to win. But Paula has a plan, and if it works she'll have won more than a crown at the end of the night. Comedy stars Ben Blue and Judy Canova highlight the supporting cast; the great Louis Armstrong performs a tune with Martha Raye. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Benny, Ida Lupino, (more)
- 1935
Per its title, this merry Warner Bros. musical was filmed on location in the resort community of Agua Caliente. Pat O'Brien plays magazine editor Larry MacArthur, whose scathingly negative review of tempestuous dancer La Espanita (Dolores Del Rio) has incurred the lady's considerable wrath. Through a fluke, MacArthur finds himself in Caliente, where he begins ardently pursuing the lovely Rita Gomez, not realizing -- at least at first -- that Rita and La Espanita are one in the same. Intending to humiliate MacArthur, Rita relents when she realizes she's fallen for him as well. Of the supporting players, only Edward Everett Horton is given any worthwhile material, and he makes the most of it. The Busby Berkeley dance numbers are okay, but the film's musical highlight is Wini Shaw's rendition of "The Lady in Red", followed by Judy Canova's semi-parody version of the same tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolores Del Rio, Pat O'Brien, (more)
- 1935
Consigned to the Warner Bros. "B" unit in the mid-1930s, director Robert Florey must have had a high old time trying to inject some visual dynamics into such unprepossessing projects as Going Highbrow. Guy Kibbee and ZaSu Pitts star as Mr. and Mrs. Matt Upshaw, a nouveau riche couple clearly inspired by Bringing Up Father's Jiggs and Maggie. While Matt prefers to live his life as simply as he'd done before striking it rich, Mrs. Upshaw is bound and determined to crash high society. To appease his wife, Matt hires dimwitted lunch-counter waitress Annie (Judy Canova) to pose as the Upshaw's daughter, thereby qualifying for the upcoming debutante ball. As things turn out, Annie reveals her true identity at the worst possible time, while the Upshaws are clipped for $50,000 by obsequious social "arranger" Augie (Edward Everett Horton). Though Going Highbrow represented Judy Canova's first major role at Warner Bros., the studio was unimpressed and dropped her option; in later years, Canova admitted that the picture was "not so hot." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, (more)
