Joy Hodges

 Joy Hodges (January 29, 1915 - January 19, 2003)

Winning a contest at a theater took Hodges to Chicago, where her national career began. From there, she traversed the United States, singing on the radio, in night clubs, and with orchestras. She performed at the Empire Room and the Hotel Sherman, both in Chicago. One of her early jobs was being the lead singer with Carol Loftner and his orchestra. She also sang with Ted Fio Rito, Ben Bernie, Jimmy Grier, Ozzie Nelson, and Abe Lyman and their orchestras, among others. Hodges' Broadway credits include Nellie Bly (1945), The Odds on Mrs. Oakley (1944), Dream with Music (1943), and I'd Rather Be Right (1937). Her screen debut came in A Night at the Biltmore Bowl, for RKO Pictures, and her first film, after signing with RKO for five years, was Old Man Rhythm (1935). She also appeared with Fred Astaire in Follow the Fleet (1936) During World War II, Hodges sang with Harry James and his orchestra as they entertained military personnel on USO tours in Europe. In 1946 she had the lead role in 'Nellie Bly', and as late as 1972 took over from Ruby Keeler in the Broadway revival of 'No, No, Nanette'. She was married three times, and had no children. On January 19, 2003, Hodges died at age 87 in Palm Desert, California, of complications following a stroke. She is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.