Joyce Holden Explained

Joyce Holden
Birth Name:Jo Ann Heckert
Birth Date:1 September 1930
Birth Place:Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Death Place:Encinitas, California, U.S.
Occupation:Actress
Spouse:Arnold Stanford (1951–1955; divorced)
David P. Mannhalter (1958–2022)

Joyce Holden (born Jo Ann Heckert, September 1, 1930 – January 21, 2022) was an American film and television actress.

Early years

Holden was born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 1, 1930.[1] The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D.P. Heckert, she was of Swedish, English, German and Dutch ancestry.

As a teenager, she modeled at a department store and used her drawing abilities to win a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute. In the summer before Holden's senior year in high school, she and her brother went with their mother to Los Angeles, intending to spend two weeks' vacation there. Instead, they stayed, and she attended Hollywood High School her senior year. She went on to study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[2]

Film

Holden's screen debut was in Universal-International's The Milkman (1950). Her other films included Iron Man (1951), Bronco Buster,[2] Girls in the Night (1953) and You Never Can Tell (1951).[3]

In 1958, she retired from acting after having appeared in 13 films. Lee Cozad wrote in the book More Magnificent Mountain Movies, "Holden found herself in a Hollywood that was awash with young brunette starlets and subsequently hung on for a couple of years, playing bit parts in 'A' movies and a few leads in 'B' pictures."[4]

In a 1952 newspaper column distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association, Holden attributed the difficulties in her film career to the fact that she started in comedy films. "It's murder when a young actress is stamped as a comedienne in Hollywood," she said. "My big mistake was in showing I had a comedy flair. There's no chance in Hollywood for an actress who starts out in comedy. You graduate into it."[5]

Television

Holden was a regular on The Donald O'Connor Show (1954-1955).[6] She also appeared in the Spin and Marty segment on The Mickey Mouse Club.[7]

Personal life

On June 16, 1951, Holden married song writer Arnold Stanford in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were divorced on October 31, 1955.[8]

Holden wed her second husband, industrial real estate broker David Mannhalter, in 1958. The couple were active members of the Jehovah's Witnesses.[9] She died in Encinitas, California on January 21, 2022, at the age of 91.[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: How's Your Mind?. Pottstown Mercury. December 29, 1953. Pennsylvania, Pottstown. 4. Newspapers.com. December 20, 2016.
  2. Pollock. Louis. Hey, Good Lookin'!. Modern Screen. May 1952. 44. 6. 70, 83–84. December 20, 2016.
  3. News: Lawler. Joe. Miss Television Goes Burlesque. California, Long Beach. March 15, 1953. California, Long Beach. 117. Newspapers.com. December 18, 2016.
  4. Book: More Magnificent Mountain Movies. W. Lee Cozad. 9780972337236. 208. December 21, 2016. en.
  5. News: Johnson. Erskine. Joyce Holden Is Out To Live Down Commedienne (sic) Stamp. The Fresno Bee The Republican. Newspaper Enterprise Association. October 19, 1952. California, Fresno. 24. Newspapers.com. December 20, 2016.
  6. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 276.
  7. Outdoor Girl in a Camp. December 21, 2016. LIFE. Time Inc. September 24, 1956. 136.
  8. News: Joyce Holden Gets Divorce. The Courier News. Associated Press. November 1, 1955. Blytheville, Arkansas. 19. Newspapers.com. December 18, 2016.
  9. News: Pauley. Gay. Joyce Holden Door-to-Door Calls. Eureka Humboldt Standard. United Press International. April 13, 1965. California, Eureka. 4. Newspapers.com. December 18, 2016.
  10. Web site: Joyce Holden . Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen . 27 July 2022.