Joy Nichols
Encyclopedia
Joy Eileen Nichols born in Sydney
, Australia
was a comedienne and actress who worked in Australia
, Britain
and the United States
. She is best known as a star of Take It From Here
on BBC Radio
.
Originally part of a song-and-dance double act with her brother George, Joy Nichols moved to Britain in 1946 to further her career. The producer Charles Maxwell gave her a major role in the last series of Navy Mixture in 1947 starring with Jimmy Edwards
. Guest appearances by fellow Australian Dick Bentley
led to the pairing of Bentley's writer Denis Norden
with Edwards and Nichols' writer Frank Muir
on Take It From Here
(1948–1960), starring Edwards, Bentley and Nichols, who both sang and played comedy.
In 1949, Nichols married Wally Peterson
, an American musical comedy performer who was then touring in the London
production of Oklahoma!
. In 1952 she temporarily left Take It From Here while she gave birth to a daughter, Roberta. The following year Nichols departed for good and was replaced by June Whitfield
(comedienne) and Alma Cogan
(singer), just as the show took off with the appearance of The Glums. Nichols returned with her husband to the United States.
In 1953, Nichols recorded with Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley the novelty song "Little Red Monkey" by Stephen Gale and Jack Jordan. This was re-played many times in the 1950s and early 60s on the BBC's radio request programme Children's Favourites
.
Nichols had supporting roles in a number of Broadway
musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, including Redhead
and Darling of the Day, but was unable to secure lead roles and finally left show-business. Latterly she worked as a retail assistant.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was a comedienne and actress who worked in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She is best known as a star of Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
Originally part of a song-and-dance double act with her brother George, Joy Nichols moved to Britain in 1946 to further her career. The producer Charles Maxwell gave her a major role in the last series of Navy Mixture in 1947 starring with Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
. Guest appearances by fellow Australian Dick Bentley
Dick Bentley
Charles Walter "Dick" Bentley , born in Melbourne, Australia, was a comedian and actor. He starred with Jimmy Edwards in Take It From Here for BBC Radio....
led to the pairing of Bentley's writer Denis Norden
Denis Norden
Denis Mostyn Norden CBE is a former English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during World War II. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the successful BBC Radio comedy programme Take It from Here with Frank Muir...
with Edwards and Nichols' writer Frank Muir
Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC radio's Take It From Here for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio...
on Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
(1948–1960), starring Edwards, Bentley and Nichols, who both sang and played comedy.
In 1949, Nichols married Wally Peterson
Wally Peterson
Wally Peterson was an American actor, singer and stage manager. A frequent performer and producer on Broadway, Peterson was also known for his West End performances in the London productions of Oklahoma! and South Pacific.Peterson was married to the Australian performer Joy Nichols from 1949 until...
, an American musical comedy performer who was then touring in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
production of Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
. In 1952 she temporarily left Take It From Here while she gave birth to a daughter, Roberta. The following year Nichols departed for good and was replaced by June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
(comedienne) and Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
(singer), just as the show took off with the appearance of The Glums. Nichols returned with her husband to the United States.
In 1953, Nichols recorded with Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley the novelty song "Little Red Monkey" by Stephen Gale and Jack Jordan. This was re-played many times in the 1950s and early 60s on the BBC's radio request programme Children's Favourites
Children's Favourites
Children's Favourites was a BBC Radio programme from 1954 broadcast on the Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 9:00. A precursor had been called Children's Choice after the style of Housewives' Choice....
.
Nichols had supporting roles in a number of Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, including Redhead
Redhead (musical)
Redhead is a musical with music composed by Albert Hague and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, who with her brother, Herbert, along with Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw wrote the book/libretto...
and Darling of the Day, but was unable to secure lead roles and finally left show-business. Latterly she worked as a retail assistant.