Virginia Davis

Virginia Davis

Birth : 1918-12-31, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Death : 2009-08-15

History

Virginia Davis was born on December 31, 1918, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was a traveling furniture salesman and spent much time away from home. With her husband gone for weeks at a time, Margaret Davis, a housewife, focused all her attention on her daughter; she began taking Virginia to dancing lessons and modeling auditions when she was 2. A striking child with long curls, Virginia was soon appearing in advertisements that played between films in local theaters. She also entered Georgie Brown's Dramatic School in Kansas City, where she studied drama and dance. In the summer of 1923, 22-year-old Walt Disney, a struggling but ambitious director, saw Virginia in an advertisement in a Kansas City theater and immediately decided to hire her. He quickly contacted Margaret Davis, who was eager to advance her Virginia's career. Alice's Wonderland (1923), the first short film of the Alice series, was filmed at the Davis home in Kansas City; both Margaret Davis and Walt Disney made brief appearances (which marked Disney's first live appearance in one of his own cartoons). After filming, Disney returned to Hollywood and began to build his movie empire with only forty dollars and one short film starring little Virginia Davis. The Davis family soon followed Disney to Hollywood, although their daughter's career was not the only reason for the move; Virginia had suffered pneumonia and other health problems, and her doctor told her parents that she would be healthier in a drier, warmer climate. Virginia signed her first contract with Disney for a salary of $100 a month, and she began filming the Alice shorts in Walt Disney's first studio, his uncle's garage. His brother Roy O. Disney was the cameraman, and the Disney family dog Peggy appeared in many of the films. The Alice shorts became very popular, providing Disney with his first national success. But as the series progressed, Disney became more interested in the animation aspect, which minimized Virginia's live-action role; she only made about thirteen of the Alice shorts before her contract was severed. She later auditioned for the role of voice of Snow White in Disney's film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), but she didn't get the role because her mother refused to accept the frugal salary. Virginia had some small roles in full-length films, including The Harvey Girls (1946), before she left acting to earn a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She later became an editor for the 1950s magazine "Living for Young Homemakers", and in the 1960s she began working for real estate agents in Connecticut and later California. In 1992, interest was renewed in the Alice series. Living in retirement in Montana, Virginia was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of fans seeking to honor her and the remarkable role she played in the birth of Walt Disney Studios. She was the guest of honor at the Pordonone Silent Film Festival in Italy in 1992, and she was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Virginia also became very active in silent film festivals and events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Profile

Virginia Davis

Movies

Alice Comedies
Alice
4 original gems from Walt Disney
Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures Of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit
Herself
Before Mickey there was Oswald, the floppy-eared star of Walt Disney's first cartoon series, THE ADVENTURES OF OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT. Fun and mischievous, the cheerful rabbit's popularity quickly multiplied, and so did his shorts. Between 1927 and 1928, Disney created a bounty of legendary and rarely seen Oswald cartoons. Now for the first time ever on DVD, the premiere collection of Disney's Oswald shorts -- all featuring new scores composed by Robert Israel especially for this release. The long-lost rabbit's life story, from his birth to his long-awaited return to Disney, and a documentary on the legendary Ub Iwerks set the stage for the comeback of one of the most important stars in Disney's menagerie. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.
Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis
This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities' DVD.
The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story
Herself
There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize Mickey Mouse. But until now, not many knew the man who originally gave shape, movement and personality to the world's most beloved icon. "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" takes you behind the scenes to meet Walt Disney's best friend and chief animator.
College Holiday
Dancer
College students rally to save a struggling hotel from closing. Comedy.
Three on a Match
Mary Keaton as a Child
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
Street Scene
The setting is a city block during a sweltering summer, where the residents serve as representatives of the not-very-idealized American melting pot. There is idle chitchat, gossip, jealousy, racism, adultery, and suddenly but not unexpectedly, a murder.
The Greater Glory
Resi
A story of Vienna following World War I, in which the butchers became millionaires and the aristocrats became beggars, told against a background of mother-love and sacrifice.
Alice in the Jungle
Alice
Alice and Julius the cat are riding an elephant through the jungle. Julius falls and is nearly eaten by crocodiles but manages to escape nevertheless. Meanwhile, two elephant children are having fun at a watering hole and a monkey barber has his barber pole eaten by a hippo, who mistakes it for a candy cane. Julius tries to remedy the latter injustice by starching up a tiger's striped tail and knocking it off, using it as a replacement pole. Alice hunts a lion who proves to be too much for her to handle, but Julius bravely comes to the rescue.
The Man from Red Gulch
Cissy Falloner
In the days of the California Gold Rush of '49, Sandy is at odds with his partner, Falloner, over the latter's heavy drinking.
Alice Gets Stung
Alice
Julius goes rabbit hunting while Alice goes bear hunting. Alice and her cat learn at their own expense that one shouldn't bother animals, whether those be rabbits or bears.
Alice the Toreador
Alice
Alice is in a bullfight where she thinks she will win since she is matched against a peaceful bull. But the tables are turned when her bull is switched with one with a worse temper.
Alice Cans the Cannibals
Alice
Alice and her cat are driving along the coast when they accidentally ride off a cliff and into the ocean. They trick a fish into towing them along until a storm hits and they are swept away to the Cannibal Islands, where they are pursued aggressively by the locals.
Alice the Piper
Alice
The rats are out of control in Hamlin; they've taken over the kitchen, but when they take over the King's bedroom, that's the last straw. He posts a $5 reward, which the rats change to $5,000. Alice and Julius accept the challenge; they play a tune and the rats gather around, but they won't fall for the old "follow me into the river" trick. Fortunately, a very powerful vacuum cleaner is nearby, and Alice and Julius suck all the rats into it. The king gives them their reward: $5.
Alice and the Three Bears
Alice
The Three Bears are busy cooking when Baby Bear realises his recipe requires hops. Naturally his first inclination is to go find some frogs to provide for him his hops, so he runs off and pursues a frog at the local pond. In the meantime Alice and her cat stumble upon the Three Bears' house and sneak inside (Ma and Pa Bear are nowhere to be seen).
Alice Hunting in Africa
Alice
Alice and Julius go on a safari in Africa to hunt wild game, but they get very different results.
Alice Gets in Dutch
Alice
Alice misbehaves in school and is forced to sit in the corner. She falls asleep and dreams, but schoolwork intrudes even into her dreams. Alice dreams of dancing dogs and donkeys until her fun is interrupted by three walking schoolbooks.
Alice the Peacemaker
Alice
Alice tries to make two rival newsboys friends by telling them a story of a cat and a mouse whose constant battlings lead to being hunted by the police, when they learned to cooperate.
Alice and the Dog Catcher
Alice
Alice presides over a secret club which proposes to rid the town of dog catchers and free the dogs!
Alice's Fishy Story
Alice
Alice wants desperately to get out of practicing her piano so she can go have fun with her friends. She tricks her mother into thinking she's still playing by getting her dog to play for her, and then she and the gang hitch a ride to the local pond where they spend their time fishing. While there, she envisions what it would be like to go fishing at the North Pole.
Alice's Wild West Show
Alice
Alice and her friends put on a show.
Alice's Spooky Adventure
Alice
When a ball is accidentally knocked through the window of a neighbourhood haunted house, Alice is the only one brave enough to go inside to retrieve it. While she's in there she falls and bumps her head, sending her to a cartoon dream-world in which she rescues a cat and battles some spirits in a ghost town.
Alice's Day at Sea
Alice
Alice's trip to the sea inspires her to dream of a visit to an animated underwater world.
Alice's Wonderland
Alice
Instead of Wonderland, Alice visits the Walt Disney animation room.