Joy Hathaway

American actress

Joy Hathaway

Born|

Joy Hathaway Meeker

Canada

Died| November 4, 1954

Vancouver, British Columbia

Alma mater| University of British Columbia
Occupation| Actress
Spouse| Charles Kenny

Joy Hathaway (born Joy Hathaway Meeker;[1][2] 1913[a] – November 4, 1954)[6] was a Canadian-born American actress on stage, old-time radio, and television.

## Early years

[edit]

One of five children and the only daughter born to Bessie Ann Townsend and Henry Clemons Meeker,[7][8][9] Hathaway was from Vancouver, British Columbia.[6] She was educated at Victoria Normal School[10] and graduated from the University of British Columbia, where she acted in productions of the Varsity Players Club.[6]

## Career

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Hathaway sang in operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan.[10] On Broadway, she portrayed Mrs. Ritter in A Slight Case of Murder (1935), a fitter in The Women (1936), and an usherette in The Fabulous Invalid (1938).[11]

Hathaway's work on radio included the roles shown in the table below.

Program | Character

|

Amanda of Honeymoon Hill | Amanda Dyke[12]
David Harum | Celia[13]
Our Gal Sunday | Regina Page[14]
Second Husband | Irma Wallace[15]
Stella Dallas | Laurel Dallas[12]: 314

She also had roles on Young Widder Brown, True Story Tales of Tomorrow,[16] Modern Romances,[17] and Seth Parker.[12]: 300

In 1953, Hathaway was the model for a statue of Sister Thérèse Couderc. Sculptor Pietro Montana created the life-size sculpture of the nun, who was being considered for canonization.[14]

## Personal life

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Hathaway was married to composer Charles Kenny.[6]

## Death

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On November 5, 1954, Hathaway died at age 41 of pneumonia in a hospital in Vancouver.[6] Her death came three hours after the funeral for her three-week-old daughter, who also died of pneumonia.[18]

## Notes

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1. ^ The age 41 would indicate a birth date between November 1912 and November 1913. Factoring in the 1950 U.S. Census, enumerated on May 12, by which time she has reached age 37,[3] and the 1940 Census, enumerated on April 2, at which time she has not yet reached age 27, seems to narrow that down to April or May 1913.[4] However, if—as both her own and her father's obituaries indicate—Hathaway had no sisters, a contemporaneous report published in January 1913 makes it hard not to conclude that she was born that month.[5]

## References

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* Biography portal
* Radio portal
* Film portal
* Theatre portal

1. ^ "Class 'B'; Our Gang". Anecho, 1931-1932. 1932. p. 38\. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
2. ^ "Results Given of Examinations in Normal Schools; Include Other areas". The Daily Colonist. June 15, 1932. p. 5\. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
3. ^ "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:6XT1-2CBN : Mon Jan 30 02:54:11 UTC 2023), Entry for Charles F Kenny and Joy Hatthaw Kenny, 12 May 1950.
4. ^ "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:K7MJ-WY9 : Wed Apr 05 21:14:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Joy Kenny and Charles Kenny, 1940.
5. ^ "Birth Announcement". The Vermont Tribune. Vermont, Ludlow. January 23, 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ a b c d e "City-Born Actress, Child Die". The Vancouver Sun. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver. November 5, 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Vancouver Actress Returns From East". The Province. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver. May 10, 1939. p. 13. Retrieved 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "H. C. Meeker Dies in Valley". The Vancouver Sun. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver. May 1, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Canada, British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL2R-2Y4 : 8 November 2017), Henry Clemons Meeker, 1946.
10. ^ a b "Two New WHP Series". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. August 1, 1942. p. 23. Retrieved 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "("Joy Hathaway" search results)". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
12. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 21\. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
13. ^ Gross, Ben (December 22, 1950). "Televiewing". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 32. Retrieved 11 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ a b "Model of Saintliness". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. May 17, 1953. p. 74. Retrieved 11 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 604. ISBN 9780199770786. Retrieved 11 June 2019. "Joy Hathaway actress."
16. ^ "Mrs. Kenny, Veteran Actress, Buried Today". The Baltimore Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. Associated Press. November 6, 1954. p. 11. Retrieved 11 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ "(Photo caption)". The Akron Beacon Journal. Ohio, Akron. March 6, 1951. p. 34. Retrieved 11 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ "Joy Kenny, 41, TV actress, dies". The Bridgeport Telegram. Connecticut, Bridgeport. November 5, 1954. p. 36. Retrieved 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.