Joy Eileen Nichols (17 February 1925 – 23 June 1992) was an Australian-British comedian, actress and singer who also worked in the United States. She was best known as one of the stars of ''

Take It From Here ''Take It from Here'' (often referred to as ''TIFH'', pronounced – and sometimes humorously spelt – "TIFE") is a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, a ...

'' on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

Biography

Nichols, born in Sydney, Australia, was originally part of a song-and-dance double act with her brother George. She made her first radio broadcast aged seven, when she appeared in a production of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' '' A Christmas Carol''. As well as working on stage, she appeared on shows for the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

and commercial radio: for the latter, she compered Lever Colgate's ''The Youth Show''. Her weekly four-minute slot had her performing both drama and comedy. She also had her own series, ''Joy Nichols Presents''. In 1946, Nichols acted in the Australian adventure film ''Smithy''. Nichols moved to Britain in 1946 to further her career. Radio producer Charles Maxwell gave her a major role in the last series of '' Navy Mixture'', broadcast for the BBC General Forces Programme in 1947, in which she starred with

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

. Guest appearances by fellow Australian

Dick Bentley Charles Walter "Dick" Bentley (14 May 1907 – 27 August 1995) was an Australian-born comedian and actor of radio, stage and screen. He starred with Jimmy Edwards in '' Take It From Here'' for BBC Radio. He was a staple of and pioneer of radio, ...

led to the pairing of Bentley's writer

Denis Norden Denis Mostyn Norden (6 February 1922 – 19 September 2018) was an English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during the Second World War. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the ...

with Edwards and Nichols' writer

Frank Muir Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) 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 wro ...

on ''

'' (1948–1960), starring Edwards, Bentley and Nichols, who both sang and played comedy. In 1949, Nichols married

Wally Peterson Wally Peterson (October 11, 1917 – March 30, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter and stage manager. Biography A frequent performer and producer on Broadway, Peterson was also known for his West End performances in the London pro ...

, an American musical comedy performer who was then touring in the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

production of ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

''. November that year saw Nichols appearing in the

Royal Command Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

. In 1950 and 1951, she took part in ''Take It From Us'', a stage production in London and Blackpool. By January 1951, however, Nichols was complaining of being overworked, and expressed a wish to go back to Australia. The following year, she temporarily left ''Take It From Here'' to give birth to a daughter, Roberta. In 1952, she topped bills at

Moss Empire Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss (impresario), Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and mu ...

theatres, and appeared in her second Royal Command Variety Performance. The following spring, she represented Australia in the BBC Television show ''Dominion's Salute'', as part of their Coronation tribute. She then left England for commitments in Australia, where broadcasts of ''Take it From Here'' had increased her fame. In 1953, Nichols recorded the novelty song "Little Red Monkey" by Stephen Gale and Jack Jordan with Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley. This was played many times in the 1950s and early 60s on the BBC's radio request programme ''

Children's Favourites ''Junior Choice'' is a BBC Radio programme originally broadcast from 1967 until 1982 with Christmas specials from 2007 until 2015 and again since 2017. Originally broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 9.10 to 9.55 (later, ...

''. Nichols departed her role in ''Take it From Here'' for good in 1953, and was replaced in her comedy role by

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...

and as a singer,

Alma Cogan Alma Angela Cohen Cogan (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. C ...

, just as the show took off with the appearance of '' The Glums''. Nichols returned with her husband to the United States. Nichols was back in London in 1955 to appear in the West End production of ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ...

'', alongside

Edmund Hockridge Edmund James Arthur Hockridge (9 August 1919 – 15 March 2009) was a Canadian baritone and actor who had an active performance career in musicals, operas, concerts, plays and on radio. According to his obituary in ''The Guardian'', his li ...

, Max Wall and Arthur Lowe at the Coliseum theatre. In 1957, she appeared in Charlie Chaplin's ''

A King in New York ''A King in New York'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin in his last leading role, which co-stars, among others, his young son Michael. The film presents a satirical view of the McCarthy communist-hunt era ...

'' as a nightclub vocalist, singing Chaplin's composition "Now That It's Ended". She appeared in ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

'', which opened in New York in November 1959. She had supporting roles in a number of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, including ''

Redhead Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

'' and ''

Darling of the Day ''Darling of the Day'' is a musical with a book by Nunnally Johnson, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, and music by Jule Styne. It is based on Arnold Bennett's novel ''Buried Alive'' and his play '' The Great Adventure''. The show closed after only 31 per ...

'', but was unable to secure lead roles and finally left show business after a failed attempt at resuming her career in England. Latterly, she worked as a retail assistant. Nichols and her husband divorced in the mid-1970s, though they remained on good terms towards the end of her life. She died in New York on 23 June 1992, aged 67.

Selected filmography

* '' Smithy'' (1946) *'' Not So Dusty'' (1956) *''

'' (1957)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Joy 1925 births 1992 deaths Australian women comedians Australian radio actresses Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Australian actresses Comedians from Sydney 20th-century Australian comedians