Judy Clark (June 9, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American film and television actress and singer. Clark adopted a brash and energetic singing style, similar to that of musical-comedy star

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

(with trade critics almost always comparing the blonde Clark to the blonde Hutton).

Early life

Clark was the daughter of Jack Kaufman, who was a vaudeville performer. She and comedian Jack Gilford were among the new faces in the stage show ''Meet the People'';

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

signed both for the

Gloria Jean Gloria Jean (born Gloria Jean Schoonover; April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018) was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub app ...

musical ''

Reckless Age ''Reckless Age'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Felix E. Feist and written by Gertrude Purcell and Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Henry Stephenson, Kathleen Howard, Franklin Pangborn, Andrew Tombes, Marshall Thompson, Jan ...

'' (1944). Clark won the juvenile lead in the 1944

Benny Fields Benny Fields, occasionally billed as "Bennie Fields" (born Benjamin Geisenfeld; June 14, 1894 – August 16, 1959), was a popular singer of the early 20th century, best known as one-half of the Blossom Seeley-Benny Fields vaudeville team. ...

musical '' Minstrel Man'', in which she delivered two songs in the Hutton manner. The role reflected Clark's own life, as a rising star in a theatrical family. She continued to work in pictures through the mid-1940s, including the

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1907 – May 22, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy ''I Married Joan'', Davis had a successful earl ...

musical comedy '' Beautiful but Broke'' (1944), the

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

-styled comedy '' The Kid Sister'' (1945), the Freddie Stewart musical ''

Junior Prom ''Junior Prom'' is a 1946 American musical comedy, directed by Arthur Dreifuss and produced by Sam Katzman and Maurice Duke. It was released by Monogram Pictures. It is the first of The Teen Agers series of movies. In 2018, the film was release ...

'' (1946), '' In Fast Company'' with

The Bowery Boys The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 1 ...

(1946), and the

Jean Porter Bennie Jean Porter (December 8, 1922 – January 13, 2018) was an American film and television actress. She was notable for her roles in '' The Youngest Profession'' (1943), '' Bathing Beauty'' (1944), '' Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' (194 ...

musical ''

Two Blondes and a Redhead ''Two Blondes and a Redhead'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Jean Porter. Plot Cast Production The film was originally known as ''Three Blondes and a Redhead''. Filming started April 1947. Reference ...

'' (1947). Beginning in 1949, with fewer musicals being made, she worked in the action/adventure field, in two serials, '' Bruce Gentry'' and ''

Desperadoes of the West ''Desperadoes of the West'' (1950) is a 12-chapter Republic film serial. Cast * Richard Powers as Ward Gordon *Judy Clark as Sally Arnold *Roy Barcroft as Hacker, a henchman * I. Stanford Jolley as J. B. "Dude" Dawson *Lee Phelps as Rusty Steel ...

''. Altogether she appeared in more than two dozen films and several television productions.

Stage

Clark's work as a singer included performing with Jimmy McHugh's Hollywood Singing Stars. She also danced and sang in the stage musical ''Lend an Ear'' at the Las Palmas Theater.

Personal life

On October 1, 1949, Clark married businessman George Myers in Los Angeles. They were divorced on July 14, 1950. She later was married to William Jerome Otto, heir to a drug chain.

Filmography

* '' South of Santa Fe'' (1942) * ''

Chatterbox Chatterbox also styled as CHATTERbOX was a project of the Crucified's Jeff Bellew. The project has hosted many session musicians, including Stavesacre and the Crucified's Mark Salomon, and Argyle Park and Circle of Dust's Scott Albert. Bellew ha ...

'' (1943) * ''

Swing Your Partner ''Swing Your Partner'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Dorrell McGowan and Stuart E. McGowan. The film stars Myrtle Wiseman, Scotty Wiseman, Barbara Jo Allen, Dale Evans, Ransom M. Sherman and Harry Ch ...

'' (1943) * '' Beautiful But Broke'' (1944) * '' Career Girl'' (1944) * ''

Hey, Rookie ''Hey, Rookie'' is a 1944 American musical film starring Ann Miller and Larry Parks. Cast *Ann Miller ... Winnie Clark *Joe Besser ... Pendelton (Pudge) Pfeiffer *Larry Parks ... Jim Leighter *Joe Sawyer ... Sergeant * Jimmy Little ... ...

'' (1944) * '' Minstrel Man'' (1944) * ''

'' (1944) * '' Stars on Parade'' (1944) * '' This Is the Life'' (1944) * ''

Night Club Girl ''Night Club Girl'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Henry Blankfort and Dick Irving Hyland. The film stars Vivian Austin, Edward Norris, Maxie Rosenbloom, Minna Gombell, Judy Clark and Bill Dunn. The ...

'' (1945) * ''

Penthouse Rhythm ''Penthouse Rhythm'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Stanley Roberts and Howard Dimsdale. The film stars Kirby Grant, Lois Collier, Edward Norris, Maxie Rosenbloom, Eric Blore, Minna Gombell and Edwa ...

'' (1945) * '' The Kid Sister'' (1945) * ''

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry ''The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry'' is a 1945 American film noir drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring George Sanders as an aging bachelor who looks after his two sisters, one of whom tries to sabotage his romance with his co-worker ...

'' (1945) * '' In Fast Company'' (1946) * ''

'' (1946) * '' That's My Gal'' (1947) * ''

'' (1947) * ''

Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies ''Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies'' (1949) is a 15-episode Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the Bruce Gentry comic strip created by Ray Bailey. It features the first cinematic appearance of a flying saucer, as the secret weapon o ...

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * '' The Girl on the Bridge'' (1951) * '' The Crooked Web'' (1955) * ''

House of Women ''House of Women'' is a 1962 American crime drama directed by Crane Wilbur, starring Shirley Knight and Andrew Duggan. Walter Doniger, who was hired to direct the film, was fired and replaced by Wilbur 10 days into shooting. Plot Erica Hayden ...

'' (1962)

References

External links

*
Interview with Mike Fitzgerald
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Judy American film actresses American television actresses 1921 births 2002 deaths Actresses from New York (state) People from Rockville Centre, New York 20th-century American actresses Singers from New York (state) 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers