Joy Hodges on AllMovie

Often cited as the woman who helped future President of the United States Ronald Reagan get his first big break in film, actress Joy Hodges proved a formidable talent of stage and screen who also possessed a remarkable singing voice. Born in Des Moines, IA, in January of 1915, Hodges began entertaining across her home state as half of the Bluebird Twins when she was just eight-years-old. In high school Hodges was a member of the Crooning Co-eds, and her career later kicked into high gear when she won a talent contest at the Paramount Theater and subsequently signed a five-year contract with RKO in 1935. After making an impression in such films as To Beat the Band (1935) and The Family Next Door (1939) Hodges sang with such big bands as those of Ozzie Nelson and Glenn Miller, and numerous Broadway roles were soon to follow. It was while working as an announcer and sportscaster in Des Moines that Hodges met Reagan, and when the future president was sent to Catalina Island to cover the Chicago Cubs spring training in 1937, he stopped by Hollywood to pay Hodges a visit. Advising Reagan to "ditch the glasses" if he wanted to become an actor, she subsequently set him up for a meeting that eventually lead to a contract with Warner Bros. The two kept in contact even after Reagan was elected president. On January 19, 2003, Joy Hodges died of a stroke in Palm Desert, CA. She was 88.