Devvy Davenport(1927-2007)
- Actress
Daughter of a career military man, blond haired, green-eyed beauty,
Devvy Davenport was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Being a "Air
Force brat", she was variously educated in North Carolina, Kentucky,
Arkansas, Texas, New Jersey and New York. As a child Devvy had a
natural aptitude for writing poetry and prose; composing songs and
singing; and dancing, dramatics and comedy. One night, at age 15,
working as a "camera girl" in a Louisville, Kentucky nightclub, when
the scheduled entertainer took ill, Devvy stepped up to the stage to
fill in, just like in a show business fairy tale! Later, friends
arranged an introduction with Horace Heidt,
of "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights" at the Trianon Ballroom in
Southern California. After an audition with the band leader, Heidt gave
Devvy her first major break. Audiences just loved her. Her energy and
talent seemed boundless. In the beginning, Devvy made most of her own
costumes. She stayed on with Horace Heidt
and his Musical Knights for about four years. Till the end Devvy always
had a kind word concerning Horace's influence and remained grateful for
his loving guidance. During WWII with the USO Devvy performed for our
troops in Panama, Jamaica, Guatamala and throughout the U.S. Devvy
sang, danced and wrote material for herself and other acts. In
subsequent personal appearances through the years, she performed with
Robert Alda,
Milton Berle,
Johnny Cash,
Mike Conners (I),
Tony Curtis,
The Duncan Sisters,
The Jordanaires,
Tony Martin, Olsen and Johnson,
Buck Owens,
Mel Tormé and many others. In March of 1946,
she entertained at the Havana-Madrid Hotel in New York City and
witnessed Show Business history when singer
Dean Martin and comic
Jerry Lewis, who were booked
separately, "heckled" each other's performances prior to their eventual
partnership! Devvy's successful singing and dancing talent brought her
to audiences all over the world. Also in 1946 Devvy moved to Hollywood,
California and was named "Miss Copa Cabana" with one of the judges
being Frank Sinatra! Modeling and print
work also came in regularly for such a beauty as Devvy . She eventually
made the transition to her roots, Country and Western music. The
progression was a natural. In Hollywood, after meeting the legendary
Nudie, "The Rhinestone Cowboy Tailor to the Stars"
Devvy became "outfitted" in what was to become her lifetime show
business look. She remained close friends to Nudie, his family and
especially his granddaughter, Jamie Lee Nudie. It was around this time
that Devvy released several Country & Western singles, the most
favorite to her many fans being her own composition, "Big Cowboy" on
the Hi-G Lo-C label. Another memorable title was, "Git Your Guitar and
Git!". Devvy wrote hundreds of poems and songs. Her songs were recorded
by Debbie Reynolds, the singing
and piano duo Martha Davis and Spouse, and the
The Andrews Sisters. Devvy's tune
"No Deposit, No Return" by the
The Andrews Sisters around 1952 for
Decca Records gained Devvy the most notice. In the fifties Devvy
appeared as the girl singer for one season on the
Tex Williams' Western Varieties (1951)
on KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles and on her own daily Western Music TV
show on KCOP Channel 11 in which she co-wrote, co-produced and
co-directed. Devvy Davenport appeared in several feature films, and for
about a year, around 1950, was under contract to RKO Pictures under
Howard Hughes. Devvy's films
included Hometown Girl (1948),
Hollywood Varieties (1950),
Wild Women (1951) and others. The
The French Line (1953) starred
(2004 Silver Spur Award Winner)
Jane Russell. Devvy was one of the
"show models" in the film along with another young unknown starlet at
the time, Kim Novak. In 1962, Devvy
continued her acting career and believe it or not, was the 'runner up'
for the Elly May Clampett role for the top 10 hit,
_"The Beverly Hillbillies"_
which went to another blond beauty,
'Donna Douglas'. Also in 1963, Devvy started
her own country music magazine. Titled "Country Music Report / Review",
she wrote, edited and co-published and it became the #1 C&W publication
in the United States and received special recognition in Nashville,
Tennessee. "Country Music Report" took a different approach to covering
country music for the fans, offering more than just song lyrics and
short notes on the artists. And it was printed on a higher quality
paper stock that stands up to the test of time even some forty plus
years later. As she developed the magazine, her famous contacts became
more than just professional courtesy; she was able to consider such
super stars as Johnny Cash and
'Marty
Robbins' good friends too. Her
personal editorial column was entitled, "Under My Hat" which bannered a
close-up photo of Devvy wearing a cute little straw hat, ala
Minnie Pearl. Many C&W newcomers to the
West Coast scene were profiled by Devvy long before they made it big!
In the 1960's at one of Johnny Cash's concerts, Johnny reprinted copies
of Devvy's magazine and passed them out to the audience. He even gave
the magazine a plug from the stage and recommended everyone to
subscribe. Since her magazine was mail order only, such an endorsement
became invaluable. In 1966 Devvy was one of the first performers to
entertain our troops in South Viet Nam. Early in the war, she gave a
show within 6 miles of the de-militarized zone (DMZ)! Her visit was no
quick tour; she stayed and entertained the troops for over a year,
traveling the country with the USO. While "in country" she also assumed
the duties of Entertainment Editor of the Saigon Daily Times. She also
traveled to other Far East countries to perform including Japan,
Thailand, and the Phillipines. While in Thailand she operated a dance
and drama school in Bangkok (and later in Rome, Italy). Her performing
partner at this time was Gene Roman and their act was known as "The
Love Bugs". On a sad note, her younger brother, who was in the armed
forces was killed-in-action while Devvy was in the Far East. For her
exemplary service and devotion to our fighting forces, Devvy was
awarded the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel by the United States
Air Force. In later years, ever creative, Devvy made custom jewelry for
retail sales, wrote children's stories for publication and donated time
to charity. Devvy's volunteer work is legendary. As a faithful member
of the Hollywood D.O.L.L.S. and the Reel Cowboys her dedication and
energy to serve others was amazing. Devvy, who passed away on May 18,
2007, due to complications from Alzheimer Disease and is survived by
two sons, Biff, who was also "in the business" and Dru.