Virginia Davis

Virginia Davis December 31 1918 August 15 2009 was born in Kansas City Missouri Her father was a traveling furniture salesman and spent much time away from home With her husband gone for weeks at a time Margaret Davis a housewife focused all her attention on her daughter she began taking Virginia to dancing lessons and modeling auditions when she was 2 A striking child with long curls Virginia was soon appearing in advertisements that played between films in local theaters She also entered Georgie Browns Dramatic School in Kansas City where she studied drama and dance In the summer of 1923 22yearold Walt Disney a struggling but ambitious director saw Virginia in an advertisement in a Kansas City theater and immediately decided to hire her He quickly contacted Margaret Davis who was eager to advance her Virginias career Alices Wonderland 1923 the first short film of the Alice series was filmed at the Davis home in Kansas City both Margaret Davis and Walt Disney made brief appearances which marked Disneys first live appearance in one of his own cartoons After filming Disney returned to Hollywood and began to build his movie empire with only forty dollars and one short film starring little Virginia Davis The Davis family soon followed Disney to Hollywood although their daughters career was not the only reason for the move Virginia had suffered pneumonia and other health problems and her doctor told her parents that she would be healthier in a drier warmer climate Virginia signed her first contract with Disney for a salary of 100 a month and she began filming the Alice shorts in Walt Disneys first studio his uncles garage His brother Roy O Disney was the cameraman and the Disney family dog Peggy appeared in many of the films The Alice shorts became very popular providing Disney with his first national success But as the series progressed Disney became more interested in the animation aspect which minimized Virginias liveaction role she only made about thirteen of the Alice shorts before her contract was severed She later auditioned for the role of voice of Snow White in Disneys film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 but she didnt get the role because her mother refused to accept the frugal salary Virginia had some small roles in fulllength films including The Harvey Girls 1946 before she left acting to earn a degree from the New York School of Interior Design She later became an editor for the 1950s magazine Living for Young Homemakers and in the 1960s she began working for real estate agents in Connecticut and later California In 1992 interest was renewed in the Alice series Living in retirement in Montana Virginia was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of fans seeking to honor her and the remarkable role she played in the birth of Walt Disney Studios She was the guest of honor at the Pordonone Silent Film Festival in Italy in 1992 and she was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998 Virginia also became very active in silent film festivals and events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World