Linda Joyce knew Davy when he lived in New York and was starring on Broadway in “Oliver!” They often saw one another, and Linda kept a diary of all these events. Now that Davy is one of the world’s greatest super-stars, these early happenings take on a very special and important meaning. In this issue and in future issues of FLIP, Linda will share them with you.
I’ve gotten a lot of letters asking why I always call Davy Jones DAVID when I write about him. When he was appearing on Broadway, he always asked to be called “David.” If you had to call him DAVY, then he asked you to remember that it was D-a-v-E-y! The only ones I ever heard call him Davey were the small boys in “Oliver,” who used to tease David by saying, “Hi, Davey, with an E!”
But when he became a Monkee, David Jones became Davy Jones. But I still refer to him in the way he preferred when I spent a great deal of time with him. And I have an idea that when he is no longer a Monkee, he will go back to calling himself DAVID JONES!
A lot of things about David have come to mind as I thought about this month’s story. So, I thought the easiest thing to do would be to just kind of put them down as I think of them. Here goes…
He used to kiddingly refer to Jones Beach (in New York) as his beach.
David can talk perfect “New Yorkese,” the American accent most New Yorkers have.
He used to cause traffic jams on West 46th Street in Manhattan by leading his fans on chases between all the cars and buses.
He doesn’t like chocolate ice cream.
He loves vanilla ice cream.
David ALWAYS wore striped shirts!
His dressing room number at the Imperial Theatre was 10.
In October, 1964, David had his appendix removed.
His favorite song then was “Any Old Iron,” an English music hall song.
Some of the TV shows David was on before he became a Monkee were “Shindig,” “Where The Action is,” “Ed Sullivan Show,” “Ben Casey,” and “The Farmer’s Daughter.”
Richard Burton was his favorite actor and “birdwatching” his hobby!
David was 16 when he came to America.
When he was 15, he played in a British touring version of “Peter Pan.” His co-star, playing Wendy, was JANE ASHER.
When David became a Monkee, he must have thought back to October, 1964, when Jackie Cooper of Screen Gems said: “Every so often a youngster comes along with unusual talent and a capacity for professional growth which is practically a guarantee of stardom in all the entertainment media. In David Jones, we at Screen Gems feel we have a youngster who will soon be one of the nation’s top all-around performers.” Almost two years, to the day, later, David fulfilled that star-studded prediction!
David was nominated for a Tony Award (the Broadway version of the movie’s Oscar Award) for his show-stopped performance in “Oliver!”
In England, David was on a radio program called “This Happy Land.” His part was the longest radio part ever created for a teenager in British radio history!
It’s happened again! I’ve run out of space for this issue. But I’ll continue my memories of David in the next issue of FLIP. It will be on sale October 10th. See you then.
