Joan Rice in Wonderland

 

Joan Rice at the premiere of Alice in Wonderland in 1951

On the evening of Thursday, July 26th 1951, Joan Rice (1930-1997) attended the premiere of Walt Disney's latest animated masterpiece, Alice in Wonderland at London's Leicester Square Theatre.

Joan was now a Disney princess. Her film career had been sprinkled with pixie dust. Walt had personally picked Joan himself to play the part Maid Marian in his live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). Walt Disney had visited the film set at Denham Studios a month earlier and met some of the stars and crew. By now the film 'was in the can'. So Joan's film career was about to take off.

Later, Joan would tell her friends that she was Walt Disney's first Maid Marian.

Michael Medwin and Joan Rice in 'Curtain Up'

In the autumn of 1951, Joan began filming the comedy Curtain Up for an independent production company, Constellation Films. The following year she would fly off to Hollywood and then on to Fiji for the filming of His Majesty O'Keefe alongside Burt Lancaster. But, as we know, Joan's meteoric rise would sadly not last.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Joan Rice, there are now over 100 posts about her life and career. Just click on the label 'Joan Rice.'