A beloved supporting player of American sitcoms, Ann B Davis was often cast as spinsters, yet brought good cheer and demonstrated keen comic timing. One generation reveres her as Schultzy, Bob Cummings' lovelorn assistant on "The Bob Cummings Show/Love That Bob" (CBS, 1955-61), for which she won two Supporting Actress Emmy awards. Still another has turned her into an icon as Alice, the housekeeper and mistress of the corny quip, on "The Brady Bunch" (ABC, 1969-74) and its subsequent revival series, "The Brady Bunch Hour" (ABC, 1977), "The Brady Brides" (NBC, 1981) and "The Bradys" (CBS, 1990).
Davis began as a stage actress upon graduating from the University of Michigan, first with an Erie, PA, stock company, and then in such California towns as Porterville, Yosemite and Monterey. She reached Hollywood in 1954 and acted in local productions and revues, where she was spotted by casting directors and won the role of Charmaine 'Schultzy' Schultz. Davis went on to have regular berths on the summer variety series "The Keefe Braselle Show" (CBS, 1963), and "The John Forsythe Show" (NBC, 1965-66). On the latter, she played Miss Wilson, the never-been-wed, never-been-kissed physical education teacher.
In between her series work, Davis occasionally returned to the theater, including a brief run as the princess (a role originated by Carol Burnett) in "Once Upon a Mattress". In the early 70s, she was featured in the national tour of "No, No, Nanette" as the wisecracking maid (played by Patsy Kelly in the Broadway revival) and two decades later played a society matron in both the national tour and Broadway production of the Tony-winning "Crazy for You".
On the big screen, Davis had generally been relegated to cameo appearances as in her debut (as herself) in "Pepe" (1960), "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" (1994, again as herself) and as a truck driver who convinces middle daughter Jan not to run away in "The Brady Bunch Movie" (1995). Additionally, she supported Doris Day and Rock Hudson in "Lover Come Back" and was in the ensemble cast in "All Hands on Deck" (both 1961).
Davis further capitalized on her Brady fame by publishing "Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook" in 1994.