Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show hostess. She became one of the most popular
child stars in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938.
She began her entertainment career at the age of three and, during the
Golden Age of Radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...
, hosted her own children's radio program in her home city of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia. In 1932, she and her mother moved to Hollywood, where she appeared as an extra in many films until landing her breakthrough role as the spoiled, obnoxious Joy Smythe opposite
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
's angelic orphan Shirley Blake in the 1934 film ''
Bright Eyes''. She made 38 films before retiring at age 21 in 1947.
[ She returned to film and television as a ]character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
in the 1950s. From 1963 to 1974, she portrayed the character Josephine the Plumber in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she did voice work for Disney animated films. She was interviewed in numerous documentary retrospectives of the Golden Age of Hollywood
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...
. She was also known for her philanthropy and her extensive doll collection.
Early life
Jane Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia, the only child of Walter Edward Withers and Lavinia Ruth (née Elble) Withers. Ruth had had her own aspirations to be an actress denied by her parents.[ She determined before Jane was born that she would have one daughter who would go into show business, and chose the name Jane so that "even with a long last name like Withers, it would fit on a marquee".] Ruth taught Sunday school and Walter taught Bible classes in their local Presbyterian church
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
. The family recited blessings at mealtime and devoted themselves to charitable works, which stayed with Jane her entire life. Both in Atlanta and in Hollywood, the family would invite "six busloads of orphan children" to come to their home after church and Sunday school for lunch and afternoon entertainment.
When Jane was two, Ruth enrolled her in a tap dance
Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
,[ and also taught her to sing.][ Jane launched her entertainment career at the age of three][ after winning a local amateur contest called ''Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop''.] She was cast on ''Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue'', a Saturday-morning children's program broadcast on WGST radio in Atlanta, in which she sang, danced, and did impersonations of film stars such as W. C. Fields, ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent film drama film, dramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic ''Greed (1924 film), Greed'', along wi ...
, Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...
, Fanny Brice
Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...
, Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.
Some of h ...
, and Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras.
Regarded as one of the g ...
.[ At age 3½ she had her own radio show called ''Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop'', where she also interviewed celebrities who were visiting Atlanta.]
Move to Hollywood
After two years of her radio work, Ruth took Jane to Hollywood before her sixth birthday in 1932 to explore opportunities in film. Walter remained in Atlanta, sending them $100 a month on which to live.[ In Los Angeles, Jane performed on children's shows on KFWB radio,][ did cartoon voice-overs, and also modeled.][ She got her first film role as an extra when their neighbor invited her to come along for her daughter's interview for '' Handle with Care'' (1932). Withers stood to the side while the other children interviewed with director David Butler. The assistant director came over and asked her why she was not standing with the others. "Sir, I was not invited to the interview. I came with our friends", she replied. The assistant director told her that Butler had seen her and wanted her to interview as well. ''Handle with Care'' was Withers's first film appearance, though she and all the children were photographed with their backs to the camera.
Withers subsequently appeared in many films as an uncredited extra, though occasionally she had a line of dialogue. She stood out from the other girls at auditions because of her appearance: she had a Dutchboy bob and preferred tailored clothes to frilly dresses. "Every interview I ever went on I was the only one with a tailored dress, with straight bangs and straight haircut, and no curls and no frills", she recalled. Butler was the first to notice this about her. He told her, "You're different than any other kid that I've ever seen in Hollywood. You've got a special quality and someday you are going to be a famous little star".
Withers was working as an extra on '']It's a Gift
''It's a Gift'' is a 1934 American comedy film starring W.C. Fields. It was Fields's 16th sound film and his fifth in 1934 alone.
The film concerns the trials and tribulations of a grocer as he battles a shrewish wife, an incompetent assista ...
'' (1934), when W. C. Fields selected her from a group of juvenile extras to do a pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
hopscotch
Hopscotch is a playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a children's ...
scene with him. Afterwards, he praised her timing and called over her mother to compliment her on Jane's talent and predict that she would go far.
Withers's big break came two years after she started working as an extra,[ when she landed a supporting role in the ]Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
film ''Bright Eyes'' (also 1934), also directed by Butler.[ On her interview, Butler asked her if she could imitate a machine gun, and she gave it a try.] She also charmed the casting director with her impersonations. Her character, Joy Smythe, is spoiled and obnoxious, a perfect foil for Temple's sweet personality. Withers was concerned that filmgoers would hate her for being so mean to Temple, but the film was a box-office hit. Withers said that director Butler confided to her, "You stole the picture".
After filming wrapped, Withers signed a seven-year contract with Fox Film Corporation
The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...
. Included in her contract was the right to choose the crew members who would work on her productions. Her crew, dubbed the "Withers Family", worked on all her subsequent films.[
After Withers signed her contract with Fox, her mother invested $10,000 into developing additional skills to improve her versatility as an actress, with the intention of spending $20,000 over an eight-year period.] This included "ice skating lessons, voice training, horsemanship, dancing, French, Spanish, and swimming lessons".[
]
Child stardom
Withers began filming her first starring vehicle, ''Ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
'' (1935), on her ninth birthday. She received two baskets of flowers on the set that day—one from Fields, to whom she had written about her casting in ''Bright Eyes'', and one from President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, who had seen her impersonate him on a newsreel.[ The same year, she appeared in a brief role in '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' and then starred in '' This Is the Life''. Her day of filming in ''The Farmer Takes a Wife'' coincided with ]Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image.
Bo ...
's screen debut, and noticing his nervousness, she encouraged him and offered a prayer for his success.
Throughout the remainder of the 1930s, Withers appeared in three to five films per year. In 1936, she starred in '' Paddy O'Day'', '' Gentle Julia'', '' Little Miss Nobody'', and '' Pepper''. In 1937, she performed in comedies, dramas, and a Western with lead roles in '' The Holy Terror'', '' Angel's Holiday'', ''Wild and Woolly Wild and Woolly may refer to:
* Wild and Woolly (1917 film), an American silent Western comedy film
* Wild and Woolly (1932 film), a short animated film
* Wild and Woolly (1937 film), an American Western film
* Wild and Wooly, a 1978 comedy/west ...
'', '' Can This Be Dixie?'', ''45 Fathers
''45 Fathers'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by James Tinling, written by Frances Hyland and Albert Ray, and starring Jane Withers, Thomas Beck (actor), Thomas Beck, Louise Henry (actress), Louise Henry, Richard Carle, Nella Walker, and ...
'', and ''Checkers
Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...
''. In 1938, she filmed three comedies for Fox: '' Rascals'', '' Keep Smiling'', and '' Always in Trouble''. In 1939 she appeared in four more comedy roles: '' The Arizona Wildcat'', '' Boy Friend'', '' Chicken Wagon Family'', and '' Pack Up Your Troubles''. Withers often received top billing even over other established stars.[
Withers did not memorize her lines verbatim, but tried to think about them and draw out the "sense" from them; she often ad-libbed when she lost her way in a scene.][ A natural mimic, she did impersonations of film celebrities both on and off the set.][ Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public.
Withers freely gave her input to screenwriters and directors. From a young age, she sat in on writers' conferences to suggest changes in dialogue that would be more appropriate for a child to say. She also suggested the casting of other actors for her films, including ]Jackie Searl
John E. Searl (July 7, 1921 – April 29, 1991) was an American actor. He portrayed bratty kids in several films, and often had only small roles, such as "Robin Figg" in 1934's '' Strictly Dynamite''.
Early years
His name is sometimes written ...
, whom she had met at auditions, and 16-year-old Rita Cansino (later renamed Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...
), whom she had observed dancing on an adjoining sound stage and recommended for a supporting role in ''Paddy O'Day''. At age 13, she took the initiative to make a film with Gene Autry
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...
by acting as a go-between between 20th Century Fox studio head Joseph M. Schenck and Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
head Herbert J. Yates. Though neither studio was willing to loan their star player to the other, Withers suggested that Fox send three other contract players to Republic Pictures in exchange for Autry, who was paid $25,000 to co-star with Withers in '' Shooting High'' (1940).
Withers was the only child star to complete a seven-year contract.[ Studio contracts generally included a series of six-month option periods when the studio could terminate the agreement should the actor's films stop making money.] Since all but one of her films were low-budget B movie
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
s,[ the studio held Withers to a lower standard than an A-movie actor whose films would cost the studio much more money.][ Additionally, the lower rental fees for Withers's B movies allowed her films to be screened in many more small theaters, expanding Withers's popularity. In 1937 and 1938, Withers's films made the top 10 list in box-office gross receipts. In addition to her studio contract, Withers made personal appearance tours for which she received $5,000 a week.][
]
Teen years
In 1938–1939, Withers shed her childhood pudginess through healthy eating and stretching exercises, slimming down to and a size-12 dress. She had her first screen kiss in the 1939 film ''Boy Friend''.[ In 1940 she filmed ''Shooting High'' with co-star ]Gene Autry
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...
, and starred in the teen films ''High School
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
'', '' The Girl from Avenue A'', and '' Youth Will Be Served''. But she and her fans grew dissatisfied with the juvenile roles being offered her as she matured.[ Under the pseudonym Jerrie Walters, Withers wrote the screenplay for '' Small Town Deb'' (1941), in which she also starred.][ Withers explained in a 2003 interview that "her own experiences of not being allowed by the studio to grow up were translated into the story of a teenage girl whose 'mother isn't allowing her to grow up, to be herself and to find herself'".][ As payment for the script, Withers requested that the studio provide fifteen $1,500 scholarships for children to study music and acting, and two upright pianos, for her Sunday school groups.
In 1941, Withers signed her second seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. She was set to earn $2,750 a week in the first year of the contract and $3,000 per week in the second year.] Her other films this year for 20th Century Fox were comedies: '' Golden Hoofs'' and '' A Very Young Lady''. Her last films for Fox were the war drama '' Young America'' and the comedy film '' The Mad Martindales'', both in 1942. She also made '' Her First Beau'' (1941) for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
.[
In 1942, Withers signed a three-year, $225,000 contract with ]Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
. Her Republic films were '' Johnny Doughboy'' (1942), '' My Best Gal'' and '' Faces in the Fog'' (both 1944), and '' Affairs of Geraldine'' (1946). Her other films in the 1940s were '' The North Star'' (1943) for RKO Pictures
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...
and '' Danger Street'' (1947) for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
.
Screen persona
Withers and Shirley Temple were the two most popular child stars signed to 20th Century Fox in the 1930s. In contrast to Temple's cute and charming characters, Withers was usually cast as a mischievous little girl or "a tomboy rascal", leading to her being described as "America's favorite problem child". Zierold noted that Withers's characters are "often in trouble, or 'fixes', and prone to brawls". Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons
Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide.
She ...
described Withers as "a natural clown". As a child, Withers's "stocky and sturdy" build and straight black hair also contrasted with Temple's "pudgy but delicate" figure and blonde ringlets. Both Withers and Temple usually played orphans and had a transformative effect on those around them. But while Temple was cared for by father figures, Withers was usually under the protection of uncles, both real and imaginary; according to Pamela Wojcik, author of ''Fantasies of Neglect: Imagining the Urban Child in American Film and Fiction'', this introduced the narrative of queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
ness through alternative family structures.
Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. According to Farley Granger, Withers was "cast as the obnoxious, smart-aleck teen as opposed to Deanna Durbin
Edna May Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born American soprano and actress, who moved to the U.S. from Canada with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1 ...
's or Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
's plucky and adorable adolescent".
Parents and home life
While Withers typically played a brat onscreen, off-screen she was said to be "one of Hollywood's most charming and well-behaved juveniles". Her parents closely supervised her upbringing to make sure she did not grow up spoiled or entitled. In a 1942 newspaper article, Ruth described how she and her husband encouraged Jane to develop a generous personality and avoid the egotism and self-centeredness that a child star might accrue as the object of adoring fans and studio "sycophants".[
For example, as Withers began to receive gifts of dolls from fans to add to her collection, her parents insisted that for every two dolls she received, she give away one to a needy child. When she began to purchase dolls to build the collection further, her parents mandated that she should use her allowance money to buy duplicate dolls for less fortunate children.][ Her earnings from film roles were invested in trust funds and ]annuities
In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...
; Withers had to use her allowance money to buy things she wanted for herself, which often meant saving up for weeks. In 1938, her allowance was reported as $5 a week;[ this was raised to $10 a week in 1941.][
To ease the pressured life of a child star, Withers' parents made sure she also had fun, but kept her activities supervised and close to home. Withers joined the Girl Scouts and her parents hosted the meeting in their home. The Withers' home, a ][ ]model home
A show house, also called a model home or display home, is a "display" version of manufactured homes, or houses in a subdivision. They are used on newly built developments to show the living space and features of homes available. Show homes are ...
at 10731 Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
they bought in 1936, was equipped with a swimming pool, badminton court, and a -long playroom that saw frequent use by Withers and her fellow Hollywood child actors. Her afternoon swim parties continued into her teens and were the subject of many a fan magazine. When she became a teenager, her parents built a second-floor addition that included a beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, and Day spa#Medical spa, medical spas.
Beauty treatme ...
and soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The machine combines flavored syrup or syrup concentrat ...
where Withers could entertain her friends. As a child, she also accumulated a menagerie of two horses, three kittens, "eight turtles, three baby alligators, 24 white Leghorn chickens, 12 turkeys, 2 Chinese hens", a rooster, six bantams, two ducks, seven frogs, and six dogs. At the family's cabin in Lake Arrowhead, where they vacationed on weekends and holidays, Withers had two motorbikes and a boat.
Withers' birthday parties, described as "the social event of the season for movietown's small fry", were annually covered by the media.[ For her twelfth birthday, her parents hired a 21-seat cargo plane for $18,000 to give party guests a low-altitude ride.][ Withers' thirteenth birthday party saw 60 young guests come in costume and participate in a balloon dance and ]jitterbug
Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe Swing (dance), swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the Jive (dance), jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, Charleston (dance), charlesto ...
contest; this party earned a two-page pictorial spread in ''Life
Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' magazine. Withers's " sweet sixteen" party in 1942, with 150 invited guests and a hayride and barn dance on the program, was filmed by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
for the ''Hedda Hopper
Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...
's Hollywood'' series.[ The short was transferred to ]16 mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...
for viewing by U.S. troops overseas during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Withers had her eighteenth birthday party at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
with a circus theme and invited U.S. servicemen and their dates to be her guests. Her twenty-first birthday party was planned for a nightclub with 200 guests, but after she came down with the flu, Withers instead served cake and ice cream and watched movies in her personal suite at home with 12 close friends.[
Withers was allowed to go on chaperoned dates with boys of her age in her early teens;][ by age 16 she was permitted to go on solo dates. After a 1936 kidnapping threat, she was always accompanied by round-the-clock bodyguards.
During Withers' first 15 years in film, Ruth "handled all negotiations with producers, supervised publicity, ndcompletely managed Jane's off-screen life".] However, Ruth was not a typical stage mother. She was usually present on the sound stage but did not watch Jane film her scenes; nor did she ever issue instructions or objections to studio personnel. Walter Withers did not involve himself in the movie business at all, but worked as a representative for a California wholesale furniture company.
Product licensing
Withers' parents licensed her name and image to numerous product lines.[ As early as 1936, her name was affixed to a line of "Jane Withers Dresses" for girls, and girls' handbags and jewelry were also branded with her name. She was the star of best-selling paper doll books issued by Whitman Publishing, Saalfield Publishing, and ]Dell
Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...
in the late 1930s and 1940s, which later became popular collectable
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any Physical object, object regarded as being of value or interest to a collecting, collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types ...
s. She was also featured in several Big Little Books published by Whitman Publishing. Numerous dolls were made in her likeness,[ including four Madame Alexander dolls in 1937 ranging in height from .
In the 1940s, Withers was featured as the heroine of three mystery novels published by Whitman Publishing, which produced 16 authorized editions featuring notable film actresses of that era.][ The books ''Jane Withers and the Hidden Room'' (1942) by Eleanor Packer and ''Jane Withers and the Phantom Violin'' (1943) by Roy J. Snell][ "featured a character who looked like Jane Withers and was named Jane Withers but was not Jane Withers". ''Jane Withers and the Swamp Wizard'' (1944) by Kathryn Heisenfelt] was said to "star some version of the real Jane Withers". The books were reprinted by Literary Licensing in the 21st century.
Retirement at age 21
In the early 1940s, Hollywood's child-star genre that had catapulted Withers to fame was on the decline.[ Her popularity in comedy films also hindered her acceptance as a dramatic actress in films such as ''The North Star'' (1943).][ Withers retired from film at age 21 in 1947, shortly after completing ''Danger Street'' and nine days before her marriage to William Moss, a Texas entrepreneur and film producer.][ She had starred in 38 films.][
A month after Jane's twenty-first birthday, her mother Ruth appeared in a ]California Superior Court
Superior courts in California are the State court (United States), state trial courts with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a governm ...
and listed her daughter's assets as $40,401.85 (). The judge turned the property over to Jane's control. The same month, her parents turned over to her the deed to their home, valued at $250,000 (), and other real estate worth $75,000, plus annuities totaling $10,000, all purchased from Withers's earnings.
Her father died the following year. Ruth remarried to Louis D. Boonshaft, a physician.[
]
Return to the screen and television work
In 1955, a year after her divorce, Withers returned to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and enrolled in the University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
film school with the intention of becoming a director.[ She returned to the screen when ]George Stevens
George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''A Place in the Sun (1951 film), A Place in the Sun'' (1951) ...
asked her to take a supporting role in his 1956 film ''Giant''. In 2006, Withers participated in a 50th-anniversary screening of the film for 700 attendees in Marfa, Texas
Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, United States, between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, at an elevation of 4685 feet. It is the county seat of Presidio County, Texas, Presidio County. The ci ...
, where location shooting had taken place.[
Her performance in ''Giant'' led to more work as a character actor in both film and television.][ She appeared in television episodes of '']Pete and Gladys
''Pete and Gladys'' is an American television sitcom starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS every Monday at 8:00 pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was broad ...
'';[ '']General Electric Theater
''General Electric Theater'' is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
Radio
After an audition show ...
'';[ '']The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 a ...
''; ''The Love Boat
''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
''; and ''Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''.[ Though she received "dozens of offers" to do television series as well as stage musicals such as '']Mame
MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to emulate the hardware of arcade games, video game consoles, old computers and other systems in software on modern personal computers and ...
''; '' Hello, Dolly!''; and '' No, No, Nanette'', Withers was financially comfortable and chose to spend most of her time raising her children.
Josephine the Plumber fame
In the mid-1960s, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser.[ Dressed in white work overalls and positioned near a sink, "Josephine" touted Comet's stain-removing ability as superior to other cleansers. The one-minute spots, which ran from 1963 to 1974, involved Withers in up to 30 storylines per year.][
Withers invested much of her own personality into the character of Josephine, making her friendly, caring, and helpful.][ She also selected the type of work clothes a woman plumber would wear based on what she herself wore at home.][ She took a course in ]plumbing
Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...
to play her part realistically. Her earnings from the long-running commercial helped her pay for a college education for all five of her children.
Withers retired as Josephine after her mother Ruth was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She cared for her mother for eight years until Ruth's death in 1983. The character of Josephine was described by the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' as being "one of the longest-running continuing characters in TV." Before retiring, Withers filmed two installments of the commercial introducing a young girl who had learned everything she knew about plumbing from "my aunt Josephine".
Stage work
In late 1944, Withers made her stage debut in the musical comedy '' Glad To See You'' directed by Busby Berkeley
Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...
. The show, intended for Broadway, closed after seven weeks of tryouts in Philadelphia and Boston. Withers sang the Jule Styne
Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...
-Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premie ...
torch song " Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" written for the play; this was soon after covered by Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
and Kate Smith and became a jazz and pop standard.
In 1971, Withers co-starred in the Broadway musical comedy ''Sure, Sure, Shirley'' which also brought Shirley Temple Black out of retirement. The performance, which featured a tap dancing sequence with 50 chorus dancers, was staged as an opening-night benefit for diabetics.
Voice work
In the 1990s, Withers did voice acting for Disney animated films.[ In 1995, she was asked to record several lines of dialogue in imitation of the vocal patterns of Mary Wickes, who had recorded the voice of Laverne the ]gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
in '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1996) and had died during post-production. Withers reprised the role in '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame II'' (2002).
Withers narrated audiobooks
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
, including a reading of ''Why Not Try God?'' by Mary Pickford
Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
which was distributed through a Southern California religious organization.
In the 1990s, she was interviewed on numerous television documentary retrospectives of the Golden Age of Hollywood
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...
. She herself was profiled in a 45-minute A&E Biography which aired in 2003.
In 1990, Withers began experiencing symptoms of lupus
Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
. She suffered from the disease over ten years, after which she went into remission. She began experiencing vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
in 2007.
Other activities
Doll collection
Withers began collecting dolls as a young child in Atlanta. The collection, enlarged by contributions from her fans, grew into one of the largest in the world.[ By the early 1940s, the collection was estimated at 3,500 dolls.][ By the 1980s, the collection numbered more than 8,000 dolls and 2,500 teddy bears.][ Withers purchased some of the dolls herself and received presents from fans; President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent her one of his teddy bears and First Lady ]Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
contributed a French doll she had received as a child.[
In the 1980s, Withers announced plans to build a $1 million museum in ]Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, to display her collection, then stored in a warehouse.[ But the plans fell through and the dolls, along with crates of Hollywood film memorabilia that Withers had also collected during her film career or purchased at auction, continued to be warehoused.][ In 2004, the '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reported Withers had distributed more than 42,000 items for safekeeping among friends. A small part of the doll collection was sold at auction, and Withers participated in tours of her collection held in conjunction with these auctions.[ In 2013, she donated 6,000 of her dolls to a history museum in California.][
]
Philanthropy
Withers engaged in philanthropy throughout her life. As a child star, she visited orphanages and hospitals to perform for other children.[ In 1937, she created 400 dolls using scraps she had recovered from the 20th Century Fox wardrobe department and gave them to needy children at Christmas.][ During World War II, she participated in more than 100 ]war bond
War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...
drives and soldiers' camp tours in the United States.[ She also sent her personal doll collection—then numbering some 3,500 dolls—on a two-year tour which raised $2.5 million in funds for the U.S. war effort through 10-cent war savings stamp admissions.] She involved President Roosevelt in this initiative, requesting from him the loan of a train on which she had the dolls arranged in museum-like displays to be seen by children across the country.
Withers donated 800 books from her personal library to start the Jane Withers Collection at the Thousand Oaks Library in Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...
.
Affiliations
Withers was active in dozens of charities.[ She served as a board member of the local branch of the ]American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''.
History
The society w ...
and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is a chamber of commerce located in Hollywood, Los Angeles. As a local chamber, the organization promotes business interests in its area, but it is best known for holding the trademarks and licensing rights for ...
, and was instrumental in the development of the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
.[
]
Recognition
On November 6, 1939, Withers was invited to place her handprints and signature in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known as the Chinese colloquially and officially billed as TCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is a movie palace on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...
. On February 8, 1960, she was recognized for her contribution to film with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6119 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...
.
In 1979, Withers was the first recipient of the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1st Youth in Film Awards
The 1st Youth in Film Awards ceremony (now known as the Young Artist Awards), presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers in the fields of film, television and music for the 1978–1979 season, and took place ...
ceremony.
In 2003, she was the recipient of a Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center, a non-profit education and service organization.[
]
Personal life
Marriages and children
In May 1947, Withers announced her engagement to William (Bill) Moss, a Texas entrepreneur and film producer, after a two-year courtship. They married on September 20, 1947. The couple lived on ranches in Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
[ with their three children. They separated in April 1953 and Withers was granted a ]divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
in July 1954, citing her husband's "excessive drinking and gambling".[ She received a $1 million property settlement, including monthly alimony and child support, trust fund and insurance fund for the children, and a half-interest in Texas oil fields owned by Moss, as well as full custody of the children.][ Suffering from emotional strain over the impending divorce, Withers was hospitalized for five months in 1953 with severe ]rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...
and developed complete paralysis
Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...
. She recovered with no lasting effects.
In October 1955, Withers remarried, to singer Kenneth Errair of The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends close and open harmony, open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the Barbershop music, ...
, with whom she had two more children.[ In June 1968, Errair died in a plane crash near Bass Lake, California.] One of Withers's sons later died of cancer.[
]
Religion
Withers was a devout Christian.[ Like her parents, she belonged to the ]Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
.[ She taught Sunday school at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church together with the actresses Eleanor Powell and Gloria Stewart. She was a trustee of the Church of Religious Science in Los Angeles.][
]
Death
Withers died in Burbank, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, on August 7, 2021, at the age of 95.
Filmography
References
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Further reading
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External links
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"Jane Withers Displays Talent"
British Movietone newsreel, August 31, 1936
"Jane Withers, Mary Martin – 1981 TV Interview"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Jane
1926 births
2021 deaths
American film actresses
American child actresses
American child models
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Actresses from Atlanta
20th Century Studios contract players
American Presbyterians
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses