Jane Withers facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Jane Withers
20th Century Fox studio portrait, 1930s
Born	(1926-04-12)April 12, 1926 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	August 7, 2021(2021-08-07) (aged 95) Burbank, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress radio-show host
Years active	1929–2002
Spouse(s)	William P. Moss Jr. (m. 1947; div. 1954) Kenneth Errair (m. 1955; died 1968)
Children	5
Awards	Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award

Jane Withers (born April 12, 1926 – died August 7, 2021) was an American actress. She also hosted a children's radio show. Jane became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood during the 1930s and early 1940s. Her movies were so popular that they were among the top ten highest-earning films in 1937 and 1938.

She started her career at just three years old. In her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, she hosted her own children's radio program. In 1932, Jane and her mother moved to Hollywood. She appeared as an extra in many films. Her big break came in 1934 in the film Bright Eyes. She played Joy Smythe, a spoiled and difficult girl, opposite Shirley Temple's sweet character.

Jane made 38 films before she stopped acting at age 21 in 1947. She later returned to movies and TV in the 1950s. From 1963 to 1974, she was famous as Josephine the Plumber in TV commercials for Comet cleanser. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she did voice work for Disney animated films. Jane was also known for her kindness and her huge collection of dolls.

Early Life and First Steps in Show Business

Jane Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the only child of Walter and Lavinia Withers. Her mother, Ruth, had always wanted to be an actress. She decided that Jane would go into show business. Ruth even chose the name Jane so it would fit on a movie sign.

Jane's family was very kind and giving. They often invited many orphan children to their home for lunch and fun after church. This spirit of giving stayed with Jane her whole life.

When Jane was two, her mother enrolled her in a tap dance school. She also taught Jane to sing. Jane started her career at age three. She won a local talent contest called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop. She then got a spot on Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue, a children's radio show in Atlanta. On the show, she sang, danced, and did impressions of movie stars. By age 3½, she had her own radio show called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop. On her show, she even interviewed famous people visiting Atlanta.

Moving to Hollywood for Movies

Jane Withers, 1930s

After two years on the radio, Jane's mother took her to Hollywood in 1932. Jane was almost six. Her father stayed in Atlanta and sent them money. In Los Angeles, Jane performed on radio shows for kids. She also did voices for cartoons and worked as a model.

Her first movie role was as an extra in Handle with Care (1932). She was invited to an audition with a friend. The director, David Butler, noticed her. He told her she was different and would be a famous star. Jane appeared in many films as an extra. Sometimes, she even had a line to say. She stood out because she had a short, straight haircut and liked simple, tailored clothes.

Jane's big chance came after two years. She got a supporting role in the Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes (1934). The director, David Butler, asked her to imitate a machine gun. She also impressed the casting director with her impressions. Jane played Joy Smythe, a spoiled and mean character. She was worried that people would dislike her for being mean to Shirley Temple. But the movie was a huge success! Jane said the director told her, "You stole the picture."

After Bright Eyes, Jane signed a seven-year contract with Fox Film Corporation. She even got to choose the crew members who worked on her movies. Her crew was called the "Withers Family." They worked on all her films. Her mother invested money to help Jane learn more skills. These included ice skating, singing, horseback riding, dancing, and even French and Spanish lessons.

Becoming a Child Star

Jane started filming her first main role in Ginger (1935) on her ninth birthday. She received flowers from W. C. Fields and even President Franklin D. Roosevelt that day! She also appeared in The Farmer Takes a Wife and This Is the Life that year.

Throughout the rest of the 1930s, Jane made three to five movies every year. She starred in comedies, dramas, and even a Western. She often got top billing, meaning her name was listed first, even above other famous stars.

Rita Hayworth and Withers in Paddy O'Day (1936)

Jane didn't just memorize her lines. She thought about what they meant and often made up words if she forgot. She was great at imitating other stars. The head of Twentieth Century Fox, Darryl Zanuck, reportedly told her not to do her Shirley Temple impression in public.

Jane also gave ideas to writers and directors. Even when she was young, she would suggest changes to make the dialogue sound more like a child would say it. She even suggested other actors for her films. She helped Rita Hayworth (then Rita Cansino) get a role in Paddy O'Day. At age 13, she helped arrange for Gene Autry to co-star with her in Shooting High (1940).

Jane was the only child star to complete a full seven-year contract. Her films were usually lower-budget movies, which meant they were shown in many more small theaters. This helped her become even more popular. In 1937 and 1938, her films were among the top 10 highest-earning movies. Besides her movie work, Jane also went on tours and earned a lot of money.

Teen Years and New Roles

Glamor portrait, 1940s

In 1938–1939, Jane grew up and became slimmer through healthy eating and exercise. She had her first screen kiss in the 1939 film Boy Friend. In 1940, she made Shooting High with Gene Autry. She also starred in teen movies like High School and The Girl from Avenue A.

However, Jane and her fans felt she was still being given roles meant for younger kids. So, Jane wrote a screenplay for Small Town Deb (1941) under the name Jerrie Walters. She also starred in the film. She explained that the story was about a teenage girl whose mother wouldn't let her grow up. For writing the script, Jane asked the studio to provide scholarships for children to study music and acting. She also asked for pianos for her Sunday school groups.

In 1941, Jane signed another seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. Her last films for Fox were the war drama Young America and the comedy The Mad Martindales, both in 1942.

In 1942, Jane signed a new contract with Republic Pictures. She made several films for them, including Johnny Doughboy (1942) and My Best Gal (1944). Her last film before retiring was Danger Street (1947).

Jane's On-Screen Personality

Jane Withers and Shirley Temple were the two most popular child stars at 20th Century Fox in the 1930s. While Shirley Temple played sweet characters, Jane was often cast as a playful or "tomboy rascal." She was called "America's favorite problem child." Jane's characters often got into trouble and were known for being a bit feisty. A Hollywood writer called Jane "a natural clown."

Jane's energetic personality continued into her teenage roles. She was often seen as the lively, smart-aleck teen.

Family Life and Growing Up in Hollywood

Jane and her mother in April 1939

Even though Jane often played a mischievous character on screen, off-screen she was known as a charming and well-behaved child. Her parents made sure she didn't become spoiled. Her mother, Ruth, explained how they taught Jane to be generous and not self-centered.

For example, when fans sent Jane dolls for her collection, her parents made her give away one doll for every two she received to a child in need. When she bought dolls herself, she had to buy a second one for a less fortunate child. Her earnings from movies were put into special savings accounts. Jane had to use her allowance to buy things she wanted, which often meant saving up for weeks.

Postcard view of the Withers home, 1930–1945

To make sure Jane had a fun childhood, her parents kept her activities supervised and close to home. Jane joined the Girl Scouts, and her parents hosted meetings at their house. The Withers' home was a large property with a swimming pool and a huge playroom. Jane and her Hollywood friends often used it. As she got older, her parents added a beauty salon and a soda fountain for her to entertain friends. Jane also had many pets, including horses, kittens, and even alligators!

Jane's birthday parties were famous and covered by the media every year. For her twelfth birthday, her parents hired a plane to give guests a low-altitude ride. Her thirteenth birthday party had 60 young guests in costumes and was featured in Life magazine. Her "sweet sixteen" party in 1942 was even filmed by Paramount Pictures.

Jane was allowed to go on chaperoned dates in her early teens. By age 16, she could go on solo dates. After a kidnapping threat in 1936, she always had bodyguards with her.

Jane's mother, Ruth, managed all her career dealings. She was usually on set but never interfered with the filming. Jane's father, Walter, worked in furniture sales and stayed out of the movie business.

Jane's Products and Collectibles

Cover of 1940 paper doll book featuring Withers

Jane's parents allowed her name and image to be used for many products. By 1936, there were "Jane Withers Dresses" for girls, handbags, and jewelry. She was the star of popular paper doll books in the late 1930s and 1940s. These later became valuable collectables. She was also featured in several Big Little Books. Many dolls were made to look like her, including four Madame Alexander dolls in 1937.

In the 1940s, Jane was the hero in three mystery novels. These books featured a character named Jane Withers who looked like her but was not exactly her.

Retirement and Return to Acting

In the early 1940s, the popularity of child stars in Hollywood began to fade. Jane's success in comedies also made it hard for her to get serious drama roles. Jane retired from acting at age 21 in 1947. This was shortly after finishing Danger Street and just before her marriage to William Moss. She had starred in 38 films.

After her 21st birthday, Jane gained control of her earnings. Her parents gave her the deed to their home and other properties, all bought with her earnings.

Jane's father passed away the next year. Her mother, Ruth, later remarried.

Returning to Movies and TV

Press photo of Withers in Giant (1956)

In 1955, after her divorce, Jane returned to Los Angeles. She enrolled in film school, hoping to become a director. She returned to acting when director George Stevens asked her to be in his 1956 film Giant.

Her role in Giant led to more acting jobs in movies and on TV. She appeared in episodes of shows like General Electric Theater, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Love Boat, and Murder, She Wrote. Even though she received many offers for TV series and musicals, Jane was financially comfortable. She chose to spend most of her time raising her five children.

Josephine the Plumber: A New Kind of Fame

In the mid-1960s, Jane became famous again as Josephine the Plumber. This was a character in a series of TV commercials for Comet cleanser. In the commercials, Jane wore white work overalls and talked about how well Comet cleaned. These one-minute commercials ran from 1963 to 1974. Jane filmed up to 30 different storylines each year.

Jane put a lot of her own kind and helpful personality into Josephine. She even took a plumbing course to play the part realistically. The money she earned from these long-running commercials helped her pay for all five of her children to go to college.

Jane stopped playing Josephine when her mother became ill. She cared for her mother for eight years. Josephine was called "one of the longest-running continuing characters in TV" by the Los Angeles Times. Before she retired, Jane filmed two commercials introducing a young girl who learned plumbing from "my aunt Josephine."

Voice Acting and Later Years

In the 1990s, Jane did voice acting for Disney animated films. In 1995, she was asked to record lines for Laverne the gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The original voice actress had passed away. Jane played the role again in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002). This was her final film role.

Jane also narrated audiobooks. She was interviewed in many TV shows about the Golden Age of Hollywood. In 2003, a 45-minute A&E Biography special was made about her life.

Jane experienced a long-term illness starting in 1990. She recovered after ten years. In 2007, she began to experience vertigo, which causes dizziness.

Other Interests and Giving Back

Her Amazing Doll Collection

Jane started collecting dolls when she was a young child in Atlanta. Her collection grew very large with gifts from fans. By the early 1940s, she had about 3,500 dolls. By the 1980s, her collection had over 8,000 dolls and 2,500 teddy bears. President Franklin D. Roosevelt even sent her one of his teddy bears!

In the 1980s, Jane planned to build a museum to show her collection. But the plans didn't work out. In 2013, she donated 6,000 of her dolls to a history museum in California.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Jane was involved in helping others throughout her life. As a child star, she visited orphanages and hospitals to perform for other children. In 1937, she made 400 dolls from fabric scraps and gave them to children in need for Christmas.

During World War II, she helped with over 100 war bond drives. She also toured military camps in the U.S. She even sent her personal doll collection on a two-year tour. This tour raised $2.5 million for the U.S. war effort. She asked President Roosevelt to lend her a train. On the train, she displayed her dolls like a museum for children across the country to see.

Jane also donated 800 books from her own library to start the Jane Withers Collection at the Thousand Oaks Library in California.

Awards and Recognition

On November 6, 1939, Jane Withers placed her handprints and signature in the famous forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. On February 8, 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star is located at 6119 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1979, Jane was the first person to receive the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2003, she received a Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center.

Personal Life

Withers and Moss during their engagement

Marriages and Children

In May 1947, Jane announced her engagement to William (Bill) Moss. He was a businessman and film producer from Texas. They married on September 20, 1947. They lived on ranches in Texas and New Mexico and had three children. They separated in April 1953. Jane was granted a divorce in July 1954, citing difficulties in their marriage. She received a large financial settlement and full custody of their children. During this time, Jane was hospitalized for five months with a serious illness that made it hard for her to move. She fully recovered.

Withers and Errair on their wedding day, 1955

In October 1955, Jane married singer Kenneth Errair. They had two more children together. In June 1968, Kenneth died in a plane crash. One of Jane's sons later passed away from cancer.

Faith

Jane was a very religious person. Like her parents, she belonged to the Presbyterian Church. She taught Sunday school at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.