Josephine the Plumber
| Jane Withers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 12, 1926 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, model, singer |
| Years active | 1929–2002 |
| Spouse(s) | William P. Moss Jr. (m.1947–1955; divorced) Kenneth Errair (m.1955–1968; his death) |
| Children | 5 |
| Awards |
★ Hollywood Walk of Fame ★ Young Artist Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award |
Jane Withers (born April 12, 1926) is an American actress, model, and singer. Beginning a prolific career as a child actress at the age of three, Withers is a Young Artist Award–Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award honoree, best known for being one of the most popular child film stars of the 1930s and early 1940s, as well as for her portrayal of "Josephine the Plumber" in a series of TV commercials for Comet cleanser in the 1960s and early 1970s and probably best known for playing the obnoxious Joy Smythe in the movie she paired with Shirley Temple, Bright Eyes. Also a singer, she debuted the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn torch song "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" in 1944 in Glad To See You, a musical intended for Broadway which closed out of town in Philadelphia.
Withers was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Ruth and Walter Withers who taught Bible class at the local Presbyterian church. Her mother gave her the name Jane so it would fit on a marquee. She began her career as a child actress at the age of three, first on local radio broadcasts in Atlanta as Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop. In the early 1930s, Withers and her mother moved to Hollywood where she worked as a child model and a bit part player in several films in 1932 and 1933. Her big break came when she landed a supporting role in the 1934 Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes. Her character Joy Smythe was spoiled and obnoxious, a perfect foil to Temple's sweet personality.
Through the remainder of the 1930s, Withers starred in several movies every year, including Ginger (1935), Paddy O'Day (1935), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), and Little Miss Nobody (1936). She was usually cast as a wholesome, meddlesome young girl in films less sugary than Temple's vehicles. Moviegoers flocked to see her films, and Withers became one of the top 10 box-office stars in 1937 and 1938. Her popularity was such that Fox gave her "name" co-stars: the Ritz Brothers (in Pack Up Your Troubles) and Gene Autry (in Shooting High).
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