Here is the biography of Janie Withers:
Janie Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Walter and Lavinia Ruth (Elble) Withers. She was a natural performer, taking singing and dancing lessons by the age of three and starring on her own radio program in Atlanta by the time she was four. She was a talented mimic, able to impersonate famous stars like W.C. Fields, Marie Dressler, and Charles Chaplin.
Withers began her career in show business at a young age, modeling in shows, entertaining at benefits, and making extra work at studios while waiting for her big break. She won her first major role at age eight, playing the spoiled and obnoxious brat who terrorizes Shirley Temple in Twentieth Century-Fox's Bright Eyes (1934).
Over the next seven years, Withers became the star of close to 50 "B" level films, often playing rambunctious and full of kinetic energy. Her talents for impersonating movie stars were utilized in many of her films, including the title role in Ginger (1935),in which she imitated the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Withers's early success was followed by a series of films throughout the late 1930s, including Pepper (1936),Angel's Holiday (1937),and Paddy O'Day (1936). She ended 1937 with a bang, being named one of Motion Picture's Poll's "Top Ten" (#6) box office favorites.
The early 1940s saw Withers face the challenge of transitioning from child star to adult actress. She received her first screen kiss at age 13 in Boy Friend (1939) and was singled out for her work in The Ritz Brothers' Pack Up Your Troubles (1939). However, Withers's antics did not play as well, and the studio began to lose interest. In 1942, Withers was let go by Twentieth Century-Fox, along with Shirley Temple.
Withers signed a three-year picture deal with Republic Pictures, but her results were lukewarm. Her best dramatic role at that time came with The North Star (1943). In 1947, Withers married a wealthy Texas oil man, William Moss, and had three children by him. The marriage was not happy and lasted only six years.
Withers suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and remarried in 1955 to Kenneth Errair, one-quarter of the harmonizing group "The Four Freshmen." They had two children, Ken and Kendall Jane. Withers also attempted a Hollywood comeback, studying directing at the USC film school and meeting producer/director George Stevens, who cast her in the epic-sized Giant (1956) alongside Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.
Withers's TV career was highly successful, with her decades-long job as the dress-downed Josephine the Plumber pushing Comet cleanser making her a popular household name. She made guest appearances on various TV shows, including The Munsters (1964),The Love Boat (1977),Murder, She Wrote (1984),and Hart to Hart (1979).
Withers was known for her strong spiritualism and charitable contributions, and her buoyant, indefatigable nature remained infectious even in her later years. She continued to work in TV and film, doing voiceover work for Disney's animated features and making occasional appearances at interviews and convention signings.
