Jane Withers was born on April 12 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia. She was only four years old when she was already singing and dancing and doing celebrity impersonations. She was cast on the Saturday morning children's radio program Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue on WGST in Atlanta. Eventually she had her own radio show, Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop.
It was when Jane Withers was six years old that her family moved to Hollywood. She modelled for department stores and played bit parts in such movies as Handle with Care (1932) and Tailspin Tommy (1934). It was in 1934 that she was cast in a supporting role in Bright Eyes. She received her first lead role with Ginger in 1935. Her career flourished in the 1930s, as she appeared in the movies The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), This is the Life (1935), Paddy O'Day (1935), Gentle Julia (1936), Little Miss Nobody (1936), Pepper (1936), Can This Be Dixie? (1936), The Holy Terror (1937), Angel's Holiday (1937), Wild and Wooly (1937), 45 Fathers (1937), Checkers (1937), Rascals (1938), Keep Smiling (1938), Always in Trouble (1938), The Arizona Wildcat (1939), Boy Friend (1939), Chicken Wagon Family (1939), Pack Up Your Troubles (1939), High School (1940), Shooting High (1940), Girl From Avenue A (1940), and You Will Be Served. Jane Withers would become the only child star to finish a seven year contract. It was a mark of her success that Jane Withers was heavily merchandised. There were Jane Withers dresses, jewellery, paper doll books, handbags, and more.
In the Forties Jane Withers appeared in the movies Golden Hoofs (1941), Her First Beau (1941), A Very Young Lady (1941), Young America (1942), The Mad Martindales (1942), Small Town Debs (1942), Johnny Doughboy (1942), The North Star (1943), My Best Gal (1944), Faces in the Fog (1944), Affairs of Geraldine (1946), and Danger Street (1947). She retired not long after completing Danger Street and before her marriage.
In 1954 Jane Withers got a divorce and she returned to acting in Giant (1956). She also appeared in the movie The Heart is a Rebel (1958). Miss Withers appeared on television in The United States Steel Hour, Peck's Bad Girl, and Bachelor Father.
It was in 1963 that Jane Withers first appeared as Josephine the Plumber in commercials for Comet cleanser. She would continue to appear on the role until 1975. She appeared on television in the shows The Aquanauts, General Electric Theatre, Pete and Gladys, Bachelor Father, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Summer Playhouse, and The Munsters. She appeared in the movies The Right Approach (1961) and Captain Newman, M.D. (1963).
In the Seventies Jane Withers appeared on television in the TV movie All Together Now, ABC Weekend Specials, and The Love Boat. In he Eighties she appeared on television in the TV show Hart to Hart. In the Nineties she appeared on the TV shows Murder, She Wrote and Amazing Grace, and provided additional voices for Mickey Mouse Works. She provided a voice for the Disney animated movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). On television in the Naughts she provided voices for the TV show House of Mouse.
Jane Withers attended the TCM Classic Film Festival multiple times. She also granted several interviews over the years.
Jane Withers was a remarkable actress, both as a child and as an adult. As a child she generally played mischievous little girls or tomboys, in sharp contrast to fellow child star Shirley Temple's sugary sweet characters. Even as a teenager she often played the smart-alecky kid who was prone to get into trouble. As an adult she was the consummate character actress. In Giant she played Vashti Hake Snythe, the Benedicts' flamboyant neighbour who enjoyed spending the fortune she had earned from oil. In the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "How to Get Rid of Your Wife," Miss Withers played a wife so verbally abusive that her husband plots to get rid of her. In The Munsters episode "Pike's Pique" she played Fanny Pike, the somewhat paranoid wife of city official Borden T. Pike. Of course, she spent years playing Josephine the Plumber. Josephine was a lot like Miss Withers in real life; helpful and friendly. Jane Witheers took the role very seriously, even taking a course in plumbing.
While Jane Withers often played a brat on screen, in real life she was one of the nicest people one could meet. Starting in childhood, she had an extensive doll collection. When fans started sending the child star dolls, her parents required her to give one doll away to a needy child for every two she received. The generosity her parents taught her remained with her for the rest of her life. At the height of her career as a child star she was known to visit hospitals and orphanages. During World War II she not only took part in war bond drives, but toured military camps in the United States. Miss Withers was involved in dozens of charities. Having attended the TCM Classic Film Festival, I know several people who met Jane Withers in person. All of them have the same thing to say about her. She was one of the kindest, sweetest people one could ever meet, and gifted with a wonderful sense of humour. The height of Jane Withers's stardom may have been in the Thirties, but for many she remained a star for the entirety of her life.
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