Jane Withers, That Scamp!
This Tuesday blog series has been about books which became movies. Today we are doing movies which led to books which became movies and then we end up on television. As she did onscreen all her life, the lengthy show business career of Jane Withers has shaken up the system here.
In the case of actress Jane Withers, she was a child star, a highly-marketed celebrity, a young crooner, then of a many unemployable former child stars. But then almost got an Oscar nod for a supporting role in a now-classic hit film, and her career stalled again. Then she played one of America's most recognizable characters television commercials -- Josephine the Plumber . Not to be confused with another white-overalls wearer, Ralph the Carpenter from "Green Acres."
A few years before she became a kitchen cleanser spokeswoman, Jane Withers was a serious contender for the Best Supporting Actress nomination, for her work in the 1956 film "Giant." Like many people in the Bible Belt, her character has a Biblical name: Vashti. This is a signal, before we ever know her, that she once loved Rock Hudson's character Bick before he married Leslie, the new bride played by Elizabeth Taylor.
Because it's Texas, Jane's character's name is pronounced "Vash-TIE," but Jewish author Edna Ferber is not only evoking a secondary Purim heroine ("VAHSH-tee") who was not only a king's first wife (get it? get it?) but also a spirited one. Vashti, in Queen Esther's story, gave up her crown rather than obey her drunken lout of a husband's command to dance provocatively for his royal bros.
In "Giant," Vashti Smythe is emotionally-controlled in the wedding reception line while meeting her old flame's new wife, but we also see the inner fire smoldering under the real woman's living form.
Jane Withers was really young when she became a movie star.
Like Baby Rose Marie and Shirley Temple, little Jane Withers sang and danced.
Jane was best-known to moviegoers as a spirited brat. In "Bright Eyes," Jane's character Joy (ha ha) is smart-alecky to both her wimpy parents.
Later in the film, Joy torments smaller, younger Shirley Temple, who is of course a perfect angel. Next, she uses her tricycle like a tank, menacing Shirley's Uncle Ned who of course uses a wheelchair. Joy doesn't care.
There must have been something in Withers' "problem child" portrayal that struck a chord with viewers, because Jane Withers, like Shirley Temple, was marketed from her early youth into her teens. Her image was on a lot of retail items, including books. Some of these were child-celebrity books, while others were of the Nancy Drew mystery variety.
Also, Jane's image was on magazines, sheet music, coloring (and paint) books, and paper dolls.
As she matured from adolescent to young woman, Jane Withers was presented as a fresh face, someone like Judy Garland. But while Jane could be marketed as Shirley Temple's evil twin, Jane's later film roles were similar to Judy's and there could only be one Judy. Hollywood tried putting her into a mystery ("Danger Street") and then she was off to the East Coast to star in a musical, title, which was meant for Broadway but never left Philly after it flopped with audiences.
In "Glad To See You," Jane sang the torch song "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry." It was covered by other singers, including Frank Sinatra.
For nearly a decade, Jane's acting career seemed to be over, and she was considering a movie career behind the camera for a change. She enrolled in a course in directing at UCLA. Director George Stevens, who was casting the upcoming film "Giant," came in as a special guest in the directing class, and he'd found the actress he wanted as Vashti Smythe.
After "Giant," Jane became Josephine the Plumber, and unlike Mary Grace Canfield, who resented being known (after work on Broadway and in film) mainly as Ralph from "Green Acres," Withers loved being known to so many American television viewers. They all love to pose for pictures with her, and she can be seen on YouTube in many fan videos, speaking happily about her career (and her extensive doll collection!) as part of celebrity panels.
The late TCM movie host Robert Osbrone did a wonderful summary of jane Withers' life (she did marry and have children) and career (she made over forty films) during a Jane Withers TV film festival.
Keep a twinkle in your eye, sez Jane Withers!
In the case of actress Jane Withers, she was a child star, a highly-marketed celebrity, a young crooner, then of a many unemployable former child stars. But then almost got an Oscar nod for a supporting role in a now-classic hit film, and her career stalled again. Then she played one of America's most recognizable characters television commercials -- Josephine the Plumber . Not to be confused with another white-overalls wearer, Ralph the Carpenter from "Green Acres."
Josephine ^^^
Ralph (on right) vvv
A few years before she became a kitchen cleanser spokeswoman, Jane Withers was a serious contender for the Best Supporting Actress nomination, for her work in the 1956 film "Giant." Like many people in the Bible Belt, her character has a Biblical name: Vashti. This is a signal, before we ever know her, that she once loved Rock Hudson's character Bick before he married Leslie, the new bride played by Elizabeth Taylor.
Because it's Texas, Jane's character's name is pronounced "Vash-TIE," but Jewish author Edna Ferber is not only evoking a secondary Purim heroine ("VAHSH-tee") who was not only a king's first wife (get it? get it?) but also a spirited one. Vashti, in Queen Esther's story, gave up her crown rather than obey her drunken lout of a husband's command to dance provocatively for his royal bros.
In "Giant," Vashti Smythe is emotionally-controlled in the wedding reception line while meeting her old flame's new wife, but we also see the inner fire smoldering under the real woman's living form.
Jane Withers was really young when she became a movie star.
Like Baby Rose Marie and Shirley Temple, little Jane Withers sang and danced.
Jane was best-known to moviegoers as a spirited brat. In "Bright Eyes," Jane's character Joy (ha ha) is smart-alecky to both her wimpy parents.
Later in the film, Joy torments smaller, younger Shirley Temple, who is of course a perfect angel. Next, she uses her tricycle like a tank, menacing Shirley's Uncle Ned who of course uses a wheelchair. Joy doesn't care.
There must have been something in Withers' "problem child" portrayal that struck a chord with viewers, because Jane Withers, like Shirley Temple, was marketed from her early youth into her teens. Her image was on a lot of retail items, including books. Some of these were child-celebrity books, while others were of the Nancy Drew mystery variety.
Also, Jane's image was on magazines, sheet music, coloring (and paint) books, and paper dolls.
Here's a clip of Jane in the teen movie "High School."
This 1944 USO-themed musical never made it even to off-Broadway.
In "Glad To See You," Jane sang the torch song "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry." It was covered by other singers, including Frank Sinatra.
For nearly a decade, Jane's acting career seemed to be over, and she was considering a movie career behind the camera for a change. She enrolled in a course in directing at UCLA. Director George Stevens, who was casting the upcoming film "Giant," came in as a special guest in the directing class, and he'd found the actress he wanted as Vashti Smythe.
After "Giant," Jane became Josephine the Plumber, and unlike Mary Grace Canfield, who resented being known (after work on Broadway and in film) mainly as Ralph from "Green Acres," Withers loved being known to so many American television viewers. They all love to pose for pictures with her, and she can be seen on YouTube in many fan videos, speaking happily about her career (and her extensive doll collection!) as part of celebrity panels.
The late TCM movie host Robert Osbrone did a wonderful summary of jane Withers' life (she did marry and have children) and career (she made over forty films) during a Jane Withers TV film festival.
Keep a twinkle in your eye, sez Jane Withers!
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| Garbo |
I really enjoyed this. I didn't realize that Shirley Temples nemisis was Josephine the plumber. Thanks for sharing her life here. I must re-watch her childhood movies and maybe Giant, also. Anything with Monty is OK with me.
ReplyDeleteSorry I mixed up the characters in my mind. I meant James Dean rather than Montgomery Clift. I love old movies but I'm not a very good movie historian.
ReplyDeleteAnother treasure trove piece.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was ignorant of Withers' background. Then again, I don't think I knew anything of Rose Marie's pre-Dick Van Dyke career until the 2017 documentary WAIT FOR YOUR LAUGH.