In addition to her studio contract, Withers made personal appearance tours for which she received $5,000 a week. In 19, Withers's films made the top 10 list in box-office gross receipts. Additionally, the lower rental fees for Withers's B movies allowed her films to be screened in many more small theaters, expanding Withers's popularity. Since all but one of her films were low-budget B movies, the studio held Withers to a lower standard than an A-movie actor whose films would cost the studio much more money.
#Josephine the plumber series
Studio contracts generally included a series of six-month option periods when the studio could terminate the agreement should the actor's films stop making money. Withers was the only child star to complete a seven-year contract. Though neither studio was willing to loan their star player to the other, Withers suggested that Fox send three other contract players to Republic Pictures in exchange for Autry, who was paid $25,000 to co-star with Withers in Shooting High (1940). Schenck and Republic Pictures head Herbert J. At age 13, she took the initiative to make a film with Gene Autry by acting as a go-between between 20th Century Fox studio head Joseph M. She also suggested the casting of other actors for her films, including Jackie Searl, whom she had met at auditions, and 16-year-old Rita Cansino (later renamed Rita Hayworth ), whom she had observed dancing on an adjoining sound stage and recommended for a supporting role in Paddy O'Day. From a young age, she sat in on writers' conferences to suggest changes in dialogue that would be more appropriate for a child to say. Withers freely gave her input to screenwriters and directors. Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public. A natural mimic, she did impersonations of film celebrities both on and off the set. Rita Hayworth and Withers in Paddy O'Day (1936)Withers did not memorize her lines verbatim, but tried to think about them and draw out the "sense" from them she often ad-libbed when she lost her way in a scene. Withers often received top billing even over established stars. 1939 brought four more comedy roles: The Arizona Wildcat, Boy Friend, Chicken Wagon Family, and Pack Up Your Troubles. In 1938, she filmed three comedies for Fox: Rascals, Keep Smiling, and Always in Trouble. In 1937, she performed in comedies, dramas, and a Western with lead roles in The Holy Terror, Angel's Holiday, Wild and Woolly, Can This Be Dixie?, 45 Fathers, and Checkers. In 1936, she starred in Paddy O'Day, Gentle Julia, Little Miss Nobody, and Pepper.
Throughout the remainder of the 1930s, Withers appeared in three to five films per year. Her day of filming in The Farmer Takes a Wife coincided with Henry Fonda 's screen debut, and noticing his nervousness, she encouraged him and offered a prayer for his success. The same year, she appeared in a brief role in The Farmer Takes a Wife and then starred in This Is the Life. Roosevelt, who had seen her impersonate him on a newsreel. She received two baskets of flowers on the set that day-one from Fields, to whom she had written about her casting in Bright Eyes, and one from President Franklin D.
Withers is survived by her daughter Errair and three other children.Up for bids is an autographed 8X10 photo of ACTRESS JANE WITHERS- TELEVISION'S JOSEPHINE THE PLUMBER!!Withers began filming her first starring vehicle, Ginger (1935), on her ninth birthday. Withers reportedly had about 8,000 dolls but many of them were sold at auction in August 2004.
She had a vast trove of dolls including mini replicas of film and radio stars from the 1930s including herself, Temple, Snow White and the Lone Ranger. She told the Long Beach Press-Telegram, “I can be at a market and I’ll be talking to somebody there about a can of peas and all of a sudden they’ll say, ‘I knew that was you! I recognized your voice right away.'”Īccording to the New York Times, Withers was also an avid teddy bear and doll collector. Withers’ distinctive voice made her recognizable years after the ads stopped airing. She also acted in several hit television shows including stints on “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Love Boat.” As a 13-year-old in 1939, Withers was invited to make a permanent mark in Hollywood history by displaying her handprints and signature in concrete outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.Īfter getting an early start in Hollywood, Withers later began acting in commercials and came to be known for her role as Josephine the Plumber in commercials for Comet cleanser during the 1960s. As a child and in the span of only three years, Withers starred in five films - 1937’s “The Holy Terror” and “Wild and Woolly,” “Always in Trouble” in 1938 and “The Arizona Wildcat” in 1939.
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