Former child actor Jane Withers has died at 95. She played the nemesis of Shirley Temple in the 1934 movie “Bright Eyes” and went on to star in a series of B movies. As an adult, she was best known for playing “Josephine the Plumber” in TV commercials.
Withers, also known as “Josephine the Plumber” from TV commercials in the 1960s and ’70s, died Saturday, her daughter Kendall Errair said. Withers was one of the last remaining stars from the 1930s and 1940s, the height of Hollywood studio dominance.
Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck figured there was room for another child actress at the studio, and she was signed to a contract. She played the anti-Shirley, a bright, talky, mischief-prone girl with wide eyes, chubby cheeks and straight black hair that contrasted with Shirley’s blonde curly top. While the Temple films were made on Fox’s modern Westwood lot, Withers made hers at the old studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.Withers proved less of a draw as a teenager, and her career dwindled.Her biggest prominence came from portraying “Josephine” in TV commercials for Comet cleanser for 12 years.
She said in a later Times interview that she felt the original Josephine character was “too smart-alecky, too brash,” but she thought “any lady who was going to become a plumber” would take pride in her work and care about her customers.Fame started early for Jane Withers. Born April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, she had appeared as Dixie’s Dainty Dewdrop on local radio by the age of 3.Jane played bit roles in movies and supplied voices for the Willie Whopper and the Looney Tunes cartoons.
Her popularity led to Jane Withers dolls and other merchandise. At her peak, she was earning $2,500 a week and $50,000 a year in endorsements. Unlike other child stars, her earnings did not disappear. Withers’ film appearances as an adult were sporadic, partly because of three marriages and five children. Her most notable credits were “Giant” and “Captain Newman, M.D.” .
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