She was the perfect foil for the saccharine-sweet Shirley Temple. Franklin Roosevelt admired her ability to mimic him. And she sold a lot of cleanser.
Pushed by her mother, a wannabe actress, Jane Withers began in vaudeville at the age of 2. By the time she reached the age of 4, she was starring in her own radio show called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop. Her specialty was imitating celebrities and other famous people.
At 6 1/2, Withers headed to Hollywood, where she started applying for the roles that would make Shirley Temple a star. Temple, with her buttery curls and icky-wicky sweetness, was the soothing balm to a country dealing with the Great Depression. It turned out that Withers was the perfect salty to Temple's sweet.
The two came together in Bright Eyes, with Temple playing the poor little orphan to Withers' bratty rich girl, a character that must have been a hoot to perform. Eight-year-old Withers bangs on the piano, chases Temple on her tricycle, makes rat-a-tat machine gun noises and tears a doll apart so Temple can't have it.
Withers appeared in several films during the remainder of her childhood, including one with W.C. Fields. Playing out a 7-year contract with Twentieth Century Fox, Withers gradually eased away from her bratty persona, acting in films, doing hilarious impressions and performing song-and-dance routines throughout the 1930s.
There were bit parts and voiceovers. A leading role in a low-budget flick. And a hiatus during which she had three children and focused on family. One marriage ended, another began, and Jane returned to the screen with a role in the blockbuster film Giant. Other films followed, but it was TV that saved Withers' career.
From 1963 to 1974, Withers was the spokesperson for Comet cleanser. As Josephine the Plumber, she played a friendly, down-to-earth character who demonstrated the power of Comet to clean stubborn stains. Some have said she was the precursor for Progressive Insurance's "Flo."
Withers made appearances in a number of lightweight TV sitcoms in the 1960s and 1970s, and she took on voiceover work for Disney. Occasionally, she did interviews and appearances at conventions.
Withers' second husband, with whom she had two children, was killed in a plane crash in 1968. She married again in 1985. Her third husband passed away in 2013.
Outside her acting career, Jane Withers took part in charitable work and animal rescue activities. She taught Sunday school. And Withers collected a ton of movie memorabilia, including a pair of Fred Astaire's (autographed) dancing shoes and a dining table owned by Mary Pickford.
Withers' daughter summed it up nicely:
"My mother was such a special lady. She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was."
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