[108] In 2013, she donated 6,000 of her dolls to a history museum in California. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938. Jane Withers was a part of Hollywood for a long time. [1] As early as 1936, her name was affixed to a line of "Jane Withers Dresses" for girls,[71][72] and girls' handbags and jewelry were also branded with her name. Movie Actress #144203. [66][67], During Withers's first 15 years in film, Ruth "handled all negotiations with producers, supervised publicity, [and] completely managed Jane's off-screen life". Be the first one to comment on this story. Withers joined the Girl Scouts and her parents hosted the meeting in their home. 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. She was a performer in stage, film, and television. The Lady Vanishes . [85] The same month, her parents turned over to her the deed to their home, valued at $250,000 (equivalent to $3,000,000 in 2021), and other real estate worth $75,000, plus annuities totaling $10,000, all purchased from Withers's earnings. Her stage name dates from her childhood. Withers, who died in Australia in 2011, was particularly well known during the Second World War and the postwar years. . Veteran British stage and screen actress Googie Withers, . Help Sportskeeda improve its coverage of pop-culture news. Wiki User. [43] In 1940 she filmed Shooting High with co-star Gene Autry, and starred in the teen films High School, The Girl from Avenue A, and Youth Will Be Served. She appeared in many other films, including It Always Rains On Sunday (1947), in which she sheltered a killer on the run, played by John McCallum, an Australian actor she married in 1948. Large gallery of Googie Withers pics. Withers played the writer Katharine Susannah Prichard, who helped Helfgott in his ambition to get away from his possessive father and to London for his higher musical training, but died before she could enjoy his success. [31] In 1939 she appeared in four more comedy roles: The Arizona Wildcat, Boy Friend, Chicken Wagon Family, and Pack Up Your Troubles. [63] Withers had her eighteenth birthday party at Madison Square Garden with a circus theme and invited U.S. servicemen and their dates to be her guests. But while her touring work focused more on Australia and New Zealand, she still made the first three seasons of a British TV series, Within These Walls (1974-75), as the governor of a women's prison, which provided her biggest national and international audience. Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. She did voiceovers for Disney animated films during the 1990s and early 2000s. The performance, which featured a tap dancing sequence with 50 chorus dancers, was staged as an opening-night benefit for diabetics. [11][1] At age 3 she had her own radio show called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop, where she also interviewed celebrities who were visiting Atlanta. Leo Kirch. [64] Her twenty-first birthday party was planned for a nightclub with 200 guests, but after she came down with the flu, Withers instead served cake and ice cream and watched movies in her personal suite at home with 12 close friends. [118] The couple lived on ranches in Midland, Texas, and New Mexico[40] with their three children. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared. Googie Withers has been died on Jul 15, 2011 ( age 94). The role of Faye Boswell in Within These Walls three years later proved to be a sounder vehicle. She was a well-known actress during the war and post-war years. [1][23][24], After Withers signed her contract with Fox, her mother invested $10,000 into developing additional skills to improve her versatility as an actress, with the intention of spending $20,000 over an eight-year period. [1] By the 1980s, the collection numbered more than 8,000 dolls and 2,500 teddy bears. She was set to earn $2,750 a week in the first year of the contract and $3,000 per week in the second year. They had married in 1948, and had two daughters, Joanna and Amanda, and a son, Nicholas. Age (2022) Update Soon. [27], Throughout the remainder of the 1930s, Withers appeared in three to five films per year. [79] Numerous dolls were made in her likeness,[5] including four Madame Alexander dolls in 1937 ranging in height from 13.520in (340510mm).[80][81]. Googie Withers was an actress of great wit and intelligence. child. She was a dancer in a West End production in London when she was offered work in 1935 as a film extra in The Girl in the Crowd.. Googie Withers , wearing a grey jacket, unbuttoned at the front, over a spotted white wide-collar blouse, smoking a cigarette in a studio portrait,. [109], Withers engaged in philanthropy throughout her life. A production of Somerset Maugham's The Circle at the Chichester Festival theatre in 1976 was so successful that it went to the West End, Canada and on tour in Britain. He told her, "You're different than any other kid that I've ever seen in Hollywood. spouse. [16] Withers said that director Butler confided to her, "You stole the picture". Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who was a dancer and actress with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. She made 38 films before retiring at age 21 in 1947. [3] However, Ruth was not a typical stage mother. Kenneth died in a plane crash in 1968 and one of Janes sons later succumbed to cancer. She went to do a screen test for them at the Riverside Studios and was invited to become an extra. However, the cause of death is still unknown as her family has yet to reveal any details. [118] She received a $1million property settlement, including monthly alimony and child support, trust fund and insurance fund for the children, and a half-interest in Texas oil fields owned by Moss, as well as full custody of the children. [50][51], Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. McCallum died last year at 91. [9] Jane launched her entertainment career at the age of three[4] after winning a local amateur contest called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop. The family of British Actress, Googie Withers has announced that she died peacefully in her sleep Friday afternoon, aged 94. Withers died on 15 July 2011 at her Sydney home, aged 94. [13][4][1] She got her first film role as an extra when their neighbor invited her to come along for her daughter's interview for Handle with Care (1932). It was not well received, one comment being that it was an appalling bit of Australiana that made Barry Humphries's film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) look like a refreshing can of Foster's. [94] She took a course in plumbing to play her part realistically. She died at her home on Friday. Sydney. Googie Withers photo shoot. [1] Under the pseudonym Jerrie Walters, Withers wrote the screenplay for Small Town Deb (1941), in which she also starred. Date Of Death: July 15, 2011 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: White Nationality: British Googie Withers was born on the 12th of March, 1917. We have estimated Googie Withers's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Her husband John McCallum predeceased her on 3 February 2010. VALE GOOGIE WITHERS. [21] Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons described Withers as "a natural clown". At 16 she was the youngest member of the chorus of Nice Goings On and was soon appearing in other popular musicals. She was born Georgette Lizette Withers in. However, the cause of death is still unknown as her family has yet to reveal any details. [109], Withers donated 800 books from her personal library to start the Jane Withers Collection at the Thousand Oaks Library in Thousand Oaks, California. Withers was a loss to the British stage and screen when she followed her husband to his native Australia in the late 1950s. [96], Withers retired as Josephine after her mother Ruth was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Kendall Errair. [105] She began experiencing vertigo in 2007. . She played major roles in 38 films before her retirement in 1947. It was a ruin during Jane Austen's day and was only partially rebuilt in 1829, a good twelve years after her death. Please logout and login again. Pictorials. A fall during dancing class permanently weakened an arm and indicated a less arduous form of dancing. [26] She received two baskets of flowers on the set that dayone from Fields, to whom she had written about her casting in Bright Eyes, and one from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had seen her impersonate him on a newsreel. In the event, Jean Kent provided one of the most harrowing moments to that date in British cinema when she tried to destroy her husband's remaining hopes with such vicious hatred that the scene was often booed and hissed in 1950s cinemas. [1] As payment for the script, Withers requested that the studio provide fifteen $1,500 scholarships for children to study music and acting, and two upright pianos, for her Sunday school groups. Jeannie. The Magic Box. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared. She was born on 12 April 1926, and came to be known as one of the most well-known stars in Hollywood during the 1930s and early 1940s. . She played Blanche in 1938's The Lady Vanishes, opposite Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Georgette Googie Lizette McCallum (Withers) (12 Mar 1917 - certain 15 Jul 2011) retrieved. [113][114], In 1979, Withers was the first recipient of the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1st Youth in Film Awards ceremony. [39] 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. I was christened Georgette Lizette! She began her entertainment career at the age of three and, during the Golden Age of Radio, hosted her own children's radio program in her home city of Atlanta, Georgia. Withers was a stage, television and film actress who starred in many productions in the UK before continuing her career in Australia. In the 1940s, Withers was featured as the heroine of three mystery novels published by Whitman Publishing, which produced 16 authorized editions featuring notable film actresses of that era. Withers began filming her first starring vehicle, Ginger (1935), on her ninth birthday. [47] In contrast to Temple's cute and charming characters, Withers was usually cast as a mischievous little girl or "a tomboy rascal", leading to her being described as "America's favorite problem child". (Associated Press contributed to this report.). Soon after starting work, director Michael Powell fired one of the female leads and she stepped into the role. [56] At the family's cabin in Lake Arrowhead, where they vacationed on weekends and holidays, Withers had two motorbikes and a boat. In her film work of the 1940s she showed an individuality, strength, and sensuality that was very unusual for the time. [22], After filming wrapped, Withers signed a seven-year contract with Fox Film Corporation. Yates. [39] Since all but one of her films were low-budget B movies,[21][40] the studio held Withers to a lower standard than an A-movie actor whose films would cost the studio much more money. Ms. Withers appeared in dozens of films in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, among them One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), Dead of Night (1945), Night and the City (1950) and, most notably, The Lady Vanishes (1938), which starred Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. [93][96], Withers invested much of her own personality into the character of Josephine, making her friendly, caring, and helpful. [68][69][70] Walter Withers did not involve himself in the movie business at all, but worked as a representative for a California wholesale furniture company. It means "dove." Googie Withers British actress and entertainer (1917-2011) Upload media Wikipedia. [19][33] Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public. All Rights Reserved. Withers's family moved back to Britain from India and she began acting at age 12. As a child star, she visited orphanages and hospitals to perform for other children. Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO (12. mart 1917 - 15. jul 2011) bila je britanska glumica i zabavljaica. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Georgette Lizette (Googie) Withers, actress: born Karachi 12 March 1917; married 1948 John McCallum (died 2010; one son, two daughters); died Sydney 15 July 2011. [9] In Los Angeles, Jane performed on children's shows on KFWB radio,[12] did cartoon voice-overs, and also modeled. Red carpet photos. [17], Withers's big break came after two years[18] when she landed a supporting role in the Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes (also 1934), also directed by Butler. [1][40] In 2006, Withers participated in a 50th-anniversary screening of the film for 700 attendees in Marfa, Texas, where location shooting had taken place. In The Lady Vanishes she played Blanche alongside Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress died she was , 94.. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared. At 85 she was still commanding attention on the West End stage, in Lady Windermere's Fan. [53][59] As a child, she also accumulated a menagerie of two horses, three kittens, "eight turtles, three baby alligators, 24 white Leghorn chickens, 12 turkeys, 2 Chinese hens", a rooster, six bantams, two ducks, seven frogs, and six dogs. 1 reference. [37] 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). Afterwards, he praised her timing and called over her mother to compliment her on Jane's talent and predict that she would go far. Mr. McCallum died last year at 91. his death) Children: Joanna, Nicholas, Amanda . Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011) was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. Googie Withers, 94, a British actress best known for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcocks 1938 film The Lady Vanishes, died July 15 at her home in Sydney. [54] Her earnings from film roles were invested in trust funds and annuities; Withers had to use her allowance money to buy things she wanted for herself, which often meant saving up for weeks. Kendall Errair said in a statement, Our thoughts are with the family and friends of former child actress Jane Withers.A dear friend of ours at TCM, we are grateful to have spent time with her over the years and will never forget her wit and stories. Full Real Name. [1][21] The commercials, featuring Withers dressed in white work overalls and in the proximity of a sink, had her touting Comet's stain-removing ability compared to other cleansers. We print the highest quality googie withers t-shirts on the internet Hi there! start time. Googie Withers was born on the 12th of March, 1917. Video, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, NFL hopeful accused of racing in deadly car crash, India PM Modi urges G20 to overcome divisions, Starbucks illegally fired workers over union - judge. Georgette Lizette Googie Withers CBE, AO (12 March 1917 15 July 2011) was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. [88][89], In 1955, a year after her divorce, Withers returned to Los Angeles and enrolled in the University of Southern California film school with the intention of becoming a director. Trevor Howard1913929David Lean in Close-UpShadowing the Third Man104. She was dancing in the chorus in a West End revue when she was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director. [119] She recovered with no lasting effects. Withers died on 15 July 2011 at her Sydney home, aged 94. She went to a boarding school near Dover, Kent. . [4] The family recited blessings at mealtime and devoted themselves to charitable works, which stood with Jane her entire life. 1.. [107][108], In the 1980s, Withers announced plans to build a $1million museum in Burbank, California, to display her collection, then stored in a 27,000sqft (2,500m2) warehouse. Too strong a face and too grand a manner prevented her being thought conventionally pretty, but she was imposingly watchable because of an obvious vigour and sexuality. She was usually present on the sound stage but did not watch Jane film her scenes; nor did she ever issue instructions or objections to studio personnel. Hi there! Her. Withers is survived by three children, including actress Joanna McCallum and production designer Nicholas McCallum. John and Googie together were probably the last of a breed of actor-manager and wife team to tour the world and work constantly, Mr. Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public fall during dancing permanently! Was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director late 1950s is still unknown as her family has to! Michael Redgrave had married in 1948, and a son, Nicholas Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Temple. Withers appeared in three to five films per year certain 15 Jul 2011 ) retrieved confided to her ``! 15 Jul 2011 ) retrieved afternoon, aged 94 her sleep Friday,! 15, 2011 ( age 94 ) film actress who starred in many productions in late... 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