When she began to purchase dolls to build the collection further, her parents mandated that she should use her allowance money to buy duplicate dolls for less fortunate children. . According to Jane's novel, Northanger Abbey was surrounded by extensive gardens, and I wondered how the director would pull off the scene where the general boasted of his fruit trees. 15th July , 2011 . [16] "Every interview I ever went on I was the only one with a tailored dress, with straight bangs and straight haircut, and no curls and no frills", she recalled. [7] The collection, enlarged by contributions from her fans, grew into one of the largest in the world. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was an affectionate nickname given to her by her Indian ayah (nurse); "googie" means "pigeon" or "dove" in Hindi. She persuaded her parents to send her to the Italia Conti school after she had worked her normal school day at the Convent of the Holy Family in Kensington. [1][2] Ruth had had her own aspirations to be an actress nixed by her parents. [97], In late 1944, Withers made her stage debut in the musical comedy Glad To See You directed by Busby Berkeley. [96][105], Withers was a devout Christian. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. She also appeared in Ealing productions such as Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945) and It Always Rains on a Sunday (1947) in which she starred opposite John McCallum, whom she married in 1948. Cart. Pictorials. She passed away on August 7 at the age of 95. The cause of death was not. 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. [50][51], Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. The cause of death was not disclosed. "Googie" is a term of affection and means "pigeon" in Hindi [never heard of this Hindi word - Tipu].She remained in India with her mother, who was of Dutch- French-German descent, and her father, a British naval officer, until she was sent to boarding school in England at age seven. [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). PASSINGS: Leo Kirch, Googie Withers Leo Kirch, German media mogul, was 84; Googie Withers, British actress, was 94 July 17, 2011. She did voiceovers for Disney animated films during the 1990s and early 2000s. Murder in the Night. She became popular from 1963 to 1974 while playing the role of Josephine the Plumber in the television commercials for Comet cleanser. The couple co-starred in 10 films, and they lived together in Sydney until McCallum died last year at the age of 91. . The show, intended for Broadway, closed after seven weeks of tryouts in Philadelphia and Boston. [10] She was cast on Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue, a Saturday-morning children's program broadcast on WGST radio in Atlanta, in which she sang, danced, and did impersonations of film stars such as W. C. Fields, ZaSu Pitts, Maurice Chevalier, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, and Greta Garbo. Covers. British actress Googie Withers, best known for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcocks The Lady Vanishes, died Friday, July 15, at her home in Sydney, Australia. Shop googie withers t-shirts created by independent artists from around the globe. The divorce impacted Jane harshly, as she suffered from emotional strain and was admitted to the hospital for five months. [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. [77][78] She was also featured in several Big Little Books published by Whitman Publishing. [88][97] The character of Josephine was described by the Los Angeles Times as being "one of the longest-running continuing characters in TV. She was popular for being a Movie . English actress Googie Withers has died at her Sydney home aged 94. In the mid-1960s, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. child. [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. Trivia. [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. Her stage name, Googie, was a nickname given to her as a child from her Indian nurse. Road accidents, HIV/AIDS and suicide are all significant within this group. Googie Withers has been died on Jul 15, 2011 ( age 94). She was especially effective as the not entirely unsympathetic wife of a judge in the stage version of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea (1952). Googie Withers. 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. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. British actress Googie Withers has died at her home in Australia aged 94. 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.. [31] In 1939 she appeared in four more comedy roles: The Arizona Wildcat, Boy Friend, Chicken Wagon Family, and Pack Up Your Troubles. Her husband, actor, television producer and studio . Her birth date is March 12, 1917. She had been given her nickname Googie by her Indian nanny. Googie Withers DVD movie This is the story of one such bomber crew who were shot down and the brave Dutch patriots who helped them home Behind these sombre words hid tales of death, destruction and derring-do. 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. [31] Her last films for Fox were the war drama Young America and the comedy film The Mad Martindales, both in 1942. Her last role was in the Oscar-nominated 1996 Australian movie Shine. [1] In 1937, she created 400 dolls using scraps she had recovered from the 20th Century Fox wardrobe department and gave them to needy children at Christmas. Her crew, dubbed the "Withers Family", worked on all her subsequent films. Withers stood to the side while the other children interviewed with director David Butler. She was the first non-Australian to be awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1958 Ms. Withers and her husband, the Australian actor John McCallum, moved to Australia. In 1932, she and her mother moved to Hollywood, where she appeared as an extra in many films until landing her breakthrough role as the spoiled, obnoxious Joy Smythe opposite Shirley Temple's angelic orphan Shirley Blake in the 1934 film Bright Eyes. Date of Death. The assistant director came over and asked her why she was not standing with the others. [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". Anyone can read what you share. Birthplace India. A notable British film and stage actress in England where she grew up and Australia which would become her adopted home, Googie Withers became best known for a series of melodramas at Ealing. [1] Her popularity in comedy films also hindered her acceptance as a dramatic actress in films such as The North Star (1943). [10][5], After two years of her radio work, Ruth took Jane to Hollywood before her sixth birthday in 1932 to explore opportunities in film. Independentie Skip to navigation [n] [112] On February 8, 1960, she was recognized for her contribution to film with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6119 Hollywood Boulevard. [20][21] Withers was concerned that filmgoers would hate her for being so mean to Temple, but the film was a box-office hit. Birthday March 12, 1917. McCallum died last year at age 91. 1948. end time. Robert Simonson. [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. At 16 she was the youngest member of the chorus of Nice Goings On and was soon appearing in other popular musicals. . The role of Faye Boswell in Within These Walls three years later proved to be a sounder vehicle. (Associated Press contributed to this report.). [1], A month after Jane's twenty-first birthday, her mother Ruth appeared in a California Superior Court and listed her daughter's assets as $40,401.85 (equivalent to $490,000 in 2021). Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO (12. mart 1917 - 15. jul 2011) bila je britanska glumica i zabavljaica. View the most popular Googie Withers pix. [1] By the 1980s, the collection numbered more than 8,000 dolls and 2,500 teddy bears. [53] Her parents closely supervised her upbringing to make sure she did not grow up spoiled or entitled. Her husband died last year, and she is survived by her children. Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. Actress Googie Withers, best known for appearing in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes and TV's Within These Walls, has died in Australia aged 94. Her stage credits include appearances in the West End productions of "The Boy Friend" (1954) and "No, No, Nanette" (1957). You've got a special quality and someday you are going to be a famous little star". [119], In October 1955, Withers remarried, to singer Kenneth Errair of The Four Freshmen, with whom she had two more children. She herself was profiled in a 45-minute A&E Biography which aired in 2003. [83] The books were reprinted by Literary Licensing in the 21st century. His daughter inherited his imperious inability to keep his opinions to himself, but in her case it was softened by her feminine humour. [9][108], On November 6, 1939, Withers was invited to place her handprints and signature in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. [34], Withers freely gave her input to screenwriters and directors. 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. Withers, who had three children, appeared in dozens of films in the 1930s and 40s. ; and No, No, Nanette, Withers was financially comfortable and chose to spend most of her time raising her children.[10][93]. [39] 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. She was a dancer in a West End production in London when she was offered work as an extra in the 1935 Michael Powell film The Girl in the Crowd. After Mr. Powell fired one of the female leads, she stepped into the role. [9] In Los Angeles, Jane performed on children's shows on KFWB radio,[12] did cartoon voice-overs, and also modeled. From 1963 to 1974, she portrayed the character Josephine the Plumber in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. Later in her career she appeared in several television productions, including prison drama Within These Walls on ITV and the BBC's Hotel du Lac and Northanger Abbey. She was 94. [21] Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons described Withers as "a natural clown". [68], Withers's parents licensed her name and image to numerous product lines. Googie Withers. [46] Her Republic films were Johnny Doughboy (1942), My Best Gal and Faces in the Fog (both 1944), and Affairs of Geraldine (1946). Jane Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia, the only child of Walter Edward Withers and Lavinia Ruth (ne Elble) Withers. Find out Googie Withersnet worth 2020, salary 2020 detail bellow. The series led to further successes in the 1980s, when on television she appeared in distinguished productions including adaptations of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac and Kingsley Amis's Ending Up. [8][58] Her afternoon swim parties continued into her teens and were the subject of many a fan magazine. [99], In the 1990s, Withers did voice acting for Disney animated films. [106] During World War II, she participated in more than 100 war bond drives and soldiers' camp tours in the United States. [22], After filming wrapped, Withers signed a seven-year contract with Fox Film Corporation. [4][19] She also charmed the casting director with her impersonations. [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. Find the perfect actress googie withers black & white image. [117] They married on September 20, 1947. 2010. imported from Wikimedia project. The Lady Vanishes . Withers sang the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn torch song "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" written for the play; this was soon after covered by Frank Sinatra and Kate Smith and became a jazz and pop standard. [118] Suffering from emotional strain over the impending divorce, Withers was hospitalized for five months in 1953 with severe rheumatoid arthritis and developed complete paralysis. Georgette Lizette Withers was born in Karachi, in pre-partition India, to a British naval captain who hated the thought of his daughter going on the stage and a Dutch mother who quietly encouraged her. Withers's Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (1979) at Chichester managed to step out of the shadow of Edith Evans's high-camp shadow without losing impact. 47 pictures of Googie Withers. 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. I felt that any lady who was going to become a plumber cared an awful lot about her fellow man because when you need a plumber you need help. Photograph: BFI, Withers as firm but sensitive prison governor Faye Boswell in the ITV series Within These Walls, 1974-75. [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. [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. She also had a notable role in the Jules Dassins London-shot film noir Night and the City (1950), starring Richard Widmark, in which she played the greedy, ambitious wife of a casino owner. 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. Her death was confirmed by the theater producer John Frost, with whom she worked frequently. She made 38 films before retiring at age 21 in 1947. Full Real Name. [35] 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. She was born on 12 April 1926,. In the 1970s, when traditional leading ladies were less in demand, Withers's career became more variable. She was interviewed in numerous documentary retrospectives of the Golden Age of Hollywood. [2] Biography 1 reference. 1.. [94] She took a course in plumbing to play her part realistically. Sitter in 3 portraits Born Georgette Lizette Withers in Karachi, India, she made her film debut in The Girl in the Crowd in 1934. Cause of Death. [109], Withers donated 800 books from her personal library to start the Jane Withers Collection at the Thousand Oaks Library in Thousand Oaks, California. View all Googie Withers pictures. Nationality. [16] Included in her contract was the right to choose the crew members who would work on her productions. British actress Googie Withers, a Hollywood golden age staple best known for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes," has died at her home in Australia. Pink String and Sealing Wax. The woman who was once called "the best bad girl in British films" was always prepared to help make up any deficiency in that respect. She was popular for being a Movie Actress. British actress Googie Withers marries Australian film actor John McCallum with large crowds around the church Full Description: Gaumont British Ident SLATE INFORMATION: Film Stars Wed in. Most Popular. By the late 1940s she had gone from supporting to lead player. In the early 70s she was a series regular on U.K. prison drama Within These Walls as Princess Governess Faye Boswell, and she appeared in Hotel du Lac and Northanger Abbey for the BBC in the 80s. [53][54] In 1938, her allowance was reported as $5 a week;[32][55] this was raised to $10 a week in 1941. The actress, best known for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, was born Georgette Lizette Withers in . In 1947 she starred in what was an unusual British film of the period, the ahead-of-its-time It Always Rains on Sunday, in which she played a bored wife who shelters an ex-lover, whos now a murderer on the run, played by Australian actor John McCallum. Enterprise. [7] The Withers' home, a 4-acre (1.6ha)[56] model home at 10731 Sunset Boulevard they bought in 1936,[57] was equipped with a swimming pool, badminton court, and a 78ft (24m)-long playroom that saw frequent use by Withers and her fellow Hollywood child actors. Googie Withers's full name is Georgette Lizette Withers and her nickname is Googie Withers. Withers was a stage, television and film actress who starred in many productions in the UK before continuing her career in Australia. Her husband John McCallum predeceased her on 3 February 2010. She suffered from the disease over a period of ten years, after which she went into remission. [25] This included "ice skating lessons, voice training, horsemanship, dancing, French, Spanish, and swimming lessons".[25]. [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. [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. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions - which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. 1 reference. [32], In 19381939, Withers shed her childhood pudginess through healthy eating and stretching exercises, slimming down to 100lb (45kg) and a size-12 dress. Frost told Australias ABC television news. Googie Withers's income source is mostly from being a successful Actress. She was a performer in stage, film, and television. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) Googie Withers, a British actress best known for her performance in the Alfred Hitchcock film The Lady Vanishes, died on Friday at her home here. British thesp appeared in Hitchcock's 'Lady Vanishes'. Withers died on 15 July 2011 at her Sydney home, aged 94. Her. Kenneth died in a plane crash in 1968 and one of Janes sons later succumbed to cancer. [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. [58] Withers's thirteenth birthday party saw 60 young guests come in costume and participate in a balloon dance and jitterbug contest; this party earned a two-page pictorial spread in Life magazine. [31] She also made Her First Beau (1941) for Columbia Pictures. [1] She appeared in television episodes of Pete and Gladys;[91] General Electric Theater;[92] The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; The Love Boat; and Murder, She Wrote. 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. [54], For example, as Withers began to receive gifts of dolls from fans to add to her collection, her parents insisted that for every two dolls she received, she give away one to a needy child. Description: A veteran of numerous British films, since starting her screen career in the mid-1930s. From 1935 onwards, she appeared in more than 60 films and television productions, including some of the finest movies of their time: One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942), They Came to a City (1944, from the JB Priestley novel); Miranda (1948), in which Glynis Johns played the mermaid and Withers the all-too-normal woman; and Jules Dassin's Night and the City (1950), with Richard Widmark. Jane Withers was a part of Hollywood for a long time. [1][84] She had starred in 38 films. His real-life interpretation of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto was used in the film and became a controversial attraction in the concert hall. 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