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In
Remembrance: Janet Blair
Janet Blair, the actress who appeared in numerous 1940s comedies and
musicals before heading to the stage and television, has passed away
on February 19, 2007 in Santa Monica, CA. She was 85.
Born Martha Janet Lafferty in 1921 in Altoona, PA, Blair trained her
voice singing in the local church choir. Taking the stage name of
Blair from her hometown’s county, she headed to Los Angeles at age
18 for an audition arranged through a family friend with band leader
Hal Kemp. She landed the gig and was soon performing with Kemp’s
band at the legendary Coconut Grove. Unfortunately, Kemp died in an
auto accident soon after she began performing with his band, but not
before Blair was spotted by a Columbia Pictures talent scout. When
the musicians in Kemp’s band decided to disband, Blair was offered a
$100 a week contract with the studio, which she took.
Arriving at the studio in 1941, she was put into small roles in such
B pictures as Three Girls About Town (1941) and Blondie
Goes To College (1942). Finally, Rosalind Russell recommended
her for the title role in the 1942 comedy My Sister Eileen,
where she gave a performance that earned her enthusiastic reviews
from critics and better parts from the studio. Blair was quickly
starred in various musicals opposite the likes of George Raft in
Broadway (1942) and Don Ameche in Something To Shout About
(1943).
Columbia also cast Blair in non-singing roles in such comedies as
Once Upon A Time (1944) with Cary Grant and The Fuller Brush
Man (1948) with Red Skelton. She also took the occasional
dramatic turn as in 1947’s The Fabulous Dorseys. However, she
was dropped by the studio in 1948 after she completed the
swashbuckler The Black Arrow.
Disillusioned with the film industry, she took the lead roll in a
touring company of South Pacific, appearing in more than
1,200 performances of the show over three years. She also made
numerous television appearances through the 40s and 50s on such
shows as The Ford Theatre Hour, Lux Video Theatre and
The U. S. Steel Hour.
Blair made a return to motion pictures in 1957,
reuniting with Skelton for the comedy Public Pigeon No. 1.
Although she continued to make appearances on television, she would
only sporadically return to films, most notable for the 1962 cult
horror classic Night Of The Eagle (aka Burn, Witch, Burn).
Her final film appearance was in the 1976 comedy Won Ton Ton, The
Dog That Saved Hollywood. |
