Janis Paige, a beloved figure in Hollywood and Broadway musicals and comedies who danced alongside Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope, and continued to entertain well into her 90s, has passed away at the age of 101.
Paige died of natural causes on Sunday at her home in Los Angeles, confirmed by her longtime friend Stuart Lampert on Monday.
On Broadway, Paige shone alongside Jackie Cooper in the mystery-comedy "Remains to be Seen" and starred with John Raitt in the hit musical "The Pajama Game." Her role in "Silk Stockings," the 1957 film adaptation of the 1930s movie "Ninotchka," catapulted her to stardom as she appeared opposite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.
She famously performed a song considered quite risque for the 1950s in the film, singing: "Since my trips have been extensive everywhere, I've become a much wiser gal, For I've noticed that expensive underwear, Can improve a gal's morale. It is strange how lovely lingerie, Can affect a gal's false modesty, If she's wearing silk and satin, satin and silk. Though she knows that boys are evil imps, yet she yearns to give those boys a glimpse, If she's wearing silk and satin, Satin and silk..", reports the Mirror US.
Her filmography also includes roles in Bob Hope's comedy "Bachelor in Paradise," the Doris Day feature "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," and "Follow the Boys." In 2018, she bravely joined the #MeToo movement, sharing her traumatic experience with department store heir Alfred Bloomingdale when she was just 22. Bloomingdale, who died in 1982, was accused by her of a harrowing assault.
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Paige died of natural causes on Sunday (Corbis via Getty Images)
She had an incredible career that spanned over 60 years (Getty Images)"I could feel his hands, not only on my breasts, but seemingly everywhere. He was big and strong, and I began to fight, kick, bite and scream," she recounted. "At 95, time is not on my side, and neither is silence. I simply want to add my name and say, 'Me too.'".
Paige's career took off during wartime when she performed an opera aria for servicemen at the Hollywood Canteen, leading to her being signed by MGM the very next day for a minor role in "Bathing Beauty," She shared the screen with Esther Williams and Red Skelton but was soon dropped by MGM.
However, Warner Bros. quickly picked her up, casting her in a dramatic part in the star-studded film "Hollywood Canteen." She started on a salary of $150 a week. "I earned more per week than my mother had made in a month during the Great Depression," she reflected in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Her earnings increased to $1,000 weekly as Warner Bros. cast her in several films, including "Two Guys from Milwaukee," "The Time, the Place and the Girl," Love and Learn," "Always Together," "Wallflower," and "Romance on the High Seas," which was Doris Day's cinematic debut.Meanwhile, she changed her name from Donna May Tjaden and adopted Paige, her grandfather's name. She took her first name from Elsie Janis, famed for entertaining troops in World War I.Paige's contract expired in 1949, when studios were unloading talent because of the inroads of television. "That was a jolt," she remarked in 1963. "It meant I was washed up at 25.
"She took her talents to Broadway, where she starred in "Remains to Be Seen" (her role would be snatched by June Allyson for the screen adaptation), and starred as Babe opposite Raitt as Sid in the original production of "The Pajama Game," directed in 1954 by George Abbott (Doris Day would take her role in the film version).MGM producer Arthur Freed was captivated by her nightclub performance at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles and offered her a role alongside Fred Astaire in "Silk Stockings," featuring Cyd Charisse. The film became iconic for her and Astaire's parody of contemporary movie gimmicks in the Cole Porter song "Stereophonic Sound," where they even swung from a chandelier.Reflecting on the physical demands of the role, she admitted to the Miami Herald in 2016, "I was one mass of bruises. I didn't know how to fall.
Paige's career took off during wartime when she performed an opera aria for servicemen at the Hollywood Canteen (Getty Images)I didn't know how to get down on a table - I didn't know how to save myself because I was never a classic dancer. "In May 2003, theatre enthusiasts in San Francisco had the chance to see Paige back on stage after a significant break, performing her show titled "The Third Act" at the Plush Room. The crowd was treated to tantalising tales of legends like Sinatra and Astaire, all while enjoying songs from her films and Broadway shows.In a review for the Alameda Times-Star, Chad Jones was full of praise for Paige's energy and vitality, even at 80, noting that she exhibited a "vitality, verve and spirit that performers half her age would envy.
" Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Paige experienced a challenging childhood. Her father left the family when she was only four, leaving her mother to scrape together a living working at the Bank of Tacoma.Paige reminisced about her upbringing with the Saturday Evening Post in 1963, sharing that while they always had enough food, there was no room for luxury. She said that her mother often revealed her wishes for Paige to have been born male to help out more, thus fueling her drive for success to makeup for the absence of her father.After bidding farewell to Warner Bros., she made the switch to television, bagging the leading role in the 1955-1956 series "It's Always Jan. " Fans saw her regularly on hit programs such as "Flamingo Road," "Santa Barbara," "Eight Is Enough," "Capitol," "Fantasy Island," and "Trapper John, M.
D. "Paige also appeared on the hit TV show "All in the Family," playing a waitress who catches Archie Bunker's eye. In a bold move, she took over from Angela Lansbury in 1968 as Mame on Broadway and toured with the production the following year. Paige filled venues all over America when she toured productions such as "Gypsy," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Born Yesterday," and "The Desk Set.
" Her last Broadway show was the play "Alone Together" in 1984. Paige brightened up Bob Hope's Christmas tours, bringing a dash of Hollywood glitz as she entertained troops in Cuba, the Caribbean, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam during the early '60s. She shared the stage with renowned stars such as Sammy Davis Jr., Alan King, Dinah Shore, and Perry Como.In her autobiography "Reading Between the Lines: A Memoir," which came out in 2020, Paige talks about rubbing shoulders with silver screen legends like Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, David Niven, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, and Lucille Ball.With regards to her personal life, there were two brief marriages - first to Frank Martinell, a restaurateur from San Francisco and then to writer-producer Arthur Stander. She then tied the knot with Oscar-winning lyricist Ray Gilbert in 1962 known for his hit song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Disney's Song of the South. Following his death in 1976, she took charge of his music company.
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