Janis Paige, a celebrated Hollywood star with a career spanning 60 many years, passed absent from organic leads to at her Los Angeles house at the age of 101. The Golden Age icon’s loss of life on Sunday was verified by her longtime buddy Stuart Lampert on Monday.
Paige, who done with comedy legend Bob Hope in Vietnam and danced with Fred Astaire, has been remembered fondly throughout social media. A single admirer wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “What a lifestyle. Now that is stardom. From Bob Hope to Fred Astaire. It did not get superior than that for Janis Paige, I bet.”
Paige designed her Broadway debut alongside Jackie Cooper in the secret-comedy “Remains to be Seen” and appeared 3 years afterwards in the strike musical “The Pajama Game” with John Raitt. Her film credits consist of the Bob Hope comedy “Bachelor in Paradise,” the Doris Working day comedy “Please Really don’t Try to eat the Daisies,” and “Follow the Boys.”
In 2018, Paige joined the #MeToo movement by sharing her story of staying assaulted at 22 by the late section-shop heir Alfred Bloomingdale. She wrote, “I could feel his hands, not only on my breasts but seemingly everywhere. He was massive and potent, and I started to battle, kick, bite, and scream.” She additional, “At 95, time is not on my aspect, and neither is silence. I simply just want to increase my identify and say, ‘Me far too.’”
Paige’s occupation breakthrough came for the duration of Earth War II when she sang an operatic aria for servicemen at the Hollywood Canteen, top to a transient function in “Bathing Beauty” and a contract with Warner Bros. Her preliminary wage was $150 a week, a major sum when compared to her mother’s earnings during the Fantastic Despair.
Her career observed her increase to $1,000 weekly, starring in films like “Two Fellas from Milwaukee,” “The Time, the Place and the Lady,” and “Romance on the Substantial Seas,” Doris Day’s film debut. Paige adopted her stage identify from her grandfather’s surname and entertainer Elsie Janis, who performed for troops in Environment War I.
Following her Warner Bros. deal ended in 1949, MGM’s Arthur Freed solid her in “Silk Stockings” alongside Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The film showcased the memorable Cole Porter range “Stereophonic Sound,” which needed her to complete complicated bodily feats, leaving her bruised and battered.
Paige ongoing to perform into her 80s, opening a demonstrate named “The Third Act” in San Francisco’s Plush Area in 2003. Critics mentioned her vitality and spirit, characteristics that outshone quite a few youthful performers.
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Paige confronted a difficult childhood just after her father deserted the spouse and children. Her mother labored tirelessly at the Financial institution of Tacoma, and Paige’s generate for achievements was fueled by her desire to support her mother.
Immediately after leaving Warner Bros., Paige uncovered accomplishment on tv, starring in “It’s Normally Jan” and appearing in sequence like “Flamingo Road,” “Santa Barbara,” “Eight Is Adequate,” “Capitol,” “Fantasy Island,” and “Trapper John, M.D.” She performed a unforgettable role in “All in the Family” and took above for Angela Lansbury in “Mame” on Broadway in 1968.
Paige also toured with reveals like “Gypsy,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Born Yesterday,” and “The Desk Established.” Her last Broadway physical appearance was in “Alone Together” in 1984. She ongoing to entertain troops with Bob Hope, performing in Cuba, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam in the course of the 1960s.
In 2020, Paige printed her autobiography, “Reading Among the Strains: A Memoir,” recounting her ordeals with stars like Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Lucille Ball. Paige’s personal lifestyle provided transient marriages to restaurateur Frank Martinelli and writer-producer Arthur Stander, ahead of marrying songwriter Ray Gilbert in 1962. Gilbert, who won an Oscar for “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” passed absent in 1976, following which Paige managed his new music business.
