Jane Darwell was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her poignant portrayal of the matriarch and leader of the Joad family in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bright Eyes is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by William Conselman is based on a story by David Butler and Edwin J. Burke.
Jesse James is a 1939 American Western film directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly and Randolph Scott. Written by Nunnally Johnson, the film is loosely based on the life of Jesse James, the outlaw from whom the film derives its name. The supporting cast includes Henry Hull, John Carradine, Brian Donlevy, Jane Darwell and Lon Chaney, Jr.
Jane Withers was an American actress and children's radio show host. 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.
Captain Tugboat Annie is a 1945 second sequel to the classic Tugboat Annie (1933), this time starring Jane Darwell as Annie and Edgar Kennedy as Horatio Bullwinkle. The film was directed by Phil Rosen, and is also known as Tugboat Annie's Son.
Sylvia Ashton was an American film actress of the silent film era.
Murder on the Blackboard is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery/comedy film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school. It was based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Palmer. It features popular actor Bruce Cabot in one of his first post-King Kong roles, as well as Gertrude Michael, Regis Toomey, and Edgar Kennedy.
Shooting High is a 1940 American Western film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Jane Withers, Gene Autry, and Marjorie Weaver. Written by Lou Breslow and Owen Francis, the film is about a generations-old feud between two families. This feud is revived when the town banker tries to construct a highway through the area where a monument is installed to the frontiersman ancestor of one of the families.
Johnny Doughboy is a 1942 American black-and-white musical comedy film directed by John H. Auer for Republic Pictures. It stars Jane Withers in a dual role as a 16-year-old actress who is sick of playing juvenile roles, and her lookalike fan who is persuaded by a group of "has-been" child stars to perform with them in a U.S. troop show. The film features cameos by ex-child stars Bobby Breen, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, George "Spanky" McFarland, Baby Sandy, and others. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score.
Small Town Deb is a 1941 teenage comedy by 20th Century Fox directed by Harold Schuster and starring Jane Withers and Jane Darwell. Withers had a story credit on the film under the pseudonym Jerrie Walters and costumes were made by Herschel McCoy.
Gildersleeve's Bad Day is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas from a screenplay by Jack Townley. The picture was the second in the Gildersleeve's series produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the popular NBC radio program, The Great Gildersleeve, created by Leonard L. Levinson, and was released on June 10, 1943. The film stars Harold Peary, Jane Darwell and Nancy Gates.
Paddy O'Day is a 1936 American comedy drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and released by 20th Century Fox. It stars Jane Withers, Pinky Tomlin, and Rita Hayworth. The story follows the adventures of a plucky Irish girl who arrives at Ellis Island only to discover that her mother, a cook in a wealthy Long Island home, has died. Hiding from the immigration officers who want to deport her, she charms everyone she meets, including the service staff and reclusive young master of the house. She goes to live with a family of Russian dancers that she met on the ship, and performs with them in their nightclub. Withers uses a heavy Irish brogue for her character and sings one song with an Irish accent and another song with a Russian accent. She also dances in several numbers, while Hayworth performs a traditional Russian dance in a nightclub revue.
Thieves Fall Out is a 1941 American comedy film starring Eddie Albert and Joan Leslie, with Jane Darwell, Alan Hale, Sr., William T. Orr, and John Litel in support. Directed by Ray Enright, and written by Charles Grayson and Ben Markson, the B-film was released by Warner Bros. on May 3, 1941.
High School is a 1940 American teen comedy film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and written by Jack Jungmeyer, Edith Skouras, and Harold Tarshis. The film stars Jane Withers as a spirited 13-year-old tomboy who is sent from her widowed father's ranch to learn at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she alienates her fellow students with her arrogant and know-it-all personality. The script draws from the real-life activities of the high school's JROTC, band, and "Lassos" girls pep squad.
Private Nurse is a 1941 American drama film directed by David Burton and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Jane Darwell, Brenda Joyce, Sheldon Leonard, Robert Lowery, Ann E. Todd and Kay Linaker. The film was released on August 22, 1941, by 20th Century Fox.
Young America is a 1942 American drama film directed by Louis King and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Jane Withers, Jane Darwell, Lynne Roberts, Robert Cornell, William Tracy and Roman Bohnen. The film was released on February 6, 1942, by 20th Century Fox.
Ginger is a 1935 American comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Arthur Kober. The film stars Jane Withers, O. P. Heggie, Jackie Searl, Katharine Alexander, and Walter Woolf King. It was Withers' first starring role.
Little Miss Nobody is a 1936 American drama film directed by John G. Blystone and written by Lou Breslow, Paul Burger and Edward Eliscu. The film stars Jane Withers, Jane Darwell, Ralph Morgan, Sara Haden, Harry Carey and Betty Jean Hainey. The film was released on June 5, 1936, by 20th Century Fox. The story had previously been filmed in 1929 as Blue Skies.
White Fang is a 1936 American action film directed by David Butler and written by Sam Duncan, Gene Fowler and Hal Long. The film stars Michael Whalen, Jean Muir, Slim Summerville, Charles Winninger, John Carradine and Jane Darwell. It is based on the 1906 novel White Fang by Jack London. The film was released on July 17, 1936, by 20th Century Fox.
Women Won't Tell is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Sarah Padden, Otis Harlan and Gloria Shea. It was written by Lela E. Rogers, mother of Ginger Rogers.
