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.