Janis Paige, a beloved star of Hollywood and Broadway, who danced with Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope, and continued to perform 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, revealed her longtime friend Stuart Lampert on Monday.
A towering figure in the entertainment industry, Paige’s career was marked by a blend of theatrical and cinematic success. She shone brightly on Broadway alongside Jackie Cooper in the mystery-comedy “Remains to be Seen” and later with John Raitt in the highly acclaimed musical “The Pajama Game”. Among her notable film credits were roles in the Bob Hope comedy “Bachelor in Paradise”, the Doris Day comedies “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” and “Follow the Boys”.
In a remarkable moment of solidarity in 2018, Paige lent her voice to the #MeToo movement, recounting a distressing encounter with department-store heir Alfred Bloomingdale when she was 22. Describing the incident in poignant detail, she wrote, “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 added, “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 entry into the limelight began in earnest during World War II when she captivated audiences at the Hollywood Canteen by singing an operatic aria for servicemen. This performance caught the attention of MGM, which offered her a brief role in “Bathing Beauty”. Although she spoke only two lines in the film, it was a significant stepping stone. Warner Bros. quickly signed her after MGM dropped her, casting her in a dramatic segment of the all-star movie “Hollywood Canteen”. Her initial contract paid her $150 a week—a substantial amount compared to her mother’s earnings during the Great Depression. “I earned more per week than my mother had made in a month during the Great Depression,” she recalled in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
As her career progressed, Paige’s weekly earnings soared to $1,000, reflecting her growing prominence in Hollywood. Warner Bros. kept her occupied with roles in various lightweight films, such as “Two Guys from Milwaukee”, “The Time, the Place and the Girl”, “Love and Learn”, “Always Together”, “Wallflower,” and “Romance on the High Seas”, which marked Doris Day’s film debut. During this time, she adopted her stage name, borrowing her grandfather’s surname “Paige” and combining it with “Janis”—a homage to Elsie Janis, famed for entertaining troops in World War I.
Paige’s contract with Warner Bros. expired in 1949, coinciding with a period when studios were downsizing due to television’s increasing popularity. Reflecting on this shift in a 1963 interview, she remarked, “That was a jolt. It meant I was washed up at 25.” Undeterred, she transitioned to Broadway, where she continued her illustrious career, starring in “Remains to Be Seen” and delivering an unforgettable performance as Babe opposite John Raitt in the original production of “The Pajama Game”.
Her versatile talent caught the eye of MGM producer Arthur Freed, who saw her nightclub act at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel and offered her a role opposite Fred Astaire in “Silk Stockings”.
. The film, also starring Cyd Charisse, featured the renowned Cole Porter number “Stereophonic Sound”, in which she and Astaire lampooned newfangled movie technologies. The physically demanding performance left her with numerous bruises, prompting her to remark to the Miami Herald in 2016, “I was one mass of bruises. I didn’t know how to fall. 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, Paige made a celebrated return to the stage after a lengthy hiatus. Her show, “The Third Act”, opened at San Francisco’s Plush Room, where she recounted stories about her illustrious career and sang songs from her various films and stage musicals. Chad Jones, a reviewer for the Alameda Times-Star, lauded her performance, noting that at 80, “the charming Paige shows a vitality, verve, and spirit that performers half her age would envy.”
Paige’s early life in Tacoma, Washington, was marked by hardship. Her father left the family when she was just four years old, and her mother struggled to make ends meet while working at the Bank of Tacoma. Reflecting on those difficult times to the Saturday Evening Post in 1963, Paige said, “We always had enough to eat but nothing to spare. My mother worked so hard. And she used to keep saying that she wished I’d been born a boy, so I could help out more. I always wanted to be a success for her, to make up for my father.”
Following her tenure at Warner Bros., Paige found success on television, starring in the 1955-1956 series “It’s Always Jan” and landing recurring roles in shows like “Flamingo Road”, “Santa Barbara”, “Eight Is Enough”, “Capitol”, “Fantasy Island”, and “Trapper John, M.D.” On “All in the Family”, she portrayed a diner waitress who becomes involved with Carroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker. She also replaced Angela Lansbury in the New York production of “Mame” in 1968, subsequently touring with the show.
Throughout her career, Paige remained an active performer, joining Bob Hope on his Christmas visits to Cuba and the Caribbean in 1960, Japan and South Korea in 1962, and Vietnam in 1964. She also performed in clubs with legendary artists like Sammy Davis Jr., Alan King, Dinah Shore, and Perry Como.
Her autobiography, “Reading Between the Lines: A Memoir”, was published in 2020, offering a vivid chronicle of her friendships with Hollywood giants such as Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, David Niven, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, and Lucille Ball.
Despite multiple marriages, Paige found lasting happiness with songwriter Ray Gilbert, whom she married in 1962. Gilbert, who won an Oscar for the song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da” from Disney’s “Song of the South”, passed away in 1976, after which Paige managed his music company.
Janis Paige leaves behind a legacy of indelible performances and a life committed to entertaining and inspiring audiences across generations. Her enduring charisma, talent, and resilience will continue to be celebrated in the annals of Hollywood and Broadway history.
