Betty Jane Rhodes

Birthday: April 24, 1921 in Rockford, Illinois, USA

This swinging singer from WWII was born on April 14, 1921 in Rockford, Illionois to non-professionals. A gorgeous, fresh-faced, blue-eyed blonde doll blessed with a natural vocal talent, Betty Jane Rhodes was initially discovered on radio and was recording by age 8. Her promising contralto helped her to earn a contract at age 15 with Paramount and immediately made her debut in _Forgotten Faces (1936/I)_ initially billing herself as Jane Rhodes. She played Marsha Hunt's kid sister in her second film The Arizona Raiders (1936) in which she sang "My Melancholy Baby". Still a teenager, she played the femme lead in the Universal serial Jim la jungle (1937) opposite Grant Withers's rugged hero. She went on to warble again in such lively film fare as Charivari (1937), Vacances payées (1938), Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love! (1940) and even in the Tim Holt western Along the Rio Grande (1941).Having been borrowed frequently by other studios, Paramount paid more attention to her by setting her up with the minor wartime musical Sweater Girl (1942), in which introduced the classic "I Don't Want to Walk Without You", and also giving her leads in Salute for Three (1943) opposite Macdonald Carey and You Can't Ration Love (1944). Her film career faded fast after this and she later recorded for RCA and Decca Records, making hits out of such songs as "Rumors Are Flying" and "Buttons and Bows". Married to the late Willet H. Brown, the broadcasting pioneer and co-founder of the Mutual Broadcasting System, the company that ran her program "Adventures in Rhythm," she was initially dubbed the "First Lady of Television". In the 60s she continued performing in clubs and cabarets.Retired for some time, her husband died in 1993 and left her quite wealthy. She and Willet had one child together, Kimberly. Of Betty's stepchildren, Michael, Peter and Patricia, son Michael J. Brown followed in his father's footsteps with Brown Broadcasting. She died at age 90 on December 26, 2011, in Los Angeles. Hide

[on director James P. Hogan, for whom she worked on The Arizona Raiders (1936)] He was very, very ni Show more [on director James P. Hogan, for whom she worked on The Arizona Raiders (1936)] He was very, very nice, and so considerate. I was 14 at the time. I listened to him. Hide

[on Tim Holt, with whom she worked in Along the Rio Grande (1941)] Tim Holt was an egotistical basta Show more [on Tim Holt, with whom she worked in Along the Rio Grande (1941)] Tim Holt was an egotistical bastard. He was really pretty bad. Hide

Betty Jane Rhodes's FILMOGRAPHY

as Actor (4)

Stage Door

Having Wonderful Time

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life

Jungle Jim - Season 1