The Janet Blair Centennial

Born 100 years ago this day, singer and actress Janet Blair (Martha Janet Lafferty, 1921-2007), probably known best as the title character in My Sister Eileen (1942) and for costarring with Henry Fonda on his sitcom The Smith Family (1971-72).

Blair started out as a singer with the Hal Kemp Orchestra when she was only 18. (She later married Kemp’s pianist and arranger Lou Busch a.k.a. Fingers Carr). When Kemp was suddenly killed in a car crash in 1940, she found herself without a gig. Fortunately a scout from Columbia had seen her perform and presented her with a contract. Blair’s films include Blondie Goes to College (1942), Broadway (1942), My Sister Eileen (1942), Tars and Spars (1946), The Fabulous Dorseys (1947), The Black Arrow (1948), two Red Skelton pictures The Fuller Brush Man (1948) and Public Pigeon #1 (1957), the amazing Burn, Witch, Burn (1962) in which she is most unsympathetic, and Disney’s The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968).

In addition to The Smith Family, her TV work includes a stint as a regular on Caesar’s Hour starring Sid Caesar, lots of live television dramas, appearances on variety shows likeThe Ed Sullivan Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show,The Milton Berle Show, Kraft Music Hall, The Jimmy Durante Show,The Red Skelton Hour,Max Liebman Presents,et al, and guest shots on programs like Outer Limits and Marcus Welby MD. Her last three credits were the Holy Trinity: Fantasy Island, Love Boat, and Murder She Wrote.

For more on show business historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.