Betty Jane Rhodes
Betty Jane Rhodes (April 21, 1921 – December 27, 2011) was an American actress and singer, most active in film during the late 1930s and the World War II era. She was also known as Jane Rhodes.
Betty Jane Rhodes
Macfadden Publications Publisher copyright information is on the magazine's page 2. · Radio and Television Mirror front cover · Public domain
- Name
- Betty Jane Rhodes
- Born
- 21 April 1921
- Birthplace
- Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
- Died
- 27 December 2011
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actress, singer
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q4898856 · wikipedia · Betty Jane Rhodes
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Betty Jane Rhodes • Born — 21 April 1921 • Birthplace — Rockford, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 27 December 2011 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Other Names — Jane Rhodes • Occupation — Actress, singer
Early years
Early years
Rhodes was born in Rockford, Illinois on April 21, 1921. She began her broadcasting career when she was just eight years old.
Radio
Radio
Rhodes first sang on the air on children's programs in Berkeley, California. When she was 12, she sang on The Laff Clinic on KHJ in Los Angeles and joined in the program's comedy elements. She also performed on several variety programs on KHJ. In 1934, she joined the staff of KFWB, also in Los Angeles. By August 14, 1934, she was top-billed on KWFB's Jubilee music and comedy program. In the summer of 1936, she sang on a program featuring Johnny Green and his orchestra. Rhodes' first nationwide broadcast exposure came in the summer of 1940 when she sang on the Fred Allen Show during its three-week stay in Hollywood. She had her own weekly show Saturday nights on NBC during the 1950s. Her appearances, as well as other early television roles, earned her the nickname "The First Lady of Television." Rhodes also sang in cabaret until the 1960s. Rhodes was the regular singer on the radio show Meet Me at Parky's, a series starring Harry Einstein as his character Parkyakarkas. She portrayed Betty, the singer at Parky's restaurant.
Nightclub
Nightclub
Rhodes sang at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles when she was 14.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1945, Rhodes married Willet Brown, co-founder of the Mutual Broadcasting System. She and Brown had one child during their marriage; their family also included Brown's three children from his previous marriage. Brown died in 1993. Archeology was Rhodes' hobby. In 1937, she took a course at the University of Southern California, focusing on pottery and beads of early southwestern Americans.
Death
Death
Rhodes died December 27, 2011 at the age of 90.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1936 — Forgotten Faces — Sally McBride • The Arizona Raiders — Lenta Lindsay • 1937 — Jungle Jim — Joan • 1942 — Sweater Girl — Louise Menard • Priorities on Parade — Lee Davis • The Fleet's In — Diana Golden • 1943 — Salute for Three — Judy
Photo of the Harry Parke radio program Meet Me at Parky's. From left-Sheldon Leonard, Harry Parke as Parky, and Betty Rhodes. Parke played the character Parkyakarkus on the Eddie Cantor Show before moving to his own radio show on Mutual Broadcasting.
Dell Publishing -Publisher and copyright information is on magazine page 3. · Radio Album, page 54 of the magazine
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Rockford.
Birth place
Los Angeles.
Death place
Film
Before Rhodes appeared on screen, she worked in films as a ghost singer at RKO Pictures, earning $200 per week for supplying the voice for actresses who moved their lips, pretending to sing. Paramount Pictures signed Rhodes to her first film contract as an actress at age 15. She made her screen debut in the 1936 film Forgotten Faces in which she was credited as Jane Rhodes. In Forgotten Faces, Rhodes played an adopted daughter whose father, portrayed by Herbert Marshall, is arrested for killing a man with whom his wife was having an affair. This was followed by a co-starring role in the 1936 western The Arizona Raiders. The film, in which she played the younger sister of Marsha Hunt's character, marked the first time Rhodes sang in a movie. By September 1936, Rhodes had signed a contract with Universal Pictures, which planned to have her play the lead female role in an upcoming Jungle Jim serial film. The six-year contract called for payments of $1,000 per week. Rhodes was widely known to wartime movie audiences for her debut performance of the classic song, "I Don't Want To Walk Without You", in the 1942 film Sweater Girl. In 2012, Tom Vallance of The Independent wrote of Rhodes' performance, "Her place in the history of popular song is secured by her having introduced on screen one of the great songs of wartime longing, "I Don't Want To Walk Without You."
Recording
In its December 16, 1946 issue, Cashbox designated Rhodes' "You'll Always Be The One I Love" as "Sleeper of the Week". Charles Dant's orchestra accompanied Rhodes on the recording, which Cashbox said "has that trick of making you want to sit down and play the thing time and again."
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Betty Jane Rhodes, revision 1353658965 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Vallance, Tom. Betty Jane Rhodes: Actress and singer who charmed the US as a wartime sweetheart. The Independent. 2012-01-30.
- 2.Harris, Eleanor. Cover Girl. Radio-TV Mirror. 8. August 1946.
- 3.Othman, Frederick C. Betty Jane Rhodes Now Has Movie Contract of Her Own. The Journal Herald. 11. November 19, 1940.
- 4.Lentz, Harris M. III. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. McFarland. 2012. 978-0-7864-9134-6.
- 5.(film advertisement). The Burlington Free Press. 8. January 1, 1937.
- 6.Withers to Play 'Jungle Jim'. The Los Angeles Times. 15. September 8, 1936.
- 7.(untitled brief). The Ogden Standard-Examiner. 3. December 4, 1936.
- 8.Notes off the Cuff. Santa Ana Register. 4. October 14, 1937.
- 9.Tuning In. The Los Angeles Times. 16. March 2, 1933.
- 10.Douglas, Doug. Presidential Message on Radio. The Los Angeles Times. 12. March 9, 1933.
- 11.Tuning In. The Los Angeles Times. 16. July 27, 1933.
- 12.Tuning In. The Los Angeles Times. 18. July 17, 1934.
- 13.Duluth Orchestra Plays. The Los Angeles Times. 18. August 14, 1934.
- 14.Betty Jane Rhodes Joins Fred Allen Show. The Tampa Times. 12. June 12, 1940.
- 15.Radio Album. Meet Me at Parky's. 54–55. 1948.
- 16.Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. 222–223. 1999. 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- 17.The Pageant of the Film World. The Los Angeles Times. 19. June 3, 1935.
- 18.Sleeper of the Week. Cashbox. 11. December 16, 1946.
- 19.Actress Takes Special Course. The Los Angeles Times. 2. January 11, 1937.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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