Janis Paige (Bio)

An aspiring singer since the age of 5, Janis Paige, born Donna Mae Tjaden, moved to Los Angeles after high school and worked as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen. It was at the Canteen she was noticed and signed by a talent scout for Warner Brothers, where she spent the next few years in secondary musicals. In 1951, she transitioned from Hollywood to Broadway, finding success in Remains to Be Seen and The Pajama Game. After losing her role in the film version of The Pajama Game to Doris Day, she returned to movies and television. Incidentally, one of those roles happened to be opposite Day, in the 1960 comedy Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. In addition to movies, Janis also dabbled in television over the next few decades, including original shows like It’s Always Jan, and appearances on All in the Family, Charlie’s Angels and Night Court.

In 1976, Paige joined the Songwriters Guild of America, a seat she inherited from her late husband Ray Gilbert, and stayed a member until 2001. Ray is best known as the songwriter who wrote “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” for the controversial Disney movie Song of the South. She also inherited Ray’s business, the Ipanema Music Corporation, allowing her to protect Ray’s songwriting legacy to this day, including the songs “You Belong to My Heart,” “Sooner or Later” and Casey at the Bat.” Her most recent public appearance was in 2012, giving a cabaret performance at Vitello’s in Los Angeles at the age of 90.

About Janis. Janis Paige. Accessed February 5, 2014. http://www.janispaige.com/about-janis.html.