Ann Rutherford

On television, she portrayed Suzanne Pleshette's mother on the popular Bob Newhart Show during the 1970s. She is not to be confused with Welcome Back, Kotter actress Marcia Strassman, with whom she shares a close resemblance. On radio, Ann Rutherford replaced Penny Singleton as Blondie. Now retired from show business, Jan currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She retired from films in 1950, but returned to her old studio in 1972 to make They Only Kill Their Masters on the old Andy Hardy set. From 1987 through 1995 she was married to actor James Brolin. She left MGM to freelance in the early 1940s, starring in such films as Orchestra Wives (1942) (with the Glen Miller Orchestra), Two O'Clock Courage (1945) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). This scar cost her some roles, and according to Jan, made her feel insecure about her looks.

She also starred in a series of mystery/comedies with Red Skelton (Whistling in the Dark (1941), Whistling in Dixie (1942), and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943)). The impact smashed her face into the steering wheel, causing the injury. From 1937 until 1942, she portrayed Polly Benedict in the very successful Andy Hardy series. To avoid another car that ran a stop sign, Jan swerved and hit a telephone pole. She was loaned to Selznick International to appear as Careen O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (1939). Smithers was involved in a car accident which left a permanent scar on her chin. At MGM, she appeared in such films as A Christmas Carol (1938) and Pride and Prejudice (1940). As a teen, Ms.

Afterward, she was placed under contract with MGM. As a result of that exposure, she landed some commercial modeling work while pursuing her studies at the California Institute of the Arts. Mascot merged with Republic Pictures, and Miss Rutherford soon established herself as a popular leading lady of Westerns with Gene Autry and John Wayne. She first reached the public eye as a teenager, when she was featured on the cover of a 1966 issue of Newsweek, seated on a motorcycle. She began her film career in starring roles in Waterfront Lady for Mascot Pictures in 1935. She played the character "Bailey Quarters" on the popular television series WKRP in Cincinnati. At an early age, she performed in various radio shows. Smithers grew up in Woodland Hills, California.

Miss Rutherford was born in Toronto, Canada. Jan Smithers (born Karin Jan Smithers on 3 July 1949) is an American television and film actress. In the long-running, Academy Award-winning Andy Hardy film series, she played Polly twelve times, with the last appearance being in Andy Hardy's Double Life in 1942. It was in 1938 that her first notable role came as Andy Hardy's girlfriend, Polly Benedict, in Judge Hardy's Children. She appeared in seventeen films between 1935 and 1938.

Her first film role was in Melody Trail in 1935. She has had a long career starring and co-starring in films. Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1920 - ) is a Canadian/American actress in film, radio, and television.