Janet Reade, born Helen Dorothy Rulon, emerged onto the vaudeville scene at the tender age of eight, commencing a remarkable journey that would span several years and earn her the esteemed nickname "The Dynamo of Vaudeville".
As a child prodigy, Janet spent numerous years touring the country with the esteemed Templeton Brothers Act, honing her craft and captivating audiences nationwide.
In 1929, while performing in a Philadelphia nightclub, Janet's remarkable talent caught the attention of the illustrious producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., who promptly offered her a featured role in his forthcoming production, Whoopee, starring the incomparable Eddie Cantor.
Janet's personal life was marked by a tumultuous marriage to Walter Batchelor, a theater manager, which unfortunately ended in divorce. Undeterred, she made her film debut in the comedy short Sky High in 1931, followed by appearances in several more shorts, including The Mild West and Here Comes Flossie!.
Her lovely singing voice often accompanied her onscreen performances, but unfortunately, her movie career failed to gain traction, and she returned to her roots in vaudeville.
In 1935, Janet married dancer Pat Rooney Jr., only to separate from him a few years later, ultimately quitting the show business altogether.
However, her personal life continued to make headlines, particularly in 1942 when she announced her divorce from Pat Rooney Jr. to marry his father, sixty-two-year-old Pat Rooney Sr., in New Jersey.
Despite appearing happy in public, Janet struggled with alcoholism, which ultimately contributed to her untimely demise on February 6, 1943, at the tragically young age of thirty-two, due to a liver ailment.
