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Judy before the Jetsons: Janet Waldo's rise to fame
The teenager of the future was linked to radio's Golden Age.
Judy Jetson is a teenage icon, emblematic of that age bracket for an entire generation. As mid-century America began recognizing the post-adolescent, pre-adult as an enviable demographic, specific cultural signifiers emerged to explain the newly-coined grouping. Teenagers were savvy, forward-thinking consumers, and media depictions reflected that. Inevitably, some teenage characters satirize that age, heightening the melodrama of those hyper-emotional years. On occasion, though, a character like Judy Jetson emerges that lovingly showcases those precious years, taking a funny approach while never devolving into parody.
Janet Waldo was uniquely qualified to voice Judy Jetson. Her portfolio of radio work gave her a powerful skillset that allowed a full spectrum of realistic, emotional voice acting.
Waldo was born in Grandview, Washington, and raised in Seattle. High school productions led to a more serious pursuit of the theatrical arts, and upon graduation, Janet moved to Hollywood with her mother. Shortly after her arrival, Janet Waldo was cast as Corliss Archer in the same-named radio production based on plays by F. Hugh Herbert. Waldo played 15-year-old Corliss until she was six months pregnant, at which point the actress left on maternity leave to give birth to her firstborn son.
In addition to this most-popular radio role, Ms. Waldo filled her time and her bank account with more and more radio work. In March 1949, she married writer Robert E. Lee, one-half of the Lawrence and Lee writing team behind "Inherit the Wind" and the stage version of "Auntie Mame."
Ms. Waldo was never financially desperate in a way that would necessitate taking roles she didn't want. Instead, the actress was able to take roles based on how long they'd take her away from her family.
One of Janet Waldo's favorite roles was that of Judy Jetson, who she brought to life in the original Jetsons run from 1962-63. The voice-acting role maximized the amount of time she could spend with her husband and children. Ms. Waldo would continue voicing Judy Jetson until her own retirement from voice acting in 2000.
19 Comments
In 1964, she played Tony Franciosa's secretary on his one-season sitcom Valentine's Day.
That was a funny show, and Janet Waldo was a real knockout.
Valentine's Day also had Jack Soo, who was a riot as Franciosa's sidekick.
Somebody ought to dig that show up ...
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His boy Elroy !
Another actress who never got beyond that teeny-bopper thing was Trudy Ames, who was Ursula (best friend of Ann-Margret as Kim in the movie version of "Bye Bye Birdie"). Ames made just one appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show as (surprise) a teeny-bopper when Chad and Jeremy stayed with the Petries, and her acting career concluded in 1968, whereupon she became a railroad engineer (?!).
That feature was also the last time George O"Hanlon voiced George... he passed away after the film was completed...
According to an interview she gave to the Orlando Sentinal on July 13, 1990:
“I was totally crushed,” Waldo said. “I originated the character, and I feel very sentimental about Judy. If they had recast the whole show, there wouldn’t have been any problem at all. But the fact that my part was the only one that was changed just threw me. I felt it was very disloyal (of Hanna and Barbera).”
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