Biografia

When the hit musical "The Pajama Game" was being transferred to film, co-stars Janis and John Raitt were told either might recreate their respective roles, but not both. The reason given was that neither were established movie stars at the time. Frank Sinatra was approached to do the film, which meant Janis would have co-starred, but he turned it down. Doris Day was offered the role and accepted, so Raitt was taken on board and Paige was out.

During her Broadway run of "The Pajama Game" in the mid-'50s, she accidentally developed poison oak. Co-star John Raitt had been clearing land and came to the theater with a rash on his hands. Janis missed three weeks of performances and had to endure potassium baths which made her turn purple.

Chose her first name in honor of Elsie Janis, beloved entertainer of troops during World War I; Paige was her maternal grandmother's name.

Got her start working as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen, where she was discovered by a Warner Brothers talent scout. One of her first film roles was co-starring in the Warner Brothers film, Ho baciato una stella (1944), where she plays a Warner Brothers messenger girl working at the canteen.

On April 1, 1968, she replaced Angela Lansbury as "Mame Dennis" in "Mame" on Broadway. She played the role for nearly two years, and garnered rave reviews.