Paige Young in Los AngelesMary Jane Harker. Warner Brothers Actress & Model. 2nd Cousin to Paige Young. Bio. & Photos. Under Construction. 11/10/2025
Posted on April 22, 2025
Below are scans of Mary Jane Harker’s birth certificate.
She is not Jane Ellen Harker of Minnesota that appears on her IMDb entry, and Warner Brothers (WB) wiki.
*Update*
find-a-grave and IMDb have updated Harker’s entry with the correct birth and death dates and locations.
Image of full informational birth certificate copy.
Mary Jane Harker was born on November 13, 1923, in the city of San Francisco.
There are still several websites with the incorrect information about this Harker, a WB contract player for 2 years in the 1940s.
Seal and certification of California birth information.
1940 Census. Jane Harker is living on No. Highland Ave. in Los Angeles. Birthplace “California.”
As this article states, her mother Josephine was a vaudeville performer, often with her sister Virginia.
They used the name “The Virginia Sisters.” Notice it says “California Girl” not Minnesota.
*Below note the Vaudeville group the Virginia Sisters that is written about in the above article*.
Virginia and Josephine Young (Jane Harker’s mother) form a Vaudeville act with Virginia’s husband, Ned Argo.
Jane Harker’s mother originally from Salt Lake City. Brigham Young is an ancestor.
Salt Lake Tribune Jul. 19, 1945
The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “San Francisco Girl.”
Jane retires from Hollywood to marry a Navy pilot. Much more on this soon.
Martinez News Gazette Apr. 15, 1947. Harker quits Hollywood career for marriage to Navy flyer.
“A native of San Francisco”
Jane and Capt. Sam Lanier married and had 4 children.
The family lived in San Diego, Hawaii. Around the late 60s, they settled in Jacksonville, florida for a long time. Then, Ponte Verde, Florida where Jane died in 1988 at the age of 64.
Later in Life:
Tampa Bay Times Oct. 22, 1978 Jane Lanier on right. She had 10 years left in her life.
Death record of Jane Harker Lanier Ancestry.com
More on Jane Harker’s Family and brief Hollywood Career
8 x 10 B&W photo from scan purchased on ebay.
The Mary in Mary Jane would soon be dropped. This photo was published in Movie Life Magazine, Sept. 1945. Publicity for Miss Harker’s own Hollywood Myth. I read many news articles that said she was a secretary hiding her beauty behind a pair of glasses.
Harker may indeed have been a secretary to an agent, but Jane had been studying at the Geller Theatre Workshop for a few years and appeared in a few plays at the Geller Theatre. More on this below.
More family history 1930
Mary Jane Harker was living with her family in South Pasadena on Fletcher St. according to the census information.
Father: George Truman Harker, Mother: Josephine Harker, Brother: Jack Truman Young Harker.
Mary J. highlighted in yellow–father George T. Mother Josephine and brother Jack T.
They also had a live-in housekeeper named Pat Kirkpatrick listed under Mary J.
Yellow line is Mary Jane’s lines, she is 6 years old—born in California. George T. was from South Dakota. Josephine Utah, Jack Truman California.
LA Building Records shown online say George T. Harker purchased the house and adjoining chicken house around 1930/31.
I recorded a directory listing from 1932 that George T. Harker owned a place on Arminta in Canoga Park.
SFV Times Jul. 7, 1938 Jane goes with her Uncle Ned, harpist, and her 1st cousin Donna V. on a trip to San Francisco.
As you recall, Jane was born in this city in 1923.
Donna V. LaRocca was the mother of Paige Young.
1937 Josephine and George T Harker divorce.
I found this under the heading
DIVORCE SUITS FILED
May 28, 1937 LAT
This under^^^^^^DIVORCES GRANTED. June 23, 1937. LAT
. An unusually brief time from filing to granted.
Enter Neyneen Hamilton
This address on N. Highland is a street leading to the 101 Fwy.
Jane is 16 years old and living with Neyneen and Gloria, also 16.
In 2 years Jane would be Queen of the Prom in Reseda, San Fernando Valley.
Neyneen was from a musical Mormon family as was Josephine Harker, and they were cousins. Both moved to Los Angeles.
It’s possible Jane was going to Hollywood High School at this time. The adult in the home was Neyneen, a local voice teacher and relative from Utah.
A few press articles about Jane Harker say she graduated from Hollywood High.
More truthfully, she went to Hollywood High but was now back up in the Valley.
In 1942 she is elected Prom Queen her Senior year.
1942 and Jane Harker is named Queen of the prom at the Canoga Park High School.
The headline misspells her name but the article gets it correctly.
Jane Harker’s Hollywood publicity states she was “discovered” as a secretary for an agent. And all they needed to do was “remove her glasses,” and Jane was “star-ready.”
Look at the following press articles.
It indicates that Mary Jane had a prior plan for entering the Hollywood industry.
The evidence:
GELLER THEATER WORKSHOP
Los Angeles Times Jan. 13, 1945 Geller write-up says Jane Harker was already at Warner Bros. studio. Bottom of first paragraph.
Geller Gossip was a semi-regular column in the Los Angeles Times.
Stardust Row column
Another Stardust Row Column. End of first column mentions Philadelphia Story is playing at the Geller Theatre.
Jane Harker is in cast.
The next paragraph says Jane finished her role in Night and Day at Warner Bros.
Stage Door has Jane Harker in the cast. Geller article mentions students “before the cameras” this week. Probably work as extras? One line?
This was a great way for Geller to promote themselves to prospective students.
Some students were called to be extras on the set of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Second paragraph.
No one guessing, I’m sure, that the film would become one of the most revered Hollywood studio classics of all time.
More on Parents Josephine and George T. Harker
Josephine is listed as “owner of a chicken ranch” in the 1940 census. Jane’s brother Jack T. is listed “poultry worker.” Josephine and George had been divorced since 1937.
I think Josephine won the chicken ranch in the divorce. She tried to make a go of it. I’ve read that the areas of the SFV, especially Reseda, Canoga Park and Winnetka, were a popular location to own and operate chicken farms.
The Arminta house with adjoining chicken houses owned by the Harkers, was razed in 1968.
Jane Harker’s brother, Jack Truman Young Harker, signed up for service in WW2. Notice he uses his Mother Josephine’s Arminta address for a contact. I don’t know what he was doing in Montebello at this time.
Says he works for Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank.
Paige Young’s father Robert Cotterell, spent many years working for Douglas Air.
I bet there are zero remaining chicken ranches in that area now.
1945-1947 The World of Warner Brothers Studio
Jane’s short career coincides with the popularity of GI pinups during and after WW2. These were largely produced by Hollywood photographers and publicists.
100s of photos of Warner Brothers Studio (WB) starlet Jane Harker were seen in newspapers across the USA. And a few “movie star” magazine of the era.
Of course, WBs was promoting other young starlets in cheesecake/pinup photos at the time like Jane’s fellow contract players: Peggy Knudsen, Dorothy Malone, Andrea King, Angela Greene, Suzi Crandall, Arlene Dahl and Martha Vickers.
Here we see a Studio image combining pinup and patriotism.
There were many holiday themed pinups, as you will see.: Christmas, Halloween, Easter Thanksgiving, and the 4th.
From left: Peggy Knudsen, Suzy Crandall and Jane Harker. This image was used on a recent book cover.
credit: Debbie Rich Pinterest
Way above these starlets in bit or minor parts were the Leading Ladies of WB in the 1940s: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
Ann Sheridan was an up-and-comer at Warner Brothers working her way up the ladder of stardom. Sheridan wanted to be offered interesting, challenging roles like Bette and Joan.
Davis and Crawford were not posing for cheesecake/pinup type photos at this time in their career. Earlier though, they did their share of establishing Hollywood Glamour photography as a genre.
A genre that conveys sex-appeal as much as the pin-up.
In collaboration of course, with studio photographers, George Hurrell, Wellbourne and Clarence Sinclair Bull. (To name but a few.)
During WW2,
Bette Davis and actor John Garfield joined up to form the Hollywood Canteen, a free club for service members.
Joan Crawford dedicated many hours to the Hollywood Canteen. She was one of the first Hollywood stars to join the USO, according to Google AI.
See Bette Davis with John Garfied behind her, signing autographs for service members at the famous Hollywood Canteen.
Scroll Down
Shortly after the war ends
Jane Harker appears in Deception with Bette Davis, 1946.
She appears with Joan Crawford in Humoresque, 1946.
Garfield co-starred with Crawford in Humoresque, one of Jane Harker’s most memorable Hollywood roles. Brief though it is.
Ann Sheridan from Texas was an up and coming actress/starlet promoted as the Oomph Girl, a Hollywood campaign to boost her career.
Ann Sheridan image used in an advertising campaign for Signal Gasoline.
1940s. Promotion was to show up and get this free photo of Ann!
Tony Steffer Pinterest
Oomph Girl caught on!
Jane Harker appeared with Ann Sheridan in The Unfaithful 1947.
It was one of Harker’s biggest roles in her repertoire of small and bit parts..
Ann Sheridan was ambitious for the interesting and challenging roles that Bette and Joan were offered.
Later she expressed mixed feelings about the “pin-up” and Oomph image, and wondering if it cost her any roles.
Other well-known actresses and lesser known starlets, became pinup favorites of the GIs during WW2.
During the war, the most famous pinup photos were of Hollywood stars Betty Grable, 20-Century-Fox and Rita Hayworth, Columbia. The photos appeared in Yank! Life and other widely read magazines.
Betty Grable’s quintessential WW2 pin-up photo. Produced by a Hollywood studio photographer named Frank Powolny. It was a promotion of Grable’s movie Sweet Rosie O’Grady.
this first section FEATURES several of Jane Harker’s pinup AND Hollywood Glamour style photos. PRIMARILY newspaper clippings.
And a few 8×10 original photos.
Buffalo News Dec. 19, 1945 Promoting Warner Bros. Night and Day starring Cary Grant and Alexis Smith. Jane has a small role.
Promoted as a “New Pin-up Girl”
Florida Times Union 11/10/46
Pasadena Star News Apr. 17, 1946 Writer makes note of the pillow.
“Pin-up pose.”
Holiday themed pinups
One of several Christmas themed photos of Jane, this one mentions the GIs. The Ogden (Utah) Standard Examiner Dec. 20, 1945
From my collection. An unfortunate crease.
Back of photo below.
August 1945 Santa Barbara News-Press. Again mentions Jane Harker’s Myth of her Hollywood beginnings.
There weren’t any TV talk shows at this time. Print and radio entertainment reporters.
Jane Harker modeled clothing and fashion photos in addition to the Hollywood pin-up and Glamour.
There were so many, again I include only the best.
I’ll start with some beautiful color prints from Australia.
Star Weekly Toronto Feb. 1, 1947
All found on newspapers.com
Jane appears in numerous hat adverts along with regular fashion features.
Fashion feature along with Ann Sheridan!
Paige Young in Los Angeles 