Biography[]
Character: Patsy
Birthday: 1923
Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Date of Death: 2013
Place of Death:
First Short: Readin' And Writin'
Last Short: Choo-Choo
Number of Shorts: 3
History: Patricia Jane "Patsy" Britten was a 1930s child entertainer and one-time Little Rascal. Born on October 18, 1923, she was the second daughter of Joseph George Britten, an auto salesman, and Lois Britten. She had an older sister named, Eudora, was considered a preternaturally precocious child with an ear for melody. Her sister was enrolled in the local KOMO radio Aunt Bunny's Radio Hour club, but when her sister couldn't perform, she appeared on the radio telling nursery rhymes and was recieved so warmly she continued returning as a regular guest.
Throughout 1926 and 1927, Patsy entertained KOMO listeners by singing such cutesy tunes and performing in a vaudeville show sponsored by the women of St. John's Catholic Church of Seattle. The attention allowed Patsy to be invited to model clothes in fashion shows at the local Rhodes Department Store. Theater magnate Jessie Danz soon started managing Patsy's career singing at events and as a radio talent. Unfortunately, the 1929 Stock Market Crash briefly side-stepped her career. She built her reputation back up by re-releasing the Betty Boop song, "I Wanna Be Loved by You." Her career allowed her mother to hold her back in school due to her work schedule. She started the First Grade in 1930 at John B. Allen School in Seattle.
In 1930, Danz brought Patsy to the attention of George Hickey, the regional manager for MGM Studios. Hickey recruited her into Hal Roach's "Our Gang" short series, appearing in two shorts, Readin' And Writin', Free Eats and Choo-Choo, but before her star could take off, her father came and brought the family home. While singing in Seattle, she returned to Hollywood to star in Al Jolson's radio show. As a member of the Actors' Equity, she was making $100 per day, but her father insisted on being the main bread winner, threatening divorce if Lois wouldn't come home.
Lois continued singing and performing in Seattle's landmarks, but the struggle over Patsy's future lead to a bitter divorce as Lois pursued stardom through the girls. Moving in with her grandparents, Patsy and Eudora continued being managed by their mother. A the age of twelve, she was still considered a "child wonder." She became mostly known for her dancing than her singing, often billed as "Miss Versatility." In 1940, she took the stage name "Patsy Towne" and formed a duo with Bill Elliott. The two of them appearing together in the Universal Studios film, "Swinging in the Barn."
However, the struggle with driving to jobs soon took its toll, and after finishing high school, she went to the University of Washington then joined the US Navy in 1944. Serving for two years, she also attended Hunter College in New York and served at the Naval Air Station at Astoria, Oregon, and Seattle's Sand Point Naval Station. In 1946, she married William J. Stotko and moved to a farm in Maltby, Washington. They had seven children, adopting three more. After William's death in 1991, Patsy moved back to Monroe to be near her family. In 1993, she married Robert J. Bell, and they went on to enjoy twenty-five grandchildren, thirty-four great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Seven decades after her Hollywood experiences, Patricia Jane Stotko-Bell attended a July 21, 2000 gathering for the "Sons of the Desert" as well as the annual convention of the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound on June 2, 2001, recollecting on her long-gone days as an early radio and film star.
She passed away eleven days shy of her 90th birthday on October 7, 2013, surrounded by her family.
List of Shorts[]
Other Projects[]
- Swinging in the Barn (1940)