Japan's Emporer Hirohito was a big fan of Altoona's favorite daughter Janet Blair.  That is according to Blair's son  Andrew Mayo.

 

He related to me what it was like growing up with his mom in Hollywood, "It was pretty magical.  All the doors would open up for my mom. "  He adds, "We had access to a lot of the things that other people might not have access to.  We received major red carpet treatment."  He said that he and his sister had really incredible childhoods.  The only thing that would have been considered a negative was that their parents were gone a lot.  They worked a lot.  He remembers, "We were raised by a staff of people."

 

Andrew recalls that his mom was very fond of her hometown, Altoona, and all of the people there.  There was a lot of people who wanted to see her.  There was no other place in the world that my mom was received so well.  She was treated like a queen.  She was given parades and dinners.  It was like walking around with the mayor of Altoona.  She was also given the key to the city.  The whole state was proud of her.

 

He also remembers his visits to Altoona.  He said that he went fishing with his grandfather Fred Lafferty Sr., owner of The Blair Trucking Company, at Spruce CReek.  He mentioned that his grqandfather, who was known as an avid hunter and fisherman, had also taken Janet to Spruce Creek as well, when she was a child

 

Follow Andrew and read more about his mom and other Hollywood stories on social media:

 Facebook Page: Janet Blair

 Facebook Group: Hollywood's Golden Era 40's, 50's, and 60's

 YouTube: California Pickin

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To read the complete interview with Janet Blair's son Andrew Mayo, check out the upcoming book release They Came From Blair County due out by the end of the year.

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**The information in this article was obtained through a phone interview with Andrew Mayo

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**All of the photos are from the persoanal collection of Andrew Mayo