Making her first film appearance in 1932, Withers acheived stardom in 1934 playing Shirley Temple's arch enemy in the film Bright Eyes.

Soon after, 20th Century Fox put the Atlanta native in a series of b-movies that made her Temple's equal at the box office.

After Temple left the studio in 1940, Withers became the studio's resident teen star until 1947 when she married and had 3 children (she would marry once more, to a member of The Four Freshman, and have 2 more).

In 1956, Withers returned from her semi-retirement and appeared in the 1956 epic Giant.

During the 1960s and '70s, she appeared as Josephine the Plumber in commercials for Comet cleanser.