Grable, Betty

From New World Encyclopedia
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{epname|Grable, Betty}}
 +
{{Infobox actor
 +
| bgcolour = silver
 +
| name = Betty Grable   
 +
| image = Betty Grable in How to Marry a Millionaire trailer 2 cropped.jpg
 +
| imagesize =
 +
| caption = in ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' (1953)     
 +
| birthname = Elizabeth Ruth Grable     
 +
| birthdate = {{birth date|1916|12|18|mf=y}}         
 +
| location = [[St. Louis, Missouri]]   
 +
| deathdate = {{death date and age|1973|7|2|1916|12|18|mf=y}}     
 +
| deathplace = [[Santa Monica, California]]           
 +
| othername = Frances Dean     
 +
| homepage =     
 +
| academyawards =       
 +
| spouse = [[Jackie Coogan]] (1937-1940)<br/>  [[Harry James]] (1943-1965) 2 children         
 +
}}
  
 +
'''Betty Grable''' (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American dancer, singer, and [[actor|actress]].
 +
 +
Her [[icon]]ic [[bathing suit]] photo made her the number-one [[pin-up girl]] of the [[World War II]] era. It was later included in the ''[[Life magazine|Life]]'' magazine project "[[100 Photos that Changed the World]]." Her famous pin-up pose during World War II adorned barracks all around the world. With that pin-up and as the star of lavish musicals, Betty became the highest-paid star in Hollywood.
 +
 +
Grable's legs were famously insured by her [[movie studio|studio]] for $1,000,000 with [[Lloyds of London]].
 +
 +
She at one time received 12,000 fan letters per week. appeared in her first film at age 14.
 +
set a record that has never come close to being equaled in reigning as Hollywood's female box office champ for an incredible ten years.
 +
During her lifetime, she would become one of the most prolific singing actresses of her time, starring in over one hundred films, including 'Pin Up Girl' and 'How To Marry A Millionaire'.
 +
 +
==Early life==
 +
She was born '''Elizabeth Ruth Grable''' in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] to John Conn Grable (1883-1954) and Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889-1964).<ref>[http://bettygrable.net/bio BettyGrable.net - Betty Grable Biography]</ref> She was the youngest of three children.
 +
 +
Elizabeth, who later became Betty, was enrolled in Clark's Dancing School at the age of three. With her mother's guidance, Betty studied ballet and tap dancing. She was introduced to acting in 1929 when her mother moved with her to Hollywood. Although only 5'4" tall and 13 years old, Betty was hired as a Fox chorus girl at $50 a week to dance in ''Happy Days'' and ''Let's Go Places''.<ref name=Grable>[http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/ww2Timeline/bettygrable.html Betty Grable] ''History.sandiego.edu.'' Retrieved February 20, 2009.</ref>
 +
 +
==Career==
 +
Grable finally obtained a role as a '[[Goldwyn Girls|Goldwyn Girl]]' in ''[[Whoopee!]]'' (1930), starring [[Eddie Cantor]]. Though Grable received no billing, she led the opening number, "Cowboys." Grable then worked in small roles at different studios for the rest of the decade, including the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning ''[[The Gay Divorcee]]'' (1934), starring [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]].
 +
 +
In 1934 she signed a five-year contact with [[RKO Pictures]]. Even though she appeared in small parts in over 50 [[Hollywood]] movies throughout the 1930s she did not become a star until 1939 when she signed with [[Darryl F. Zanuck]] at [[Twentieth Century Fox]]. Grable would make dozens of [[Technicolor]] musicals for Fox over the next decade and earn the studio over $100 million.<ref name=Grable/>
 +
 +
Grable finally gained national attention on stage for her role in the [[Cole Porter]] [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] hit ''[[Du Barry Was a Lady]]'' (1939).
 +
[[Image:Grable1.jpg|200px|left|150px]]
 +
She would go on to star in ''[[Down Argentine Way]]'' (1940), ''[[Moon Over Miami (movie)|Moon Over Miami]]'' (1941) (both with [[Don Ameche]]), ''[[Springtime in The Rockies]]'' (1942), ''[[Coney Island (1943 film)|Coney Island]]'' (1943) with [[George Montgomery]], ''[[Sweet Rosie O'Grady]]'' (1943) with [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]], ''[[Pin Up Girl]]'' (1944), ''[[Diamond Horseshoe]]'' (1945) with [[Dick Haymes]], ''[[The Dolly Sisters]]'' (1945) with [[John Payne (actor)|John Payne]] and [[June Haver]], and ''[[Mother Wore Tights]]'' (1947), with  costar, [[Dan Dailey]].
 +
===Pinup fame===
 +
It was during her reign as box office queen (in 1943) that Grable posed for her famous pinup photo, which (along with her movies) soon became escapist fare among [[GI]]s fighting in [[World War II]]. The image was taken by studio photographer Frank Powolny, who died in 1986. <ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE1DB103CF932A25752C0A960948260 FRANK POWOLNY - New York Times]</ref> Despite solid competition from [[Rita Hayworth]], [[Dorothy Lamour]], [[Veronica Lake]], [[Carole Landis]] and [[Lana Turner]], Grable was the top pinup girl for American soldiers. She was very popular at home as well becoming the No. 1 female box office attraction in 1942, 1943, 1944 and remained in the Top 10 for the next decade. By the end of the 1940s Grable was the highest-paid female star in [[Hollywood]].<ref name=Grable/>
 +
 +
Although she never toured outside the United States for the [[U.S.O.]], she actively participated in War efforts, appearing at Camps across the country and at Bond Rallies where she auctioned off her nylons for thousands of dollars. Volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed entirely by film stars and studio workers, she '[[Jitterbug]]ged' the night away with hundreds of soldiers, sailors and marines".<ref name=Grable/>
 +
 +
When her studio circulated the famous bathing suit picture they became an instant hit. ''Life'' [[magazine]] had coined the term "pinup" in the July 7, 1941, special issue on National Defense and anointed [[Dorothy Lamour|"Dottie" Lamour]] as the nation's first official pinup girl. Grable's 1943 image would far surpass Lamour's popularity when the Fox studio reportedly issued about five million copies of the pose.<ref name=Grable/>
 +
 +
Zanuck released the film ''Pin Up Girl'' on May 10, 1944, to capitalize on the famous photo, and used the photo to publicize many of the wartime films of the Fox studio. Her yearly salary of $320,000 by 1947 made her the highest paid salaried woman in America. However, her contract with Fox ended in 1953 as the studio began to feature a new "blond bombshell" by the name of [[Marilyn Monroe]].
 +
 +
Her postwar musicals included: '' [[That Lady in Ermine]]'' (1948) with [[Douglas Fairbanks Jr.]], ''[[When My Baby Smiles at Me]]'' (1948) again with Dailey, ''[[Wabash Avenue]]'' (1950) (a remake of Grable's own ''[[Coney Island]]'') with [[Victor Mature]], ''[[My Blue Heaven]]'' (1950), and ''[[Meet Me After the Show]]'' (1951). Studio chief [[Darryl F. Zanuck]] lavished his star with expensive Technicolor films, but also kept her busy—Grable made nearly 25 [[musical film|musical]]s and comedies in 13 years. Her last big hit for Fox was ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'' (1953) with [[Lauren Bacall]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]]. Grable next starred in ''[[Three For The Show]]'' (1955) with [[Jack Lemmon]] and this film was one of her last musicals.
 +
===Transition to TV and Broadway===
 +
Grable's later career was marked by feuds with studio heads. At one point, in the middle of a fight with Zanuck, she tore up her contract and stormed out of his office. Gradually leaving movies entirely, she made the transition to [[television]] and starred in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. In 1967, she took over the lead in the touring company of ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]''. She starred in a 1969 musical called ''[[Belle Starr]]'' in [[London]], but it was closed early after bad reviews.
 +
 +
Grable's last role was Billie Dawn in ''[[Born Yesterday]]'', and the last stage she performed on was the [[Alhambra Dinner Theatre]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] in February, 1973.<ref>[http://www.alhambradinnertheatre.com/new_insidescoop.htm Alhambra Dinner Theatre website: Inside scoop]</ref>
 +
 +
==Personal life==
 +
In 1937, Grable married another famous former child-actor, [[Jackie Coogan]]. He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his earnings, however, and the couple divorced in 1939.
 +
 +
In 1943, she married trumpeter and [[big band]] leader [[Harry James]]. The couple had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica. They endured a tumultuous 22-year marriage that was plagued by alcoholism and infidelity. The couple divorced in 1965. Grable entered into a relationship with a dancer, [[Bob Remick]], several years her junior. Though they did not marry, their romance lasted until the end of Grable's life.
 +
 +
==Death==
 +
Grable died of [[lung cancer]] at age 56 in [[Santa Monica, California]]. Her funeral was held July 5, 1973, 30 years to the day after her marriage to Harry James — who, in turn, died on what would have been his and Grable's 40th anniversary, July 5, 1983. She is interred in [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]], [[Inglewood, California]].
 +
 +
==Legacy==
 +
Grable has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6525 [[Hollywood Boulevard]]. She also has a star on the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].
 +
 +
==Filmography==
 +
Features:
 +
*''[[Happy Days (1929 film)|Happy Days]]'' ([[1929 in film|1929]])
 +
*''Let's Go Places'' ([[1930 in film|1930]])
 +
*''New Movietone Follies of 1930'' (1930)
 +
*''[[Whoopee! (film)|Whoopee!]]'' (1930)
 +
*''[[Kiki (film)|Kiki]]'' ([[1931 in film|1931]])
 +
*''[[Palmy Days]]'' (1931)
 +
*''[[The Greeks Had a Word for Them]]'' ([[1932 in film|1932]])
 +
*''Probation'' (1932)
 +
*''The Age of Consent'' (1932)
 +
*''Hold 'Em Jail'' (1932)
 +
*''The Kid from Spain'' (1932)
 +
*''[[Cavalcade (film)|Cavalcade]]'' ([[1933 in film|1933]])
 +
*''[[Child of Manhattan (film)|Child of Manhattan]]'' (1933)
 +
*''Melody Cruise'' (1933)
 +
*''What Price Innocence?'' (1933)
 +
*''The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi'' (1933)
 +
*''[[The Gay Divorcee]]'' ([[1934 in film|1934]])
 +
*''Student Tour'' (1934)
 +
*''By Your Leave'' (1934)
 +
*''The Nitwits'' ([[1935 in film|1935]])
 +
*''Old Man Rhythm'' (1935)
 +
*''Collegiate'' ([[1936 in film|1936]])
 +
*''[[Follow the Fleet]]'' (1936)
 +
*''Don't Turn 'em Loose'' (1936)
 +
*''[[Pigskin Parade (film)|Pigskin Parade]]'' (1936)
 +
*''[[This Way Please]]'' ([[1937 in film|1937]])
 +
*''Thrill of a Lifetime'' (1937)
 +
*''[[College Swing]]'' ([[1938 in film|1938]])
 +
*''Give Me a Sailor'' (1938)
 +
*''Campus Confessions'' (1938)
 +
*''Man About Town'' ([[1939 in film|1939]])
 +
*''Million Dollar Legs'' (1939)
 +
*''The Day the Bookies Wept'' (1939)
 +
*''[[Down Argentine Way]]'' ([[1940 in film|1940]])
 +
*''[[Tin Pan Alley (film)|Tin Pan Alley]]'' (1940)
 +
*''[[Moon Over Miami (film)|Moon Over Miami]]'' ([[1941 in film|1941]])
 +
*''[[A Yank in the RAF]]'' (1941)
 +
*''[[I Wake Up Screaming]]'' (1941)
 +
*''Song of the Islands'' ([[1942 in film|1942]])
 +
*''Footlight Serenade'' (1942)
 +
*''[[Springtime in the Rockies]]'' (1942)
 +
*''[[Coney Island (1943 film)|Coney Island]]'' ([[1943 in film|1943]])
 +
*''[[Sweet Rosie O'Grady]]'' (1943)
 +
*''Four Jills in a Jeep'' ([[1944 in film|1944]])
 +
*''[[Pin Up Girl (film)|Pin Up Girl]]'' (1944)
 +
*''Diamond Horseshoe'' ([[1945 in film|1945]])
 +
*''[[The Dolly Sisters]]'' (1945)
 +
*''Do You Love Me'' ([[1946 in film|1946]]) (Cameo)
 +
*''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' ([[1947 in film|1947]])
 +
*''[[Mother Wore Tights]]'' (1947)
 +
*''That Lady in Ermine'' ([[1948 in film|1948]])
 +
*''[[When My Baby Smiles at Me]]'' (1948)
 +
*''[[The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend]]'' ([[1949 in film|1949]])
 +
*''Wabash Avenue'' ([[1950 in film|1950]])
 +
*''My Blue Heaven'' (1950)
 +
*''[[Call Me Mister]]'' ([[1951 in film|1951]])
 +
*''Meet Me After the Show'' (1951)
 +
*''[[The Farmer Takes a Wife]]'' ([[1953 in film|1953]])
 +
*''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'' (1953)
 +
*''[[Three for the Show]]'' ([[1955 in film|1955]])
 +
*''How to Be Very, Very Popular'' (1955)
 +
Short Subjects:
 +
*''Crashing Hollywood'' ([[1931 in film|1931]])
 +
*''Ex-Sweeties'' (1931)
 +
*''Once a Hero'' (1931)
 +
*''Lady! Please!'' ([[1932 in film|1932]])
 +
*''Hollywood Luck'' (1932)
 +
*''The Flirty Sleepwalker'' (1932)
 +
*''Hollywood Lights'' (1932)
 +
*''Over the Counter'' (1932)
 +
*''Air Tonic'' ([[1933 in film|1933]])
 +
*''School for Romance'' ([[1934 in film|1934]])
 +
*''Love Detectives'' (1934)
 +
*''Elmer Steps Out'' (1934)
 +
*''Business Is a Pleasure'' (1934)
 +
*''Susie's Affairs'' (1934)
 +
*''Ferry-Go-Round'' (1934)
 +
*''This Band Age'' ([[1935 in film|1935]])
 +
*''The Spirit of 1976'' (1935)
 +
*''A Night at the Biltmore Bowl'' (1935)
 +
*''Drawing Rumors'' (1935)
 +
*''A Quiet Fourth'' (1935)
 +
*''Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 11'' ([[1936 in film|1936]])
 +
*''Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs'' (1936)
 +
*''Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7'' ([[1937 in film|1937]])
 +
*''Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 10'' (1937)
 +
*''Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 4'' ([[1938 in film|1938]])
 +
*''Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1'' ([[1941 in film|1941]])
 +
*''The All-Star Bond Rally'' ([[1945 in film|1945]])
 +
*''Hollywood Park'' ([[1946 in film|1946]])
 +
*''Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Shower of Stars'' ([[1955 in film|1955]])
 +
 +
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
*Hulse, Ed. 1996. ''The Films of Betty Grable.'' Burbank, Calif: Riverwood Press. ISBN 1880756064
 +
*McGee, Tom. 1994. ''Betty Grable: The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs.'' Vestal, N.Y.: Vestal Press. ISBN 1879511150
 +
*Pastos, Spero. 1986. ''Pin-up: The Tragedy of Betty Grable.'' New York: Putnam. ISBN 0399131892
 +
*Warren, Doug. 1981. ''Betty Grable, The Reluctant Movie Queen.'' New York: St. Martin's Press ISBN 0312077327
 +
 +
==External links==
 +
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002107/ Betty Grable] ''IMDb.com.''
 +
*[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?participantId=74705 Betty Grable]. ''tcmdb.com.''
 +
*[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=42727 Betty Grable] ''IBDB.com.''
 +
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3pQ-gbmTHA Betty Grable on Carol Burnett show 1968] ''Youtube.com.''
 +
*[http://www.betty-grable.com Betty Grable: A Tribute] ''Betty-Grable.com.''
 +
*[http://www.bettygrable.net Betty Grable: The Girl With The Million Dollar Legs] ''BettyGrable.net.''
 +
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3971338022030670569 Betty Grable Tribute] ''Video.google.com.''
 +
*[http://http://www.bombshells.com/grable/bio/index.php Betty Grable: Biography of a Pin Up] ''Bombshells.com.''
 +
*[http://www.vintagepeople.com/betty-grable Betty Grable] ''Vintage People.''
 +
*[http://vintagemoviefan.freehomepage.com Betty Grable Photo Tribute] ''Vintagemoviefan.com''
 +
*[http://grableonline.tripod.com/portrait-1.html Betty Grable Portraits] ''BettyGrableonline.com.''
 +
*[http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/betty-grable.html Betty Grable] ''St. Louis Walk of Fame.''
 +
*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=409 Betty Grable Gravesite] ''FindAGrave.com.''
 +
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] —>
 +
{{Persondata
 +
|NAME= Grable, Betty
 +
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Grable, Elizabeth Ruth
 +
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=dancer, singer, actress
 +
|DATE OF BIRTH= December 18, 1916       
 +
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[St. Louis, Missouri]]       
 +
|DATE OF DEATH= July 2, 1973   
 +
|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Santa Monica, California]]   
 +
}}
 +
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grable, Betty}}
 +
[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
 +
[[Category:Biography]]
 +
[[Category:Actors and playwrights]]
 +
[[Category:Performing arts]]
 +
{{Credit|260370128}}

Revision as of 20:41, 20 February 2009

Betty Grable
Betty Grable in How to Marry a Millionaire trailer 2 cropped.jpg
in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Birth name: Elizabeth Ruth Grable
Date of birth: December 18 1916(1916-12-18)
Birth location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death: July 2 1973 (aged 56)
Death location: Santa Monica, California
Other name(s): Frances Dean
Spouse: Jackie Coogan (1937-1940)
Harry James (1943-1965) 2 children

Betty Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American dancer, singer, and actress.

Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the Life magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World." Her famous pin-up pose during World War II adorned barracks all around the world. With that pin-up and as the star of lavish musicals, Betty became the highest-paid star in Hollywood.

Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London.

She at one time received 12,000 fan letters per week. appeared in her first film at age 14. set a record that has never come close to being equaled in reigning as Hollywood's female box office champ for an incredible ten years. During her lifetime, she would become one of the most prolific singing actresses of her time, starring in over one hundred films, including 'Pin Up Girl' and 'How To Marry A Millionaire'.

Early life

She was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, Missouri to John Conn Grable (1883-1954) and Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889-1964).[1] She was the youngest of three children.

Elizabeth, who later became Betty, was enrolled in Clark's Dancing School at the age of three. With her mother's guidance, Betty studied ballet and tap dancing. She was introduced to acting in 1929 when her mother moved with her to Hollywood. Although only 5'4" tall and 13 years old, Betty was hired as a Fox chorus girl at $50 a week to dance in Happy Days and Let's Go Places.[2]

Career

Grable finally obtained a role as a 'Goldwyn Girl' in Whoopee! (1930), starring Eddie Cantor. Though Grable received no billing, she led the opening number, "Cowboys." Grable then worked in small roles at different studios for the rest of the decade, including the Academy Award-winning The Gay Divorcee (1934), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

In 1934 she signed a five-year contact with RKO Pictures. Even though she appeared in small parts in over 50 Hollywood movies throughout the 1930s she did not become a star until 1939 when she signed with Darryl F. Zanuck at Twentieth Century Fox. Grable would make dozens of Technicolor musicals for Fox over the next decade and earn the studio over $100 million.[2]

Grable finally gained national attention on stage for her role in the Cole Porter Broadway hit Du Barry Was a Lady (1939).

She would go on to star in Down Argentine Way (1940), Moon Over Miami (1941) (both with Don Ameche), Springtime in The Rockies (1942), Coney Island (1943) with George Montgomery, Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943) with Robert Young, Pin Up Girl (1944), Diamond Horseshoe (1945) with Dick Haymes, The Dolly Sisters (1945) with John Payne and June Haver, and Mother Wore Tights (1947), with costar, Dan Dailey.

Pinup fame

It was during her reign as box office queen (in 1943) that Grable posed for her famous pinup photo, which (along with her movies) soon became escapist fare among GIs fighting in World War II. The image was taken by studio photographer Frank Powolny, who died in 1986. [3] Despite solid competition from Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Lamour, Veronica Lake, Carole Landis and Lana Turner, Grable was the top pinup girl for American soldiers. She was very popular at home as well becoming the No. 1 female box office attraction in 1942, 1943, 1944 and remained in the Top 10 for the next decade. By the end of the 1940s Grable was the highest-paid female star in Hollywood.[2]

Although she never toured outside the United States for the U.S.O., she actively participated in War efforts, appearing at Camps across the country and at Bond Rallies where she auctioned off her nylons for thousands of dollars. Volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed entirely by film stars and studio workers, she 'Jitterbugged' the night away with hundreds of soldiers, sailors and marines".[2]

When her studio circulated the famous bathing suit picture they became an instant hit. Life magazine had coined the term "pinup" in the July 7, 1941, special issue on National Defense and anointed "Dottie" Lamour as the nation's first official pinup girl. Grable's 1943 image would far surpass Lamour's popularity when the Fox studio reportedly issued about five million copies of the pose.[2]

Zanuck released the film Pin Up Girl on May 10, 1944, to capitalize on the famous photo, and used the photo to publicize many of the wartime films of the Fox studio. Her yearly salary of $320,000 by 1947 made her the highest paid salaried woman in America. However, her contract with Fox ended in 1953 as the studio began to feature a new "blond bombshell" by the name of Marilyn Monroe.

Her postwar musicals included: That Lady in Ermine (1948) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) again with Dailey, Wabash Avenue (1950) (a remake of Grable's own Coney Island) with Victor Mature, My Blue Heaven (1950), and Meet Me After the Show (1951). Studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck lavished his star with expensive Technicolor films, but also kept her busy—Grable made nearly 25 musicals and comedies in 13 years. Her last big hit for Fox was How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe. Grable next starred in Three For The Show (1955) with Jack Lemmon and this film was one of her last musicals.

Transition to TV and Broadway

Grable's later career was marked by feuds with studio heads. At one point, in the middle of a fight with Zanuck, she tore up her contract and stormed out of his office. Gradually leaving movies entirely, she made the transition to television and starred in Las Vegas. In 1967, she took over the lead in the touring company of Hello, Dolly!. She starred in a 1969 musical called Belle Starr in London, but it was closed early after bad reviews.

Grable's last role was Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday, and the last stage she performed on was the Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida in February, 1973.[4]

Personal life

In 1937, Grable married another famous former child-actor, Jackie Coogan. He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his earnings, however, and the couple divorced in 1939.

In 1943, she married trumpeter and big band leader Harry James. The couple had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica. They endured a tumultuous 22-year marriage that was plagued by alcoholism and infidelity. The couple divorced in 1965. Grable entered into a relationship with a dancer, Bob Remick, several years her junior. Though they did not marry, their romance lasted until the end of Grable's life.

Death

Grable died of lung cancer at age 56 in Santa Monica, California. Her funeral was held July 5, 1973, 30 years to the day after her marriage to Harry James — who, in turn, died on what would have been his and Grable's 40th anniversary, July 5, 1983. She is interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Legacy

Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. She also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Filmography

Features:

  • Happy Days (1929)
  • Let's Go Places (1930)
  • New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930)
  • Whoopee! (1930)
  • Kiki (1931)
  • Palmy Days (1931)
  • The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
  • Probation (1932)
  • The Age of Consent (1932)
  • Hold 'Em Jail (1932)
  • The Kid from Spain (1932)
  • Cavalcade (1933)
  • Child of Manhattan (1933)
  • Melody Cruise (1933)
  • What Price Innocence? (1933)
  • The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1933)
  • The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  • Student Tour (1934)
  • By Your Leave (1934)
  • The Nitwits (1935)
  • Old Man Rhythm (1935)
  • Collegiate (1936)
  • Follow the Fleet (1936)
  • Don't Turn 'em Loose (1936)
  • Pigskin Parade (1936)
  • This Way Please (1937)
  • Thrill of a Lifetime (1937)
  • College Swing (1938)
  • Give Me a Sailor (1938)
  • Campus Confessions (1938)
  • Man About Town (1939)
  • Million Dollar Legs (1939)
  • The Day the Bookies Wept (1939)
  • Down Argentine Way (1940)
  • Tin Pan Alley (1940)
  • Moon Over Miami (1941)
  • A Yank in the RAF (1941)
  • I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
  • Song of the Islands (1942)
  • Footlight Serenade (1942)
  • Springtime in the Rockies (1942)
  • Coney Island (1943)
  • Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943)
  • Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)
  • Pin Up Girl (1944)
  • Diamond Horseshoe (1945)
  • The Dolly Sisters (1945)
  • Do You Love Me (1946) (Cameo)
  • The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)
  • Mother Wore Tights (1947)
  • That Lady in Ermine (1948)
  • When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948)
  • The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949)
  • Wabash Avenue (1950)
  • My Blue Heaven (1950)
  • Call Me Mister (1951)
  • Meet Me After the Show (1951)
  • The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953)
  • How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
  • Three for the Show (1955)
  • How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955)

Short Subjects:

  • Crashing Hollywood (1931)
  • Ex-Sweeties (1931)
  • Once a Hero (1931)
  • Lady! Please! (1932)
  • Hollywood Luck (1932)
  • The Flirty Sleepwalker (1932)
  • Hollywood Lights (1932)
  • Over the Counter (1932)
  • Air Tonic (1933)
  • School for Romance (1934)
  • Love Detectives (1934)
  • Elmer Steps Out (1934)
  • Business Is a Pleasure (1934)
  • Susie's Affairs (1934)
  • Ferry-Go-Round (1934)
  • This Band Age (1935)
  • The Spirit of 1976 (1935)
  • A Night at the Biltmore Bowl (1935)
  • Drawing Rumors (1935)
  • A Quiet Fourth (1935)
  • Screen Snapshots Series 15, No. 11 (1936)
  • Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (1936)
  • Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7 (1937)
  • Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 10 (1937)
  • Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 4 (1938)
  • Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1 (1941)
  • The All-Star Bond Rally (1945)
  • Hollywood Park (1946)
  • Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Shower of Stars (1955)

Notes

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hulse, Ed. 1996. The Films of Betty Grable. Burbank, Calif: Riverwood Press. ISBN 1880756064
  • McGee, Tom. 1994. Betty Grable: The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs. Vestal, N.Y.: Vestal Press. ISBN 1879511150
  • Pastos, Spero. 1986. Pin-up: The Tragedy of Betty Grable. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0399131892
  • Warren, Doug. 1981. Betty Grable, The Reluctant Movie Queen. New York: St. Martin's Press ISBN 0312077327

External links

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.