Betty Grable

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Betty Grable
Grable's iconic pose taken in 1943. The famous pose was a World War II bestseller, that was made to show off Grable's "million dollar legs".
Born	Elizabeth Ruth Grable (1916-12-18)December 18, 1916 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	July 2, 1973(1973-07-02) (aged 56) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Other names	Frances Dean
Occupation	Actress, dancer, singer
Years active	1929–1955
Spouse	Jackie Coogan (m. 1937–1939) «start: (1937)–end+1: (1940)»"Marriage: Jackie Coogan to Betty Grable" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Grable) (divorced) Harry James (m. 1943–1965) «start: (1943)–end+1: (1966)»"Marriage: Harry James to Betty Grable" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Grable) (divorced) 2 children
Partner	Bob Remick (till her death)

Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, dancer, and singer.^[1]

Grable was celebrated for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Her iconic bathing suit poster 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". Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as thigh (18.5"), calf (12"), and ankle (7.5").^[2] Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London.

Grable appeared in several smash-hit musical films in the 1940s, most notable: Mother Wore Tights in 1947, with frequent co-star Dan Dailey. She came to prominence in 1939 when she signed with Twentieth Century-Fox and signed on to appear opposite Ethel Merman in the Broadway musical Du Barry Was a Lady. But it was not until she was called back to Hollywood to replace Fox's musical queen, Alice Faye, in Down Argentine Way, that she became a household name. Throughout her career, Grable was typecast in her stereotype-musical film roles, and when her career faltered in the 1950s, she found it hard to reinvent herself as a serious-trained actress.

During her heyday in the 1940s, had several nicknames during her career like: "the girl with the million dollar legs", "the quick-silver blonde", "the queen of the Hollywood musical", and "the darling of the forties". Grable died in 1973 at age 56 of lung cancer.

Early life

Grable was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, Missouri to John Conn Grable (1883–1954) and Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889–1964), the youngest of three children.^[3] Most of her immediate ancestors were American, but her distant heritage was of Dutch, Irish, German and English stock.^[4]

Grable was propelled into the acting profession by her mother, making her debut at 12 years old as a chorus girl in the film Happy Days (1929). Her mother soon gave her a make-over which included dyeing her hair platinum blonde.

Career

Early career

For her next film, her mother got her a contract using a false identification. When this deception was discovered, however, Grable was fired. 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, where she was prominently featured in the number "Let's K-nock K-nees".

Betty Grable in a pin-up publicity photo for her film Million Dollar Legs (1939).

In the late 1930s, Grable signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, starring in several B-movies, mostly portraying co-eds. Despite playing leads, the typecasting proved to hurt her career more than it was helpful. These films included: Pigskin Parade (1936), This Way Please (1937), College Swing (1938), and Man About Town (1939).^[5] In 1939, Grable appeared with her then husband, Jackie Coogan (married in 1937), in Million Dollar Legs, a low-budget B-movie. The title Million Dollar Legs, is a name from which Grable's nickname is taken. Grable and Coogan divorced later that same year (October 1939). When her contract at Paramount expired, Grable decided to quit acting, being fed up with appearing in college films.

Film stardom at Twentieth Century-Fox

In a 1940 interview, she said that she was "sick and tired" of show business and had decided to retire, but changed her mind - she received an unsolicited offer to go on a personal appearance tour, which she accepted and which led to Darryl F. Zanuck offering her a bigger and long-term contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, which she accepted, and which was followed by a part in Buddy DeSylva's Broadway show Du Barry Was a Lady (with Ethel Merman) and a part replacing Fox's suddenly ill leading musical star, Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way. "If that's not luck I don't know what you'd call it" Grable said. "I've had contracts with four studios in 10 years and each time I left one or was dropped, I stepped into something better."^[6]

Following Down Argentine Way positive reviews and major success, Grable was cast opposite Alice Faye in Tin Pan Alley. Some say Grable and Faye had a rivalry, but the two actresses actually were very close friends. In 1941, she was cast in the Technicolor musical Moon Over Miami, again with Don Ameche. The film was a major success,

Grable's next film was A Yank in the RAF, a World War II film, in which she co-starred with Tyrone Power; that was her first serious leading role in a major Hollywood film. Following the major success of this film, Grable was assigned to, I Wake Up Screaming, in 1941, a black-and-white film noir, co-starring Carole Landis and Victor Mature. Despite receiving critical acclaim especially for Grable's performance, the film was only mildy successful.

In 1942, Grable made three back-to-back musicals: Song of the Islands, Footlight Serenade, and her biggest hit to date,Springtime in the Rockies This film musical teamed Grable with her future-husband, Harry James; and also featured Carmen Miranda, in a supporting role. 1943 proved even more succesful as Grable starred in two of her most well-known Technicolor musicals, Sweet Rosie O'Grady and the smash-hit Coney Island. Both films capitalized Grable tremendously, with Coney Island, ranking as one of the top five successful films of the year.

In 1943, Grable was named by movie exhibitors as the most popular box office draw in the country. She was, by now, 20th Century Fox's top money maker. Darryl F. Zanuck (Fox's chief) soon named Grable his "favorite" contract-player.

Also in 1943, Grable's famous pin-up picture was taken and resulted in Grable being cast in Pin Up Girl (1944). The film showcased Grable's photo in several brief glimpses. Pin Up Girl received poor reviews but was a tremendous box-office success. In 1945, she made Diamond Horseshoe with Dick Haymes. The film was a success but Grable's next film The Dolly Sisters, co-starring June Haver, was one of Fox's biggest hits of the year.

In 1946, Grable appeared as Herself in a cameo role in Do You Love Me. This proved to be Grable's only film appearance for the year. Grable came back to the spotlight with the 1947 film,The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, but the film was overshawdowed by her succeeding project Mother Wore Tights, with one of her most frequent co-stars Dan Dailey. Mother Wore Tights was a major-success (Fox's most successful film of 1947) and is today known as Grable's "signature film."

Her next film, That Lady in Ermine, (1948), co-starred Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; and would become only a moderate success. However, Grable's next film, When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), was a smash success; this film again co-starred Dan Dailey. In 1949, Grable's film The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend was released but proved to be a critical and box-office flop, which caused Grable's film career to begin to falter.

With musicals becoming less popular as the 1940s ended and the 1950s began, Grable feared that she being typecast in her musical comedy film roles would hurt her career.

Motion picture decline & retirement

In 1950, Grable made two widely successful films Wabash Avenue and My Blue Heaven. These films helped to bring Grable's star back to the public but it seemed as if Betty's career was nearing its end. Wabash Avenue was a up-to-date remake of Grable's 1943 film Coney Island, and, she again co-starred with Dan Dailey for My Blue Heaven. Both films are known as musical classics.

In 1951, Grable made an up-to-date remake of her 1941 film, A Yank in the RAF which was now titled Call Me Mister. This was the last time Grable ever appeared in a film with Dan Dailey. Call Me Mister proved to bring only moderate box-office success. After the release of the 1951 poorly reviewed musical, Meet Me After the Show, Grable took a break from acting; turning down the lead role in The Girl Next Door, a role that would eventually go to rival June Haver.

In late-1952, Grable returned to acting hoping to star in Fox's up-and-coming film version of Broadway's musical comedy, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in which she would co-star with Jane Russell. However, Fox decided not to use Grable for the picture, in favor of newcomer Marilyn Monroe. She was then placed in a remake of The Farmer Takes a Wife, with Dale Robertson a critically panned box-office failure.

Grable's last mainstream success for Fox was in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall. Some thought Grable and Monroe wouldn't get along, believing Grable was angered Monroe having replaced her in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. However, Grable and Monroe got along extremely well. Grable was quoted as saying (to Monroe): "Go and get yours honey! I've had mine!"

Grable's last musical film appearance was in Three for the Show (1955) with up-and-coming comedian Jack Lemmon. Three for the Show was released by Columbia Pictures; making the film Grable's first motion picture away from Fox, since she signed with them fifteen years earlier.

Grable's final film role was in the comedy, How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) with newcomer Sheree North. This film was meant to reunite Grable with Marilyn Monroe, but Monroe turned it down, complaining the script was poor. Afterward, Grable wanted the role of Miss Adelaide in the 1956 film Guys and Dolls, but it went to Vivian Blaine.

Personal life

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

In 1943, she married trumpeter Harry James. The couple had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica. They endured a tumultuous alcoholism and infidelity plagued 22-year marriage before divorcing in 1965. Grable entered into a relationship with dancer Bob Remick, several years her junior, whom she remained with the rest of her life.

Death

Grable died of lung cancer at age 56 in Santa Monica, California, on July 2, 1973. Her funeral was held two days later and attended by her ex-husband Harry James and Hollywood stars Dorothy Lamour, Shirley Booth, Mitzi Gaynor, Johnnie Ray, Don Ameche, Cesar Romero, George Raft, Alice Faye and Dan Dailey. "I Had the Craziest Dream," the haunting ballad from Springtime in the Rockies, was played on the church organ. Grable was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, in 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, and was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2009.

Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy noted on National Public Radio's Morning Edition on April 23, 2007, in an interview with Terry Gross that Grable was his inspiration for founding the Playboy empire.

Filmography

Short subjects

References

External links

Biography portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Betty Grable

• Betty Grable at the Internet Movie Database
• Betty Grable at the TCM Movie Database
• Betty Grable at the Internet Broadway Database
• Betty Grable | PlaybillVault.com
• BettyGrable.net
• Betty Grable Basics
• Betty Grable Photo Tribute
• Betty Grable Portraits
• St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Photographs and literature