If Legs Could Kill

Betty Grable captured the hearts of millions with her bubbly personality and flawless physique. Not only was she a phenomenal actress, but she also inspired troops around the world as one of the most loved pin-up girls of the World War II era. Her contributions to the theater and film industry inspire many actresses today, who years after her death still list Ms. Grable as a role-model.

Childhood

Betty Grable was born on December 18th,1916 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the third and youngest child of her parents John and Lillian Grable. She had a sister named Marjorie, and Betty tragically lost her brother John just before he turned three. As a child, Betty had loved acting, and was in love with the film stars of her time. This intense passion for show business would propel her to become one of Hollywood’s most notable actresses in her time.

Her mother was very supportive of her wanting to act, and from a young age had her involved in plays, and she prompted her to play musical instruments like the saxophone. She was also involved in dance from the young age of 3. Her first role in a film came to her at age 13, she played a chorus girl in the movie Happy Days. Her mother worked to get her other small roles in movies. However, this often lead to her lying about Betty’s age. Her mother was once caught lying for Betty, which resulted in the termination of Betty’s contract and jeopardized her future career. When she was 17 she was given a small role in the academy award nominated film The Gay Divorcee, where she starred alongside Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Career and Fame

When Betty was 21 in 1937, she married a man named Jackie Cogan. Although they were in love by Betty’s account, Jack was very stressed out due to him being involved in law suits with his parents, over the money he earned while he was a child star. After 3 years of bearing not only her own burdens, but his too, the marriage fell apart and they were divorced in 1940. Right after her divorce, she was given a contract with 20th century Fox, and right away they adored her and she had many large roles in movies. She would be Fox’s favored star of the 40’s.

While Betty’s acting is impressive, most people today know her as a classic cheesecake pin-up with amazing legs. Betty’s legs were so sought after that in her most famous pin up photo (featured to the left), photographers had no issue shooting her from behind to hide her pregnancy, as long as they got a shot of those legs!

Her modeling began in 1943. Out of all other pin up girls at the time, she was the most famous and known by name, even surpassing Marilyn Monroe in photo sales. The troops adored her posters abroad, and she was the box office queen back at home. Her immense popularity kept her high in demand, which meant she was able to make high demands. Because Fox desperately wanted to keep Betty on contract, they paid a high price. In fact, she was the highest paid actress in the late 40’s. During the height of her career, Betty also married the jazz musician Harry James. The couple had two children together.

After the war was over, Betty rekindled her love of live theater. She began appearing in musicals such as the 1948 hit When My Baby Smilies At Me. She continued to make films and was reaching the peak of her career. Betty’s last box office smash hit made with Fox was the film How to Marry A Millionare, also starring Marilyn Monroe next to her.

Later Life

Betty’s career began to decline in the 50’s, as fame began to take its toll on the overworked actress. Producers and contractors began endlessly working her, and in a fit of exhaustion, she tore her contract with producer Darryl Francis Zanuck into pieces and quit. This agitation she was experiencing with the film industry lead her to pursue TV show roles, and she landed a leading role on the show Las Vegas.

In 1965, Betty and her husband Harry divorced as her career and the stress she was dealing with prevented her from maintaining a happy marriage. She also did her last Broadway show in 1965. She was cast as a replacement for Carol in the musical Hello Dolly.

Betty spent the remainder of her life out of the spotlight with her family, struggling with cancer. The lung cancer got the better of her in July of 1973, when she died at the young age of only 56 in Santa Monica, California. On July 5th, they held her funeral at Inglewood Park Cemetery in California. Betty’s sensational career included 42 films, musicals, and television shows, and countless awards, showing just what a truly talented person she was.

Recommended Films

These are my personal favorites, and I've linked each to an IMDB article with more information and a plot synopsis, in case you'd like to see Ms. Grable in action!

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