Betty Grable

Ruth Elizabeth "Betty" Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 3, 1973) was an American actress, singer, and pin-up girl whose famous bathing-suit poster was an icon of the World War II era.

Related Topics:
December 18 - 1916 - July 3 - 1973 - Pin-up girl - World War II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri to John C. Grable (the son of German and Dutch immigrants) and Lillian Hoffman (who was of Dutch, Irish and English descent), she was propelled into acting by her mother, who insisted that one of her daughters become a star. For her first role, as a chorus girl in the film Happy Days (1929), Grable was only 12 years old (legally underage for acting), but because the chorus line performed in blackface, it was impossible to tell how old she was. For her next film, her mother tried to get her to sign a contract using false ID, but when this was discovered Grable was fired. Grable finally obtained a role as a 'Goldwyn Girl' in Whoopee!, starring Eddie Cantor, and had played in some 20 films by 1939, including the Academy Award-nominated The Gay Divorcee, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Related Topics:
Saint Louis, Missouri - German - Dutch - Irish - English - Chorus girl - Happy Days - 1929 - Blackface - Whoopee! - Eddie Cantor - 1939 - Academy Award - The Gay Divorcee - Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1937 she married another famous former child-actor, Jackie Coogan, but Coogan was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his earnings, and the couple divorced in 1940.

Related Topics:
1937 - Jackie Coogan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The same year that she divorced Coogan, Grable obtained a contract with 20th Century Fox, becoming their top star throughout the decade, with splashy technicolor films such as Down Argentine Way, Springtime in the Rockies, Moon Over Miami, Coney Island, and Pin Up Girl. It was during her reign as box-office champ that Grable posed for her famous pin-up photo, which soon became escapist fare among GIs fighting overseas in World War II. It has become one of the most iconic images of the war. This pin-up poster was featured in the movie Stalag 17.

Related Topics:
20th Century Fox - Down Argentine Way - Springtime in the Rockies - Moon Over Miami - Coney Island - Pin Up Girl - World War II - Stalag 17

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1943 she married jazz trumpeter and big band leader Harry James, by whom she had 2 children; they divorced in 1965.

Related Topics:
1943 - Jazz - Trumpeter - Big band - Harry James - 1965

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grable's later career was marked by feuds with studio heads, who worked her to exhaustion. At one point, in the middle of a fight with Darryl F. Zanuck, she tore up her contract with him and stormed out of his office. Gradually leaving movies entirely, she made the transition to television and starred in Las Vegas.

Related Topics:
Darryl F. Zanuck - Las Vegas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Betty Grable died of lung cancer at the age of 56 and was buried in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

Related Topics:
Lung cancer - Inglewood Park Cemetery - Inglewood, California

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~