Previous to this, she was doing bit parts appearing with Lucille Ball and Paulette Goddard, also Goldwyn Girls, in other Cantor films titled Palmy Days and The Kid From Spain. father: John Conn Grable (1883-1954) mother: Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889-1964) children: Jessica James, Victoria Elizabeth James Born Country: United States Actresses American Women Height: 5'4" (163 cm ), 5'4" Females Died on: July 2, 1973 place of death: Santa Monica, California, United States Despite playing leads, the typecasting proved to hurt her career more than it was helpful. . The institution can answer questions about this item, assit you with obtaining a hi-res copy, and gather additional information you may have about it. Betty Grablewas born onDecember 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missourias the youngest child of Lillian Rose (ne Hofmann) and John Charles Grable. Sister of Victoria Elizabeth James. [61], She was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. Betty Grable is luminous in the lush Technicolor photography; Carole Landis provides good support as sister Barbara, and Charlotte Greenwood is her usual wisecracking self as Aunt Susie. "I've had contracts with four studios in 10 years and each time I left one or was dropped, I stepped into something better.". Betty decorates the dinner table to suit the occasion, whether it is a birthday or Valentine's Day. In 1946, Grable appeared as Herself in a cameo role in Do You Love Me. At the time of its release, the film received positive reviews, with many critics singling out the obvious on-screen chemistry between Grable and Power. Betty Grable is deceased. Betty Grable, 1943. Betty was just 13 but her mother arranged for her false identification papers so that she could perform. Her mother was a stubborn and materialistic woman determined to make her daughter a star. The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) was her first film back at Fox. She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention. Grable played the leading roles in these films, which led to her being typecast as an innocent and not-so-bright college student. Huh, I guess its as good as an inspiration as any. She died of lung cancer, on July 2, 1973, in Santa Monica, California, USA. The film has her as a hostess for a USO canteen who also provides entertainment for the troops during their time there. She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention. But behind closed doors, they hid dark secrets. When they were together, they starred in the comedic picture Million Dollars Legs. This rhyme begins with the rope being swung back and forth instead of overhead. By the 1950s, Grable was still making films like, Wabash Avenue (1950), Meet Me After the Show (1951), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955), her last film. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. [20] This eventually led to her having chorus girl jobs in Let's Go Places (1930) and New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930). Although the press hinted that a tense behind-the-scenes rivalry existed between the two actresses, they both denied it, claiming to be good friends. Nicknamed Betty as a child, she was pressured by her mother to become a performer. She was in a relationship with the much younger dancer Bob Remick which lasted till her death. Geni requires JavaScript! In case it isnt clear just how much Betty Grable influenced American culture, get a load of this. Despite her success, she suffered from having a fear of crowds and sleepwalking. In the 1960s, Grable found herself broke and out of the Hollywood studio system that had once rocketed her to fame. In 1937, Grable married another famous former child actor, Jackie Coogan. Also in 1943, Grable's famous pin-up picture was taken and resulted in Grable being cast in Pin Up Girl (1944). Although Fox Studios originally signed on Grable, it didnt take them long to find out that she was much younger than she was pretending to be, and much younger than the law allowed. Grable next starred in Walter Lang's Mother Wore Tights, released in September 1947, co-starring Dan Dailey. This led to a heartbreaking habit. "I Had the Craziest Dream", the ballad from Springtime in the Rockies, was played on the church organ. She was, apparently, never schooled beyond the seventh grade. [24] The play was an instant critical and audience success, and Grable was branded a newfound star. 1943 was a massive year for Betty Grable: She was the most valuable Hollywood star, ending the year as the top earner at the box office. The title Million Dollar Legs, is a name from which her nickname is taken. My Blue Heaven, released in December 1950, re-teamed her with Dan Dailey, and was equally successful financially. Close to two months after her sudden death at age 40, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office Public Information Officer tells . These films included, Pigskin Parade (1936), This Way Please (1937), College Swing (1938), and Man About Town (1939). She was a heavy smoker for most of her life, and the disease had advanced frighteningly. They endured a tumultuous 22-year marriage that was plagued by alcoholism and infidelity. For one thing, when Grable and James first met, James was married, and their dalliance was mega illicit for the strict morals of the time. Hollywood defined by their popularity? 20th Century Fox had reached out to her specifically for the part, loaning her out from her new studio, Paramount. This proved to be Grable's only film appearance for the year. The No.1 pin-up girl of the World War II era, her photograph in a bathing suit pose went on to achieve iconic status and was included in the project "100 Photographs that Changed the World" by the Life magazine. With her mother's guidance, Betty studied ballet and tap dancing.Betty and her mother set out for California with the hopes of stardom. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Harry Betty White has three step-children, two step daughters and a step son. Most actors struggle to make it in Hollywood for years, but most actors arent Betty Grable. children and others? [18][19] In Hollywood, Grable studied at the Hollywood Professional School and the Ernest Blecher Academy of Dance. Betty Grable was in relationships with John F. Kennedy (1943), George Raft (1942), Victor Mature (1941), Robert Stack (1940 - 1941), Mickey Rooney (1940), Artie Shaw (1939), George Stevens (1935), Alexis Thompson, Peter Lawford and Oleg Cassini. Her first film for the studio, Probation (1932), provided the 14-year-old Grable with her first credited screen role. Her last film was How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955).She then concentrated on Broadway and nightclubs. Watched this as a child and now my children are enjoying it and singing the songs. Her two marriages averaged 12.7 years each. The film was moderately successful and quickly was followed by Meet Me After the Show (1951), co-starring Macdonald Carey, Rory Calhoun, and Eddie Albert. The biggest box office star of the 1940s and the most desired WWII pin-up girl, acting-singing-dancing triple-threat Betty Grable became the stuff of Hollywood legend after her studio reportedly . He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his childhood earnings and the couple divorced in 1939. Variety wrote that the film "makes no pretenses of ultra-realism", but also called it "very pleasing and pleasant". Grable was irresistible to studios from almost her first role, and when she starred in 1936s Pigskin Parade, it was under an unusual agreement. But now meet "Mommie"Mrs. Undaunted by this, Betty Grable was presented at the casting offices of Samuel Goldwyn Productions and was on her way with a contract; at the age of 13, she was playing a chorus girl in a Hollywood film. Hosiery specialists and retailers often cited her gams as having the perfect proportions for stockings, and Grable was under no illusions about what brought in the big bucks. Grable and James, naughty couple that they were, were in the middle of a big bedroom romp when all of a sudden, they heard a load THUMP and a series of groans from outside their window. . [13] Grable's photograph sold millions of copies, eventually surpassing the popularity of Rita Hayworth's famous 1941 photo.[33]. 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. Report abuse. It was reported that Grable often quarreled with Fairbanks and Preminger and that she nearly walked out on filming, but decided against it on the advice of her agent. In a 1940 interview, Grable stated she was "sick and tired" of show business and that she was considering retirement. [21], In 1930, at age 13, Grable (under the pseudonym Frances Dean) signed with producer Samuel Goldwyn; she thereby became one of the original Goldwyn Girls, along with Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd and Paulette Goddard. Or there is the 6-bedroom 4,000 square foot Betty Grable Estate. Housekeepers, nannies and themselves. It just simply wasnt enough. Name variations: acted under the name of Frances Dean; made a recording under the name of Ruth Haag. With that pin-up and as the star of lavish musicals, Betty became the highest-paid star in Hollywood. If only this didnt come back to bite her. In 1965, she divorced band leader Harry James, whom she had wed in 1943. After time off to give birth to her daughter, Grable returned to Fox to star in Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe (1945), co-starring Dick Haymes and Phil Silvers. At that years Academy Awards, actress Anne Baxter won the Oscar for her performance in The Razors Edge. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Grables pose in her iconic pin-up photo is now a classic, and she looks over one shoulder, back to camera, in a revealing white bathing suit. Her first movie appearance was as a Goldwyn Girl in the musical comedy Whoopee! Because of her youthful appearance she was soon typecast in movies playing the role of a college student. But there is a twist that many people dont know about the photo. But when Lillian found herself pregnant again she was not going to give up her baby- no matter what Conn said. She motivated her daughter to sing, dance and act. Fox then began to develop Philip Wylie's short story "Second Honeymoon", into a script suited for Grable's talents. Her funeral was held two days later and was attended by ex-husbands Jackie Coogan and Harry James as well as Hollywood stars Dorothy Lamour, Shirley Booth, Mitzi Gaynor, Don Ameche, Cesar Romero, George Raft, Alice Faye, Johnnie Ray and Dan Dailey. [34] As her star continued to ascend, Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck expressed interest in broadening Grable's range as an actress. The film offered Grable her second teaming with Carole Landis, and it co-starred Victor Mature. Nose art featuring her is painted on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey. She struggled to make it in movies for years. Mothers and daughters. 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