Betty Grable
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, dancer and singer.
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
". Grable was particularly noted for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as: thigh (18.5") calf (12"), and ankle (7.5").
Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio
for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London.
Despite being noted for her looks, Grable was a woman of talent. She appeared in several smash-hit musical films in the 1940s like, Down Argentine Way
(1940), Moon Over Miami
(1941), Springtime in the Rockies
(1942), Coney Island
(1943), Pin Up Girl
(1944), and The Dolly Sisters
(1945). However, she is best noted for her 1947 film Mother Wore Tights
. 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. She retired from the movie industry in 1955, and never returned.
Betty Grable 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
.
to John Conn Grable (1883–1954) and Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889–1964). She was the youngest of three children.
Most of Grable's immediate ancestors were American, but her distant heritage was of Dutch
, Irish
, German and English
stock. She was propelled into the acting profession by her mother. 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 difficult to tell how old she was. Her mother soon gave her a make-over which included dyeing her hair platinum blonde.
. 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".
In the late 1930s, Grable signed a contract with Paramount Pictures
, starring in several B-movie
s, 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). 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 her nickname is taken. Grable and Coogan divorced later that same year (October 1939). After small parts in countless low-budgeted B-Hollywood-movies through the 1930s, Grable finally gained national attention for her stage role in the Cole Porter
Broadway
hit Du Barry Was a Lady (1939). When her contract at Paramount expired, Grable decided to quit acting, being fed up with appearing in college films.
offering her a bigger contract, which she accepted, and which was followed by a part in Buddy DeSylva's Broadway show Du Barry Was a Lady and a part replacing the suddenly ill 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."
Following Down Argentine Ways major success, Grable was cast opposite Alice Faye in, Tin Pan Alley
. Some say Grable and Faye had a rivalry, but this has been denied by both actresses. In 1941, she was cast in the Technicolor musical Moon Over Miami
, again with Don Ameche
, her co-star in Down Argentine Way. The film was a major success, as was Grable's next film A Yank in the RAF
, a World War II film; that was her first serious leading role in a major Hollywood film.
Following the major success of, A Yank in the RAF, Grable was assigned to, I Wake Up Screaming
, in 1941, a black-and-white film noir
, co-starring Carole Landis
and Victor Mature
. The film was meant to show the world that Betty Grable could act in a film noir, but, however, the film was poorly reviewed and drew disappointing box-office success.
In 1942, she was cast in Song of the Islands
and Footlight Serenade
, two successful motion pictures. However, Grable's biggest hit so far in her career would be Springtime in the Rockies
(1942). The film teamed Grable with her future-husband, Harry James
; and also featured Carmen Miranda
, in a supporting role. In 1943, 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 one of the top five successful films of the year.
By 1943, with Grable being named one of the "top ten movie-stars" in the world, and becoming 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 rival June Haver
, was Fox's second biggest success of the year; with the first being Leave Her to Heaven
.
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.
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
, which 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 1953, Grable returned to the silver screen for The Farmer Takes a Wife
, with Dale Robertson
and Thelma Ritter
. The film was a remake of the 1935 film of the same name. The Farmer Takes a Wife, was highly publicized, but, was unfortunately, critically panned and proved to be a 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 but Grable was quoted as saying (to Monroe): "Go and get yours honey! I've had mine!" This was said because Monroe was replacing Grable as 20th Century Fox's leading sex symbol movie-star; with Grable meaning she felt no threat, as she was nearing retirement.
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 film away from 20th Century Fox, since she signed with them in 1940.
Grable's final film role was in the comedy film, 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. Afterward, Grable wanted the role of Miss Adelaide in the 1956 film Guys and Dolls
, but the role went to Vivian Blaine
after Grable skipped a meeting with the film's producer, due to the fact that her pet dog was sick.
. 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 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.
Grable was a devout Christian
.
She was also a lifelong Republican
and conservative.
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.
Among the luminaries attending her funeral were her ex-husband Harry James, 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. This song was introduced in the film by Helen Forrest. Betty Grable was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery
, in Inglewood
, California.
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.
Her iconic
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World
100 Photos that Changed the World
Life: 100 Photographs that Changed The World is a book of photographs accumulated by the editors of Life in 2003.-History:...
". Grable was particularly noted for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as: thigh (18.5") calf (12"), and ankle (7.5").
Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London.
Despite being noted for her looks, Grable was a woman of talent. She appeared in several smash-hit musical films in the 1940s like, Down Argentine Way
Down Argentine Way
Down Argentine Way is a 1940 Technicolor musical film made by Twentieth Century Fox. It made a star of Betty Grable in her first leading role for the studio, and introduced American audiences to Carmen Miranda. The film also starred Don Ameche, The Nicholas Brothers, Charlotte Greenwood, and J....
(1940), Moon Over Miami
Moon Over Miami (film)
Moon Over Miami is a 1941 Technicolor musical film directed by Walter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley, and Charlotte Greenwood. It was one of Haley's last appearances in a major, large-budgeted film; after 1943 he...
(1941), Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies is a Technicolor musical comedy film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1942. A Betty Grable vehicle, with support from John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton. Also in the cast was Grable's future husband Harry James, and...
(1942), Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
(1943), Pin Up Girl
Pin Up Girl (film)
Pin Up Girl is a 1944 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.Directed by H...
(1944), and The Dolly Sisters
The Dolly Sisters
The Dolly Sisters is a 1945 American biographical film about the Dolly Sisters, identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the twentieth century. It starred Betty Grable as Jenny and June Haver as Rosie.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Yansci "Jenny"...
(1945). However, she is best noted for her 1947 film Mother Wore Tights
Mother Wore Tights
Mother Wore Tights is a 1947 musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Miriam Young. It was the highest grossing film of Grable's career up to that time, earning more...
. By the 1950s, Grable was still making films like, Wabash Avenue
Wabash Avenue (film)
Wabash Avenue is a 1950 musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable. The film was a remake of Grable's earlier hit 1943 film Coney Island.-Plot:...
(1950), Meet Me After the Show
Meet Me After the Show
Meet Me After the Show is a 1951 musical film starring Betty Grable and released through 20th Century Fox. The film was one of Grable's last musical films for Fox during her box office reign of the past decade.-Plot:...
(1951), How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score...
(1953), and How to Be Very, Very Popular
How to Be Very, Very Popular
How to Be Very, Very Popular is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson and starring Betty Grable in her final film role, and, introduced newcomer, Sheree North to the public.-Plot:...
(1955), her last film. She retired from the movie industry in 1955, and never returned.
Betty Grable 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
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
Early life
She was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to John Conn Grable (1883–1954) and Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889–1964). She was the youngest of three children.
Most of Grable's immediate ancestors were American, but her distant heritage was of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, German and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
stock. She was propelled into the acting profession by her mother. For her first role, as a chorus girl
Chorus line
A chorus line is a substantial group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms such as ponies, gypsies and twirlies...
in the film Happy Days
Happy Days (1929 film)
Happy Days is an 80 minute musical film, notable for being the first feature film shown entirely in widescreen anywhere in the world. Happy Days (1929) is an 80 minute musical film, notable for being the first feature film shown entirely in widescreen anywhere in the world. Happy Days (1929) is an...
(1929), Grable was only 12 years old (legally underage for acting), but, because the chorus line performed in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
, it was difficult to tell how old she was. Her mother soon gave her a make-over which included dyeing her hair platinum blonde.
Early career
For her next film, her mother got her a contract using a false identificationIdentity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
. When this deception was discovered, however, Grable was fired. Grable finally obtained a role as a 'Goldwyn Girl
Goldwyn Girls
The Goldwyn Girls were a musical stock company of female dancers employed by Samuel Goldwyn. Famous actresses whose career included a stint in the Goldwyn Girls include Lucille Ball, Paulette Goddard, Betty Grable, Ann Sothern, Jane Wyman, Virginia Bruce, Virginia Grey, Mary Meade, and Virginia...
' in Whoopee!
Whoopee! (film)
Whoopee is a 1930 "All-Talking All-Color" musical comedy film photographed in two-color Technicolor. The plot of the film closely followed the stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1928.-Production:...
(1930), starring Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
. 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
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 American film based on the musical play Gay Divorce written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein, with screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners...
(1934), starring Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
, where she was prominently featured in the number "Let's K-nock K-nees".
In the late 1930s, Grable signed a contract with Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, starring in several B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s, mostly portraying co-eds. Despite playing leads, the typecasting
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
proved to hurt her career more than it was helpful. These films included, Pigskin Parade
Pigskin Parade (film)
Pigskin Parade is a 1936 musical comedy film which tells the story of husband and wife college football coaches who convince a backwoods player to play for their team so they can go to the big Bowl Game. It was written by William M...
(1936), This Way Please
This Way Please
This Way Please is a motion picture filmed in early 1937, and released in theaters on October 7, 1937. Running time is 73 minutes. Referred to as a musical comedy, this motion picture features Charles Rogers, a popular singer from the days of vaudeville entertainment.According to historian Martin...
(1937), College Swing
College Swing
College Swing, also known as Swing, Teacher, Swing in the U.K., is a 1938 comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, and Bob Hope...
(1938), and Man About Town
Man About Town (1939 film)
Man About Town is a 1939 musical comedy film starring Jack Benny and Dorothy Lamour. A producer tries to get his leading lady take him seriously romantically by pursuing other women.-Cast:*Jack Benny as Bob Temple*Dorothy Lamour as Diana Wilson...
(1939). In 1939, Grable appeared with her then husband, Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
(married in 1937), in Million Dollar Legs
Million Dollar Legs (1939 film)
Million Dollar Legs is a 1939 American comedy film starring Betty Grable, John Hartley, Donald O'Connor, and Jackie Coogan.-Cast:* Betty Grable as Carol Parker* John Hartley as Greg Melton Jr.* Donald O'Connor as Sticky Boone...
, a low-budget B-movie. The title Million Dollar Legs, is a name from which her nickname is taken. Grable and Coogan divorced later that same year (October 1939). After small parts in countless low-budgeted B-Hollywood-movies through the 1930s, Grable finally gained national attention for her stage role in the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
hit Du Barry Was a Lady (1939). When her contract at Paramount expired, Grable decided to quit acting, being fed up with appearing in college films.
20th Century Fox & film stardom
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. ZanuckDarryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
offering her a bigger contract, which she accepted, and which was followed by a part in Buddy DeSylva's Broadway show Du Barry Was a Lady and a part replacing the suddenly ill Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
in Down Argentine Way
Down Argentine Way
Down Argentine Way is a 1940 Technicolor musical film made by Twentieth Century Fox. It made a star of Betty Grable in her first leading role for the studio, and introduced American audiences to Carmen Miranda. The film also starred Don Ameche, The Nicholas Brothers, Charlotte Greenwood, and J....
. "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."
Following Down Argentine Ways major success, Grable was cast opposite Alice Faye in, Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley (film)
Tin Pan Alley is a 1940 musical film starring Alice Faye and Betty Grable as vaudeville singers/sisters and John Payne and Jack Oakie as songwriters in the years before World War I.Alfred Newman received the 1940 Academy Award for his work on the film...
. Some say Grable and Faye had a rivalry, but this has been denied by both actresses. In 1941, she was cast in the Technicolor musical Moon Over Miami
Moon Over Miami (film)
Moon Over Miami is a 1941 Technicolor musical film directed by Walter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley, and Charlotte Greenwood. It was one of Haley's last appearances in a major, large-budgeted film; after 1943 he...
, again with Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
, her co-star in Down Argentine Way. The film was a major success, as was Grable's next film A Yank in the RAF
A Yank in the RAF
A Yank in the RAF is a black-and-white 1941 movie directed by Henry King, and is considered a typical early-World War II movie.-Plot Summary:...
, a World War II film; that was her first serious leading role in a major Hollywood film.
Following the major success of, A Yank in the RAF, Grable was assigned to, I Wake Up Screaming
I Wake Up Screaming
I Wake Up Screaming is a 1941 film noir. It is based on the novel of the same name by Steve Fisher, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dwight Taylor...
, in 1941, a black-and-white film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, co-starring Carole Landis
Carole Landis
Carole Landis was an American film and stage actress whose break-through role was as the female lead in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. Landis has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1765 Vine Street....
and Victor Mature
Victor Mature
Victor John Mature was an American stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to an Italian-speaking father from the town Pinzolo, in the Italian part of the former County of Tyrol , Marcello Gelindo Maturi, later Marcellus George Mature, a cutler,...
. The film was meant to show the world that Betty Grable could act in a film noir, but, however, the film was poorly reviewed and drew disappointing box-office success.
In 1942, she was cast in Song of the Islands
Song of the Islands
Song of the Islands is a 1942 musical comedy film starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature. It was directed by Walter Lang and released through 20th Century Fox.-Plot:...
and Footlight Serenade
Footlight Serenade
Footlight Serenade is a 1942 musical comedy film directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Betty Grable, John Payne and Victor Mature-Plot:Tommy Lundy is an arrogant ex-champion boxer who tries for an acting career on Broadway. He falls in love with his costar , who's secretly married to actor John...
, two successful motion pictures. However, Grable's biggest hit so far in her career would be Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies is a Technicolor musical comedy film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1942. A Betty Grable vehicle, with support from John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton. Also in the cast was Grable's future husband Harry James, and...
(1942). The film teamed Grable with her future-husband, Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
; and also featured Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, GCIH was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, Broadway actress and Hollywood film star popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was, by some accounts, the highest-earning woman in the United States and noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie The Gang's...
, in a supporting role. In 1943, Grable starred in two of her most well-known Technicolor musicals, Sweet Rosie O'Grady
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
Sweet Rosie O'Grady is a 1943 musical film about an American singer who attempts to better herself by marrying an English duke, but is harassed by a reporter...
and the smash-hit Coney Island
Coney Island (1943 film)
Coney Island is a 1943 American Technicolor musical film released by Twentieth Century Fox and starring Betty Grable in one of her biggest hits. A "gay nineties" musical it also featured George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, and Phil Silvers, was choreographed by Hermes Pan, and was directed by Walter...
. Both films capitalized Grable tremendously, with Coney Island, ranking one of the top five successful films of the year.
By 1943, with Grable being named one of the "top ten movie-stars" in the world, and becoming 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
Pin Up Girl (film)
Pin Up Girl is a 1944 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.Directed by H...
(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
Diamond Horseshoe
Diamond Horseshoe is a 1945 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable, directed by George Seaton, and released by 20th Century Fox.-Background:...
with Dick Haymes
Dick Haymes
Richard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
. The film was a success but Grable's next film The Dolly Sisters, co-starring rival June Haver
June Haver
June Haver , was an American film actress. She is most well known as a popular star of 20th Century-Fox musicals in the late 1940s, most notably The Dolly Sisters with Betty Grable and John Payne and also for playing the 1920s Broadway actress Marilyn Miller in Look for the Silver Lining...
, was Fox's second biggest success of the year; with the first being Leave Her to Heaven
Leave Her to Heaven
Leave Her to Heaven is a 1945 American 20th Century Fox Technicolor film noir motion picture starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, with Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, and Chill Wills...
.
In 1946, Grable appeared as Herself in a cameo role
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
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
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim is a 1947 American musical comedy film written and directed by George Seaton, starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes...
, but the film was overshawdowed by her succeeding project Mother Wore Tights
Mother Wore Tights
Mother Wore Tights is a 1947 musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Miriam Young. It was the highest grossing film of Grable's career up to that time, earning more...
, with one of her most frequent co-stars Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
. 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
That Lady in Ermine
That Lady in Ermine is a 1948 American musical film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The screenplay by Samson Raphaelson is based on the operetta Die Frau im Hermelin by Rudolph Schanzer and Ernst Welisch....
, (1948), co-starred Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. KBE was an American actor and a highly decorated naval officer of World War II.-Early life:...
; and would become only a moderate success. However, Grable's next film, When My Baby Smiles at Me
When My Baby Smiles at Me
- Song :"When My Baby Smiles at Me", music by Bill Munro with words by Andrew B. Sterling and Ted Lewis, was published by Von Tilzer Publishing in 1920. It was the first big hit for clarinettist, vocalist and comedian Ted Lewis . Ted Lewis's jazz band recording in 1920, became his signature tune,...
(1948), was a smash success; this film again co-starred Dan Dailey. In 1949, Grable's film The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend is a 1949 romantic comedy Western film starring Betty Grable and featuring Cesar Romero and Rudy Vallee...
was released but proved to be a critical and box-office flop, which caused Grable's film career to begin to falter.
Motion-picture decline & retirement
In 1950, Grable made two widely successful films; Wabash AvenueWabash Avenue (film)
Wabash Avenue is a 1950 musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable. The film was a remake of Grable's earlier hit 1943 film Coney Island.-Plot:...
and My Blue Heaven
My Blue Heaven (1950 film)
My Blue Heaven is a 1950 musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey.-Plot:Kitty Moran, a radio star finds out she is pregnant however she miscarries...
. 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
Call Me Mister (film)
Call Me Mister is a 1951 musical film released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The feature was directed by Lloyd Bacon, and re-written from the Broadway version by Albert E...
, which 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
Meet Me After the Show
Meet Me After the Show is a 1951 musical film starring Betty Grable and released through 20th Century Fox. The film was one of Grable's last musical films for Fox during her box office reign of the past decade.-Plot:...
, Grable took a break from acting; turning down the lead role in The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door (1953 film)
The Girl Next Door is a 1953 musical comedy film directed by Richard Sale, released by 20th Century Fox, and, starred June Haver, Dan Dailey, and Dennis Day.The Girl Next Door, was June Haver's last film appearance...
, a role that would eventually go to rival June Haver
June Haver
June Haver , was an American film actress. She is most well known as a popular star of 20th Century-Fox musicals in the late 1940s, most notably The Dolly Sisters with Betty Grable and John Payne and also for playing the 1920s Broadway actress Marilyn Miller in Look for the Silver Lining...
.
In 1953, Grable returned to the silver screen for The Farmer Takes a Wife
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953 film)
The Farmer Takes a Wife is a 1953 musical comedy film starring Betty Grable. It is a remake of the 1935 film of the same name which starred Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Molly Larkins*Dale Robertson as Dan Harrow...
, with Dale Robertson
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
and Thelma Ritter
Thelma Ritter
Thelma Ritter was an American supporting and character actress from the 1940s until her death in 1969.-Early life:...
. The film was a remake of the 1935 film of the same name. The Farmer Takes a Wife, was highly publicized, but, was unfortunately, critically panned and proved to be a box-office failure.
Grable's last mainstream success for Fox was in How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score...
(1953), with Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
. Some thought Grable and Monroe wouldn't get along but Grable was quoted as saying (to Monroe): "Go and get yours honey! I've had mine!" This was said because Monroe was replacing Grable as 20th Century Fox's leading sex symbol movie-star; with Grable meaning she felt no threat, as she was nearing retirement.
Grable's last musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
appearance was in Three for the Show
Three for the Show
Three for the Show is a 1955 musical comedy remake of Too Many Husbands. It starred actress Betty Grable in her last musical, opposite Jack Lemmon, Gower Champion and Marge Champion.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Julie Lowndes...
(1955) with up-and-coming comedian Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
. Three for the Show, was released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
; making the film Grable's first film away from 20th Century Fox, since she signed with them in 1940.
Grable's final film role was in the comedy film, How to Be Very, Very Popular
How to Be Very, Very Popular
How to Be Very, Very Popular is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson and starring Betty Grable in her final film role, and, introduced newcomer, Sheree North to the public.-Plot:...
(1955) with newcomer Sheree North
Sheree North
Sheree North was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She was known for being 20th Century Fox's answer to Marilyn Monroe from 1954 to 1956...
. This film was meant to reunite Grable with Marilyn Monroe, but Monroe turned it down. Afterward, Grable wanted the role of Miss Adelaide in the 1956 film Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls (film)
Guys and Dolls is a 1955 musical film starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine. The film was made by the Samuel Goldwyn Company and distributed by MGM. It was produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the screenplay...
, but the role went to Vivian Blaine
Vivian Blaine
Vivian Blaine was an American actress and singer best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production Guys and Dolls.-Life and career:...
after Grable skipped a meeting with the film's producer, due to the fact that her pet dog was sick.
Personal life
In 1937, Grable married another famous former child actor, Jackie CooganJackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
. 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
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
. 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.
Grable was a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
She was also a lifelong Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and conservative.
Death
Grable died July 2, 1973, of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at age 56 in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. Her funeral was held July 5, 1973, 30 years to the day after her marriage to Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
— who, in turn, died on what would have been his and Grable's 40th anniversary, July 5, 1983.
Among the luminaries attending her funeral were her ex-husband Harry James, Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is best remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope .-Early life:Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Carmen Louise Dorothy...
, Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth was an American actress.Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950...
, Mitzi Gaynor
Mitzi Gaynor
-Life and career:Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago, Illinois to Pauline Fisher, a dancer, and Henry von Gerber, a violinist, cellist, and music director. The family first moved to Detroit and when she was eleven to Hollywood, California.She trained as a ballerina...
, Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
, Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
, Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
, George Raft
George Raft
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s...
, Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
and Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
. "I Had the Craziest Dream," the haunting ballad from Springtime in the Rockies, was played on the church organ. This song was introduced in the film by Helen Forrest. Betty Grable was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded in 1905 in Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity interments at Inglewood Park:...
, in Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, California.
Posthumous recognition
Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
. She also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
, and was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians
Hall of Famous Missourians
The Hall of Famous Missourians is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, in the third-floor rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol. The group of bronze busts depicts prominent Missourians honored for their achievements and contributions to the state. Inductees are selected by the Speaker of the...
in 2009.
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
, founder of Playboy noted on National Public Radio's Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
on April 23, 2007, in an interview with Terry Gross
Terry Gross
Terry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio....
that Grable was his inspiration for founding the Playboy empire.
Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Director | Co-stars | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Days Happy Days (1929 film) Happy Days is an 80 minute musical film, notable for being the first feature film shown entirely in widescreen anywhere in the world. Happy Days (1929) is an 80 minute musical film, notable for being the first feature film shown entirely in widescreen anywhere in the world. Happy Days (1929) is an... |
1929 1929 in film -Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors.... |
Chorus Girl | Uncredited | ||
| Let's Go Places | 1930 1930 in film -Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism... |
Chorine | Uncredited | ||
| New Movietone Follies of 1930 New Movietone Follies of 1930 New Movietone Follies of 1930 is a 1930 American musical film released by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Benjamin Stoloff. The film stars El Brendel and Marjorie White who also costarred in Fox's Just Imagine in 1930.... |
1930 | Chorine | Uncredited | ||
| Whoopee | 1930 | Goldwyn Girl | Uncredited | ||
| Kiki | 1931 1931 in film -Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... |
Goldwyn Girl | Mary Pickford Mary Pickford Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences... |
Uncredited | |
| Palmy Days Palmy Days Palmy Days is a 1931 musical comedy written by Eddie Cantor, Morrie Ryskind, and David Freedman, directed by A. Edward Sutherland, and choreographed by Busby Berkeley... |
1931 | Goldwyn Girl | Uncredited | ||
| 1932 1932 in film -Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released.... |
Hat Check Girl | Uncredited | |||
| Probation | 1932 | Ruth Jarrett | Grable's first credited role | ||
| 1932 | Student at Dormitory | Uncredited | |||
| Hold 'Em Jail | 1932 | Barbara Jones | |||
| 1932 | Goldwyn Girl | Uncredited | |||
| Cavalcade | 1933 1933 in film -Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded.... |
Girl on couch | Uncredited | ||
| Child of Manhattan Child of Manhattan (film) Child of Manhattan is a 1933 Pre-code Columbia Pictures melodrama film based on the play of the same name by Preston Sturges, which was presented on Broadway in 1932... |
1933 | Lucy McGonegle | |||
| Melody Cruise | 1933 | First Stewardess | Uncredited | ||
| What Price Innocence? | 1933 | Beverly Bennett | |||
| 1933 | Band Singer with Ted Fio Rito | ||||
| 1934 1934 in film -Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade... |
Dance Specialty | ||||
| Student Tour | 1934 | Cayenne | |||
| By Your Leave | 1934 | Frances Gretchell | |||
| 1935 1935 in film -Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:... |
Mary Roberts | ||||
| Old Man Rhythm | 1935 | Sylvia | |||
| Collegiate | 1936 1936 in film The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon... |
Dorothy | |||
| Follow the Fleet Follow the Fleet Follow the Fleet is a 1936 Hollywood musical comedy film with a nautical theme and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in small supporting roles... |
1936 | Trio Singer | |||
| Don't Turn 'em Loose | 1936 | Mildred Webster | |||
| Pigskin Parade Pigskin Parade (film) Pigskin Parade is a 1936 musical comedy film which tells the story of husband and wife college football coaches who convince a backwoods player to play for their team so they can go to the big Bowl Game. It was written by William M... |
1936 | Laura Watson | |||
| This Way Please This Way Please This Way Please is a motion picture filmed in early 1937, and released in theaters on October 7, 1937. Running time is 73 minutes. Referred to as a musical comedy, this motion picture features Charles Rogers, a popular singer from the days of vaudeville entertainment.According to historian Martin... |
1937 1937 in film The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.... |
Jane Morrow | Charles 'Buddy' Rogers | ||
| Thrill of a Lifetime | 1937 | Gwen | The Yacht Club Boys | ||
| College Swing College Swing College Swing, also known as Swing, Teacher, Swing in the U.K., is a 1938 comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, and Bob Hope... |
1938 1938 in film The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,... |
Betty | |||
| Give Me a Sailor | 1938 | Nancy Larkin | |||
| Campus Confessions | 1938 | Joyce Gilmore | Grable received top billing for the first time | ||
| Man About Town Man About Town (1939 film) Man About Town is a 1939 musical comedy film starring Jack Benny and Dorothy Lamour. A producer tries to get his leading lady take him seriously romantically by pursuing other women.-Cast:*Jack Benny as Bob Temple*Dorothy Lamour as Diana Wilson... |
1939 1939 in film The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate... |
Susan Hayes | |||
| Million Dollar Legs Million Dollar Legs (1939 film) Million Dollar Legs is a 1939 American comedy film starring Betty Grable, John Hartley, Donald O'Connor, and Jackie Coogan.-Cast:* Betty Grable as Carol Parker* John Hartley as Greg Melton Jr.* Donald O'Connor as Sticky Boone... |
1939 | Carol Parker | |||
| 1939 | Ina Firpo | Joe Penner Joe Penner Joe Penner was an American 1930s-era vaudeville, radio and film comedian. He was an ethnic Hungarian born as József Pintér in Nagybecskerek, Austria-Hungary... |
|||
| Down Argentine Way Down Argentine Way Down Argentine Way is a 1940 Technicolor musical film made by Twentieth Century Fox. It made a star of Betty Grable in her first leading role for the studio, and introduced American audiences to Carmen Miranda. The film also starred Don Ameche, The Nicholas Brothers, Charlotte Greenwood, and J.... |
1940 1940 in film The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released.... |
||||
| Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley (film) Tin Pan Alley is a 1940 musical film starring Alice Faye and Betty Grable as vaudeville singers/sisters and John Payne and Jack Oakie as songwriters in the years before World War I.Alfred Newman received the 1940 Academy Award for his work on the film... |
1940 | Lily Blane | |||
| Moon Over Miami Moon Over Miami (film) Moon Over Miami is a 1941 Technicolor musical film directed by Walter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley, and Charlotte Greenwood. It was one of Haley's last appearances in a major, large-budgeted film; after 1943 he... |
1941 1941 in film The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:... |
Kathryn 'Kay' Latimer | |||
| 1941 | Carol Brown | Tyrone Power Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,... |
|||
| I Wake Up Screaming I Wake Up Screaming I Wake Up Screaming is a 1941 film noir. It is based on the novel of the same name by Steve Fisher, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dwight Taylor... |
1941 | Jill Lynn | Grable's only straight dramatic role | ||
| Song of the Islands Song of the Islands Song of the Islands is a 1942 musical comedy film starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature. It was directed by Walter Lang and released through 20th Century Fox.-Plot:... |
1942 1942 in film The year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:... |
Eileen O'Brien | |||
| Footlight Serenade Footlight Serenade Footlight Serenade is a 1942 musical comedy film directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Betty Grable, John Payne and Victor Mature-Plot:Tommy Lundy is an arrogant ex-champion boxer who tries for an acting career on Broadway. He falls in love with his costar , who's secretly married to actor John... |
1942 | Pat Lambert | |||
| Springtime in the Rockies Springtime in the Rockies Springtime in the Rockies is a Technicolor musical comedy film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1942. A Betty Grable vehicle, with support from John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton. Also in the cast was Grable's future husband Harry James, and... |
1942 | Vicky Lane | |||
| Coney Island Coney Island (1943 film) Coney Island is a 1943 American Technicolor musical film released by Twentieth Century Fox and starring Betty Grable in one of her biggest hits. A "gay nineties" musical it also featured George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, and Phil Silvers, was choreographed by Hermes Pan, and was directed by Walter... |
1943 1943 in film The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films.... |
Kate Farley | |||
| Sweet Rosie O'Grady Sweet Rosie O'Grady Sweet Rosie O'Grady is a 1943 musical film about an American singer who attempts to better herself by marrying an English duke, but is harassed by a reporter... |
1943 | ||||
| Four Jills in a Jeep Four Jills in a Jeep Four Jills in a Jeep is a 1944 film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Herself*Carole Landis as Herself... |
1944 1944 in film The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released.... |
Herself | |||
| Pin Up Girl Pin Up Girl (film) Pin Up Girl is a 1944 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.Directed by H... |
1944 | ||||
| Diamond Horseshoe Diamond Horseshoe Diamond Horseshoe is a 1945 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable, directed by George Seaton, and released by 20th Century Fox.-Background:... |
1945 1945 in film The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins.... |
Bonnie Collins | |||
| 1945 | Yansci 'Jenny' Dolly | ||||
| Do You Love Me | 1946 1946 in film The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a... |
Girl in Taxi (cameo) | Grable had a cameo as a fan of Harry James's character | ||
| The Shocking Miss Pilgrim The Shocking Miss Pilgrim The Shocking Miss Pilgrim is a 1947 American musical comedy film written and directed by George Seaton, starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes... |
1947 1947 in film The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25... |
Cynthia Pilgrim | |||
| Mother Wore Tights Mother Wore Tights Mother Wore Tights is a 1947 musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Miriam Young. It was the highest grossing film of Grable's career up to that time, earning more... |
1947 | Myrtle McKinley Burt | |||
| 1948 1948 in film The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :... |
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| When My Baby Smiles at Me When My Baby Smiles at Me (film) When My Baby Smiles at Me is a musical film released by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey. This is the third film based on the popular Broadway play Burlesque, the others being The Dance of Life and Swing High, Swing Low... |
1948 | Bonny Kaye | |||
| The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend is a 1949 romantic comedy Western film starring Betty Grable and featuring Cesar Romero and Rudy Vallee... |
1949 1949 in film The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello... |
Winifred Jones | |||
| Wabash Avenue Wabash Avenue (film) Wabash Avenue is a 1950 musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable. The film was a remake of Grable's earlier hit 1943 film Coney Island.-Plot:... |
1950 1950 in film The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush... |
Ruby Summers | Remake of Grable's earlier hit Coney Island | ||
| My Blue Heaven My Blue Heaven (1950 film) My Blue Heaven is a 1950 musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey.-Plot:Kitty Moran, a radio star finds out she is pregnant however she miscarries... |
1950 | Kitty Moran | |||
| Call Me Mister Call Me Mister (film) Call Me Mister is a 1951 musical film released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The feature was directed by Lloyd Bacon, and re-written from the Broadway version by Albert E... |
1951 1951 in film The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:... |
Kay Hudson | Remake of Grable's earlier hit A Yank in the RAF | ||
| Meet Me After the Show Meet Me After the Show Meet Me After the Show is a 1951 musical film starring Betty Grable and released through 20th Century Fox. The film was one of Grable's last musical films for Fox during her box office reign of the past decade.-Plot:... |
1951 | Delilah Lee | |||
| 1953 1953 in film The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A... |
Molly Larkins | ||||
| How to Marry a Millionaire How to Marry a Millionaire How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score... |
1953 | Loco Dempsey | |||
| Three for the Show Three for the Show Three for the Show is a 1955 musical comedy remake of Too Many Husbands. It starred actress Betty Grable in her last musical, opposite Jack Lemmon, Gower Champion and Marge Champion.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Julie Lowndes... |
1955 1955 in film The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released.... |
Julie Lowndes | |||
| How to Be Very, Very Popular How to Be Very, Very Popular How to Be Very, Very Popular is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson and starring Betty Grable in her final film role, and, introduced newcomer, Sheree North to the public.-Plot:... |
1955 | Stormy Tornado |
Short subjects
- Crashing Hollywood (19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - Ex-Sweeties (1931)
- Once a Hero (1931)
- Lady! Please! (19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - Hollywood Luck (1932)
- The Flirty Sleepwalker (1932)
- Hollywood Lights (1932)
- Over the Counter (1932)
- Air Tonic (19331933 in film-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) - School for Romance (19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - Love Detectives (1934)
- Elmer Steps Out (1934)
- Business Is a Pleasure (1934)
- Susie's Affairs (1934)
- Ferry-Go-Round (1934)
- This Band Age (19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) - 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 (19361936 in filmThe year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) - Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (1936)
- Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7 (19371937 in filmThe year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) - Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 10 (1937)
- Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 4 (19381938 in filmThe year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
) - Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1 (19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - The All-Star Bond Rally (19451945 in filmThe year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
) - Hollywood Park (19461946 in filmThe year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
) - Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Shower of Stars (19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
)