In St. Louis, Missouri on December 18, 1916, Betty Grable was born. Her given birth name was Elizabeth Ruth Grable.
Betty Grable died on July 2, 1973 in Santa Monica, California.
Betty Grable's mother Lillian was a driven woman when it came to making her daughter, Betty Grable, a star. grable's mother enrolled her in Clark's Dancing School at the age of three. Betty's mother helped her study ballet and tap dancing. At age 13, Betty Grable and her determined mother set off for Hollywood, California. Lillian, Betty Grable's mother lied about her daughter's age and Betty landed several parts in films in the 1930's. Betty Grable had minor parts in WHOOPEE! in 1930, HAPPY DAYS, and LET'S GO PLACES.
Betty Grable dated Desi Arnaz. She was married to Jackie Coogan in 1937. Coogan starred in THE ESCAPE ARTIST in 1982. They were later divorced in 1940. Betty Grable married Harry James in 1943. Harry James wrote the soundtrack of THE AVIATOR. He died on what would have been their 40th wedding anniversary. They were divorced in 1965. They had two daughters, Victoria Elizabeth James and Jessica James.
BY YOUR LEAVE, in 1934 was Betty Grable's first substantial part in a Picture. In 1938, she starred in COLLEGE SWING. It wasn't until 1940, that the public really took notice of Betty Grable in DOWN ARGENTINE WAY.
Betty Grable did a pin-up pose during World War II and her picture was in barracks all around the world. That pin-up caused Betty to become the highest paid star in Hollywood. In 1947, she was the highest paid star in America. She earned $300,000 dollars a year. In 1941 Grable was voted as the
woman with the best figure.
Later, Century-Fox had Betty Grable under contract and they insured her legs with Lloyds of London for a million dollars.
Betty Grable's last film was in 1955, HOW TO BE VERY, VERY POPULAR. After the film she worked on Broadway and in nightclubs.
Betty Grable was free of any scandals during her lifetime. She cared for her family and family life more than being famous. She suffered from Demophobia (fear of crowds). Betty Grable was also a somnambulist (a sleep-walker). Grable's nicknames were'' The Girl With The Million Dollar Legs'' and ''The Pin-Up Girl''.
Some of Betty Grable's credits include...
VERBOTEN! - 1959
HOW TO BE VERY, VERY POPULAR - 1955
THREE FOR THE SHOW - 1955
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE - 1953
CALL ME MISTER - 1951
MY BLUE HEAVEN - 1950
THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE FROM BASHFUL BEND - 1949
MOTHER WORE TIGHTS - 1947
DIAMOND HORSESHOE - 1945
PIN UP GIRL - 1944
I WAKE UP SCREAMING - 1941
DOWN ARGENTINE WAY - 1940
MILLION DOLLAR LEGS - 1939
COLLEGE SWING - 1938
COLLEGIATE - 1936
FERRY-GO-ROUND - 1934
HOLLYWOOD LIGHTS - 1932
WHOOPEE! - 1930
TELEVISION:
SHOWER OF THE STARS (TV SERIES) (1954-1958)
FORD STAR JUBILEE (TV SERIES) (1956)
STAR STAGE (TV SERIES) (1956)
Betty Grable - MovieActors.com
