Grable retired from screen acting in 1955 after she withdrew from her Fox contract, but she continued to perform on the stage and on television. 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 Fox then began to develop Philip Wylie's short story "Second Honeymoon", into a script suited for Grable's talents. 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. In 1949, although she still placed in the top 10, she slipped from second to seventh place in popularity. Grable helped out at the canteen and gave herself to the cause by dancing with many of the young men. 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 made her debut as a chorus girl in the film Happy Days in 1929 when she was 12 years old. The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) was her first film back at Fox. She had Dutch, English, German, and Irish ancestry. Unfortunately, the public did not seem to take notice.The following year, she married former child star Jackie Coogan. She was propelled into the acting profession by her mother. When she was young, she got together with a handsome married man named George Raft, a tough guy actor associated with sinister figures like Bugsy Seigel. Grable died July 2, 1973, of lung cancer at age 56 in Santa Monica, California. Father of actress Betty GrableCA State Death Certificate: Conn Grable Born: June 28, 1883 Place: St. Louis City, MO Died: January 25, 1954 Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA Father: William B. Grable-KY Mother: Lavinia Conn-LI [Long Island] +++ St. Louis MO State Marriage License and Application: John C. Grable and. 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. She was the youngest of three children. In 1965, Grable finally worked up the courage to stand up for herself again, and divorced James on the grounds of extreme cruelty. Yep, sounds about right. Grable's was the most popular pinup photo of the World War II era, surpassing other beloved and beautiful stars like Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake. Spouse/Ex-: Harry James (m.1943-1965), Jackie Coogan (m.1937-1939), children: Jessica James, Victoria Elizabeth James, place of death: Santa Monica, California, United States, Ancestry: Dutch American, German American, British American, Irish American, (Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Film-Noir), See the events in life of Betty Grable in Chronological Order, (Actress and Dancer Best Known for Her Films: Mother Wore Tights and How to Marry a Millionaire), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETTNGKZlbKY. The second movie, I Wake Up Screaming, released in November, had Grable receiving top billing as Jill Lynn, the sister of a young model who is murdered. The film was a lavish Technicolor musical and co-starred Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda. On Hallowe'en, she and . 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. When her contract at Paramount expired, Grable decided to quit acting, being fed up with appearing in college films. Hows that for a legacy. However, Grable's next film, When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), was a smash success; this film again co-starred Dan Dailey. Her mother, Lillian Hoffman, was of Dutch, Irish and English descent. Less than a decade later, 20th Century Fox would literally ensure Bettys legs for a million dollars. With Horrible Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies? She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention. Not every starlet was so eager to fall into bed with Marilyn. While working on How to Marry a Millionaire, Grable was under no illusions that her star was fading, or that Monroe and her ample bosom were about to replace her and her legs in the public consciousness. Among them were Dorothy Lamour, Shirley Booth, Mitzi Gaynor, Don Ameche, Cesar Romero, George Raft, Alice Faye, Johnnie Ray, and Dan Dailey. She told the studio she wanted a raise. . She once admitted, People talk about my legs as if I were a centipede, ardently wishing that the public would focus more on her acting than her physical assets. Or there is the 6-bedroom 4,000 square foot Betty Grable Estate. On set rumors swirled about rivalries, but the truth is actually eye-opening. Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable (December 18, 1916 July 2, 1973) was an American actress, dancer and singer. betty grable daughters now betty grable daughters now (No Ratings Yet) . [2] She had contracts with RKO and Paramount Pictures during the 1930s, and appeared in a string of B movies, mostly portraying college students. Later, the governor introduced her at a luncheon sponsored by 'The Red Stocking,' a local charity group. Realizing her time was done, Grable stepped away from the limelight in 1955and went straight to her demise. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. That film was the lead role in the classic comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, AKA the part that shot Marylin Monroe to stardom. The film followed the lines of other movies of the era, but it was not considered a propaganda movie by the studio. All Rights Reserved. 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. That wasnt all Grable did for Monroe. As a member of the ensemble group of attractive young chorines, Grable appeared in a series of small parts in movies, including the mega-hit Whoopee! Song of the Islands. It enjoyed reasonable success at the box office, particularly overseas. She had two children. Back in 1953, Betty Grable and Marilyn joined Lauren Bacall for 1953's "How to Marry a Millionaire." Betty later went public about her co-star's love for women, saying Marilyn essentially stalked her and added that the relentless pursuit was "sometimes scary!" When the couple had their first-born daughter, they named her Victoria Elizabeth, after Grables character in the film Springtime in the Rockies. 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. "Never forget, you're walking in the shadow of giants," Rooney advised her when he took her to dinner with George Raft and Betty Grable. Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. Less than a decade later, 20th Century Fox would. After reviewing her screen test, Zanuck cast Grable as Faye's replacement in the movie. The film's success led to Fox increasing her salary and her having a wider choice over the films she made. One of her big roles was in College Swing (1938). 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 . It ended in divorce three years later in 1940. and the stresses split the couple up by 1939. Betty Grable (1916-1973) Birth name: Elizabeth Ruth Grable Birthdate: Monday, December 18th, 1916 Location: St Louis, Missouri, USA Died: Monday, July 2nd, 1973 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA Cause of death: Lung cancer The girls were left nothing when it came to the end. Ouch. She starred along with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall as gold-diggers in the 1953 romantic comedy How to Marry a Millionaire. Melody Cruise. Betty Grable Lyrics: When I used to be a little kid / I used to go / Every Saturday afternoon / To the picture show / Close up to the screen / My life wasso serene / I lived through every scene / With Betty grable Early life Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother Lillian was a pushy stage momager who forced her daughter into dance lessons and countless child beauty contests in search of fame. rose of tralee. Read more. 20th Century Fox had reached out to her specifically for the part, loaning her out from her new studio, Paramount. Victoria and Jessica were brought up by anyone available. They briefly toured on vaudeville and his success boosted hers, but they divorced in 1940. She often worried about starring opposite well-known leading men. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (19421951) she reigned in the Quigley Poll's top 10 box office stars (a feat only matched by Doris Day, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand, although all were surpassed by Mary Pickford, who was in for 13 times). Many Hollywood stars came to the funeral as well. In 1929, she premiered in her first film. 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. Housekeepers, nannies and themselves. School for Romance. Oh yeah, this sounds like its going to turn out great. Heck no. contributor's website. Pigskin Parade was supposed to be Betty Grables big break, but what it really did was earn the starlet her first rival. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World". 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. 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. Betty Grable. Original caption: "Betty poses the legs for a still shot on a studio beach set. Another win for shine theory. Her mother enrolled her from an early age in dance and music classes and in 1929 moved with her to Hollywood, California. When Grable saw the win, she might have been stung. Grable's last mainstream success for Fox was in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall. But now meet "Mommie"Mrs. Well, Raft quickly proved just how tough he was: He beat Grable, who fled from the relationship. Grable, Betty,--1916-1973--Family All Saints' Episcopal Church (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Daughters--California--Los Angeles Funeral rites and ceremonies--California--Beverly Hills Undertakers and undertaking--California--Beverly Hills Church buildings--California--Beverly Hills Anglican church buildings--California--Beverly Hills One day, James and Grable found out that she was pregnant. In 1930, she made her first film appearance as a Goldwyn Girl in Whoopee!. [4] Two of her bigger film successes were the musical Mother Wore Tights (1947) and the comedy How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), one of her later films. Housekeepers, nannies and themselves. All and all, Grable and Harry James stayed married for 22 miserable years, with each coming New Year marking out a new low of betting, squandering, drinking, and philandering. I've had mine! [17], A 13-year-old Grable and her mother traveled to Hollywood in 1929, shortly after the stock market crash. Mother Wore Tights was a major-success (Fox's most successful film of 1947) and is today known as Grable's "signature film.". This was followed by small roles in a number of films over the decade. The comedy legend was over the moon when she was able to book Grable as a guest in the first season of The Carol Burnett Show. She had to resort to drastic measures. Instead of stardom, she focused on her totally normal marriage with Harry James, and the couple moved to Las Vegas. Did this stop Lillian? The daughter of a highly ambitious woman, Betty was groomed for stardom from a very young age. [14], In 1943, she married trumpeter Harry James. Using her famous pin-up pose, she did a series of commercials for Playtex Shorties just to make back some of the money her husband had lost. The plot only thickened from there. [18][19] In Hollywood, Grable studied at the Hollywood Professional School and the Ernest Blecher Academy of Dance. Some say Grable and Faye had a rivalry, but this has been denied by both actresses. It proved to be Grable's final film appearance. [3] Fox cast Grable in a succession of Technicolor musicals during the decade that were immensely popular, co-starring with such leading men as Victor Mature, Don Ameche, John Payne, and Tyrone Power. [37], Grable was cast in That Lady in Ermine (1948), a film project that had previously been considered for either Jeanette MacDonald or Gene Tierney. Music - Musician. (1930), New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930), Happy Days (1929) and Let's Go Places (1930)), initially billed as 'Frances Dean'. [47][48], After refusing the leading female role in Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Grable again was suspended from her contract. The film was a remake of the 1943 film Coney island. She starred along with Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers whose children are embarrassed of their parents profession. 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. Down in the valley. [35], After five years of constant work, Grable was allowed time off for an extended vacation. His early years of juvenile delinquency, tempestuous love affairs and controversial divorce, in which his wife named 79 co-respondents (including the famed pin-up girl Betty Grable), gained him . However, the deception was found out and she was disqualified. Grable grabbed her own personal polish and gave Monroe a pedicure herself. What happened to Betty Grable's daughters? At the start of WWII, Hollywood opened up the Hollywood Canteen for enlisted men who were on the verge of service. She was the youngest of three children. Generation. Grables lack of belief in her acting abilities came back to haunt her in 1947. [38], Grable had been placed in the "Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll" every year, beginning in 1942. In 1946-1947, the Treasury Department noted that she was the highest paid woman in America, receiving $300,000 a year. 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