It is hard to imagine today the fame and stature that Betty Grable had in the 1940s
Hello Everybody. Joe Morella and Frank Segers here to discuss, as part of our series on major Forties stars, a woman recognized worldwide for her great gams (that means “legs” to those under 40) but often given short shrift for her acting ability.
Yes, she was known for sporting “million dollar legs.” No kidding. That’s what Betty Grable’s gams were said to be worth to her employer, Twentieth Century-Fox. They belonged to one Elizabeth Ruth Grable, born in St. Louis in 1916, and to the world at large when a posed studio shot was taken in the early 1940s was circulated worldwide.
A Hollywood veteran of nearly 15 years (she had a pushy stage mother and made her first movie at 14, lying about her age) Grable was in her late 20s when the shot was taken. She instantly became the most famous pinup of the World War II years, stoking GI libidos from Alaska to the Fiji Islands.
After a dead-end start at RKO and Paramount, Grable came to Fox at the behest of studio chieftain Darryl F. Zanuck as the intended replacement for the fading Alice Faye. Grable quickly supplanted Faye, and began a long a profitable reign as Fox’s official blond and musical star until Marilyn Monroe took over in the 1950′s.
In 1943, Betty was named the number one star by movie exhibitors and theater owners, the first woman to be so designated. It was a big year for Grable since it also marked the beginning of a 22-year-marriage to her second and final husband, trumpeter-band leader Harry James. Grable’s first husband was former child actor Jackie Coogan.
After that pinup photo came out, Grable was no longer a mere movie star. She was a national icon. She remained Hollywood’s number one box office phenomenon all through the World War II years.
Thrilled by it all, Zanuck in 1944 rushed into production a piece of musical fluff titled, naturally enough, “Pin Up Girl,” teaming Betty with Martha Raye, Joe E. Brown and the Charlie Spivak Orchestra. It was a hit.
By the time the war ended, Grable was such a big a star that she achieved the lofty status as the highest-paid woman in the country, earning anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000 a year. And that was back in the day when you could easily buy a very comfortable house for under $3,000.
And those “million dollar legs” were a considerable bargain. Grable remained among the top 10 box office draws for a total of 13 years, a record unmatched by any other actress. At her career peak, she was said to have brought in at least $5 million annually to Fox coffers.
Her career at Fox was a lot more diverse that her pinup image suggests. She was very good in the gritty 1941 film noir classic, I Wake Up Screaming, playing the wholesome sister of a shady murdered model. Betty gives the cold shoulder to Victor Mature. I Wake Up Screaming includes a marvelously creepy performance from one of our favorite character actors, Laird Cregar.
Betty’s expensive legs also got a workout in one of two “How To…” capers she appeared in: Jean Negulesco 1953 comedy “How To Marry A Millionaire” alongside Lauren Bacall and Monroe. She also appeared in 1955′s “How To Be Be Very, Very Popular” with Sheree North (a lightweight Monroe clone) and Robert Cummings. In all, she appeared in more than 75 movies plus multiple tv appearances and stage work.
She and Harry James had two children. After their divorce in 1965, Grable remained single until the day she died of lung cancer on July 2, 1973, five months shy of her 57th birthday.
Grable was at Paramount for a time in the 1930s, but as was the case for stablemates such as Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino, the studio had no idea what to do with her, and Betty’s fame would come elsewhere.
You could argue that Grable was sort of the Ruby Keeler of the 1940s — more competent than overwhelming where talent was concerned, but whose innate likability more than made up for it (though Betty was certainly more skilled than Ruby).
During the 1940s, Betty and Lana Turner were often mistaken for each other (if you see photos of the two from this era, such confusion is understandable). There’s a story that they decided to sign autographs for each other, rather than disappoint fans.
Oh, and the famous pinup pic above? She supposedly turned her back to the camera because she was pregnant.
Thanks for saluting the unjustifiably often overlooked Betty Grable. I agree that her talents were more “competent” than outstanding, still she was a more than serviceable singer and dancer, and immensely likable onscreen. Her unbroken success for over a decade as a box office champion was remarkable and unique, and proves how much audiences enjoyed her work.
My only caveat with your salute was your reference to Betty being promoted to replace “a fading Alice Faye.” From everything I’ve read and heard about her, Alice was still a box office favorite and a top star at 20th Century Fox until she chose to leave the studio following the severe editing of her part in the film noir, FALLEN ANGEL. (Following her second marriage to bandleader Phil Harris, Alice also reportedly wanted to spend more time with her family.)
I’ve always read that Betty inherited her first starring vehicle at Fox (1940′s DOWN ARGENTINE WAY), because Alice had contracted appendicitis, and, of course, Betty’s fledging stardom at the studio received an important boost when she was cast opposite top-starred Alice in 1940′s TIN PAN ALLEY.
Even after Alice left Fox, Darryl Zanuck still reportedly tried to lure her back with several top-line productions, including, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, THE DOLLY SISTERS and THE RAZOR’S EDGE, but she wouldn’t budge.
I’ve also read that rumors of any “rivalry” between Alice and Betty were just that…rumors, and nothing more. They both liked each other personally and admired each others’ talents. Sound like a couple of smart and sensible ladies.