Victoria Elizabeth James is a daughter of Betty Grable. She agreed to make How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) for Fox on the assurance Marilyn Monroe would be her co-star. During the shoot, she took several photos in a tight, one-piece bathing suit. Fact is, I've more fan mail since, especially from servicemen telling me about their wives and babies. Grable's performance was reviewed favorably by most critics, and the film enjoyed reasonable financial success. [2], Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol. Though Grable played the leading roles in these films, they led to her being typecast as an innocent and not-so-bright college student. Pin-Up: The Tragedy of Betty Grable. In 1947, the United States Treasury Department noted that she was the highest paid star in America, earning about $300,000 a year - a phenomenal sum even by today's standards. It was reported that Grable often quarreled with Fairbanks and Preminger, and that she nearly walked out on filming, but decided against on the advice of her agent. Mother. Birth. It proved to be Grable's final film appearance. Betty Grable (18 December 1916 – 2 July 1973) was born Elizabeth Ruth Grable in St. Louis, Missouri.She was an American actress, dancer, singer, and model, famous for her legs.She insured her legs for $1,000,000. Had hoped to have more children but doctors advised against a third operation. Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943), her follow-up feature, was equally successful at the box office, although it failed to obtain the same critical favoritism. She had German, English, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. In 1943, she collaborated with photographer Frank Powolny for a regular studio photo session. Betty-Grable-Legs. As her star continued to ascend, Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck expressed interest in broadening Grable's range as an actress. Daughter of Harry James and Betty Grable Sister of Victoria Elizabeth James Half sister of Jerin Timothyray James and Jeffrey James. There are two reasons why I am successful in show business and I am standing on both of them. With her mother's guidance, Betty studied ballet and tap dancing. They divorced two years later. The woman's vision is deep-reaching, the man's far-reaching. [4] Describing her film career, Grable said "I became a star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them. Husband: Harry James (jazz musician, m. 5-Jul-1943, div. BEST KNOWN FOR: Betty Grable was a musical film … Soon thereafter, she was invited to go on a personal appearance tour, which she readily accepted. Elizabeth, who later became Betty, was enrolled in Clark's Dancing School at the age of three. Grable thereafter found a new career starring in her own act in Las Vegas hotels, as well as alongside her then husband, musician Harry James. Her mother was a stubborn and materialistic woman determined to make her daughter a star. She played Cynthia Pilgrim, a college student who graduated at the top of her typewriting class during the first year of the Packard Business College. [7][8], A 12-year-old Grable and her mother traveled to Hollywood in 1929, shortly after the stock market crash, hoping to achieve stardom. In 1930, at age 13, Grable (under the pseudonym Frances Dean) signed with producer Samuel Goldwyn; she thereby became one of the original Goldwyn Girls, along with Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, Lucille Ball and Paulette Goddard. Down Argentine Way was a critical and box-office success at the time of its release, and many critics proclaimed Grable to be the successor to Alice Faye. Her cold, horribly manipulative ""stage mother"" forced the unwilling child to debase and humiliate herself to fulfill her own star fantasies. She was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery. She is the US forces number one pin-up girl. They had two daughters, Victoria Elizabeth "Vicki" Bivens (born 1944) and Jessica Yahner (1947-2016). Nicknamed "Betty" as a child, she was pressured by her mother to become a performer. When Monroe dropped out of the production, she was replaced with Sheree North. In How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), her character makes a pointed reference to Harry James while listening to the radio at … [In 1942] Maybe it's a wholesome quality or an American girl quality. It enjoyed reasonable success at the box office, particularly overseas. I've had mine!" However, she changed her mind and decided to take her chance on Broadway; she accepted Buddy DeSylva's offer to star in his musical DuBarry Was a Lady starring Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr. The resulting movie was Springtime in the Rockies (1942), directed by Irving Cummings and pairing Grable opposite Payne, Cesar Romero, Carmen Miranda, and her future husband, bandleader Harry James. Her first film for the studio, Probation (1932), provided the 14-year-old Grable with her first credited screen role. Closing the decade, Grable starred in The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949), an oddball movie that unevenly mixed musical numbers with Western clichés. In fact, Grable and Monroe got along famously; Grable reportedly told Monroe: "Go and get yours honey! The film also suffered from indifferent ticket sales, and Fox failed to re-gain their financial investment. She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention. In the late 1940s, 20th Century Fox insured her legs with Lloyds of London for a quarter million dollars. As the Lily sisters, both Grable and Faye received favorable reviews for their performances. The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there. After her brief stint as an RKO contract player,[citation needed] Grable signed with Paramount Pictures. Official Sites. She also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The role had originally been assigned to Alice Faye, Fox's most popular musical film star, but she had to decline the part due to an unspecified illness. After five years of constant work, Grable was allowed time off for an extended vacation. It received favorable reviews from most critics, and was a box-office success. As a result, the studio prepared a film called Pin Up Girl for her. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", Miranda is known for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in her American films. He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his childhood earnings, and the couple divorced in 1939. Her famous pin-up pose during World War II adorned barracks all around the world. "I Had the Craziest Dream", the ballad from Springtime in the Rockies, was played on the church organ. It was later included in the Life magazine project "100 Photographs That Changed the World". In 1965, she divorced band leader Harry James, whom she had wed in 1943. Apparently Marilyn didn’t take “no” for an answer and stalked Betty on the set of the picture. The film told the story of two aging vaudeville performers as they look back on their heyday through a series of flashbacks. Billie abandoned her husband and other daughter, dragging Betty from St. Louis to Hollywood. When she landed the role of Glenda Crawford in Down Argentine Way (1940), the public finally took notice of this shining bright star. "Pin-Up: The Tragedy Of Betty Grable" (originally published in hardcover in 1986) has the distinction of having the youngest daughter of Grable and bandleader Harry James, Jessica James Yahner (who passed away in 2016 at the age of 68) giving information and insight. Lillian lied about her daughter's age, and Betty (real age 13), landed several minor parts in films in 1930, such as Whoopee! [13][10] Their marriage, which lasted for 22 years, was rife with alcoholism and infidelity before they divorced in 1965. The studio refused, and she went on strike, which led to her being replaced by Marilyn Monroe in the movie adaptation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and by June Haver in the musical comedy The Girl Next Door (also 1953). His success boosted hers, but they divorced in 1940. American singer, dancer and actress, the most famous "pin-up girl" of WW II. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, never nominated for golden globes or oscars. and the film recouped its financial investment. With her mother's guidance, Betty studied ballet and tap dancing.Betty and her mother set out for Hollywood with the hopes of stardom. The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) was her first film back at Fox. Critics, though, were not as accepting of the film. "If that's not luck, I don't know what you'd call it", Grable said in her first interview after signing with the studio. She cared more for her family than stardom.Betty Grable died at age 56 of lung cancer on July 2, 1973 in Santa Monica, California, five days before Veronica Lake's death. How to Marry a Millionaire was a box-office triumph when released, grossing an estimated $8 million. Publicity Listings One of her big roles was in College Swing (1938). Grable came to prominence in the Broadway musical DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), which brought her to the attention of 20th Century-Fox. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} Popular American movie actress Betty Grable models a bathing suit in the most famous pinup photo of World War II. |  The film was an immediate hit, Grable's biggest success to date, grossing more than $2 million. [16] She was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. She and Harry James had two daughters: Victoria Elizabeth James (born March 3, 1944) and Jessica James (born May 20, 1947 - March 20, 2016). But that didn’t mean her life was perfect…or even well-adjusted. Grable's star continued to rise when she starred in Song of the Islands (1942), co-starring Victor Mature and Jack Oakie. Delivered her daughters Victoria and Jessica via Caesarean section. [Concerning her and other stars' status as World War II pin-up queens] A lot of these kids don't have any women in their life to fight for - I guess what you would call us girls is kind of their inspiration. The Dolly Sisters earned more than $4 million at the box office, and was Fox's second-highest earning movie of the year, behind Leave Her to Heaven. To embed this object, paste this HTML in website. - IMDb Mini Biography By: People write to me as if I were a sister or friend. In 1946-1947, the Treasury Department noted that she was the highest paid woman in America, receiving $300,000 a year. Mar 3 1944. Home Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection Betty Grable's daughter at funeral service . Here's What She Thought About That", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betty_Grable&oldid=1003535934, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Articles needing additional references from December 2020, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 January 2021, at 13:29. Although she received no on-screen credit for her performance, she led the film's opening musical number, titled "Cowboys". Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as thigh (18.5 in (47 cm)), calf (12 in (30 cm)), and ankle (7.5 in (19 cm)). Fox then began to develop Philip Wylie's short story, "Second Honeymoon", into a script suited for Grable's talents. The film followed the lines of other movies of the era, but it was not considered a propaganda movie by the studio. The success of the movie led to her re-teaming with Mature in Footlight Serenade (1942), also co-starring John Payne, in which she played a glamorous Broadway star. To link to this object, paste this link in email, IM or document. She then married trumpeter Harry James in 1943 with whom she had two daughters Victoria Elizabeth and Jessica. The tour brought Grable to the attention of Darryl F. Zanuck, the head of 20th Century-Fox, who offered her a long-term contract. I can act enough to get by. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million, for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reigned in the Quigley Poll's Top 10 box office stars (a feat only matched by Doris Day and Barbra Streisand). Fox became concerned that Grable might be becoming regarded as a movie passé. The film has her as a hostess for a USO canteen, who also provides entertainment for the troops during their time there. She had contracts with RKO and Paramount Pictures during the 1930s, and appeared in a string of B movies, mostly portraying college students. (1930), New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930), Happy Days (1929) and Let's Go Places (1930). Jessica Jaymes was found unconscious at her San Fernando Valley home on Sept. 17 Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Lillian Rose (Hofmann) and John Charles Grable, a stockbroker. Betty and her mother set out for Hollywood with the hopes of stardom. Denny Jackson/Robert Sieger, Other Works 14 Betty Grable. Putnam Books. She requested an upped salary and the option to make only those films she wanted to make. She did, however, briefly return to filming to make a cameo appearance in Do You Love Me (1946), in which she appeared as a fan of her husband Harry James' character. Grable married former child actor Jackie Coogan in 1937. ", Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri,[5] the youngest of three children of Lillian Rose (née Hofmann; 1889–1964) and John Conn Grable (1883–1954), a stockbroker. The film was only moderately successful, and quickly was followed by Meet Me After the Show (1951), co-starring Macdonald Carey, Rory Calhoun, and Eddie Albert. After reviewing her screen test, Zanuck cast Grable as Faye's replacement in the movie. Bandleader/trumpeter Harry James w. his actress wife Betty Grable looking on w. delight as their 1-yr-old daughter Victoria Elizabeth blows out candle on her beautiful 3-layer birthday cake at home. Her films include "How to Marry a Millionaire," 1953 and "How to be Very, Very Popular," 1955. Although, by the early 1950s, Grable was searching for originality in the scripts offered to her, she had no luck in finding the movies she wanted to do. According to Betty, Monroe tried to seduce her but she rejected the advances. Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. The Dolly Sisters (1945), her next film, teamed her with newcomer June Haver, an actress Fox was promoting as Grable's successor. I'm a song-and-dance girl. In 1943, she was the number-one box office draw in the world and, in 1947, she was the highest-paid entertainer in the United States. Inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1990 and the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2009. She died nearly broke after being a millionaire at one point in her career, and with no health insurance, worked as long as she could after her diagnosis to pay the medical bills. Her stepson, Tim James, was an attorney working with the then Attorney General of Texas and became responsible for enticing television personality. The film's plot closely followed the story of Grable's earlier hit Coney Island (1943). The No.1 pin-up girl of the World War II era, her photograph in a bathing suit pose went on to achieve iconic status and was included in the project "100 Photographs that Changed the World" by the ‘Life’ magazine. Aug 26, 2016 - Jessica James - daughter of Betty Grable and Harry James Unfortunately, the public did not seem to take notice.The following year, she married former child star Jackie Coogan. She continued to be popular until the mid-1950s, when musicals went into a decline. Critics called the film a "slight, but cheerful, item", and proclaimed it "does serve to bring Betty Grable back to the screen".

North Carolina Car Accident 2020, Hot Roblox Id, Things Cheaters Say When Confronted, Cassie Antm Cycle 3, Kindred Quotes About Race, Benelli E Bike Parts, Where Was The Aztec Sun Stone Found,