This Day in Indie History: Betty Grable

by MovieMaker Staff | Published December 17, 2006

Betty Grable was born on this day in 1916. Though the blonde actress was well known for her legs (insured by 20th Century Fox in 1943 for $1.25 million), her greatest accomplishment might be the honor of being the only female star to ever have a top 10 movie at the U.S. box office 10 years in a row. Her mother nudged her into Hollywood, and at the age of 13 Grable nabbed her first bit part, in the chorus line of Happy Days. Technically below the legal age for actresses at the time, she hid behind blackface make-up that was necessary for the production.

Filmstar Factoid: One year before making the film Pin Up Girl in 1944, Grable posed for provocative pin-ups of her own. The photos became wildly popular among men fighting in World War II and greatly contributed to Grable’s post-war career boom.

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