The Second World War saw tons of pinup girls, and I mean tons (we’ll talk about this more on another day), but no one topped Betty Grable. Well, Rita Hayworth came very close, but even she didn’t get past Betty.
Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis and was thrust into show business by her mother, Lillian, who had her learning a little bit of everything, includiing, tap dancing, ballet, ice skating, baton twirling, acting, and singing. Whew. While the road to Hollywood was bumpy it was not uneventful, but when Betty did finally make it, she was, as we all know, best known for her legs, which were insured with Lloyd’s of London for a million dollars. Even fifty years after her death, she’s still an icon.
So yeah, I thought it would be fun to pay tribute to Betty Grable and her impact on American culture with a blogathon, which, as far as I know, hasn’t been done, at least not in a while. If anyone is interested, and I hope you are, here are…
The Rules
- The blogathon will take place from July first through the third, with a wrapup post the next day. Posts can be sent to me on or around those days, either via the comment section, my Contact page, via Twitter or Instagram (both @TakingUpRoom).
- If anyone would like to participate, please leave me your topic, name, and the name of your blog via any of the avenues I’ve listed above.
- New material only, please.
- Posts are limited to three per participant, and can be about Betty’s movies and shorts, any aspect of her life, her marriages, her significance as a cultural icon, and so on. Noting derogatory will be accepted.
- Since Betty’s filmography Isn’t terribly extensive (find it here), up to three participants can cover the same topic, or possibly more if the topic is approached from different angles.
- Grab a banner and advertise the blogathon!
The Roster
Taking Up Room: Pin-Up Girl (1944)
Whimsically Classic: “Lucy Wins A Racehorse,” The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1958)
A Shroud of Thoughts: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
Crítica Retrô: Springtime In the Rockies (1942)
The Stop Button: A Yank In the R.A.F. (1941)
Realweegiemidget Reviews: How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)
Dubsism: The Day the Bookies Wept (1939)
The Wonderful World of Cinema: Million Dollar Legs (1939)
Hamlette’s Soliloquy: How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)
Musings of A Classic Film Addict: A Betty Grable recipe, “Easy Does It”
Silver Screenings: The Dolly Sisters (1945)
Shadows and Satin: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
The Banners
Taking Up Room 
Can I write about Betty Grable’s appearance as herself in “Lucy Gets a Racehorse” in “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” ?
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Absolutely! Thanks for joining, Kayla. 🙂
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Hi! Could I write about Springtime in the Rockies?
Cheers,
Le from Critica Retro
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Hi, Le! Absolutely–thanks for joining. Cheers. 🙂
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Can I do “A Yank in the R.A.F” for The Stop Button? 🙂
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Sure! Thanks for joining, Andrew. 🙂
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Hi there, can you add me with a review of How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)?
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Ooh, nice. Thanks for joining, Gill. 🙂
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Looking forward to revisiting it, I haven’t seen the film for years.
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Would like to do The Dolly Sisters (1945) because the costumes look SO fabulous.
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Awesome, that would be great! Sorry I missed this comment–it went into the spam folder. Thanks for joining, Ruth. 🙂
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hey Rebecca! I definitely want to get back on track with blogathons, so I’d be delighted to participate and would like to write about Million Dollar Legs (1939) 🙂 I’m at The Wonderful World of Cinema as always https://thewonderfulworldofcinema.wordpress.com/
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Hi, Virginie, and that’s great–welcome back! Thanks for joining. 🙂
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Since you’re allowing duplicates, could I review How to Marry a Millionaire even though Gill is doing that one already?
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Sure, that would be cool. Thanks for joining, Rachel. 🙂
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Hi, Rebecca! It’s been forever since I’ve joined a blogathon but if it’s not too late I’d love to review one of Betty Grable’s recipes for Musings of a Classic Film Addict! I’m thinking of making and reviewing an egg dish she has called “Easy Does It”. Thank you so much, I can’t wait to join!
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Hi, Samantha! Sure, that would be great–I can’t wait to read your post. Thanks for joining. 🙂
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Hi, Rebecca! Could I do I Wake Up Screaming?
— Karen (Shadows and Satin)
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Hi, Karen, and sure! Thanks for joining. 🙂
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