Betty Grable & Poodle – 1944
Pin-Up Queen Gets On The Ball
Hollywood, Calif. – Vivacious Betty Grable, a “Mamma” of five months, romps with this frisky poodle as she gets back in the groove on her return to the kleig lights. The famous Grable gams will dance their way through 20th Century-Fox’s Technicolor musical, “Diamond Horseshoe” now in production. photo: Acme 8/19/1944
Gams. Talk about 1940s jargon. I don’t think I’ve recently heard anyone refer to a woman’s legs as gams except in the movies.
Supposedly Grable’s legs were insured for $250,000 dollars by Lloyds of London. It was a publicity stunt, but an effective one at drawing attention.
As far as Grable’s film, Diamond Horseshoe, it did decently at the box office, but was not one of the top grossing films of 1945.
The five foot four, 120 pound Grable never claimed to be a great actress. She said, “there are two reasons I am successful in show business and I’m standing on them.”
In 1939 Grable assailed the college athletic program for women’s athletics, saying the current system needs revising and “is developing a race of thick-legged, flat-chested women.”
Betty said, “I never went to college, but I’ve played in enough college pictures and been around enough real colleges to see their system of athletics for women is all wrong”
What would Betty advise?
Grable explained, “What they need is a balanced program with teachers of real ability. A girl’s legs are one of her best assets. She isn’t going to develop them doing a lot of wand exercises or getting them banged up with a hockey stick. There are any number of good exercises for developing slim, shapely legs. But try to find a college course that teaches those.”
Grable’s recommendations were, walking, golf, archery (for shoulder and bust development) and calisthenics.
Grable must have followed a strict exercise regimen. 27 years after Diamond Horseshoe, at the age of 55, Grable still weighed 120 pounds and was dancing and singing. This is from a NBC Tennessee Ernie Ford February 1972 TV special The Fabulous Fordies, with Grable performing “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.”
Unfortunately Betty Grable died at age 56 the following year from lung cancer.
