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Betty Grable dies of cancer
SANTA MONICA,
California, Tuesday
(AAP - Reuter). —
Betty Grable, pin-up
favourite of troops dur
ing World War II, died
in hospital in Santa
Monica today of lung
cancer. She was 56.
Miss Grable, a pert
blonde singing and danc
ing star whose '42 movies
grossed more than SUS100
million (SA70.5 million) in
the 1930s and 1940s, died
at St John's Hospital at
Santa Monica.
She underwent treat
ment at St John's last May
and was readmitted last
Friday. She also was in
hospital in May 1972 and
was forced to cancel plan
ned Melbourne perform
ances in "No, No, Nan
ette'.
Easy-going and self
effacing, the shapely, blue
eyed beauty still got cheers
for her so-called million
dollar legs while perform
ing as a grandmother in
her 50s.
The Associated Press re
ported that nearly three
million prints of the fam
ous wartime pin-up photo
of her in a white bathing
suit were distributed,
mostly to American sold
iers.
Miss Grable came to
fame in a 1939 movie,
'Million Dollar Legs', and
from then on was one of
Hollywood's leading itaxs.
Among Miss Grable's
best-known films were
'Follow the Fleet', 'Down
Argentine Way', "Tin Pan
Alley', 'Pin-up Girl', and
'Diamond Horseshoe'.
Miss Grable was mar
ried twice, first to former
child star Jackie Coogan
whom she divorced in
1937 and then to trumpeter
and bandleader Harry
James. Her marriage to
James lasted 22 years be
fore ending in divorce in
1966. They had two child
ren.
Betty Grable, in London in 1969 Help
Betty Grable, in
London in 1969
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