Before we go any further… I have to confess that this original blog post about Betty Grable’s Iconic Legs Photo is incorrect.
The below story is the most common reason why Betty struck such a cute pose that you’ll find on the internet and it’s completely FALSE.
However, I have been set straight by Shannon Allen at Vanguard of Hollywood.
The FACT was Betty was not pregnant with anyone’s child during this photo shoot.
Why? The timeline was all wrong.
Shannon does excellent research on classic movie stars. Clearly, she has a passion for the Golden Age of Hollywood. The below information is entirely based on her research. It’s much more than I have time for. In fact, it’s some of the best historical information on the lives of these Old Hollywood movies stars that I’ve come across.
Discover more here or read more about Betty Grable’s photo shoot below direct from The Vanguard of Hollywood;
“No, She Wasn’t Pregnant. Stop Saying She Was Pregnant.
Now I’m about to debunk a rumor that has been told sooo many times over the years, most film fans believe it is fact.
Wikipedia, news articles covering the 1940s, and probably every old movie blog you come across will tell you that in the famous pin-up photo of Betty Grable that inspired this film-the photo shot from behind with Betty glancing playfully at the camera over her shoulder-Betty was pregnant with her daughter Victoria.
This is absolutely not true.
The famous pin-up of Betty Grable. The rumor that her unique pose was a way to disguise Betty’s baby bump is bogus. She was not pregnant!
It’s easy to see why the rumor is usually accepted as fact: it’s a unique pose that would effectively hide a baby bump.
And Betty herself certainly didn’t help set the record straight over the years.
When asked about how she and photographer Frank Powolny came up with the pose, she frequently joked that they were hiding her “flabby” tummy.
The Facts: Betty’s Pin-Up to Pregnancy Timeline
But simply following the timeline from when the photo was taken, up to the birth of Betty’s daughter Victoria, is enough to set the record straight:
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Early 1943 (January or February, possibly early March): Frank Powolny takes the famous pin-up photo of Betty.
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The photo becomes so popular, an estimated 3 million copies are sent co servicemen! (A 1993 estimate put world-wide distribution of the pin-up photo at over 10 million.)
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It’s the most requested pin-up photo EVER. Betty becomes such a favorite with servicemen, the Nazi Party is inspired to remind everyone over the radio that, ”There is more to life than Pepsi-Cola and Betty Grable.”
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March 1943: Betty begins filming Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943), the film for which the pin-up photo session was taken. (Photographer Frank Powolny had been assigned to snap some photos of Betty for the costume department, and a few publicity photos, including the famous pin-up, were also taken during this session.)
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Betty and Harry James, one of Hollywood’s favorite couples. July 4. 1943:
Betty marries band leader Harry James, and almost immediately begins filming
Pin-Up Girl(1944).
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August 1943: Betty’s co-star in Pin -Up Girl (1944), Martha Raye, comically re-christened the film “Pregnant Girl” when Betty tells 20th Century Fox she is one month pregnant, (How great is that? ··)
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Betty and Hermes Pan, who choreographed the dance numbers in Pin-Up Girl, perform the show stopping “Once Too Often” in the film. Betty’s actually pregnant during this scene, but no baby bump yet. It was one of the first scenes to be filmed.
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January 1944: Filming of Pin-Up Girl ends. Betty is seven months pregnant. Side note: all of Berry’s dance sequences for the movie were shot first, before she started “showing.”
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Drill Sergeant Betty leads a platoon of chorus girls in a march at the end of the film that seems to never end…not the best finale, but Betty is absolutely adorable.
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That’s how Pin-Up Girl ended up with the military-drill-sergeant-Betty finale. This ‘interesting’ finish to the film was the only way Pan could hide Betty’s “condition,” give her a finale that was not too strenuous, and satisfy the patriotic theme of the film.
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March 3, 1944: Daughter Victoria James is born.
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Final side note: Betty, against the studio’s and her mother’s wishes, insisted on doing everything for Victoria herself – changing diapers, feeding, bathing, etc.- with no nurse or hired help. I LOVE that, go Betty!
So It’s Clear, Betty Grable Was NOT Pregnant during the making of this iconic photo shoot!”
Below is the original blog on Betty Grable’s Iconic Legs Photo and popular myth…
Here’s the back story on Betty Grable’s Most Iconic Legs Photo —> In 1943, Grable worked with photographer Frank Powolny.
During the shoot, Grable took several shots in a tight, one-piece bathing suit.
One particular pose had Betty’s back to the camera as she playfully looked over her right shoulder.
The main reason for this pose was that she was several months pregnant with her first child and was starting to show.
When this picture was released as a poster it quickly became the most requested photo for G.I.s stationed overseas.
Grable’s iconic legs photo sold millions of copies, eventually surpassing the popularity of Rita Hayworth’s famous 1941 photo.
Grable’s success as a pin-up girl furthered her career as a mainstream movie star.
As her star continued to ascend, Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck expressed interest in broadening Grable’s range as an actress.
On multiple occasions, he tried to cast her in films that challenged her acting abilities, but Grable was reluctant. Betty felt insecure about her talent.
In fact, Grable was cautious throughout her career.
(Betty was featued in the BHC in Jan/2022 find it here…)
She often worried about starring opposite well-known leading men. She preferred to star in up-beat musicals, many of which followed the generic boy-meets-girl story.
Most of her movies were thin when it came to plot, but they were high on energy.
Despite their lack of substance, Grable’s movies were immensely popular.
Check out Betty Grable’s BHC Featured Page HERE…
Discover the BHC Featured Page for GENE TIERNEY Here…
Check out the BHC Featured Page for AVA GARDNER Here…
Discover the BHC Featured Page for LANA TURNER Here…
Find ALL of the Classic Movie Stars of 2021 Here…
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