PIN-UP: The Tragedy of Betty Grable

by Spero Pastos ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 9, 1986

A bitchy, scandal-mongering life of the movie star that is as garish as Technicolor. Grable's story has the full litany of typical Hollywood sleaze: child abuse, perversion, licentiousness, alcoholism, abortions, gambling addiction, greed. It is a grotesque caricature of a movie star's life. Born to Billie Grable, Betty was doomed. Her cold, horribly manipulative ""stage mother"" forced the unwilling child to debase and humiliate herself to fulfill her own star fantasies. Billie abandoned her husband and other daughter, dragging Betty from St. Louis to Hollywood. The 13-year-old became the meal ticket, though she had periods of little success. She was, apparently, never schooled beyond the seventh grade. She struggled to make it in movies for years. Finally, because she could dance a little, sing a little, act a little, and had the legs, good looks, and that elusive ""star"" quality, Grable became the top box-office draw for Zanuck's Fox musicals during the 40's. Her famous pin-up--taken when she was five weeks pregnant--inspired war-weary G.I.'s with a reminder of home. Various affairs and marriages--with George Raft, Dan Dailey, Tyrone Power, Jackie Coogan, and Harry James--brought her little happiness. She and James had two daughters. When her film career dried up, she did shows, mostly in Las Vegas. Divorced from James, she took up an entourage of gay men as companions and go-fers. Always selfish and cruel, Betty became more tyrannical and mean-spirited as she grew older. The book does what celebrity bios are supposed to do, pruriently detailing all of her human frailties. It is hard to see it as a tragedy, exactly, because there are no dramatic turning points, no idols toppled, no hopes failed. It is an unremittingly grim tale, light-black from pole to pole. Grable was wealthy and extravagantly successful, as well as a violent child abuser, an alcoholic, a gambling addict, and a chain smoker who finally got lung cancer. It may be sad but it's not a tragedy. Though the author calls himself a great fan of Grable, and indulges in smarmy praise frequently, the portrait he paints is totally unsympathetic. The few efforts to legitimize Grable's attitudes with psychological apologetics are meaningless set next to the litany of her failings. There is a blind spot in this book, which delights in the Hollywood world at the same time it wonders what went wrong with Betty Grable.

Pub Date: Oct. 9, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION