Pin-up: The Tragedy of Betty Grable

This is a biography of the musical comedy star who epitomized the wholesome yet sexy girl-next-door during WWI and the post-war era. Sadly, her real-life was in stark contrast to that image. Her ambitious stage mother abandoned her marriage and firstborn, taking Betty to Hollywood at age 12, where she lied about the girls age, falsified documents, and kept her out of school in order to make her a star. Betty Grable was well-liked by co-workers and treated directors and cameramen with respect, but her tirades were known and feared. She always claimed that she felt more at ease with "ordinary people" and would often befriend fans, chorus performers and strangers alike, which is one reason why her fans adored her so much. Despite being worshipped by thousands of lonely G.I.s, reigning as the number-one box-office draw in the world, and her standing as highest-paid entertainer in the United States during the 40s, the smiling saucy pin-up girl was a fiction, with an on-screen attitude that has been copied ever since.