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by Charles River (Author)
*Includes pictures *Includes their most famous quotes *Includes bibliographies for further reading *Includes a table of contents "There are two reasons why I'm in show business, and I'm standing on both of them." - Betty Grable "I've had a lot of unhappiness in my life - and a lot of happiness. Who doesn't?" - Rita Hayworth No history of American pop culture in the 1940s would be complete without mention of Betty Grable, the most popular pinup girl of the World War II era. Grable possessed the outstanding fortune of not only having an ideal body but arriving at the most fortuitous time imaginable; the famous pin-up photo of her, taken by Frank Powolny, made her the highest-earning actress in Hollywood from 1943 to 1951. Indeed, it was not hyperbole that earned Grable the nickname of "the girl with the million dollar legs" - not only were her legs famously adored by American soldiers fighting overseas, they were actually insured to the tune of one million dollars (Suddath). Grable was the banner actress for the era before the advent of Playboy and other publications designed to satisfy the lust of the heterosexual male, an era that objectified women but in a more wholesome, less pornographic way that was designed to reinforce all-American values. However, if Grable was, monetarily speaking, the most successful actress of the 1940s, there is a major gulf between her commercial success and the critical appraisal of her acting talents. Grable never won an Academy Award, and the swift demise of her career testifies to her inability to sustain her career. Rita Hayworth's life and career remain fascinating to both the general public and avid movie fans alike. Even people with just a casual interest in movies appreciate her performances in films such as Gilda (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), and Salome (1953), and few actresses could rival Hayworth's popularity during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Indeed, many of her most famous films are still enjoyed by viewers from around the world even today, and with her acting career spanning nearly 50 years, few viewers are not familiar with at least some of Hayworth's films, particularly since she appeared in films of a wide variety of genres. In addition, Hayworth is also famously remembered for her status as one of the premier pin-up girls of World War II, with countless American soldiers who fought overseas carrying pin-up photos of Hayworth with them at all times. Even if she was never awarded an Academy Award, Hayworth remains extremely popular today, and it was no surprise that she was named one of the Top 100 actresses of the 20th century by the American Film Institute in 1999. While Hayworth is still famous today, she is arguably even more significant within the academic community, as the rise of Film Studies and the subsequent development of Cultural Studies as academic disciplines catapulted Hayworth from a popular actress to a figure worthy of close critical attention. Hayworth is now identified not only for the importance of her films but also as a figure who illuminates and exposes the treatment of race and sexuality during the period known as classical Hollywood cinema. As someone who was relegated to transforming her entire image, including her personal background and physical appearance, Hayworth represents both the height of Hollywood glamour as well as the lengths required of many actors and actresses in order to succeed in a particularly cut-throat environment. If Hollywood promoted the Horatio Alger myth of the rags-to-riches movie star, it is also important to acknowledge the extent to which it forced many stars to essentially erase their personal backgrounds in the interest of achieving this success. Even though it is true that Hayworth was the beneficiary of tremendous fortune throughout her life, her popularity within Cultural Studies curricula reflects the importance of not only her films but also her star image as well.
