Broadway Baby,
Learning how to sing and dance,
Waiting for that one big chance
To be in a show...
BETTY GARRETT
1919 - 2011
In her best-known movie role, the man-hungry lady taxi driver in On the Town (1949), Betty Garrett very nearly manages to steal the film right out from under her formidable, dynamic co-stars, Frank Sinatra (the meek, bookish object of her affections), Gene Kelly, and Ann Miller.
It was a star-making performance which should have been the first of many cinematic triumphs for Garrett; but then her career was severely curtailed by the 1950's blacklist. She and her husband, Larry Parks, were run out of Hollywood after he admitted to a brief flirtation with the Communist party, and then refused to name names -- yet Betty Garrett still managed to leave an indelible impression with a limited Hollywood resume. Garrett worked more steadily on the stage, and we finally got to see her in the 2001 Broadway revival of Follies. She chirped "Broadway Baby," and looked a million bucks, displaying both the gritty determination and winsome sunniness which were her dual-sided trademarks.
It was a star-making performance which should have been the first of many cinematic triumphs for Garrett; but then her career was severely curtailed by the 1950's blacklist. She and her husband, Larry Parks, were run out of Hollywood after he admitted to a brief flirtation with the Communist party, and then refused to name names -- yet Betty Garrett still managed to leave an indelible impression with a limited Hollywood resume. Garrett worked more steadily on the stage, and we finally got to see her in the 2001 Broadway revival of Follies. She chirped "Broadway Baby," and looked a million bucks, displaying both the gritty determination and winsome sunniness which were her dual-sided trademarks.
We will miss her. We will be wistful at what Might Have Been, had her career been allowed to flourish the way it should have, if not for that dark, unsavory period in recent American history. But mostly, we'll think of Betty Garrett and smile. Primarily, we know her from only three things -- On the Town, her recurring role on Laverne & Shirley (a childhood favorite), and seeing her in Follies -- yet we not only feel as if we must have seen her in dozens of things (we haven't: she only made 6 films and a relatively paltry 23 television guest spots, by iMDb.com's tally), but also a great deal of happiness and affection when we reflect on the work we have seen. That's the mark of a remarkable performer, to leave such a legacy of joy, no matter the length and breadth of their credits. R.I.P., Betty, and thank you for the joy.
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