Betty Makes a Mark

During the 1934 - 1939 period, Betty appeared in 16 movies, seven of which used campus locations in which she did her "Betty Co-Ed" routine. The first of these films was Student Tour in which she was given 8th billing. Of the sixteen films were two very prestigious Astaire-Rogers films The Gay Divorcee in which Betty performs a dance number with the unlikely Edward Everett Horton in a number called Let's K-nock K-nees. The second Astaire-Rogers film called Follow the Fleet. this film was a bit of a comedown as she was one of a trio harmonizing along with Ginger Rogers version of Let Yourself Go and in a brief appearance later on in the film. This was typical to Betty's erratic career in the . Very good billing in some pictures, while in others it was almost as if the studios couldn't figure out what to do with her, so they relegated her to minor parts. However RKO was impressed by her performance in The Gay Divorcee so they signed her to a contract and gave her a part in the Wheeler and Woolsey comedy murder mystery film The Nitwits. This film gave her third billing. This was followed by the film Old Man Rhythm that starred Charles "Buddy" Rogers in a campus caper. Betty's longtime friend Lucille Ball was also in this film, but she was lost in the crowd.

Her first assignment under the new contract was female lead to Charles "Buddy" Rogers in This Way Please, an unmemorable film. She then was in the drama Thrill Of A Lifetime. She appeared in this film with Dorothy Lamour, who became a lifelong friend of Betty's. In November of 1937 Betty Grable and Jackie Coogan married. 1938 brought three more films, College Swing, Give Me A Sailor and Campus Confessions. In the latter she was given top billing, however the film was mildly entertaining and none of the supporting cast had enough stature to be billed over her.

Early in 1939, while filming Man About Town Betty collapsed on the set and was rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis. After a month's delay, production was resumed with Dorothy Lamour playing Betty's part. However, Betty was well enough before the picture was completed to feature in a specialty number.

It was at this time that other problems began to complicate Betty's life, specifically her marriage to Jackie Coogan. Coogan was involved in litigation to claim his share of earnings from his childhood career, and meanwhile squandering the money that Betty was earning in her career. Arguments became more frequent, and the marriage was on definitely shaky ground. Jackie and Betty began filming Million Dollar Legs (the movie name had nothing to do with our lovely Miss Grable's legs, but that of a racehorse), and although Betty's star was in ascendancy, Paramount chose not to pick up her option when she completed the film. Once again, it appeared as if Betty's career was going nowhere. When Jack Benny's radio show came off the air for summer vacation Betty joined Phil Harris and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson on tour. At the same time, Jackie Coogan having finally settled his claim to his earlier earnings by accepting a considerably reduced amount, put his money into a car customizing venture. It failed, and Betty, unwilling to carry on any longer filed for divorce. Back in Hollywood, she made one more film for RKO, a comedy called The Day The Bookies Wept. Betty then joined Jack Healy for a two week variety act at The Golden Gate Exposition. It proved to be a turning point in Betty's career.