For sale is the famous 1943 BETTY GRABLE SWIMSUIT PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPH. This black and white reprinted photo is in excellent condition. The photo measures about 8 inches by 10 inches. This iconic photograph was taken by Frank Powolny in 1943. Betty is seen wearing a white bathing suit. The rumor was that the photo angle was chosen to hide the fact that Betty was pregnant at the time. Betty’s legs were so famous that she used to earn $300,000 every year largely because of her legs. In 1948, she gave her “leg-print” on a wet concrete slab at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater. LIFE magazine described this photograph as one of the photos that changed the world. A first rate collectible Hollywood photograph.
Elizabeth Ruth Grable, born on December 18, 1916, was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Grable began her film career in 1929 at age 12, after which she was fired from a contract when it was learned she signed up under false identification. In 1940, she replaced Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way, her first major Hollywood film, and became Fox’s biggest film star throughout the next decade. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million. Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol. Her bathing suit poster made her the number-one pin-up girl of World War II, surpassing Rita Hayworth. Grable’s legs were insured by her studio for $1 million as a publicity stunt.
