Betty Garrett of All in the Family

Born on May 23rd 1919, Betty Garrett was an actress, singer, dancer and comedienne who reached her fame during the age where movie musicals in Hollywood captured everyone’s hearts. Her career was tainted by the Communist scare in the 1950s before she catapulted herself back to fame again, this time as a star in several television series. Born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, Betty Garrett relocated several times from Seattle to Saskatchewan in Canada and back to Seattle when she was at a tender age of six to ten years old due to her mother’s involvement with an ex-husband who was an alcoholic and a husband whom she found out was in a homosexual relationship.

Despite her family’s shortcomings, upon returning to Seattle and graduating grammar school, Betty Garrett attended The Annie Wright School and graduated with full scholarship. The formative years at Annie Wright were where Betty honed her skills as a stage artist, where she regularly organized musicals and plays. After an interview with famed dancer Martha Graham, one of the pioneers of modern dance, Garrett and her mother moved to New York City and she began taking dance, drama and music classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

In 1942, after being part of several short-lived productions, sharing the stage and gaining experience with stars such as Carol Channing, Joseph Cotten, Martin Gabel and Danny Kaye, Betty Garrett landed a role in the revue Of V We Sing, in what was her Broadway debut. Her sterling performance as a young artist managed to impress producers and land her roles in musicals such as Let Freedom Sing, Something for the Boys and Jackpot. While she toured Los Angeles in 1944, Garrett met actor Larry Parks who was producing a comedy sketch she was invited to perform at. The two got married within four months of meeting each other but lived apart for the next two years to further their respective blossoming careers. Betty Garrett was quickly becoming a rising star, winning a Donaldson Award for her role in Call Me Mister and after signing a contract with media giant, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she appeared in star-studded films such as Big City, On the Town and Take Me out to the Ball Game starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

In 1950, however, just as quickly as Betty Garrett gained fame and stardom, it screeched to a grinding halt. Garrett and husband Parks, who were once affiliated with the Communist Party, were summoned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee who questioned the roles and involvement of both Garrett and Parks. Although only Parks testified and admitted to being a member of the Communist Party and was subsequently placed in the Hollywood Blacklist, where all American studios blacklisted him from appearing in the movie industry, Garrett’s career suffered as well and had trouble finding work. The couple got by performing in showrooms and acting on stage as a form of living.

When the Communist furor died down, it signaled the decline of music hall and stage entertainment and the increasing popularity of television. While Parks’ career was ultimately over, Betty Garrett landed a role in the ever-popular sitcom All In The Family as Irene Lorenzo, a role that won her critical praise from the public and those within the industry. Her role in All In The Family won her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, a win well deserved for Garrett. She was then offered a role in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley as landlady Edna Babish. While she appeared frequently on television, she did not neglect stage roles as she performed in The Supporting Cast alongside Sandy Dennis and Jack Gilford.

After numerous other roles in various television shows and stage productions, Betty Garrett finally received her well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. The actor-songstress was honored at the Music Box Theatre on her ninetieth birthday for her role in shaping Broadway and Hollywood.

Betty passed away at the age of 91 on 12 February 2011. According to news reports she died of aortic aneurysm at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She is survived by son, Carlton David Garrett and three daughters Saundra Huckaby, Tina Clark and Billie Loftis. Her family will receive friends from 1:00 to 1:45 PM on Monday, January 17, 2011 at Dunbar Funeral Home with services following at 2:00 PM in the chapel conducted by Reverend D.J. Horton. Burial will be at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. May her soul rest in peace.