Betty Grable [antikvár]

/ iW^f 1973- The settinS is the Alhambra ^^^^ " Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. On stage, the famous gin rummy scene of Born Yesterday is in progress. The scripted impudence of Billie Dawn is gauged to mangle the nerves of her opponent, Harry Brock. Her chatter is continuous. Periodically she says the word "Gin" and proceeds to win the hands with annoying regularity. But in this performance there is an added bit of action. At varying intervals, Billie flicks her fingertip against the charms of her gold bracelet. The audience chuckles in its appreciation of the stage business, without knowing that this is an improvisation for the per-sonal benefit of Art Kassul, the actor playing Brock. Betty Grable, as Billie, is using the device to acknowledge the gift Kassul has given her, the bracelet with gold charms that depict scenes from the show. It is her way of saying thanks without being gooey about it. It was never easy for Betty Grable to accept gifts, no easier than it was for her to field compliments regarding her persona or