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Betty Garrett

Betty Garrett

Actor · Died February 12, 2011, aged 91 · Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA

Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 - February 12, 2011) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer, who starred in several Hollywood musicals and stage roles. She was at the top of her game when the Communist scare in the 1950s brought her career to a screeching, ugly halt. She and her husband Larry Parks, an Oscar-nominated actor, were summoned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and questioned about their involvement. As the drama played out, a very pregnant Garrett was never called to testify, but her husband was. With his admission of Communist Party membership from 1941-1945 and refusal to name names, he made it to the Hollywood Blacklist. After the incident, Garrett and Parks worked up nightclub singing/comedy acts along with appearing in legit plays. Although Parks never quite shook off the blacklist incident, he did win a role in John Huston's film, Freud (1962). Garrett went on to appear in roles in many television series.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 23, 1919
Died
February 12, 2011 (aged 91)
From
Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Betty Garrett's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
22%
Society
17%
Survival
8%
Ideas
6%
Power
4%
Morality
2%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAging2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 5
Trickster
1 of 5
Hero
1 of 5
Mentor
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
10
Warm
4
Romantic
5
Hopeful
4
Tense
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Betty Garrett's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Betty Garrett's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

31 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Troupers(2011)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing(2009)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Dark and Stormy Night(2009)

    as Mrs. Hausenstout

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Trail of the Screaming Forehead(2007)

    as Mrs. Cuttle

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Grey's Anatomy(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Eleanor

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Boston Public (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Miriam Guber

  • Becker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Firth

  • The Long Way Home(1998)

    as Veronica

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Union Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Agnes

  • Townies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • That's Entertainment! III(1994)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Good Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Phyllis

  • Blacke's Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Golden Girls(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Sarah

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • That's Dancing!(1985)

    as Ruth Sherwood (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Kit Parkins · as Martha Neilson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • All the Way Home(1981)

    as Catherine

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Merlin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Martha McCoy

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Laverne & Shirley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 119 episodes · as Edna Babish

  • That's Entertainment!(1974)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary Hallen

  • All in the Family(1971)

    Show 15 episodes · as Irene · as Irene Lorenzo

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Margaret Ruskin

  • The Shadow on the Window(1957)

    as Linda Atlas

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • My Sister Eileen(1955)

    as Ruth Sherwood

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • On the Town(1949)

    as Brunhilde Esterhazy

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Neptune's Daughter(1949)

    as Betty Barrett

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game(1949)

    as Shirley Delwyn

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Words and Music(1948)

    as Peggy Lorgan McNeil

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Big City(1948)

    as Shoo Shoo Grady

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 86th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 31 titles from 1948 to 2011.

Biggest box office

Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (2012)

$23K worldwide

Highest rated

All in the Family (1971)

Midcredits 93rd

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting31 of 31: 31 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score72nd

By decade

1940s5 · acting1950s2 · acting1960s1 · acting1970s5 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s6 · acting2000s5 · acting2010s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Betty Garrett's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 16; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Troupers (2011)

80th percentile spread · 14% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

All in the Family (1971)

Midcredits 93rd · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Betty Garrett work with?

People who share at least 2 of Betty Garrett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gene Kelly shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles