Betty Grable Legs

This is a better shot of the Betty Grable nose art on Sentimental Journey from the other side of the B-17. Between Betty and the Vargas girls from Esquire Magazine, the metal canvases of American warplanes had a plethora of beauties to base their art upon.

With this pose, Betty Grable came to symbolize the idealized woman of the 1940s for many American men, at least as far as pin-ups and cheesecake were concerned. Another Bettie, Bettie Page, became an icon of the 1950s, along with Marilyn Monroe. Indeed, each decade produces its own visions of beauty, shaping the attitude of that generation.

But it was Betty Grable who became immortalized in a time of world war. Service to one's country comes in many ways; keeping up the morale of lonely young men in harm's way is one of them. All in all, it's not a bad way to be remembered.