RIP Betta St. John

 

The London Tmes

July 7, 2023

R.I.P Betta St John, the raven-haired, blue-eyed musical stage and film star, who died on June 23, 2023, aged 93. She got her start in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s "Carousel" (1945), before the duo cast her as the exotic Liat in "South Pacific" (1949), with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza.

She'd later have two turns opposite Gordon Scott in "Tarzan and the Lost Safari" (1957) and "Tarzan the Magnificent" (1960), cited by fans as he best of the latter ‘Tarzan’ film adventures.

Born Betty Jean Striegler in Hawthorne, California, her parents signed her up as part of the Meglin Kiddies Troupe (other famous students included Shirley Temple and Judy Garland) in the hope she could became a child sensation. Her first offer was to play a child Munchkin in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), but her parents turned it down as they were travelling at the time.

Later that year, she debuted as the little girl who sings Marlene Dietrich’s song "Little Joe" in "Destry Rides Again" (1939), with James Stewart and Una Merkel. Afterwhich she acted with the Our Gang kids in "Waldo's Last Stand" (1940). Next came "Lydia" (1941) and "Jane Eyre" (1943), making friends with fellow newcomer Elizabeth Taylor. From there, she headed off to Broadway.

It was whilst in London in 1952 that she married British actor and opera singer Peter Grant, returning to Hollywood the same year for a contract with MGM. She played second lead to Deborah Kerr in "Dream Wife" (1953); was Miriam in "The Robe"; joined Ricardo Montalban in "The Saracen Blade" (1954); and was Princess Johnanna in "The Student Prince" (1954).

She was loaned to RKO for "Dangerous Mission" (1954), then moved to Europe, acting in the British mystery drama "Alias John Preston" (1955), then went to Italy for "The Snorkel" (1958). Betta saw out her film career playing opposite Christopher Lee in the horror films "Corridors of Blood" (1958), starring Boris Karloff and "The City of the Dead" (1960).

Betta retired in 1962, devoting her life to her family and charitable causes. When she was widowed in 1992, she moved back to California, then settled back in the UK in 2019.

St. JOHN, Betta (Betty Jean Striegler)

Born: 11/26/1929, Hawthorne, California, U.S.A.

Died: 6/23/2023, London, England, U.K.

 

Betta St. John’s westerns – actress:

Destry Rides Again – 1939 (singing girl in wagon)

The Law vs Billy the Kid – 1954 (Nita Maxwell)

The Naked Dawn – 1955 (Marie Lopez)