Betty Garrett & Borger, TX
by Michael B. Druxman on 02/13/11
February 14, 2011
First, I want to acknowledge the passing of actress Betty Garrett (91).
Betty was one of the nicest people in show business and a great talent. Anybody who has seen her films (e.g. ON THE TOWN, MY SISTER EILEEN, TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME) certainly knows that we have lost a marvelous entertainer.
Betty was very helpful to me when I was writing my play about Al Jolson. Her late husband, Larry Parks, had played Jolson in THE JOLSON STORY.
I will miss her.
Since my memoirs were published last year, I've been attempting to trace back my family's history...particularly on my mother's side. I've traced my father's family tree pretty much as far back as, I think, I can go...but my mother's roots remains rather vague.
Recently, I made contact with the grandson of my maternal grandmother's first cousin, so that should bear fruit at some point. Also, my cousin, Joy, told me a story about a incident that happened to our mothers when they were children in Borger, Texas, during the 1920s.
I knew that my mother and her parents had been in Borger, a lawless wildcat oil town in the Texas Panhandle, but I'd never heard this story before.
My grandfather (Jacob E. Barnett), who died before I was born, was the type of person who lived high and made/lost several fortunes.
According to the story, he built the first hotel in Borger, and it was so successful that the crooked mayor wanted it. Our family is Jewish, not a safe thing in 1920s Texas...particularly when a nefarious politician wants your property.
I haven't learned all the details as yet, but I'm told that my grandparents, fearing for their lives, packed up their 3 kids in the middle of the night and escaped Borger across the Texas state line.
I've done some initial research on Borger (and will do some more), and I've learned that the place was, indeed, lawless during that era. In fact, the man who helped clean it up was Frank Hamer, the Texas Ranger who later tracked down and killed Bonnie and Clyde.
I'm thinking there might be a book here. Hmmm!
BTW: My review for the new widescreen edition of NEW FACES is now up on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the Introduction section of this page. So, take a look.
You have a creative day.
Michael
