A face you probably won’t recognize off the bat is that of actress Betty Lou Gerson, pictured above. But the funny part is, you need not recognize her face necessarily, because you’ll definitely recognize her voice!
Betty was a busy woman throughout her career, having starred in hundreds of radio programs during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Just a handful of her credited appearances include Escape, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, soap opera Arnold Grimm’s Daughter, Crime Classics, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, and The Whistler.
As someone who loves listening to classic radio shows, it’s gotten to the point where I don’t need to hear who’s in the cast list for an episode of a particular show to know that Betty was in front of one of the microphones. To be honest, once you hear her—the smooth tone, her signature lilt and slight rasp—you can’t unhear her.
As I’ve mentioned previously and recommended for The Classics Column, The Whistler is one of my favorite old radio programs. Betty appeared frequently, always as different characters; sometimes innocent women caught between a rock and a hard place, or ruthless femme fatales willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.
But did you know that aside from a storied radio career, Betty is also a Disney Legend?
Why, you may ask? Well, it’s simple: out of all the characters she played throughout the decades, none is more iconic than the role she took on in 1961, as the one and only Cruella De Vil.
What’s hilarious is that Betty herself adored playing Cruella, and didn’t really see her as this scary character or villain that she’s considered to be now. I think being proud of playing a woman who’s like a spider waiting for the kill is iconic, truly. And you can tell just by the performance itself how much Gerson took it as seriously as she did any of her radio roles or other TV/film appearances. Nothing but top notch acting, through and through.
I hope this brief background on one of my favorite actresses will inspire you to check out her radio work, or even revisit the role of Cruella (Betty Lou also played—albeit uncredited—the narrator in Disney’s Cinderella). Luckily for everyone reading this, I’m just the person you’d want recommending some of her finest performances.
Today’s episode(s)
Episode title: With My Own Eyes
Co-starring John Dehner
Christine, a young woman on prescribed rest in Florida, finds herself entangled in a web of deceit after witnessing a murder.
Episode title: Girl Next Door
Alma Germaine, an actress with a dark past, finds herself willing to do anything to keep her secrets hidden—even if it means murdering her future sister-in-law.
Episode title: The Valentine Matter
Johnny investigates a twisting case that leads to the murder of an ex-con.