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Betty L. Prentis, formerly dancer/actress Betty Luster ("Mr. B. Natural")
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Chris 'Sampo' Cornell
Oct 2, 2011, 5:12:10 AM10/2/11
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http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=10893
About four months ago, a brief notice in the West Palm Beach, Florida,
newspapers noted the passing of Betty L. Prentis. She was 89. She was
mostly known as the widow of Edmund łNed˛ Prentis III. The two were fond
of big game hunting, fishing and łworld class croquet˛ according to one
report (he died in 1997). Friends noted that Betty had a career as a
dancer before she married.
She did indeed.
Prentis, in her show biz days, performed on Broadway and television. And
in 1956, in one of her final performances, Luster was hired to play the
title character in a promotional film sponsored by the musical
instrument manufacturer C. G. Conn. Thirty-five years later, that
performance was discovered by the creators łMystery Science Theater
3000,˛ and the legend of Mr. B. Natural was born.
Born in 1922, Betty Luster grew up in New Jersey where, in 1937, she won
a local beauty contest. That success apparently brought her to London,
where she spent several years as a showgirl with the Dorchester Hale
dance troupe. In 1939 she appeared in an early television broadcast on
the fledgling BBC Television.
By 1940 she was back in the U.S., dancing in the Broadway production of
Irving Berlinąs łLouisiana Purchase.˛ She was a showgirl in Miami Beach
in the mid 1940s, and later appeared in an opera.
Luster served as co-hostess of the 1950 CBS game show łSing It Again,˛ a
progenitor to łName That Tune,˛ where contestants would attempt to
identify songs from just a few notes. She also appeared on the
short-lived NBC variety show łSeven at Eleven.˛ In 1955 she was back on
Broadway in łThe Wayward Saint,˛ which closed after a few weeks.
Luster was a successful TV station programming consultant for several
years until she met and married Prentis, when she retired.
Betty passed away May 25th of this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np9eflhMx08
Sampo (knew your father, I did!)
About four months ago, a brief notice in the West Palm Beach, Florida,
newspapers noted the passing of Betty L. Prentis. She was 89. She was
mostly known as the widow of Edmund łNed˛ Prentis III. The two were fond
of big game hunting, fishing and łworld class croquet˛ according to one
report (he died in 1997). Friends noted that Betty had a career as a
dancer before she married.
She did indeed.
Prentis, in her show biz days, performed on Broadway and television. And
in 1956, in one of her final performances, Luster was hired to play the
title character in a promotional film sponsored by the musical
instrument manufacturer C. G. Conn. Thirty-five years later, that
performance was discovered by the creators łMystery Science Theater
3000,˛ and the legend of Mr. B. Natural was born.
Born in 1922, Betty Luster grew up in New Jersey where, in 1937, she won
a local beauty contest. That success apparently brought her to London,
where she spent several years as a showgirl with the Dorchester Hale
dance troupe. In 1939 she appeared in an early television broadcast on
the fledgling BBC Television.
By 1940 she was back in the U.S., dancing in the Broadway production of
Irving Berlinąs łLouisiana Purchase.˛ She was a showgirl in Miami Beach
in the mid 1940s, and later appeared in an opera.
Luster served as co-hostess of the 1950 CBS game show łSing It Again,˛ a
progenitor to łName That Tune,˛ where contestants would attempt to
identify songs from just a few notes. She also appeared on the
short-lived NBC variety show łSeven at Eleven.˛ In 1955 she was back on
Broadway in łThe Wayward Saint,˛ which closed after a few weeks.
Luster was a successful TV station programming consultant for several
years until she met and married Prentis, when she retired.
Betty passed away May 25th of this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np9eflhMx08
Sampo (knew your father, I did!)
Jane Margaret Laight
Oct 2, 2011, 8:35:51 AM10/2/11
to
On Oct 2, 5:12 am, Chris 'Sampo' Cornell <msa...@aol.com> wrote:
> http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=10893
>
some other evidence of Betty's talents:
http://vaultofevil.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi?board=jack&action=print&num=1147422798
> http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=10893
>
some other evidence of Betty's talents:
http://vaultofevil.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi?board=jack&action=print&num=1147422798
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