Betty Phares(1924-2022)

Beautiful American dancer and occasional actress, born Elizabeth Florine Phares in Mendocino County, California, one of several siblings of English and German ancestry. Along with Laverne Thompson (1925-2015) and Lindsay Bourquin (1920-2004), she was one of a trio of acrobatic dancers who formed a specialty act in the early 40s which first toured the local theatre circuit. Having accompanied Bob Hope and Bing Crosby on a nationwide USO tour in support of American troops, they were then featured in The Three Stooges short Gents Without Cents (1944) (chiefly notable for the famous 'Niagara Falls' routine), the musical comedy Showboat Serenade (1944) and a campy exploitation drama, Youth Aflame (1944). On her own, Betty appeared in a couple of swing music featurettes with Sonny Dunham's orchestra. Her final appearance was in the Jack Carson/Dennis Morgan romantic comedy The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946). The trio reunited for a Three Stooges convention in Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, in 2003. Betty Phares Metcalfe made a final appearance at a fan club meeting in 2015.