FINDING FAME
Betty dreamed of big screen roles
A sweet voice, good looks and a sparkling personality was responsible for packing in the crowds at the Royal Theatre, in Glasgow.
These winning character traits belonged to 22-yearold Betty Gillin, lead actor in Oklahoma, the world-famous musical and film.
It was March, 1955, and
Miss Gillin was wowing audiences as the ginghamfrocked, sun-bonneted Ado Annie Carnes, a flirtatious and gullible young woman.
The proceeds of the show were all earmarked for Erskine Hospital and the talented young actress, who lived at Beith Road, Johnstone, had received critical acclaim for her vivacious performance in the role made famous by Shelley Winters.
It was a part that gave full scope to Miss Gillin’s obvious singing and acting talents, and one which was tipped to bring her to the attention of other producers.
Her short career up to that point had been varied. When she left Johnstone
High School, her interest in amateur dramatics led to her joining the High School Former Pupils Drama Club.
From there, she went to the now disbanded Johnstone Players and was chosen for the lead role in their production of The Frozen Heart.
In 1950, she joined The Lyric Club, one of Scotland’s finest amateur groups, and played in Victoria and Her Hussar.
A year later, she was in the cast of The Belle of New York and, in the 1954 production of The Vagabond King, scored a personal success as Lady Mary.
Miss Gillin, who was employed in a Glasgow solicitors’ office, had long harboured an ambition of turning professional and was desperate to turn to acting as a full-time career.
And she took a step closer to realising her dream when she landed a lead role in The Lyric Club’s production of the Jerome Kern favourite Showboat.
But for the present it was Oklahoma, which was the first ever musical written by the Broadway dream team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
The show included unforgettable numbers such as Oh What a Beautiful Morning and It’s a Scandal,
It’s an Outrage!