Betty Garde was a versatile actress, who began in show business after
winning a playwriting competition at high school. Joining Actor's
Equity in 1922, she became a noted performer on stage in Boston and
Philadelphia, eventually making her debut on Broadway in 1925. Betty,
at least early in her profession, was particularly noted for her
penchant for comedy, often receiving high praise from the critics.
During the 1930's and 40's, she became a prolific radio actress, at the
same time maintaining a busy career in the theatre. In addition to
voice acting, she also produced and directed her own drama series on
CBS, entitled "Another Chance". She starred in and directed the soap
opera "My Son and I" in 1939. Additionally, she featured on
Eddie Cantor's show, in specials for
Orson Welles and in the radio anthology
series "Theater Guild on the Air".
Her film and television roles became more frequent from the late
1940's. She was effectively reprehensible as Wanda Skutnik, the key witness who sends innocent Richard Conte
to jail in the gripping drama
Kennwort 777 (1948).
Another 'tough' role was her prison inmate Kitty Stark in
Frauengefängnis (1950), a minor film noir. Her most
famous role was as Aunt Eller in the original Broadway production of
"Oklahoma!" (1943). Among many guest-starring roles on the small
screen, her stand-out performance has to be that of
Lois Nettleton's overwrought landlady,
Mrs. Bronson, in the seminal
Unwahrscheinliche Geschichten (1959)
episode 'The Midnight Sun'.
