During my teens next to the movies I loved tap dancing best. Because my ambition was to become a dancer in the movies, I decided to write for advice from someone who knew all about it. I picked Vera-Ellen, the wonderfully athletic dancer who co-starred with Danny Kaye in Wonder Man and Fred Astaire in Three Little Words. She actually answered me. I still cherish  the personal letter below she sent  me way back in 1946.

              Dear Betty:                  

                         I am sure you must think I have forgotten all

               about you but Dear I have been so busy I just couldn’t

               find time to write. Thanks for your nice letter and I hope

               you received the autographed photo I sent you. I was so

               pleased to know that you enjoyed Wonder Man as it

               was my first screen picture. My next picture to be released

               will be Kid from Brooklyn also with Danny Kaye and I

               understand this will probably open in New York within the

               next six or eight weeks. At the present time, I am

              working on my new picture Three Little Girls in Blue but this

              will not be finished until about March. I hope you will enjoy

               all of our pictures.

                           I see you are also interested in dancing, well Dear

               if you should make it your profession, I wish you all the luck

               in the world. Of course, you know it means a lot of hard

               work, but if you love it, you won’t mind the work. I started

               dancing at nine years old back in my home town

               Cincinnati, Ohio, but later went to New York to study pro-

               fessionally.  After that I went on the stage in New York and

               this was where Mr. Goldwyn saw me and signed me up

               immediately for pictures. I had been in five Broadway shows

              before I came out here to Hollywood. So if you like dancing

               enough to make it your profession, then keep up the good

               and I am sure you will be successful.

                           I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long for an

                answer to  your nice letter but it just couldn’t be helped.

                           With all good wishes to you and the family.          

                                                                   Sincerely,

         Excited as I was about this letter, I realized my chances for success as a dancer were slim.  Unlike Vera-Ellen, I couldn’t go to New York for professional training.  Also, what about all that “hard work” she emphasized. I didn’t want anything to interfere with going to the movies as often as I wanted to. Continuing my dance lessons in Pueblo seemed the only option.  Hollywood stardom would have to wait. 

(Excerpt from my life-at-the movies memoir, Confessions of a Movie Addict, available in paperback and E-book format at Amazon.com.)