Betsy Gay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 2, 1929
- Film actress
- singer
Betsy Gay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Ann Gunst February 2, 1929 Waterford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 2025 (aged 96) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1935–1970s |
| Spouse |
Thomas Cashen
(m. 1954; died 2005) |
| Children | 5 |
Elizabeth Ann Cashen (née Gunst; February 2, 1929 – June 13, 2025), known professionally as Betsy Gay, was an American actress and country singer and yodeler.[1]
Gay was best known as a child star in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in the Hal Roach short film series Our Gang, and making appearances in around 40 feature films.[2]
Gay was born Elizabeth Ann Gunst in Waterford, Connecticut, to Charles and Helen Gay, who were also entertainers. They ran a music store and taught singing, piano, banjo, as well as violin, guitar, bass, steel guitar and accordion.
Career
Gay appeared in films, on television, and in radio shows. Her film career consisted mostly of bit-part roles during the Golden Age of Hollywood, such as Our Gang Follies of 1938 (1937), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) and Mystery Plane (1939).[3] Her final role was in 1943.
During her singing career, she worked with Dale Evans, Stuart Hamblen and Tex Williams. She won a yodeling competition in California two years in a row in the mid-1940s. She had several music recordings with labels such as Capitol Records and Decca Records.[4]
