After moving to Mount Airy, N.C. to "get away from crime", Betty was robbed in the street there. The robber was caught shortly afterward by the local police.
Her home in West Hollywood, where she had lived since 1950, was broken into twice in the same year. She decided to move more than 2,100 miles to Mount Airy - Andy Griffith's hometown and one of the inspirations for the fictional town of Mayberry.
In July 2007, she was a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina along with Jacqueline Scott, Lynn Borden, Lana Wood, Joyce Meadows, Brett Halsey, Robert Dix and Rick Lenz.
Lifelong friend of Marshall Thompson. Both graduated from University High School in Los Angeles.
Perhaps best known for her role as Barney Fife's girlfriend, "Thelma Lou", in the television series "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960). She dated Barney (played by Don Knotts) throughout his entire 1960-65 run on the show, and left the show as a regular when Knotts left. When Knotts left the show and, subsequently, made a return as a guest star, the producers of the show made the controversial decision to reunite Barney and Thelma Lou at a class reunion party, but with Thelma Lou married to another man. It was her only appearance in a color episode of the series, and it was also her final appearance on the series. The Barney/Thelma Lou story does have a happy ending, as she and Knotts reprised their roles in a 1986 TV movie, Return to Mayberry (1986) (TV), where Thelma Lou returned as a divorcée and promptly went back to Barney. The two-hour movie ended with Barney marrying Thelma Lou, a sight which pleased most every fan of the original show.
She was asked to play the mother of Christine Jorgensen in the film The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970), but turned it down.
She was nicknamed "Boo", by actress Bette Davis during their filming of June Bride (1948) because there were two Betty's on the same set, of filming, which often caused confusion during the film's shootings.
Was one of three bridesmaids at Ann Blyth's marriage to Dr. James McNulty. The other two bridesmaids were Jane Withers and Joan Leslie.
With her girl-next-door charm and beauty, she was a consistent favorite among Mayberry fans everywhere, and she remains popular with "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960) fans at conventions and various get-togethers to this day.