Betty Roeser (Takier) and Hal Takier were dance partners and became very successful as the swing craze swept California, winning many competitions, touring and performing with swing bands —including six months in Australia— and being part of the Ray Rand Swingers, a professional performance group of the time that included Maxie Dorf, Lolly Wise, Venna Archer, and others. At one point Hal and Betty were given the nickname “The Savoys.”
In 1939 Hal and Betty placed second in the International Swing Jam, held at the Los Angeles Coliseum, which was sponsored by the legendary Palomar Ballroom. It was probably all-around the biggest swing dance contest in history with reportedly more than 1,000 competitors and 26,000 spectators and both Ken Baker and Artie Shaw’s bands on the bandstand. Almost a decade later, in 1948, Hal and Betty won a contest called the Harvest Moon Festival Jitterbug Contest in Los Angeles (the contest was not affiliated with New York’s famous Harvest Moon Ball). They were nominated and inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame in 1990. Betty had passed by then and was Inducted in 1990 as a Permanent Stellar Star. Hal Takier was Inducted into Shining Star in 1990. “Shining Star” was the highest living California Swing Dance Hall of Fame Star category in 1990. Note: The Golden Category (30+ years) was added in 1992. Hal and Betty had three children, first a boy and a girl, and then a second boy who died tragically young by choking. Excerpts from Swungover.s blog. Author, Bobby White.
After the swing era, Hal and Betty divorced. Hal later married Marge Takier. Hal and Marge became a favorite couple and could be frequently seen in jams at Bobby McGees. They were inducted into the “Couples” Category in 2000. —-