Bettie turns up in the most unexpected places. Here's a TV Bettie alert for your PBS viewing moments.

Herb was watching the PBS show, "The American Experience." The episode was titled "Roads to Memphis." It's a documentary about the April 4, 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King by escaped convict James Earl Ray.

I was only half listening because I was involved on my computer. Suddenly, Herb called out that they were showing nudie playing cards, and thought he spotted Bettie's picture in the deck.

If you get a chance to watch this show -- for its historical merits and because "The American Experience" is a series that's always worth your time -- here's the narration from that section to set your Bettie alert on vibrate:

> Hampton Sides, Writer: After Ray escapes, he goes to Chicago and has a
> rendezvous with his brothers, Jerry and John.
>
> The Rays were pretty tight. They all were involved in petty crimes of one sort or
> another and they trusted each other.
>
> They talk about what they're going to do. They talk about the porn business.
> Ray's kind of interested in porno. He thinks there's money to be made there.

Wow, Herb, sharp eye. I'd love for someone to confirm this. Do we know if this is available on DVD?

Is there any episode of American Experience that's not for sale? This is the Ray/King episode in question:

http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=4079563

Important to note: The cards were used in a recreation scene with actors in a bar, smoking, drinking and playing cards. There's no evidence that it's historically accurate. There's no evidence that Ray had a deck of girlie playing cards that included Bettie. It's but one example of why we never trust recreation scenes.

The cards were shown very briefly. And Herb isn't 100% certain that it was Bettie in the deck. It wasn't as if we had the show taped and could freeze frame the card.

Seems like it would be easier and historically correct to find an eBay'er with a deck of vintage girlie cards that included Bettie. (Beware of sellers who falsely think that any naked or topless model with black hair and bangs was Bettie. In fact, one such seller currently has a girlie deck available where Bettie's is wrongly claimed as being in the deck.)