Garr began as a background go-go dancer in uncredited roles in youth-oriented films and TV shows choreographed by Winters, including "Pajama Party" (a beach party film), the "T.A.M.I. Show", "Shindig!", "Shivaree", "Hullabaloo", "Movin' with Nancy", and six Elvis Presley features (many of which were also choreographed by Winters, including Presley's most profitable film, "Viva Las Vegas". When asked in a magazine interview about how she landed jobs in so many Presley films, Garr answered, "One of the dancers in the road show of "West Side Story" (David Winters) started to choreograph movies, and whatever job he got, I was one of the girls he'd hire. So he was chosen to do "Viva Las Vegas". That was my first movie."