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IMDbPro

Betty Hutton(1921-2007)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Betty Hutton, c. 1957.
Official Trailer
Play trailer6:54
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
4 Videos
82 Photos
Betty Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 26, 1921, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Two years later, Betty's father decided that the family way of life wasn't for him, so he left (he committed suicide 16 years later). Having to fend for themselves, Mrs. Thornburg moved the family to Detroit to find work in the numerous auto factories there, but times were hard and she decided to take advantage of Prohibition and opened a small tavern, at the time called a speakeasy. The police were always looking for those types of operation, both big and small, and when they detected one, they swooped in and closed it down. Mrs. Thornburg was no different from the other owners, they simply moved elsewhere. Poverty was a constant companion. In addition to that, Mrs. Thornburg was an alcoholic.

At nine years old, Betty began singing publicly for the first time in a school production. Realizing the voice Betty had, her mother took her around Detroit to have her sing to any group that would listen. This was a small way of getting some money for the poor family. When she was 13, Betty got a few singing jobs with local bands in the area. Thinking she was good enough to make the big time, she left for New York two years later to try a professional career. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and Betty headed back to Detroit.

In 1937, Betty was hired by Vincent Lopez who had a popular band that appeared on the local radio. Later, she would return to New York and it was here that her career took off. Betty found herself on Broadway in 1940, and it was only a matter of time before her career took off to bigger heights. The following year, she left New York for Hollywood, where she was to find new life in films. She was signed by Paramount Pictures and made her debut, at 21, in The Fleet's In (1942), along with Eddie Bracken, William Holden and Dorothy Lamour. Reviews were better than expected, with critics looking favorably upon her work. She had previously appeared in a few musical shorts, which no doubt helped her in her first feature film. She made one more musical in 1942 and two more in 1943.

In 1944, she tried to break away from musicals and try her hand in a screwball comedy, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). She proved - to herself, the public and the critics - that she was marketable outside musicals. In subsequent films, Betty was able to show her comedic side as well as her singing. In 1948, she appeared in her first big box-office bomb, Dream Girl (1948), which was ripped to shreds by critics, as was Betty's acting, and the movie flopped at the box office. It wasn't long before Betty became unhappy with her career. In truth, she had the acting talent, but the parts she got weren't the types to showcase that. Though she did appear in three well-received films later, Red, Hot and Blue (1949), Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), her career was winding down.

Later, after filming Somebody Loves Me (1952), Betty was all but finished. She had married Charles O'Curran that year and he wanted to direct her in an upcoming film. Paramount didn't like the idea and the temper tantrum-prone Betty walked out of her contract and movies. She did concentrate on the relatively new medium of television and the stage, but she never recovered her previous form. Her final film was a minor one, Spring Reunion (1956). Her TV series, The Betty Hutton Show (1959), didn't fare too well at all. Betty lived in quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her death on March 11, 2007. She was 86 years old.
BornFebruary 26, 1921
DiedMarch 11, 2007(86)
BornFebruary 26, 1921
DiedMarch 11, 2007(86)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 6 wins & 2 nominations

Photos82

Betty Hutton in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Betty Hutton in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Betty Hutton in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Betty Hutton and Billy De Wolfe in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Betty Hutton and John Lund in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Betty Hutton and Arturo de Córdova in Incendiary Blonde (1945)
Betty Hutton and Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra in The Fleet's In (1942)
William Holden, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, and Dorothy Lamour in The Fleet's In (1942)
Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken in The Fleet's In (1942)
Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken in The Fleet's In (1942)
Betty Hutton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra in The Fleet's In (1942)
William Holden, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, and Dorothy Lamour in The Fleet's In (1942)

Known for

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Annie Get Your Gun
6.9
  • Annie Oakley
  • 1950
Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Gloria Grahame, Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour, and Cornel Wilde in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
The Greatest Show on Earth
6.6
  • Holly
  • 1952
Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
7.6
  • Trudy Kockenlocker
  • 1944
Betty Hutton, Don DeFore, and Barry Fitzgerald in The Stork Club (1945)
The Stork Club
6.4
  • Judy Peabody
  • 1945

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)
    Baretta
    • Velma
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)
    Gunsmoke
    • Molly McConnell
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • Gene Barry in Burke's Law (1963)
    Burke's Law
    • Rena Zito
    • Carlene Glory
    • TV Series
    • 1964–1965
  • Jack Palance, Tuesday Weld, and Russ Tamblyn in The Greatest Show on Earth (1963)
    The Greatest Show on Earth
    • Julia Dana
    • TV Series
    • 1964
  • The Betty Hutton Show (1959)
    The Betty Hutton Show
    • Goldie Appleby
    • TV Series
    • 1959–1960
  • Dana Andrews and Betty Hutton in Spring Reunion (1956)
    Spring Reunion
    • Margaret 'Maggie' Brewster
    • 1956
  • Satins and Spurs (1954)
    Satins and Spurs
    • Cindy Smathers
    • TV Movie
    • 1954
  • Adele Jergens and Ralph Meeker in Somebody Loves Me (1952)
    Somebody Loves Me
    • Blossom 'Bloss' Seeley
    • 1952
  • Sailor Beware (1952)
    Sailor Beware
    • Hetty Button (uncredited)
    • 1952
  • Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Gloria Grahame, Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour, and Cornel Wilde in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
    The Greatest Show on Earth
    • Holly
    • 1952
  • Fred Astaire, Betty Hutton, Gregory Moffett, Ruth Warrick, Lucile Watson, and Roland Young in Let's Dance (1950)
    Let's Dance
    • Kitty McNeil
    • 1950
  • Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
    Annie Get Your Gun
    • Annie Oakley
    • 1950
  • Victor Mature and Betty Hutton in Red, Hot and Blue (1949)
    Red, Hot and Blue
    • Eleanor Collier aka Yum-Yum
    • 1949
  • Betty Hutton and Macdonald Carey in Dream Girl (1948)
    Dream Girl
    • Georgina Allerton
    • 1948
  • Betty Hutton, Billy De Wolfe, and John Lund in The Perils of Pauline (1947)
    The Perils of Pauline
    • Pearl White
    • 1947

Writer

  • The Betty Hutton Show (1959)
    The Betty Hutton Show
    • story
    • TV Series
    • 1960

Soundtrack

  • Fallout 4 (2015)
    Fallout 4
    • performer: "He's A Demon, He's A Devil, He's A Doll", "It's A Man"
    • Video Game
    • 2015
  • Cho Yeo-jeong and Clara Lee in Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies (2015)
    Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies
    • performer: "It had to be you"
    • 2015
  • Elio Germano in A Magnificent Haunting (2012)
    A Magnificent Haunting
    • performer: "I Wish I Didn't Love You So"
    • 2012
  • Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr in God Bless America (2011)
    God Bless America
    • performer: "It's Oh So Quiet!"
    • 2011
  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing (2009)
    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
    • performer: "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief", "Come Join the Waves" (uncredited)
    • Video
    • 2009
  • The Whole Shebang (2001)
    The Whole Shebang
    • performer: "It's Oh So Quiet"
    • 2001
  • Annie Get Your Gun Intro with Susan Lucci
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business"
    • Video
    • 2000
  • Pourquoi pas moi? (1999)
    Pourquoi pas moi?
    • performer: "It's Oh So Quiet"
    • 1999
  • Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Guy Pearce in L.A. Confidential (1997)
    L.A. Confidential
    • performer: "Hit the Road to Dreamland"
    • 1997
  • Geena Davis and Michael Keaton in Speechless (1994)
    Speechless
    • performer: "Anything You Can Do"
    • 1994
  • That's Entertainment! III (1994)
    That's Entertainment! III
    • performer: "I'm an Indian Too" (1946), "Anything You Can Do" (1946) (uncredited)
    • 1994
  • Woody Allen and Martin Landau in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
    Crimes and Misdemeanors
    • Soundtrack ("Murder He Says" (1942))
    • 1989
  • Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
    Big Top Pee-wee
    • performer: "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry"
    • 1988
  • That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)
    That's Entertainment, Part II
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1946) (uncredited)
    • 1976
  • James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)
    Gunsmoke
    • performer: "Silver Threads Among the Gold", "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain", "Tore His Britches on the Mason Dixon Line", "Frankie and Johnny", "Little Brown Jug" (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 1965

Videos4

Trailer
Trailer 2:08
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:42
Official Trailer
The Greatest Show on Earth
Trailer 6:54
The Greatest Show on Earth

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • Betty Jane Boyer
  • Height
    • 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
  • Born
    • February 26, 1921
    • Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
  • Died
    • March 11, 2007
    • Palm Springs, California, USA(colon cancer)
  • Spouses
      Pete CandoliDecember 24, 1960 - June 18, 1967 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Candy Briskin
  • Parents
      Percy E. Thornburg
  • Relatives
    • Marion Hutton(Sibling)
  • Other works
    (12/1/63) Guest-starred on "The Greatest Showman".
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 12 Articles
    • 3 Pictorials
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was discovered by a New York newspaper in the early 1970s working for a soup kitchen and later a rectory as a house cleaner. She gave out her first interviews in years stating she had been counseled by the Catholic priests at this parish who helped her with her addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs and to find new meaning to her life after Hollywood. She gave similar credence to this story to Robert Osborne in 2000 when he interviewed her for a television back story on his show on TCM.
  • Quotes
    I worked out of desperation. I used to hit fast and run in hopes that people wouldn't realize that I really couldn't do anything.
  • Trademark
      Lisp, breathless voice
  • Salaries
      Spring Reunion
      (1956)
      $100,000 + 25% of net

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