Why Betty Hutton’s Emotional State Began to Deteriorate? 

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I loved Betty. She finished high school and college as an adult! She did what she could. Betty had a wonderful friend in Father McGuire and two friends in California. They arranged for Betty to have a lovely home in Palm Springs. She, fortunately, had a soft ending. She had friends and a wonderful place to live. She never really beat her addiction to pills but she did the very best she could. God bless her.

I never knew much about Ms. Hutton, but she was obviously a "TALENTED WOMAN"!!!! I'm glad that she got her life together. Rest in Peace Betty.

Miss Hutton will always be a part of the Hollywood story. A true talent. As long as those movies can be seen, she will be forever a star. RIP and thank you for giving us your talents xxx

I will always remember Betty Hutton in " Annie get your gun". I was only a little girl then but she was imprinted on my mind. A very lively talented lady.

I consider Betty Hutton one of the best actresses ever to hit a stage. Talent, energy, looks, a singer, mugger and muscular woman, far more interesting than any vamp. Loved her the first time I saw her and still do. Rest in the knowledge that you are remembered and loved Betty!

I remember vividly the shock stories in the papers when she was discovered working as a cook, penniless. There was a photo of her in the rectory, slaving away...people couldn't believe it. The papers said she had a fortune of $8 million, which had been spent largely by her husbands. Charles O'Curran, the choreographer hubby who ruined her career by insisting she demand he be her director, was an infamous schemer, who later married Patti Page and tried to exploit her success for his own gains, as well. Betty's two daughters had turned their backs on her in the late '60s, and didn't speak to her again until 1977 or 78, when they saw her on Phil Donahue. Betty said on TV the reason was because she wasn't rich anymore - she said as long as the big money was around and she was buying them horses, clothes and trips to Europe, they adored her. The minute she went broke, they took off. The daughters walked out on her again in the early '80s and never spoke to her again, ever. Poor Betty - she was so talented - check out her 1964 TV appearance doing medley of her old hits - AMAZING. Hollywood vindictively blacklisted her, even after the old execs of the '50s retired the new generation wouldn't give her the time of day.

Ms. Betty Hutton was an Amazing Actress and Singer, With her Bubbly Personality She was one of Paramount Picture Biggest Stars. With the Disagreement with Paramount and herself, She left the Studio and was Blackballed by the Hollywood Studios. They ruined her Career, and she lost everything. Ms. Betty suffered from Drugs/Alcohol, Depression, Suicide attempt, and Bankruptcy, Homeless. Father Peter McGuire manage to saved her LIFE, Thank God for that. Later in years, She able to go back and Finish College with a Degree in PhD. And lived a normal life until she passed away. Rip Ms. Betty, in God's Heaven Always 🙏.

Aging is hard for everyone. Drugs and alcohol abuse wreak havoc in our lives. She was a talented actress, and very funny! RIP!

Betty Hutton was SO magical. She had a way to carry you along with the story, and pull for her energy and singing. She is one of our best

I liked Betty Hutton on The Greatest Show on Earth. I just bought the DVD a few days ago to add to my collection. I saw that movie when I was about 7 yrs old and was waiting all my life to see it again. So my husband surprised me with the DVD recently which was a nice surprise. Neither of us ever experienced a circus..we only went to the usual carnivals in town or amusement parks. Jimmy Stewart’s performance always stuck in my mind as Buttons the Clown with his little white terrier. ❤️

I Love Betty Hutton!!! Very sad how they destroyed her ... she was AMAZING !!💝💝💝💝💝💝🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🌴

There is a very good interview Robert Osborne of TCM did with Betty Hutton a few years ago. She had a tumultuous life, multiple marriages, alcoholism & was estranged from her daughters. She was able to overcome her problems & lived a long life, passing away at age. 86.

Thank you for sharing this with us. Ms Betty was very talented. Anyone paying attention could see that she was hyperactive, even before knowing what that meant. And yes, she could run circles around anyone working with her. God bless her. My favorite movie was with Ms Betty & Charlton Heston. I think they did very well together. He and Gloria Grahame sure held their own.

Betty's movies always filled me with joy. It's heartbreaking to know her life was marred with so much dismay. God Bless you, dear lady ❤️

During World War II, Betty Hutton was known as the: The Blonde Bombshell, The Blonde Huttentot, The Blonde Blitz, the Blitzkrieg Blonde, the Incendiary Blonde, and Bounding Betty all of which fit her movie behavior like a glove. Hutton was that high-octane fear and desperation that was inside everyone during the dark days of World War II, the insanity that had to be denied, repressed, lived with, and unleashed only on the dance floor, or, secretly, at the movies when watching Hutton literally swing from a chandelier and bellow out one of her truly nutty song numbers: "My Rocking House Ran Away" or "Doctor, Lawyer Indian Chief." The great philosopher of World War II, Hutton sings the key question of the changing times: "Murder he says? Is this the language of love?" She was perfect for the wartime audience. In her day she was also a bizarrely liberated voice of the common woman - the one who was not a glamour queen but who came out of nowhere to work in the factories and find her way to independence during the war. Betty Hutton was a woman who would do anything to get attention. In her musical numbers, Hutton is like the Andrew Sisters with only one sister. Hutton keeps nothing in her reserve. She hops, she leaps, she mugs and she grimaces. She throws herself on the floor, jumps up-and-down, and emits war whoops. She twitches and she tics, but you don't have to worry that she's going to fly apart on you. Hutton, like so many other movie stars of the golden era, came from a hardscrabble background. Betty Hutton was born on February 26, 1921 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Her mother was an alcoholic, and her father deserted the family when she was only two (he later committed suicide.) Betty's birth name was Betty Thornburg and her sister Marion (older by one year), and their mother barely managed to survive, living a life of poverty. Her mother could play the piano and her daughters could both sing. It was their way out. In 1940, Hutton began a successful Broadway career, first appearing in Two for the Show, which starred Eve Arden and Alfred Drake. Her second appearance was as the secondary lead in Panama Hattie, starring Ethel Merman. Hutton received excellent reviews and the show was a smash hit, inevitably bringing her to the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. Hutton signed with Paramount Studios, where she would spend the majority of her screen career. Her film debut was in The Fleet's In (1942, Paramount) and her role was a plum. The stars of the film were: Dorothy Lamour (playing her best friend), William Holden, Cass Daley and Eddie Bracken. Hutton was assigned two showstopping numbers: "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry" and "Build A Better Mousetrap." The executives at Paramount assessed Hutton's abilities at first thought she might be a second-string lead, the lovable comic sidekick for glamour girls like Dorothy Lamour, However, watching her sing, dance, play comedy, and more than hold her own, they thought that perhaps she could do more. Hutton was pretty and had a good figure. Furthermore--and this was the key--because she could sing ballads beautifully, she might play romance leads and be a viable leading lady. After her success in the leading role in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), Paramount put her in color, to test that aspect of her appeal in Happy Go Lucky (1943), realizing that Mary Martin would never be a big star for them, Paramount gave Hutton two showcase numbers where she performed one of her all-time hits, "Murder He Says" as well as "Fuddy, Duddy Watchmaker," and climbed right to the top. Hutton became huge, and for eleven years (1942 thru 1953) she stayed at the top, with specially designed biographical musicals being created for her. It was odd that Hutton, the ultimate in unrealistic players, should be asked to play so many real-life women on screen. She portrayed: Blossom Seeley, Pearl White, Texas Guinan, and Annie Oakley. All these characters had to be adjusted to Hutton, of course, and were selected because something about them seemed right for her in the first place. Texas Guinan was the famous "Queen of the Nightclubs" who greeted her customers with the raucous "Hello suckers!" in the 1920s. The film was titled Incendiary Blonde (1945) and in the film Hutton belts out period numbers like "Oh By Jingo" and also delivers a ballad that became a signature song for Hutton, "It Had To Be You." Paramount had hoped to capitalize on Hutton's softer side in 1948 when it cast her in the movie version of the Broadway stage play Dream Girl, written by Elmer Rice. Paramount bought the rights to the play specifically to introduce a "new" Betty Hutton to the public. She was a big moneymaker for them, but proving that the studio understood her stardom, Paramount worried that since the war was over, her brand of nuttiness might fade. The idea was that she would be presented as an "actress" rather than a crazy personality, and if it were done right, her fans would stay with her. In Dream Girl, Hutton is a combination of her old bouncing self and a softer, dreamier self that shows sensitivity and introspection. Unfortunately, this worked for no one. The fans that expected the Blonde Blitz were disappointed, and those who wanted serious acting were also let down. The film was a big "Flop," and it was the beginning of the end for Hutton. Hutton genuinely loved Dream Girl and believed it was a change of pace for her. When the film flopped, she was deeply hurt. Betty Hutton, Paramount's most reliable actress for nearly a decade began to lose her place, but she had two great successes on the horizon in the early 1950s: Annie Get Your Gun (1950, MGM) and Cecil B. de Mille's "Best Film" Academy Award for The Greatest Show On Earth (1952, Paramount) plus Hutton give a very much under appreciative performance and holds her own against costar Fred Astaire in Let's Dance (1950, Paramount). When MGM bought the right's to Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun for resident musical genius leading lady Judy Garland problems began, by then Garland was experiencing severe career trouble. Garland began filming, but her outtakes in particular the raucous "I'm an Indian Too" number revealed the tragic situation: Garland looked terribly thin and gaunt she was obviously distracted and ill. When she collapsed and had to be replaced, MGM asked Paramount for a loan-out of Betty Hutton, whose singing style and comic ability seemed right for the role. At MGM Hutton was briefly its queen. Later, she would say that she was treat badly at MGM and made to feel unwelcome. Annie Get Your Gun was the musical of the year, and Hutton was on the cover of Time Magazine and won Photoplay magazine's Best Actress award. Her combination of sassy and rough on the one hand, soft and vulnerable on the other, made her the perfect Annie Oakley. The Greatest Show on Earth was another blockbuster, receiving the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1952. Back in the 1980s I saw her perform on a PBS special titled "Your Hit Parade" when Hutton sang she gave it everything she had, which was still plenty. Even young people who had never heard of her leapt to their feet clapping and yelling when she finished her number. One of the reviewers David Cuthbert of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wrote that no one "connects with the audience the way Betty Hutton does. The lady remains a great entertainer," and I couldn't agree more.

I never knew Betty was so supremely talented. Sad the drugs took hold and she lost her family but what a come back by getting a masters degree. In an interview she said her family didn’t want her because they were afraid she’d get sick. Maybe they meant the drug addiction but even so it was a harsh punishment for Betty. She said she still loved them dearly. Bless her soul.

She was wonderful in Greatest show on earth as the " peerless and fearless...Holly"

Betty Hutton was one of my favorite movie stars of the 50's. I loved her to death! Her musical abilities were outstanding. She had a sincerity of delivery that was unique.

I enjoyed,,please do one on Miriam Hopkins

I adored Hutton in all her movies. Great voice for singing and speaking. She’s adorable!

She may have had a tough life and may be little remembered today. But she was clearly a very smart, talented and accomplished woman who had a lot of energy. No A Lister or sidewalk star or Oscar winner. But in Hollywood and Broadway that's usually the rule.

As a kid I loved musicals. I watched all of Betty Hutton. Bless her heart she had terrible taste in men that she married.

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek; was definitely one for her to be proud of.

Hollywood is a monster.

I understand part of her youth was spent in a house a short distance from where I grew up in Lansing, Michigan. I felt a connection when I found this out & researched her remarkable career. I can't believe anybody performed like she did.

Love it she was good may she RIP

She was so very talented. Thank you for sharing her story!

BEUTIFUL, TALENTED, AND SOOO FUNNY !!! SHE COULD DO EVERYTHING., AND BOY COULD SHE SING !!!! LOVE BETTY HUTTON !!!!!!!!

Many years ago I saw a clip of her singing " Murder He Says " and I became an instant fan. Her energy was infectious and her wacky facial expressions had me howling, after watching her sing I just wanted to jump up and do something crazy! It amazes me how she made so much money and ended up broke but it's a common story. I too am glad she mended her life at the end. She will always be remembered fondly by fans, what a talent and what a beautiful lady!

I discovered Betty Hutton when I saw her sing "Murder!" That raw energy, she blew it out of the water. I've been entranced ever since. I only wish she'd made more films...more Betty please! 🤩

Wow. She was a great actress!

Thanks so much for your wonderful video. Always adored Betty's hysterically funny hit tunes and movie roles. Just feel saddened by the way her later years transpired. May she rest in much well-deserved peace... 😇 🙏

I'm so very sorry about her life 😢

Betty Hutton was the only actress that could make you laugh, cry, get up and dance - all in one performance. She was fantastic and one of the reasons I studied acting in New York.

I just wanted to say that I love your channel. Keep up the good work! 💝

I loved her movies!!! Just watched Stork Clubb along with a few others just last week.

Listening to story's about most of these old time stars they grew up poor and when became famous that they probably dreamt about when young they were never happy,I never knew much about about her ,rest in peace 💖😘🌹🌈amen

Don't know of this actor but she lead a long and quite successful life. Many of us have hard starts to life. My father was born in the 1920s father missing, to a mentally ill, drug addicted single mother who couldn't hold a job, leading to chronic homelessness. Life as an adult is what you make of it, that is if you are lucky enough to not suffer constant mental illness. An actress which though I haven't seen act but have read her story is Frances Farmer. I don't know if you have made a video about her. Would sure be interesting (especially the oranges she took to work)

i adored her growing up in the 50's she could do drama comedy etc. so so underated she had so much talent and i loved her voice my favorite movie was perils of pauline she showed her acting chops if u agree with me let me know please

Poor Betty Hutton, It really upsets me to think this fabulous, multi-talented lady would ever have to go through such hardship. Big-hearted people get ripped off just the same as poor Doris Day.💔

She was amazing in Miracle at Morgan’s Creek.

Thanks AOV💜

Hutton was a real talent, but her rough freneticism makes it difficult to watch her. While I can appreciate her drive & abilities, I find her unnerving to watch.

what was that Martha Raye comment about? made absolutely no sense.

" In my mind I'm still young ". The most tragic words you'll ever hear . ( you'll probably end up saying them..? )

When I was a young boy, (am 84)I fell in love with her. Her personality was magic to me. The kind of woman I wanted when I grow up. lol...never found one.

The actors Cecil Parker and Leon Ames - would like to see a video about them sometime. I enjoy your channel 🙂

She was so beautiful and talented, she deserved a better life. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek is one of my favorite movies.

I loved watching her movies when I was a young girl in the 60’s.

Loved her. Her decline mirrors that of British star Terry Thomas who was a great comedy film star and ended up in a flop house.

SO WARM. AND LOVING.

R. I. P. SWEET LADY.

She was a good actress and a good singer . She actually lived a good life in spite of drugs.

Even if her health and sobriety were compromised, I thought she was one of the cutest, funniest and sweet actresses of the era. Shame on her daughters for abandoning her.

Betty Hutton so much fun to watch!

Never heard of her but thank you for remembering those artists and giving us so much information about them. From Catalonia, cheers.

I always loved her energy and chutzpah! What a cutie! Ive been a fan since seeing her in "old" movies as a 14 year old in 1974.. we had a local tv independent station that was not ABC, CBS, or NBC - no cable back then yet in S. Fla! How I loved all of the old stars on WCIX channel 6! She's one of my heroes!!

She was so talented..I loved her

I watched all her movies because my grandmother watched all her movies. I have never seen a more versatile amazing person. Annie get your gun was the best.

She had a lovely voice !

One has to wonder how she could go from penniless to Palm Springs? It's extremely admirable she went on to earn her Master's and honorary PhD, but in what fields? And, why couldn't she use those credentials, or did she? I often wonder how some of these Golden Age stars lived after their heyday before the high salaries we see today, and residuals. I saw her in a Boston hotel in the early 80's, she seemed her bubbly, effervescent self. I wanted to ask for an autograph, but respected her privacy.

living till 86 is not a terrible .!~

She sure did turn her life around in excellent ways. Life's pain never goes away, everyone handles it in the best way they can at the time.

I loved Betty Hutton movies

Hutton returned to Broadway late in her career when she had a stint playing Miss Hannigan in "Annie." Surprised that isn't mentioned here.

I knew pills, and addiction was going to part of her story so many starlets of that Era were given narcotics...poor girl she worked so hard.

Why oh why do we have to watch the same photos over and over and over and over? Most of the time not linked to the narration! Seem a problem with this entire series.

An amazing story about a powerhouse.

I still remember her being drunk on the Johnny Carson Show in the early days of his show. They took an abrupt station break and when they returned she was gone.

"The Fleet's In" ... lmao

While we know Ms.Hutton was a huge star of that era, I truly believe had she not befallen to such painful and sorrowful circumstances, she would have been every bit as iconic as the great Judy Garland. Betty Hutton was a powerhouse of an entertainer and one was left exhausted just trying to keep up with her. RIP dear lady.

she made me nervous. too many black beauties? when she tries to put the wrecked circus back together after the crash in 'The Greatest Show on Earth" i thought she was going to have a stroke.

Hutton I believe fell out with her daughters again at the end of her life. A great talent but I assume very difficult to be around. Probably a deeply self absorbed narcissist. These kind of talents usually are. It seems like you have to be totally focused on your talent to maintain it to the exclusion of everyone else. She's wonderful in AGYG and when you see the outtakes with Garland you can tell she's too ill to have done the movie.

"Underrated" pretty well sums it up. What can be more frustrating or crazy-making than almost making it, or achieving a certain level of stardom but not being anyone's first choice (and knowing it)?

Many don't realize that singing --dancing and/or acting is very hard and tedious ....It's only the finished product and talent which makes it easy .!

I heard Merman denied having cut one of Huttons big numbers. The Dipsey Doodle I believe it was. I heard Arden and Wynn weren't fond of her. She said the cast on Annie Get Your Gun at M GN treated her badly because they wanted Judy for the movie. I've seen a couple outtakes of Judy doing some of the numbers but she wasn't right for the role. Betty was born for this part.

She behaved terribly to the cast and crew on Annie Get Your Gun then was heartbroken that they treated her badly....

Why did so many women movies stars “deteriorate? Could have been the many casting couches? Be careful what you wish for, the price may be too high.

BETTY HUTTON was only rival of JUDY GARLAND & DORIS DAY and she should be seen and heard after all her song "Let's Not Talk About Love" is the grandmother of today's Rap. Miss Hutton's movies are a variety of her extensive talent that should be expeienced

she must've gotten some uplift from Bjork having a hit with her song "It's Oh So Quiet" in 1995

My late mother told me about Hutten's tragic tale, & were it to happen today, they could have maybe helped her, as back then, mental health was more miss than hit.

She was treated horribly by cast and crew when she subbed for Garland as Annie.

Legend

@Age of Vintage, this is the first time I have heard Martha Raye accused of "sexist baggage." could you explain?

👍💞👏💖👏💞👍 💐.Betty.Hutton.💐 👍💞👏💖👏💞👍

How did Jane Powell (11:20) get mixed in with all the photos of Betty Hutton. I always thought they were two different people.

Just saw a stinkeroo called Spring Reunion. Pheeeew!

Whoever writes these messy things should stick to a chronology of work -- it's all over the place timewise and very confusing.

Did not know of her.. Very pretty actress back in the day,

Betty Hutton also appeared on television! There is something seriously wrong with people who thrived on other people's tragedies! It is conceited, crude, cruel, unethical, harsh, obnoxious, and rude. This video should have included actual interviews with Betty Hutton! This video jumps around too much! The terms yonked and squawked are harsh! Many people in movies have alcohol and drug addictions! MGM made and released the classic 1950 movie Annie Get Your Gun! 1950 Annie Get Your Gun was Howard Keel's first movie. The classic movie The Miracle of Moran's Creek was filmed in 1944. Betty Hutton's mother perished in a house fire. Betty Hutton, Judy Garland and Doris Day are legendary singers' actresses, comedians, dancers and entertainers. Iwas born in 1978 in the United States. I have always loved all three of them!

@4:00 - that's Jane Powell

I LOVED HER.

Watching her manic, over the top performing has always made me uncomfortable. It felt like she wasn't quite in control of herself.

👍🤜🤛👏💯

Why is there a question mark in the video title?

I had Such A CRUSH on her!

She was basically hubba hubba 40's.

THE BEST Annie Oakley!

Betty Hutton was my cousin.