Betty Hutton

At 86 years old, Betty Hutton has this physical status:

Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer.

Early life and education

Elizabeth June Thornburg was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, on February 26, 1921. Her father left the family for another woman when she was still young. They didn't hear of him again until they were given a telegram in 1937, informing them of his death. Betty and her older sister, Marion, were raised by her alcoholic mother, who took the surname Hutton. Marion was later identified as Sissy Jones, a playwright.

When Betty was 3 years old, the three began singing in the family's speakeasy. The family was on the move due to problems with the police. They eventually landed in Detroit, where she attended Foch Intermediate School. "At least this time the cops are in front of us," Betty, preceded by a police escort, said at the premiere of Let's Dance (1950). As an adolescent, Hutton appeared in several local bands, and at one time she was in New York City attempting to appear on Broadway, but she was turned away.

A few years ago, orchestra leader Vincent Lopez, who gave Hutton her introduction into the entertainment industry, scouted her.

She appeared in many musical shorts for Warner Bros. (1938), Queens of the Air (1938), Three Kings and a Queen (1939), Public Jitterbug No. 1402. One for the Book (1939), and One for the Book (1940).

Hutton appeared in two Broadway shows, Two for the Show (1940), which ran for 124 performances.

Buddy DeSylva, who later starred Hutton in Panama Hattie (1940-42), was the show's designer. This was a huge hit, with 501 performances. It featured Ethel Merman, amid rumors that Merman's musical numbers were reduced from the show, more precise estimates show that producer Buddy DeSylva decided to delete just one song of three, "They Ain't Done Right by Our Nell" due to Hutton's "always in overdrive" performance style.

Life after Hollywood

Hutton's depression and heroin use soared following her mother's death in 1962 in a house fire and the break of her previous marriage. When she learned she had fallen in love with Edie Adams (who would become Candoli's second wife), she divorced her fourth husband, jazz trumpeter Pete Candoli. The same year, she declared bankruptcy.

Hutton, who had lost her singing voice in 1970, had a nervous breakdown and later attempted suicide. She regained control of her own life after recovery and the guidance of a Roman Catholic priest, Father Peter Maguire. Hutton converted to Roman Catholicism and took up a job as a cook at a rectory in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. When it was revealed that she was practically penniless and serving in a rectory, she made national news. She was hospitalized with emotional exhaustion after an aborted return to work in 1974. "Love-In for Betty Hutton," a well-known comedy group in New York City, was hosted later this year, with several old Hollywood pals on hand. The event raised $10,000 for Hutton and gave her a big boost, but steady work eluded her.

In an interview with Mike Douglas and a brief guest appearance on Baretta in 1975, Hutton appeared in an interview. On The Phil Donahue Show in 1977, Hutton was on display. She was then happily employed as a hostess at a Newport, Rhode Island, jai alai arena.

She appeared on Good Morning America in 1978, which culminated in a televised reunion with her two daughters. Hutton, who was born in California with her divorced daughter and grandchildren, first returned to the East Coast for a three-week return to the stage.

When Alice Ghostley was on vacation, she took over Miss Hannigan during Annie's first Broadway performance. Dorothy Loudon, the original Miss Hannigan actress (who received a Tony Award for her role), was replaced by Ghostley.

On Good Morning America, Hutton's rehearsal of "Little Girls" was featured. In a CBS News Sunday Morning profile on Hutton's Broadway comeback, her drug use, and her recovery, she was also included.

Hutton, a ninth-grade dropout, returned to school and earned a master's degree in psychology from Salve Regina University in 1986. Hutton met singer-songwriter Kristin Hersh and attended several early concerts of Hersh's band, Throwing Muses, during her time at college. Hersh later wrote "Elizabeth June" as a tribute to her friend, and talked about their friendship in greater detail in her book, Rat Girl.

Both Hutton and Hersh inspired actress/singer Wendy W (Miss X) in their youth.

In any medium, Hutton's last known appearance was on Jukebox Saturday Night, which first appeared on PBS in 1983. Hutton stayed in New England and began teaching comedic acting at Emerson College in Boston. She was estranged from her children once more.

After the death of her comrade, Father Maguire, Hutton, returned to California, heading to Palm Springs in 1999 after decades in New England. Hutton hoped to grow closer to her children and grandchildren, as she told Robert Osborne of TCM's Private Screenings in April 2000, though her children stayed far away. She told Osborne that she understood their hesitance to accept a now elderly mother. On July 18, 2000, the TCM interview first aired. On the evening of her death in 2007, the program was revived as a memorial to Robert Osborne, which was on display in TCM's memorial service on Monday.

Hutton lived in Palm Springs until her death on March 12, 2007, at the age of 86, from colon cancer complications. She is buried in Cathedral City, California, at Desert Memorial Park.

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