Betty Hutton
Biography
Betty Hutton was an American actress, singer, and dancer who rose to fame at Paramount Pictures in the 1940s. Raised in Detroit, she began singing as a child and was discovered by bandleader Vincent Lopez, who hired her. Broadway roles in Two for the Show and Panama Hattie came in 1940, and she signed with Paramount the following year. Her breakthrough came in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), a Preston Sturges comedy that brought her a National Board of Review award for best acting. Known for musicals and energetic performances, she starred as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and played a trapeze artist in Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). She had a small part as Dean Martin's girlfriend in Sailor Beware (1952). She headlined her own sitcom, The Betty Hutton Show, from 1959 to 1960, and in 1980 she replaced Alice Ghostley in the Broadway production of Annie. Hutton died in 2007.
86years old at death
- Born Battle Creek
- Died Palm Springs
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Also credited as Elizabeth June Thornburg, Elizabeth Hutton, Elizabeth Thornburg and Betty Thornburg
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 8 years1944 to 1952
Every film, newest first
- 1952Sailor BewareIMDb rating 6.2
- 1952The Greatest Show on EarthIMDb rating 6.5
- 1950Annie Get Your GunIMDb rating 6.8
- 1944The Miracle of Morgan’s CreekIMDb rating 7.5
Genres
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A role that slipped away
After Garland was fired, the film's production stopped in May 1949 and a replacement was needed. Hutton, Paramount's top female musical attraction, lobbied MGM and Paramount for the role, and the studios agreed on a five-month loan-out deal.
Own stunts
Hutton played a trapeze artist in The Greatest Show on Earth, the 1952 circus drama that won Best Picture. She spent six months training for the part, which let her do many of her own stunts.
First role
In 1938, Vincent Lopez, an orchestra leader, discovered Hutton while she sang in Detroit nightclubs. He recruited her into his band, and she toured with it billed as Betty Jane.
About the name
Lopez followed numerology and relied on that practice to give her a new stage name, Betty Hutton. He said he wanted a vibration that would bring her a lot of money, a five-eight vibration.
A change of course
Hutton had left school in ninth grade, but she went back and in 1986 earned a psychology master's degree from Salve Regina University.
Betty Hutton movies on Netflix
Worked with
Betty Hutton made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
James Stewart's page
Keenan Wynn's page
Charlton Heston's page
Dean Martin's page
Jerry Lewis's page
J. Carrol Naish's page
All films by Cecil B. DeMille
Preston SturgesDirector, 1 film, 1944
All films by Preston Sturges
All films by Busby Berkeley
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.