Betty Hutton
| Betty Hutton | |
|---|---|
Hutton in 1944
|
|
| Born |
Elizabeth June Thornburg February 26, 1921 Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 11, 2007 (aged 86) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1938–1983 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ted Briskin (m. 1945–51) Charles O'Curran (m. 1952–55) Alan W. Livingston (m. 1955–60) Pete Candoli (m. 1960–67) |
| Children | 3 |
Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer and singer.
Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg in Battle Creek, Michigan. She was the daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg (1896–1937) and his wife, Mabel Lum (1901–1967). While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for another woman. They did not hear of him again until they received a telegram in 1937, informing them of his suicide. Along with her older sister Marion, Betty was raised by her alcoholic mother, who took the surname Hutton and was later billed as the actress Sissy Jones.
The three started singing in the family's speakeasy when Betty was 3 years old. Troubles with the police kept the family on the move. They eventually landed in Detroit where she attended Foch Intermediate School and Southeastern High School.
On one occasion, when Betty, preceded by a police escort, arrived at the premiere of Let's Dance (1950), her mother, arriving with her, quipped, "At least this time the police are in front of us!" Hutton sang in several local bands as a teenager, and at one point visited New York City hoping to perform on Broadway, where she was rejected.
A few years later, she was scouted by orchestra leader Vincent Lopez, who gave Hutton her entry into the entertainment business. In 1939, she appeared in several musical shorts for Warner Bros., and appeared in a supporting role on Broadway in Panama Hattie (starring Ethel Merman, who demanded on opening night that Hutton's musical numbers be cut from the show) and Two for the Show, both produced by Buddy DeSylva.
When DeSylva became a producer at Paramount Pictures, Hutton was signed to a featured role in The Fleet's In (1942), starring Paramount's number one female star Dorothy Lamour. Hutton was an instant hit with the movie-going public. Paramount did not immediately promote her to major stardom, however, but did give her second leads in a Mary Martin film musical, Star Spangled Rhythm (1943), and another Lamour film. In 1943, she was given co-star billing with Bob Hope in Let's Face It.
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