Now I profiled Betty Hutton before on this blog, but when she passed away in 2007 she was and is largely forgotten. Hutton made 19 films from 1942 to 1952 including a hugely popular The Perils of Pauline in 1947. She was billed over Fred Astaire in the 1950 musical Let's Dance. Hutton's greatest screen triumph came in Annie Get Your Gun (1950) for MGM, which hired her to replace an exhausted Judy Garland in the role of Annie Oakley. The film and the leading role, retooled for Hutton, was a smash hit, with the biggest critical praise going to Hutton. (Her obituary in The New York Times described her as "a brassy, energetic performer with a voice that could sound like a fire alarm.")Hutton, however, like Garland, was earning a reputation for being extremely difficult.
In 1944, she signed with Capitol Records, one of the earliest artists to do so, but became unhappy with its management and later signed with RCA Victor. Among her many films was an unbilled cameo in Sailor Beware (1952) with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, in which she portrayed Dean's girlfriend, Hetty Button.
Her time as a Hollywood star came to an end due to contract disagreements with Paramount following the Oscar-winning The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Somebody Loves Me (1952), a biopic of singer Blossom Seeley. The New York Times indicated that her film career ended because of her insistence that her husband at the time, Charles O'Curran, direct her next film; when the studio declined, Hutton broke her contract. Hutton's last completed film was a small one, 1957's Spring Reunion. She gave an understated, sensitive performance in the drama, but box office receipts seemed to show that the public didn't accept a subdued Hutton...
Betty's talent and energy never cease to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteBrassy certainly - she was not successful in being quiet, soft and gentle, and that limited her in both her acting and singing roles. In the right role and with the right partner, very good and entertaining. She somehow failed to capitalise on her relative success in "Annie Get Your Gun", (which was well suited to her)but I think Judy Garland would have been better - compare her recordings for the soundtrack of the Garland film that never happened. The two can be heard side by side on Rhino CD of the film.
ReplyDeleteBack then women couldn’t speak out openly about their opinions, feelings, or even their worth. Women had to be quiet and just be happy that someone let them be in their movie. Jerry was an excellent performer and comedian, but was a piece of crap as a human being. Especially towards his family and those that we’re closest to him. Sad way to live.
DeleteI agree Jarbie. I think Judy would have been better in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, but her health was really bad. I have seen deleted scenes. Much like Judy, I think Betty Hutton suffered from being her own worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteShe started looking old in The Greatest Show on Earth. It looks like the California sun damaged her pale complextion. It's a shame the way her daughter's treated her. I imagine they were bitter that she lost her fortune, but they got plenty off of her during the fat years and their father's divorce settlement. Ingrates
ReplyDeleteShe started looking old in The Greatest Show on Earth. It looks like the California sun damaged her pale complextion. It's a shame the way her daughters treated her. I imagine they were bitter that she lost her fortune, but they got plenty support from her during the fat years and their fathers' divorce settlements.
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