Welcome to the official website of the Betty Hutton Estate
Please direct all E-mail inquiries to: BettyHuttonEstate@dc.rr.com Drop us a line...  This site was first published to the internet on March 1, 2010. We wanted the site up and ready on Betty's birthday, February 26, but we were unable to meet that symbolic deadline. As time goes by, we will be adding additional information about the woman, her life, and her career. Please be patient! In addition, if any of you have anything unique pertaining to Betty that you would personally like to share with our viewers, please E-mail us and tell us about it. We always welcome your questions and comments. We hope you enjoy this, the official site, of actress, Betty Hutton! You can also always send mail to us at our physical mailing address: The Betty Hutton Estate P.O. Box 3124 - Palm Springs, CA 92263 ________________________________________________________________ CURRENT NEWS _______________________________________________________________ December 31, 2011 What We have Been Saying... All Along Ok, so here is the perfect example of what we have been telling you from the start. Since we get so many requests to verify Betty Hutton signatures, we thought we would give you a little test. These two Betty Hutton autographs are currently listed on E-bay, and they happen to be listed side-by-side; the first time we have ever seen this. Because of the way they are listed, it's difficult not to compare, right? One is a fake, the other one real. Can you tell the difference? The top one is listed for $3.00. The bottom one is listed for $100. Does that give you any kind of a hint? So, the top one is fake, not worth $3. The bottom one is a real Betty Hutton autograph. A steal at $100.00! Would any of you expect a major star, like Betty Hutton, to have had a signature that looked like she hadn't written it since the third grade (such as in the top example) anyway? You need to be careful when buying autographs on the internet. Make sure your sources know what they are talking about, and compare the signature you want to buy with others that you know are real. For instance, look up Betty Hutton autograph on Google and see what you find. That will be an education for you in and of itself... See the original article we have posted farther down this very column about Betty signatures. Have we made our point?  __________________________________________________________________________ Happy Holidays! The Betty Hutton Estate wishes you and yours a very happy and healthy Holiday Season! __________________________________________________________________________ Betty Hutton Oil Painting by Silent Film Star
 With great joy, The Betty Hutton Estate announces the acquisition of the above original oil painting of Betty Hutton on November 30, 2011. The work of art was created by silent film actress, Mary Brian (1906 - 2002), who spent her later years painting. After Mary Brian's death in 2002, the painting was donated to the Hollywood Heritage Museum where it has been on display until recently. The beautiful canvas portrait of our favorite Blonde Bombshell is 16 x 20, with the frame measuring 29 x 25. Proceeds from the sale of the canvas will benefit the non-profit Hollywood Heritage Museum. The museum features archival photographs from the silent era of motion pictures, movie props, historic documents and other movie related memorabilia.
Artist/actress Mary Brian was born in Corsicana, Texas in 1906. Her father died when she was one month old and the family eventually ended up in Long Beach, California. She had intended becoming an illustrator, but that was laid aside when at age 16 she was discovered in a local bathing beauty contest. After her showing in the beauty contest, she was given an audition by Paramount Pictures and was cast as Wendy Darling the silent movie version of Peter Pan (1924). Between Peter Pan in 1924 and Dragnet in 1947, Ms. Brian appeared in 82 films. Petite, with blue-gray eyes and dark-brown curls, she was one of Hollywood's romantic leading ladies from the mid-1920's through the late 30's. While she did not rank with superstars like Clara Bow or Mary Pickford, she was a bankable contract player and a gratifying attraction at the box office. Her leading men were the likes of Gary Cooper, Lew Ayres, James Cagney, Cary Grant, William Haines, Warner Oland and Dick Powell. Among her films still shown at film festivals and on television is one of the earliest western talkies, The Virginian, from 1929, with Cooper as the title character and Walter Huston as the villain. __________________________________________________________________________ Video clip from the 1943 Hollywood Cavalcade Bond Tour The 1943 tour returned home to Hollywood after a 10,091 mile train trip through 16 American cities in 21 days. Celebrity personnel on the tour included Greer Garson, Jimmie Cagney, Lucille Ball, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Katheryn Grayson, Paul Henried, Betty Hutton, Jose Iturbi, Harpo Marx, Dick Powell, Mickey Rooney, and others. Judy Garland sings, "This Is The Army, Mr. Jones" during this video. Betty was the only Paramount star on the tour which was dominated by MGM stars. See our Betty At War Gallery (click here) for some additional photos from the tour!
__________________________________________________________________________ Watch our newly posted video of rare Betty Hutton performance footage!
This is a video we made a few years back with some rare footage that was sent to us over the years by Hutton fans (sorry, we misplaced their names) who shot the actual clips as Betty was performing! Some of the video is from the Palace Theatre in NYC. There is also footage of Betty with then husband, Alan Livingston, in Las Vegas. We believe the video with her husband to be the evening of November 9, 1954 when she announced her "retirement" from show business at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. The look on her face is all telling... We had removed the video a long time ago after someone nabbed it on You Tube and posted it as their own. Now that we have the website, things are different, and we are once again posting the video. _______________________________________________________________ October 12, 2011 We hope you all had the opportunity to tune in to the BBC2 radio documentary of Betty Hutton yesterday! It was a great show - as we have come to expect from the BBC. If you didn't get the chance to hear the program, it is available for listening for the next 6 days ONLY. Follow this link, click here, which will take you directly to the program on the BBC2 Radio website! Cheers - and why not enjoy a good cuppa tea while you listen in to some wonderful British Radio... ___________________________________________________________________________ Recently SOLD at auction! (but not by us, of course...) THE FOLLOWING WAS SOLD AT AUCTION IN BEVERLY HILLS, CA on June 18, 2011 as part of the Debbie Reynolds costume collection : One, Betty Hutton “Annie Oakley” complete 10-piece Wild West Show costume from Annie Get Your Gun. (MGM, 1950) Judy Garland was scheduled to play “Annie Oakley” in Annie Get Your Gun, and a number of costumes were made for her, but a few weeks into production it was necessary to replace her with Betty Hutton. Complete outfit of cream suede jacket and two skirts adorned with pink and green floral sequins with matching gloves, hat, boots, belt, and green blouse with scarf. Worn by Betty Hutton as “Annie Oakley” in the Wild West show scene in Annie Get Your Gun. Handwritten label “1450.6433 Betty Hutton.” Costumes designed by Helen Rose. The outfit sold for $11,000. 
 Betty is seen here in the recently sold outfit from "Annie Get Your Gun". It had been part of the Debbie Reynolds costume collection. __________________________________________________________________________ HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BETTY! Feb. 26th, 2011 would have been Betty's 90th Birthday! ___________________________________________________________________________
Listen to Betty speak on the occasion of her 84th Birthday in 2005! Betty casually talks with friends Carl Bruno and Mike Mayer. (Betty was in an assisted living facility at the time, due to a fall in which she broke her arm. She makes reference to a man from the front desk - a person from the office in the care facility.)
__________________________________________________________________________ NEW: January 1, 2011 Impromptu: Chats With Betty Hutton CD containing 68 minutes of previously unpublished chats with Betty (see below for details)
Impromptu: Chats With Betty Hutton is available at a discounted price for BettyHuttonEstate.com visitors from Createspace; an Amazon.com Company. Click here to go to the our Createspace electronic store. When checking out, apply the following discount code to the discount box - 3WEXFNKX It's just that simple! Your CD will be discounted by 20% - that's Impromptu: Chats With Betty Hutton for $28, the least expensive price you will find the CD at, ANYWHERE! CD is also available on Amazon.com at the regular retail price of $34.99
List Price: $34.99 68 minutes, 7 tracks
Betty Hutton Estate UPC: 885444912511
During the last several years of her life, actress Betty Hutton loved to sit in a rocking chair on the back porch of her Palm Springs, California home. There she would chat away the hours with friend Carl Bruno. Often times these talks would lead to revelations about her life and career. Many of these impromptu talks were taped at Betty's insistence so that a permanent record was able to be made of how she saw things during her days in the Hollywood limelight.
Here then are segments from these previously unreleased talks where Betty Hutton gets to speak her mind on a variety of subjects in a candid and often revealing way. Although these audio segments have been professionally enhanced, please keep in mind, they were originally recorded on portable audio equipment. We believe you will agree, these audio segments are invaluable in understanding the true woman behind the legendary Hollywood screen name of, Betty Hutton. 1. All I Want For Christmas... Recorded on December 23, 2004 - 6:02 2. What A Great Film... Recorded on December 28, 2004 - 8:17 3. A Miracle... Recorded on January 11, 2005 - 10:06 4. Stars, Stars, Stars... Recorded on January 29, 2005 - 10:18 5. You Are Never Too Old or Too Rich... Recorded on February 24, 2005 - 10:45
6. Palm Springs Heyday... Recorded on March 8, 2005 - 15:00 7. I Remember... Recorded on April 11, 2006 - 7:47 ___________________________________________________________________________
Betty's Autobiography Is Finally Here!
 Cover of "Backstage You Can Have: My Own Story" by Betty Hutton __________________________________________________________________________ NEW "Backstage You Can Have" is NOW AVAILABLE for sale at Createspace, an Amazon company. We are currently offering a special 20% discount off the retail price of the book just for our Betty Hutton Estate website guests! Click here to go to the our Createspace electronic store. When checking out, apply the following discount code to the discount box - SENPDJTR It's that easy! Your book will be discounted by 20% - and that's the least expensive price you will find a new copy of the book at, ANYWHERE! "Backstage You Can Have: My Own Story" by Betty Hutton for $21.56 Our way of saying THANK YOU for visiting BettyHuttonEstate.com The book is also available directly from Amazon.com at the regular retail price of $26.95 __________________________________________________________________________ Betty Hutton was the top grossing female star at Paramount during much of the 1940s. At the top of her career, she was one of the most celebrated actresses in Hollywood, starring in such movies as "Annie Get Your Gun" and "The Greatest Show On Earth". Without warning, her career and world collapsed virtually overnight. Betty's tumultuous childhood came back to haunt her, and along with it, an addiction to prescription pills that almost ended her life. Betty disappeared from the public eye, until in 1974, when she was discovered living with and caring for priests in a Catholic rectory in Rhode Island. Interest in her and her life returned to the forefront. She began writing this book in 1970, as a means to explain the chain of events that led to her downfall. Sadly, she never finished writing it. After her death in 2007, the Betty Hutton Estate picked up where she left off, and has finally completed her book. Almost 40 years after it was first started, Betty's real story is ready to be told! Includes 70 photos... The book is for sale here, (see link above)., and it is also available exclusively online at Amazon.com 
 Executor, Carl Bruno (left), of the Betty Hutton Estate and co-author of "Backstage You Can Have" and co-author Michael Mayer speak at a book signing held at the Rancho Mirage, Ca. library on November 17, 2009.
 Turner Classic Movie's Robert Osborne introduces Betty's book on TCM after the showing of The Fleet's In. ________________________________________________________________________ 
Oh, here's something Betty Hutton fans should know about... Over the years, there has been much confusion over authentic Betty Hutton signatures. We prefer that Betty's fans not get taken by fake signatures at ever increasing prices! When Betty met Father Peter Maguire in the 1970s, Father told Betty never to sign anything. He was actually referring to any legal papers that might get her into more financial trouble. Betty took Father literally and for a long period of time even refused to give out autographs. (She was simply doing as Father had told her...) When Betty was discovered living with priests in a Rhode Island rectory, over 23,000 fan letters poured in from well-wishers. Most letters requested an autograph in return. Cleaning ladies and friends all got into the act of signing photos for fans, since Betty wouldn't. Even Father Maguire got into the act of signing Betty autographs for awhile. Anyway, to this day, and because of Betty not signing autographs for a long, long while, there are countless non-authentic Betty Hutton signatures floating around on photos everywhere. It is our job to educate you as to what's real and what's not. Below you will find authentic Betty signatures and then some of the fake ones that we have found. Please use EXTREME caution when buying. Even a certificate of authenticity doesn't mean it's real! Educate yourself before buying any autographed item.
 __________________________________________________________________________ Watch this video clip... from It Had To Be You, A Musical Evening with Betty Hutton, starring Crystal Poppell as Betty Hutton. This was a show to benefit For The Children, a Coachella Valley non-profit organization we are members of that assists and mentors foster and adoptive children and their families in and around Palm Springs. The show was taped at the performance on May 17, 2009 at the Riviera Resort in Palm Springs, California. The show was presented by The Betty Hutton Estate.
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At Home In Palm Springs 
 Betty at home in Palm Springs (early 2002) with Estate Executor, Carl Bruno (middle photo) and Michael Mayer. __________________________________________________________________________
Betty Image Of The Month
 We wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year! __________________________________________________________________________ |
A Rise To Stardom The Making of Hollywood's "Blonde Bombshell" There are plenty female stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age who can be given top rankings for being superb beauties and memorable actresses; but there were only a few great entertainers who were in the same league with Betty Hutton. Betty had a dynamic energy that transferred well onto stage and screen and did much to calm and entertain war-weary audiences during the 1940's. Betty is well remembered today for her assertive and humorous novelty tunes that showcased her explosive energy, still, her film roles endure as her most permanent legacy. Because of her high spirits, she became known as the "Blonde Bombshell". Her reign at the top of the film world was a brief 11 years (1942-1952). During that time, she made 20 major feature films. At her peak, she was viewed as a national treasure; one of the most beloved stars and biggest box office attractions on the silver screen. Moviegoers in 1950 named her the year’s Best Actress in a Photoplay magazine poll. Variety even named her 1952's number one female box office attraction. Yet, one year later, her career in film was all but over. Due to a dispute with studio bosses over not allowing her second husband to direct her next film, Betty and Paramount abruptly ended their long and extremely prosperous relationship. Hutton continued to work in radio, appeared several times a year in Las Vegas nightclubs, and eventually tried her luck on the new medium of television; still her career never regained its momentum. An original musical TV spectacular written especially for Betty, Satins and Spurs (1954), was not well received; despite being one of the first television programs televised nationally by NBC in color. In 1959, Betty took a chance by financially backing her own television sitcom, The Betty Hutton Show. The show lasted for only one season. Fortunately, her greatest performances are forever captured on film and continue to delight movie buffs throughout the world today.  Betty was known as the "Blonde Bombshell" because of her bombastic style and personality. Betty Hutton died at home in Palm Springs, Ca. on March 11, 2007 at the age of 86. Betty was born Betty June Thornburg on February 26, 1921, in Battle Creek Michigan. Her father, a railroad worker, abandoned the family shortly after Betty was born. In order to support her two daughters, mother Mabel began to bootleg; running several successful speakeasies during the Prohibition Era. When she was only three, Betty and her older sister, Marion, began singing for the patrons. Their family situation was made even worse by the Great Depression and by Mabel’s growing dependence on alcohol. Trouble with police kept the family on the move. Eventually they ended up in Detroit, virtually penniless, before Mrs. Thornburg became employed for a brief time at an auto assembly plant. Hutton continued singing wherever she could to assist her family financially. By the age of 15, she decided it was time to go to New York and give the big city a try. Told that she'd never make it on the stage, she headed home. After returning to Detroit, at age 16, Betty finally got her big break. It appeared she was on her way to a successful career as a band vocalist when orchestra leader Vincent Lopez spotted the teenager singing in a Detroit nightclub and signed her for $65 a week. Betty soon began making a name for herself in the entertainment world. During 1939, she appeared in several movie musical shorts and in 1940 she left Lopez for a role in the Broadway musical revue, Two for the Show. Soon after, producer B.G. DeSylva signed her for a part in his Broadway musical, Panama Hattie. When DeSylva took over the production reins at Paramount studios in late 1941, he promised to take Betty along to Hollywood. There she got her first featured role in the movie musical, The Fleet's In (1942), along with Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, and Eddie Bracken. With guidance from Buddy DeSylva, Betty was instantly on her way to a successful film career in Hollywood.
From the early 1940's to the mid 1950's, Betty Hutton was a true Hollywood movie star. Nevertheless, four failed marriages, an inability to manage money, and a reputation for being difficult to work with all eventually took their toll. The final straw for Betty’s short but illustrious career in Hollywood was her disagreement with studio execs that led to walking out on her contract. An unfortunate addiction to prescription drugs quickly descended upon the fallen star. In the 1970's, with the help of a Rhode Island priest, Betty managed to turn her unhappy personal life around. She went on to earn a college degree from Salve Regina, a Catholic college for women in Newport, Rhode Island. By the late 1980's she was teaching acting to students at Boston's Emerson College. In 2000, Betty did an hour-long interview for Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Private Screenings: Betty Hutton was an intimate portrait, and marked Betty’s first television interview in 20 years. The show seemed to have a magical effect on everyone who saw it; from her loyal fans to people who had never ever heard of Betty Hutton before. Until the time of her death in 2007, whenever Turner reran Betty’s Private Screenings episode, fan mail poured in from around the country with notes of love and respect for the “Blonde Bombshell”. Betty continued to live in quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her death on March 11, 2007 at the age of 86.  Betty shows off the newly released video tape of her movie, "Annie Get Your Gun" - April 4, 2001 at home in Palm Springs.  The beautiful Betty we all remember! ________________________________________________________________ Betty's Triumphant Return to Michigan in "Let's Dance" One of the most interesting periods durings Betty's Hollywood days has to be her return to Michigan in 1950 for the opening of her film, "Let's Dance", with Fred Astaire. Why so interesting? Well, since Betty grew up in poverty in several cities within Michigan during the depression, her recollections of the place were not real good. At one point, with two small children in tow, Betty's mother, a bootlegger, was chased out of Lansing with the police hot on her trail. Now, in 1950, Betty and her mother were arriving in Lansing as local heroes and celebrities! Kind of a Cinderella story... don't you think? For the full story, you will want to read Chapter 13 in Betty's autobiography, "Backstage, You Can Have". A special thank you to Ben Carbonetto of New York City, Betty's life-long friend, who generously provided us with these photos.
 Amazing! Photos from Betty's career just don't get much better than this... We believe this is Detroit, first stop on the Michigan tour.  Pure Hutton glamour!
 Warming up the audience... Betty and her mother, Mabel, on-stage in Lansing prior to the very first public screening of, "Let's Dance".
 Betty, backstage. She looks like a bundle of nerves!
 Betty saying hello to her Foch Intermediate school, (Detroit) math teacher, Mrs. Deborah Jones (Nov. 24, 1950).
__________________________________________________________________________ Watch our Betty Hutton tribute video!
___________________________________________________________________________ Take a look at one woman's nod to Betty Hutton in her current NYC tribute in song! This video clip (click here) simply can't be missed! We watched it and to be perfectly honest, we're, well, speechless! It just goes to show you, New York City has it all; everything from soup to nuts... Drop us a line and let us know what you think. ___________________________________________________________________________ Here's a really special treat! But probably not as much fun as the above video... Watch this 7 minute video segment from an interview done by Hollywood columnist Mike Connolly in Betty's Los Angeles home in 1955. The complete video is 27 minutes in length.
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His Rocking Horse is solid gold! Betty's song His Rocking Horse Ran Away was so successful, musical team Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen had a special jewelry pin created and presented it to Betty in appreciation. It is a rocking horse. From it a chain leads to a little boy who appears to be flying off of his horse. Both rocking horse and boy are pinned separately from each other to appear as if the boy is in flight after having been thrown from the horse. The pin is solid gold and both the horse and boy have diamond eyes.
 _______________________________________________________________________ Visit our on-line store Click (here) or on the link at the top of this page. Both will take you to our on-line store, sponsored by PayPal. There you will find one-of-a-kind Betty Hutton items for sale. You can use your PayPal account or a credit card at checkout. Simply add items to your cart and checkout when you are done! Just follow the on-line instructions as you checkout. Thank you... ___________________________________________________________________________ Where it all began...  The house Betty Hutton was born in, No.12 Stone Avenue Battle Creek, MI
 Foch Intermediate School in Detroit, Michigan where Betty went to school.
 Betty makes a visit back to school after becoming famous.
 Betty in New York City, around 1939. (Vincent Lopez era)
 Where Betty's meteoric rise to fame all began... Paramount!
 Carl Bruno, Executor of the Betty Hutton Estate, and A.C. Lyles of Paramount take a walk on the studio lot after enjoying lunch at the commissary.
 People lined up and waiting to be discovered at Paramount's main gate in the good old days of Hollywood's studio system. ___________________________________________________________________________
Our NEWEST Book! The Betty Hutton Scrapbook: A Tribute to Hollywood's Blonde Bombshell
The above preview shows ALL 120 pages that are to be found within The Betty Hutton Scrapbook: A Tribute to Hollywood's Blonde Bombshell. This new coffee-table photo book was published by the Betty Hutton Estate in September of 2009. The hardbound book sports 120 sleek pages of both B&W and color photos; many never before seen. The book is divided into 6 sections. The first section begins with Betty's early life and career, accompanied by story text. The second section is Those Fantastic Glamour Shots, followed by Betty On Stage, With Celebrities, The Movies, and Post Hollywood Days. It is the ONLY book of its kind anywhere on Betty Hutton! At present, the book is available from us here at The Betty Hutton Estate in our on-line STORE, or from our printers, BLURB, by clicking on the link in the above book viewer section. The 8 x 10 hardcover book is printed in The United States of America. $69.95 plus shipping. Also available from BLURB in a soft-cover version at a reduced price. ___________________________________________________________________________ OFFICIAL Betty Hutton Commemorative Poster - created by her estate after her death in 2007
 For your very own copy of this 12 x 15 poster, please visit our On-line Store by clicking (here) or the "store" link at the top of this page! __________________________________________________________________________
Video Clip of Memorial Service... held for Betty Hutton at St. Theresa church in Palm Springs on March 23, 2007. A.C. Lyles, long-time Hutton friend and Paramount Studio exec. gave the eulogy. This video clip is small and of less than desirable quality, but it is all here!
 This is the last photo ever taken of Betty Hutton, January 2007.
 Flowers adorned Betty's Hollywood star hours after her death was officially announced by her estate.
 Betty's star, as it appears today on Hollywood Blvd. in LA.
 Headstone at Betty's gravesite, adorned with "pennies from heaven" left by adoring fans - Cathedral City, California ___________________________________________________________________________ BETTY AT WAR! We have had wonderful response from viewers to Betty's WW2 photos! Remember to check out our Betty At War gallery (here). 
_________________________________________________________________________ Upcoming Betty Hutton Movies on Television... 
Program Title: Annie Get Your Gun
DIR: George Sidney. Musical. PLAYING ON TCM: January 3, 2012 at 11:30 PM (Eastern Time) Betty got the role of a lifetime when MGM asked her to step in as a last minute replacement for Judy Garland in the 1950 musical smash, Annie Get Your Gun. But though she had a role tailor-made for her that put her on the cover of Time magazine, Hutton also got a musketful of heartaches that would contribute to the end of her movie career. TCM
_________________________________________________________________________ For a comprehensive look at Betty Hutton's movies and recordings, please visit the following fan site: _________________________________________________________________________ |
