Betty Hutton, who died this week at 86, was a versatile star of movies, musicals, and TV, but only rarely did she hook up with a project that allowed her to reach her full potential. Though her fame peaked more than 50 years ago, her bio remains a cautionary tale for today’s Hollywood, so eager to pigeonhole its actresses.
Hutton was certainly hard to pigeonhole. Tall, gangly, and tomboyish, she had a bombshell body but not smoldering sex appeal. She had dramatic gifts, but she was better at knockabout comedy than at playing the romantic lead. She sang not prettily but with great enthusiasm. This unlikely combination of gifts turned out to make her an ideal fit for the lead role of Annie Oakley that Ethel Merman had created in Annie Get Your Gun, when the Irving Berlin musical became a film (pictured) in 1950.
She starred in a number of musicals in Hollywood and on Broadway, acted in several biopics in the 1940s, and had her own TV series in the late 1950s, but her insistence on controlling her career may have doomed her as much as her unusual mix of talents. Even today, Hollywood has few roles suited to a tall, funny, tomboyish bombshell. (Jenna Elfman may be the closest in spirit to Hutton among today’s stars.)
As a result, Hutton is best remembered today for just three movies. One is Annie Get Your Gun; another is The Greatest Show on Earth (which TCM will air on Thursday as part of a mini-tribute to Hutton, along with Robert Osborne’s latter-day interview with the actress), a movie notorious as the weakest film ever to win the Best Picture Oscar (Hutton plays the female lead, a trapeze artist, in a very broad performance). The third is Preston Sturges’ 1944 classic The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, one of the funniest films ever made, and still one of the most outrageous. Hutton is delightful, sweet, and effervescent in the lead role of a young woman who wakes up after a drunken night with a group of departing soldiers to find herself married to one of them — she can’t remember which one — and pregnant. Writer/director Sturges called her "a full-fledged actress with every talent the noun implies. She plays inmusicals because the public, which can do practically nothing well, iswilling to concede its entertainers only one talent." Sixty years later, not much has changed.
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I have to say popwatch.
You do amazing tributes to starts recently passed.
Awww!! This is strange because I was just singing “Anything You Can Do…” and thinking of her singing with Howard Keel. And I agree, you do do excellent tributes.
Tall ? I think you will find she was no more than 5′3″. Her performance in Annie Get Your Gun was, I feel, absolutely flawless. Her facial expressions were so endearing during Howard Keel’s “The Girl That I Marry” !
You’ve made no mention of her outstanding filmed performances during the forties in the shorts made for troops overseas that showcased her exuberant dancing ability as well as her singing, and at that time, her ravishing beauty.
Didn’t know where else to share this, but since we’re on the subject of musicals…
Former contestant of Rock Star: INXS, Suzie McNeil, is starring in Toronto’s production of We Will Rock You! Get a move on, EW! I expect a story soon.
I also love your tributes—I learned to love the films of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s because of my mom. To be honest I prefer them to today’s current crop of movies and stars. Thanks for acknowledging these actors and actresses and giving them the credit they deserve in a world that has pretty much forgotten their contributions to the world of entertainment. “Miracle of Morgan’s Creek” is one of my favorites—Betty Hutton was always so much fun to watch.
Okay, I’m going to be a hater. I just watched “Annie Get Your Gun” a few weeks ago, and I was amazed (and dismayed) by how totally over the top Betty’s acting in that movie was. She took mugging to a whole new level! However, she was hilarious in “The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek”. She had a very interesting personal life – check out her Wikipedia bio for info on her mother.
I’ve only known Betty’s work from Annie Get Your Gun… but after reading the wonderful tributes, I’ll be sure to check out her other films.
I watched ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ a few weeks ago and think it is really getting a bumb rap as it seems to hold up better than some of the other films nominated that year.
I have a soft spot in my heart for her performance in “Red, Hot and Blue” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041795/) because that was the first film I ever saw her in, on my aunt and uncle’s tv in the early 90s. She had such a huge talent.
http://www.allaboute.net/blog
I’ve never seen the movie, Annie Get Your Gun. I may rent it now. I liked the Greatest Show on Earth. I don’t know if it deserved an Oscar, but I thought it was cute.
I got on an old movie kick recently after buying some Classic Movie DVD packs recommended in EW. I just discovered Jean Arthur and I think she’s fantastic. I’ll see if I’ve been missing out on Betty Hutton, too.
I just found out that Turner Classic Movies is doing a special salute to the late Betty Hutton’s film career on Thursday, March 15.
Here is the lineup (based on Eastern Daylight Time):
12:00 p.m. MGM Parade Show #27
12:30 p.m. “The Stork Club”
2:15 p.m. “The Perils of Pauline”
4:00 p.m. “The Greatest Show on Earth”
7:00 p.m. “Private Screenings: Betty Hutton,” an interview she did in 2000 with TCM host Robert Osborne.
Her movies cant conpare today’s films-corny to say”they dont make ‘em like they used to”.The music tracks now is a hiphop nightmare-compared to the big band sound in musicals Betty Hutton starred.Watch Stork Club.she’s a ham,sure.But that was her “gimmick”.She had a tough personal life. She’ll be missed-but will go on in her films!
Betty Hutton lives on at http://www.DRAMA.TV Starring in The Perils of Pauline! It’s free and no forms.
The ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ may be weak, but I’ve never tired of it, I’ll watch it every time it plays. In contrast, who watches ‘Forrest Gump’ any more?
I am glad my girls have had the chance to watch entertaining movies from the Golden Age. We loved Betty Hutton and will miss her.
As a young girl growing up, she was my very favorite and to this day, I treasure seeing her movies. “Rocking Horse Ran Away.” was my favorite song she sang. I thought I read where she finished college..I hope her last days were good. Also I would love to know about her daughters.
I fell in love with Betty Hutton while a teenager in the 50’s. She had that energy level that just generated in me enthusiasm. Yes, life can be a “rocking horse” but Betty took it and showed us that we must go on. Even though she had her troubles she sent the message that “There is no business like show business.”
I really loved everything Betty Hutton did. She was certainly a unique individual who could make you smile or cry with equal ease. “Annie Get Your Gun” was my favorite of all her movies. When I saw it on TCM for the umpteenth time a few months ago, I wanted to watch it all over again. If you haven’t seen it, give yourself a treat and check it out.
I loved Betty Hutton and was sad to hear she died. I admired her work and I hope that some of her other films such as Incendiary Blonde Red Hot and Blue Dream Girl and Somebody loves Me will now be shown to let audiences see how talented and what a big star she was. Also I admire the fact that she kicked her addictions went to college and received degrees and was able to gain some self respect and be able to take care of herself. In that regard she proved to people there is life after Hollywood.
I was sad to hear of Betty’s passing. She was a tremendous actress, singer, and comedian.
She will be missed by her many fans.
I have posted a piece about her on my blog. Please feel free to stop by, read it, and post your own thoughts.
http://moretexastruth.blogspot.com
texastruthblog@yahoo.com
My Idol, Betty and I have never forgotten sing The Sewing Machine in my room at age 14.I will always treasure her Movies.
I too was very sad to her that Betty hutton has passed away. My biggest treat each week was a trip to the movies with my Mom who adored all the wonderful musicals from MGM Etc.I remeber her taking me to see Annie Get Your Gun which I enjoyed so much and remember so well 57 years later.
Betty Hutton was a ball of fire. Her performances were loaded with enthusiasm and great spirit. No one today can even come close to what she brought to the screen. I love her and I appreciate the amazing legacy she left behind.
“Greatest Show On Earth” was a worse “Best Picture” winner than “Gandhi”? I think not. I still can’t sit through “Gandhi”! “GSOE” may have been “‘Peyton Place’ under the Big Top”, but at least it wasn’t overrun by it’s own pretentiousness.
I rediscovered Betty Hutton about five years ago and was just as enthralled by her performance in the new dvd of “Annie Get Your Gun” as I was as a small boy in the early fifties. I have since collected a number of her movies on DVD and also her music on CD.She is in my opinion the greatest Subret Comedienne of the twentieth century. Her artistic genius was so immense as to be immeasurable and the great thing about it is that its still on record and can be enjoyed forever.America should be very proud of her achievements.
I would like to find the movie Incendiary Blond Is there anyone who could help me find it
The passing of Betty Hutton saddened me. I loved her from the first movie I saw her in, ‘The Fleets In’ and when she appeared at the Palladium in London England I saved my pocket money and went to see her. She did not disappoint. She was a great entertainer, her rendition of the song ‘It had to be You’ in Incendery Blonde’ is one of my all time favourites plus all of the songs in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ she’s always been sorely missed. Rest in Peace Betty.
Betty Hutton’s movie on DVD are so limited. Why can’t they put them all on DVD so we can have all her wonderful movies? If you go to the TCM site and go into “Wallpaper” you can type in all her great movies that are not out on DVD yet and vote for them. Maybe if everybody would vote for them, they would put them all on DVD for us all. Incendiary Blonde, Red Hot and Blue, Dream Girl, Somebody Loves Me, and Star Spangled Rhythm. I would love to add these to my collection. Go Vote!!!
I know that it has been many months since her death, but with ward show season approaching I can’t help but think of all of the talented performers that have passed in 2007. Betty Hutton’s performance in Annie Get Your Gun is one that girls my age(18) can look up to. “I Can Do Anything Better” brightens my day when I watch it. As an MGM Musical fan, I’ll always remember that song and the way she performed it. I’ll never forget her.