Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Betty Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 26, 1921, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Two years later, Betty's father decided that the family way of life wasn't for him, so he left (he committed suicide 16 years later). Having to fend for themselves, Mrs. Thornburg moved the family to Detroit to find work in the numerous auto factories there, but times were hard and she decided to take advantage of Prohibition and opened a small tavern, at the time called a speakeasy. The police were always looking for those types of operation, both big and small, and when they detected one, they swooped in and closed it down. Mrs. Thornburg was no different from the other owners, they simply moved elsewhere. Poverty was a constant companion. In addition to that, Mrs. Thornburg was an alcoholic.

At nine years old, Betty began singing publicly for the first time in a school production. Realizing the voice Betty had, her mother took her around Detroit to have her sing to any group that would listen. This was a small way of getting some money for the poor family. When she was 13, Betty got a few singing jobs with local bands in the area. Thinking she was good enough to make the big time, she left for New York two years later to try a professional career. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and Betty headed back to Detroit.

In 1937, Betty was hired by Vincent Lopez who had a popular band that appeared on the local radio. Later, she would return to New York and it was here that her career took off. Betty found herself on Broadway in 1940, and it was only a matter of time before her career took off to bigger heights. The following year, she left New York for Hollywood, where she was to find new life in films. She was signed by Paramount Pictures and made her debut, at 21, in The Fleet's In (1942), along with Eddie Bracken, William Holden and Dorothy Lamour. Reviews were better than expected, with critics looking favorably upon her work. She had previously appeared in a few musical shorts, which no doubt helped her in her first feature film. She made one more musical in 1942 and two more in 1943.

In 1944, she tried to break away from musicals and try her hand in a screwball comedy, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943). She proved - to herself, the public and the critics - that she was marketable outside musicals. In subsequent films, Betty was able to show her comedic side as well as her singing. In 1948, she appeared in her first big box-office bomb, Dream Girl (1948), which was ripped to shreds by critics, as was Betty's acting, and the movie flopped at the box office. It wasn't long before Betty became unhappy with her career. In truth, she had the acting talent, but the parts she got weren't the types to showcase that. Though she did appear in three well-received films later, Red, Hot and Blue (1949), Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), her career was winding down.

Later, after filming Somebody Loves Me (1952), Betty was all but finished. She had married Charles O'Curran that year and he wanted to direct her in an upcoming film. Paramount didn't like the idea and the temper tantrum-prone Betty walked out of her contract and movies. She did concentrate on the relatively new medium of television and the stage, but she never recovered her previous form. Her final film was a minor one, Spring Reunion (1956). Her TV series, The Betty Hutton Show (1959), didn't fare too well at all. Betty lived in quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her death on March 11, 2007. She was 86 years old.

Betty Hutton in Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

I worked out of desperation. I used to hit fast and run in hopes that
people wouldn&#39;t realize that I really couldn&#39;t do anything.

I don&#39;t know where it&#39;s all going to lead. I have no idea where I&#39;m
going. I would just like to be happy.

Some kind of fun lasts longer than others.

Then the ceiling fell in and the bottom fell out I went into a spin and
I started to shout I&#39;ve been hit. This is it. This is it! I . . T . . .
IT!

I don&#39;t even have many friends anymore because I backed away from them.
When things went wrong for me I didn&#39;t want them to have any part of my
trouble.

I think things are going to go right for me again. I&#39;m not old. I&#39;m old
enough, but I photograph young, thank God, and I still have a public. I
still get fan mail.

I was a commodity, like a hot dog. It was like hot dogs and Betty
Hutton.

I am not a great singer and I am not a great dancer, but I am a great
actress, and nobody ever let me act except [director] <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0002545/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Preston Sturges</a>.
He believed in me.

My husbands all fell in love with Betty Hutton. None of them fell in love with me.

[on <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0042200/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Annie Get Your Gun (1950)</a>] The cast was awful to me. They wanted Judy [<a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0000023/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Judy Garland</a>]. [The film] was the end of me.

When I&#39;m working with jerks with no talent, I raise hell until I get what I want.

Professionally, my career was great, but never was the scene offstage great for me.

Quotes

Betty Hutton

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