Actress, Singer Betty Hutton Dead at 86

Betty Hutton, musical comedy star of the 40's and 50's, best known for her booming voice and talent with novelty songs, has passed away at the age of 86. Hutton is largely identified with the light comic material in which she excelled (If you see one Betty Hutton film make it The Miracle of Morgans Creek), but actually she came from a troubled family background that included suicide and bootlegging. Ms. Hutton herself was laid low by the booze, and eventually found herself doing laundry and janitorial work for some Catholic monks. However she was eventually able to overcome her addictions, and spent much of her later life lecturing on the dangers of the drink. Betty Hutton's music was the subject of an episode of my late radio show 'The Ghostwood Development Project' in August of 2005.