Synopsis

Barbara Windsor celebrates the colourful life and career of Betty Hutton, whose dynamic performances on stage, screen, radio and records earned her the nickname "The Blonde Bombshell".

Starting out as a band singer (her sister Marion sang with Glenn Miller), Betty's irrepressible personality took her to Broadway and Hollywood, where movies included The Fleet's In, Incendiary Blonde, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and (replacing a sick Judy Garland) Annie Get Your Gun.

Betty always gave 110%, and for the Cecil B Demille blockbuster The Greatest Show On Earth, she even taught herself to perform on the trapeze. She was a prolific recording artiste and turned out some great sides including 1950's It's Oh So Quiet, which was later a massive hit for Bjork.

In the 50s Betty fought with Paramount, walked out on her contract, and the doors of Hollywood banged shut behind her. She turned to stage shows and TV but never again attained the real stardom she had once enjoyed.
Four marriages later, she was lost, bankrupt and addicted to prescription drugs.

When she met Father Peter McGuire, a Roman Catholic Priest, Betty managed to turn her life around. She went to live and work as his housekeeper and cook, and studied, before going on to teach drama at Boston's Emerson College. When Father Peter died, Betty moved to Palm Springs, living comfortably with friends until she died on 12 March 2007.

This tribute features new interviews and archive material with friends and colleagues who knew Betty personally. There's also a previously unheard recording of Betty reflecting on her exciting life.