The stories of Jane Wyman and Betty Hutton — and an entrance into the Church on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
BY MARY CLAIRE KENDALL
| Posted 12/8/11 at 9:15 PM
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/hollywood-as-a-precursor-to-faith/ See below for feature, as originally written by author.
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| Jane Wyman (left) and Betty Hutton - Register photo illustration by Melissa Hartog |
Hollywood, amazingly, has served as a precursor to faith — as in the case of Jane Wyman and Betty Hutton, who were as different as night and day.
The two stars’ paths crossed in 1951 as Hutton’s star was fading and Wyman’s was rising.
At the time, Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer had written In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening expressly for Hutton. But Paramount Pictures used the Oscar-winning song in a different film, Here Comes the Groom, starring Bing Crosby and Wyman.
Wyman’s next film, The Blue Veil (1951), set in and around St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, longtime friend Virginia Zamboni confided, was her “favorite” — and the catalyst for her conversion.
Though Protestant, Wyman had begun attending mass with Loretta Young. In the wake of her divorce from Ronald Reagan in 1948, she continued to grieve over the death of her newborn, Christina, in 1947, A favorite destination was the Dominican sisters’ Monastery of the Angels.
While filming The Blue Veil, premised on the loss of the protagonist’s newborn son, the teachings of the Catholic faith, especially the redemptive meaning of suffering, “hit” Wyman “in the face,” Zamboni recalled. Wyman developed a strong devotion to Mary; three years later, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, she was received into the Catholic Church.
In 1969, her film career over, she tucked away her Oscars and focused on the present.
Since 1994, Wyman attended Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert, Calif. Father Howard Lincoln, the pastor, observed that “whenever our parish or our diocese rang the doorbell of Jane Wyman’s heart, she always answered.”
He had never seen a $100,000 check, he said, until she wrote one for the church.
In 2007, Jane Wyman died at age 90. A Third Order Dominican, she was buried in her habit in a pine coffin. At her funeral, Father Lincoln described the former star as “the antithesis of Sunset Boulevard and Norma Desmond” — the has-been silent-film star in Billy Wilder’s classic film who craved a “return.”
Her faith, Zamboni said, “meant everything” to Wyman.
While Wyman’s path to the faith was neat and orderly, Hutton’s was long and circuitous.
Hutton’s early childhood was a hardscrabble existence. She was 2 years old when her father abandoned the family. The following year her singing debut was prompted by a drunken man who threatened to beat her mother up in her speakeasy. Decades later, she described the frightening scene for TCM’s Robert Osbourne in a July 2000 interview.
During the Great Depression, Hutton sang on street corners to help keep food on the family table. Then, when her mother — a “total alcoholic” but the “most brilliant, wonderful woman,” Hutton told Osbourne — took her to see a Charlie Chaplin film, she vowed: “I’m gonna be a star, and my mother will stop drinking.” (corrected)
She quickly began getting one break after another, until the Broadway producer Buddy DeSylva became the production head at Paramount and brought her to Hollywood.
From her first film in 1941, Hutton consistently wowed audiences. But she could never escape the wounds of her childhood, especially the lack of a father figure.
In January 1950, she divorced her husband of five years. Three months later, she landed the role of a lifetime in Annie Get Your Gun. But despite her professional success, her life unraveled in 1952. Hutton injured her arm while filming The Greatest Show on Earth and became addicted to prescription pills. That same year, she tore up her Paramount contract.
By 1971, two years after good friend Judy Garland died of a drug overdose, Hutton feared she was destined for a similar end. She confronted a legacy of four shattered marriages and a wrecked career. “I almost didn’t care anymore. I didn’t want to go on,” she told Osbourne.
Then, while recuperating from her addiction to prescription pills, something miraculous happened.
As Father Peter Maguire of St. Anthony’s Church in Portsmouth, R.I., checked his cook into the same rehabilitation center where Hutton sought treatment, the star saw a very special priest calmly showing affection and respect for his ailing employee.
And, she thought, I’m going to meet that man. He’s going to save my life.
Hutton later asked the cook about Father Maguire and was told, “Betty, he helps everybody.” One thing led to another, and soon Betty was at the rectory cooking and cleaning.
When she met Father Maguire, Hutton said, “My life just turned around.”
“I never found me until Father Maquire,” she told Osbourne. The priest “had the heart to understand me. ”
And, for the first time ever, she said, she didn’t have to pretend she wasn’t upset.
“Betty, you’re just a very hurt child,” Hutton said he told her. “Let’s start from the word go.”
“And that’s how I became a Catholic,” she recalled. “It was so great — because as I walked down the aisle and I know I’m going to receive Christ, I would sob so, because this brought something out of me I never knew was in there. That’s my heart. Christ is my heart. But I didn’t know him. I did not know God.”
Hutton also had a great devotion to Our Lady, explaining, “I don’t move anywhere without my rosary.”
After completing high-school studies under Father Maguire’s tutelage, Hutton attended Salve Regina College in Newport, R.I., earning a master’s degree in liberal studies in 1986. She taught drama there, as well as at Emerson College in Boston.
In March 1997, she moved back to California, where she lived in Palm Springs until her death at age 86, in 2007.
So it is that God enveloped Wyman and Hutton in his love — by way of Hollywood.
Mary Claire Kendall is a Washington-based journalist and screenwriter.
Copyright © 2011 Circle Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mary Claire Kendall is a Washington-based journalist and screenwriter.
AS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN:
Hollywood as Precursor to Faith:
The Stories of Jane Wyman and Betty Hutton
The Stories of Jane Wyman and Betty Hutton
By Mary Claire Kendall
Hollywood, amazingly, often serves as a precursor to faith—as in the case of Jane Wyman and Betty Hutton, different as night and day.
From childhood, Wyman, adopted in 1921 at age 4 after her parent divorced and father died, was quiet and reserved. Betty Hutton, the consummate entertainer, starting in 1924 at age 3, belted out songs with her warm smile and energetic moves.
The two stars’ paths crossed in 1951 as Hutton’s star was fading, Wyman’s rising.
Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer had written “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” expressly for Hutton but Paramount Pictures used the Oscar-winning song instead in Here Comes the Groom, starring Bing Crosby and Wyman.
Wyman’s next film, The Blue Veil (1951), set in and around St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, long-time friend Virginia Zamboni confided, was her “favorite,” and the catalyst for her conversion.
Though Protestant, in the wake of her divorce from Ronald Reagan in 1948, Wyman, still grieving over the death of her newborn, Christina, in 1947, began attending mass with Loretta Young. She particularly liked going to the Dominican sisters’ Monastery of the Angels.
While filming The Blue Veil, ironically premised on the loss of the protagonist’s newborn son, the faith—especially the meaning of suffering—Zamboni said, “hit (her) in the face.” Wyman was very devoted to Mary and, three years later, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, she was received into the Catholic Church.
In 1969, her film career over, she tucked away her Oscars and focused on the present.
Father Howard Lincoln, Pastor of Sacred Heart in Palm Desert, Wyman’s parish since 1994, said, “Whenever our parish or our diocese rang the doorbell of Jane Wyman’s heart, she always answered.” He had never seen a $100,000 check, he said, until she wrote one for the church.
Jane Wyman died at age 90 on September 10, 2007. A Third Order Dominican, she was buried in habit in a pine coffin. Wyman, Fr. Lincoln said at her funeral, “was the antithesis of Sunset Boulevard and Norma Desmond”—the “has been” silent film star in Billy Wilder’s classic film, who craved a “return.”
Her faith, Zamboni said, “meant everything really” to Wyman.
While Wyman’s path to the faith was neat and orderly, Hutton’s was long and circuitous.
Unlike Wyman’s early life—materially comfortable, albeit emotionally wanting—Hutton’s was hardscrabble from age 2, after her father abandoned the family.
Her singing debut at age 3 was prompted by a drunken man who threatened to beat her mother up in her speakeasy—a frightening scene, she told TCM’s Robert Osbourne in a July 2000 interview, she remembered “like it was yesterday.”
Hutton sang on street corners to help keep food on the family table during the Great Depression. Then, when her mother—a “total alcoholic” but the “most brilliant, wonderful woman,” Hutton told Osbourne—took her to see a Charlie Chaplin film, she thought “I’m gonna be a star and my mother will stop drinking.”
She did—getting one break after another, until Broadway producer Buddy DeSylva became production head at Paramount and brought her to Hollywood.
From her first film in 1941, she consistently wowed audiences, but could never escape the wounds of childhood, especially the lack of a father figure.
Emotionally brittle, in January 1950, she divorced her husband of five years—three months later landing the role of a lifetime in Annie Get Your Gun. Seemingly on top of the world, her life unraveled in 1952 after DeSylva died and she injured her arm while filming The Greatest Show on Earth, becoming addicted to prescription pills. That same year she tore up her Paramount contract.
By 1971, two years after good friend Judy Garland died of a drug overdose at age 47, Hutton—age 50, surveying four shattered marriages and a wrecked career—was on track for the same fate. “I almost didn’t care anymore. I didn’t want to go on,” she told Osbourne.
Then, while recuperating from addiction to prescription pills—“uppers, downers, inners, outers, I took everything I could get my hands on” (AP, 1980)—something miraculous happened.
Rev. Peter J. Maguire from St. Anthony’s in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, was checking his cook into the same rehab center and Hutton saw a very special priest calmly showing affection and respect for his ailing employee.
And, she thought, “I’m going to meet that man. He’s going to save my life.”
When the cook got better, she asked her about Fr. Maguire, who told her, “Betty, he helps everybody.” One thing led to another and soon Betty was at the rectory cooking and cleaning.
When she met Fr. Maguire, Hutton said, “My life just turned around.”
“I never found me until Fr. Maquire,” she told Osbourne.
“Fr. Maquire,” she said, “had the heart to understand me… ” And, for the first time ever, she said, she didn’t have to pretend she wasn’t upset.
“Betty, you’re just a very hurt child,” Hutton said he told her. “Let’s start from the word go.”
“And, that’s how I became a Catholic,” she said.
“When I became a Catholic,” she continued, “it was so great because as I walked down the aisle and I know I’m going to receive Christ, I would sob so because this brought something out of me I never knew was in there. That’s my heart. Christ is my heart. But, I didn’t know him. I did not know God.”
Hutton also had a great devotion to Our Lady, explaining “I don’t move anywhere without my rosary…”
After completing high school studies under Fr. Maguire’s tutelage, Hutton attended Salve Regina College in Newport, from which she graduated in May 1986, earning a Masters of Liberal Studies. She taught drama there and at Emerson in Boston. In March 1997, she moved back to California, where she lived in Palm Springs until her death at age 86 on March 11, 2007.
So it is that God enveloped Wyman and Hutton in his love—by way of Hollywood.
December 7, 2011
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