30 Stunning Portraits of a Young and Beautiful Betty Hutton in the 1940s

Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appearing primarily in musicals and became one of the studio’s most valuable stars. She was noted for her energetic performance style.

She started the decade on Broadway with hits like Two for the Show (1940) and Panama Hattie (1940), where her “overdrive” energy even led to songs being cut to keep the show balanced. After signing with Paramount in 1941, she made her feature debut in The Fleet’s In (1942). Her major breakthrough came in Preston Sturges’s screwball comedy The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944), which proved she could handle both comedy and dramatic acting.

During World War II, she was a favorite for entertaining the troops and starred in morale-boosting hits like Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) and Here Come the Waves (1944). She dominated the mid-to-late 1940s with films like Incendiary Blonde (1945), where she played Texas Guinan, and The Perils of Pauline (1947).

Below is a selection of 30 stunning portraits of a young and beautiful Betty Hutton in the 1940s:

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Amazing Photos of Johnny Cash Taken by Michael Rougier for LIFE Magazine, 1969

In 1969, photographer Michael Rougier captured one of the most intimate and revealing photo essays of Johnny Cash for LIFE magazine. Unlike the grit of the Folsom or San Quentin concert photos, Rougier’s work focused on Cash’s life during a massive career pivot.

This was a “rebirth” year for Cash. He had recently married June Carter, was celebrating the success of his live prison albums, and was filming The Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium.

One of the most famous shots depicts Cash walking along railway tracks near his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, carrying his guitar. He was also photographed posing in front of the historic Dixie 576 steam locomotive in Nashville.

Rougier documented Cash during recording sessions at Columbia Studio B in Nashville. The collection includes intimate photos of Cash with family and friends at his Tennessee home, as well as portraits with fellow artists like Glen Campbell.

Rougier was known for his “fly-on-the-wall” approach. Because Cash was notoriously guarded, these photos are highly regarded for their authenticity. They didn't feel like staged publicity stills; they felt like a window into the life of a man who was finally finding peace after years of drug addiction and legal trouble.

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Suzanne Pleshette: The Voice and Wit of Television’s Golden Era

Suzanne Pleshette (1937–2008) was a quintessential star of American stage and screen, celebrated for her husky, sultry voice and a sharp comedic wit that made her a household name.

While Pleshette began her career as a serious dramatic actress on Broadway and in films like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, she found her greatest fame as Emily Hartley on the 1970s sitcom The Bob Newhart Show. As Emily, she redefined the “sitcom wife” by portraying a woman who was fiercely intelligent, independent, and an equal partner to her husband, all delivered with her signature dry humor.

Her career spanned five decades, earning her multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and cementing her status as a versatile performer who could pivot effortlessly from high-stakes drama to sophisticated banter. Off-screen, Pleshette was beloved for her earthy personality and “tell-it-like-it-is” attitude, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most charismatic and enduring figures of the Golden Age of Television.

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Daguerreotype Portrait of “Mona Lisa of the Deep” Found in the Wreck of a Ship That Sank in 1857

In 2014, an extraordinary discovery emerged from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean: a hauntingly well-preserved daguerreotype of an unidentified woman, found in the wreckage of the SS Central America. The ship had sunk in 1857, resting about 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) deep off the coast of South Carolina. Alongside this enigmatic portrait, explorers recovered a staggering treasure valued at over $765 million in today’s currency.

As scientists worked to recover gold and other items from the ship in 2014, they found more than 100 photos, many in glass case holders. A majority were degraded beyond recognition, but 10 standouts are remarkably clear, including this striking daguerreotype portrait, which was found in a pile of the ship’s coal on the seabed. Because the deep ocean is cold, dark, and low in oxygen, and because daguerreotypes are made on metal rather than paper, the image was perfectly preserved.

Scientists dubbed it the “Mona Lisa of the Deep” due to the woman’s enigmatic smile and the hauntingly clear preservation of the image after 157 years underwater. To this day, the woman remains unidentified. Historians believe she may have been a relative of one of the miners, a “treasure” more personal and valuable to its owner than the gold that sank with it. In March 2023, the original daguerreotype was sold at auction for $73,800.

“She’s the Mona Lisa of the depths... staring up at the living from the seabed,”  said Bob Evans, Chief Scientist of the recovery mission.

In September 1857, the SS Central America was traveling from Panama to New York City. It was carrying over 30,000 pounds (13.6 tonnes) of gold, much of it belonging to miners returning from the California Gold Rush, to help bolster New York banks during a financial crisis.

On September 9, the ship encountered a Category 2 hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas. For days, the crew and passengers fought to keep the ship afloat. On September 12, 1857, the ship’s boilers failed, leaving it powerless. Despite rescue efforts by passing vessels, the SS Central America sank roughly 160 miles off the coast of South Carolina.

The sinking of the SS Central America remains one of the most significant maritime disasters in American history. Of the 578 people on board, 425 lost their lives. The loss of the gold cargo was so massive that it directly contributed to the Panic of 1857, the first global economic recession.

The wreck was located in 1988 at a depth of 7,200 feet (1.3 miles), but the “Mona Lisa of the Deep” wasn’t recovered until a later expedition in 2014.

Small Hats, Big Impact: The Visionary Craft of Michael Chanda

Born in Czechoslovakia and brought to the United States as an infant, Michael Chanda (1920–2004), known simply by his mononym, Chanda, was a master milliner whose career was defined by youthful elegance and a keen understanding of the modern woman.

After honing his craft for three years at the prestigious salon of Hattie Carnegie and gaining experience with New York theatrical designers, Chanda launched his own business in 1944. He carved out a unique niche in the market by specializing in small, understated hats, recognizing that petite frames and comfort were often overlooked in mainstream fashion.

Chanda’s signature style transcended generational boundaries, his “trademark” youthful hats were designed to be worn by women aged 20 to 70 alike. He believed that a small, sophisticated headpiece did more than just fit well, it possessed a transformative power, making the wearer look both younger and effortlessly “right.” His legacy remains a testament to the idea that true style is not about age, but about the timeless grace of well-proportioned design.

Betty Threatt wearing a hat made up of gold surplus Navy braid by Chanda, silver faille dress by Charles James, Kislav gloves, photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Harper's Bazaar, November 1946

Inga Lindgren in beautifully cut gray flannel dress, gold threads lining the neck and sleeves by Jo Copeland, small gold braid hat by Chanda, jewelry by Verdura, photo by Richard Avedon, Harper's Bazaar, October 1946

Bambi Lynn, star of "Alice in Wonderland", in hat by Chanda, photo by Serge Balkin, Glamour, 1947

Dorian Leigh in a wrap coat sweeping from a lavish fox collar to a narrow swathed look at the hem by Carolyn, hat by Chanda, Vogue, October 1, 1947

Dorian Leigh in satin with crêpe dress ftrom Carolyn, hat by Chanda, Harper's Bazaar, July 1, 1947

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Candid Photographs of James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor During the Filming of “Giant” in 1955

During the filming of Giant in 1955, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor formed a deep, legendary friendship. Their bond was built on late-night conversations and shared vulnerabilities while on location in Marfa, Texas. Taylor (23) and Dean (24) became inseparable during the grueling shoot. They were both young stars navigating the pressures of Hollywood, but they came from different worlds: Taylor was the polished product of the MGM studio system, while Dean was the volatile poster boy for Method acting.

The two famously stayed up until the early morning hours in Taylor’s trailer or at the El Paisano Hotel, talking for hours. It was during these sessions that Dean reportedly confided his deepest traumas to Taylor, including the childhood abuse he suffered after his mother’s death. “We would sometimes sit up until three in the morning,” Elizabeth recalled, “and the next day he would just look straight through me as if he’d given away or revealed too much of himself.”

The set was often tense because Dean and co-star Rock Hudson famously disliked each other. Hudson found Dean’s “mumbling” and eccentric acting style unprofessional. Taylor, who became lifelong friends with Hudson, often acted as the emotional bridge between the two men.

The most poignant chapter of their friendship is its sudden end. James Dean was killed in a car accident just as the Texas portion of filming was wrapping up. Director George Stevens broke the news to the cast and crew while they were watching “dailies” (raw footage). Taylor was so devastated she reportedly had to be hospitalized for several days due to physical illness brought on by grief.

In a move Taylor never forgave, Stevens forced her to return to work the very next day to film reaction shots for a scene she had originally played with Dean. She had to act “in love” with the space where her deceased friend should have been standing.

The photographs of them from 1955 remain some of the most iconic images of the Golden Age. They capture a rare, unguarded moment of two icons who found a brief sanctuary in each other before one of them became an immortal legend.

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106 Year-Old William Casby With His Great-Great-Granddaughter Photographed by Richard Avedon, 1963

In 1963, Richard Avedon’s camera captured a moment that collapses time. William Casby, born in 1857, holds his great-great-granddaughter Cherri Stamps-McCray. He’s 106. She’s an infant. The contrast is jarring.

Captured on March 24, 1963, in Algiers, Louisiana, this photograph serves as a “living bridge” between eras of American history.

Born into slavery in 1857 in Algiers, Louisiana (or possibly Danville, Virginia, according to some records), Casby was among the last living Americans with direct memories of enslavement. He later worked as a longshoreman in Louisiana and lived to the age of 113, passing away in 1970.

Avedon traveled to the South after reading a newspaper article about Casby’s 106th birthday. The photo was taken on March 24, 1963, just months before the March on Washington. It was part of Avedon’s collaboration with writer James Baldwin for the book Nothing Personal (1964), which explored the state of American identity.

William Casby, one of the last living Americans born into slavery, surrounded by several generations of his family, Algiers, Louisiana, March 24, 1963. “It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere,” Baldwin writes in Nothing Personal. “To know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light. What the light reveals is danger, and what it demands is faith.”

Avedon utilized his signature minimalist approach to give the portrait a “forensic” intensity. By stripping away environmental context, Avedon forces the viewer to confront Casby’s physical presence, the “avalanche of age” reflected in his deep wrinkles and steady gaze.

This large-format camera captured immense detail, emphasizing the texture of Casby’s skin and the sheer size of his hands, which many viewers note look like those of a man who worked hard his entire life (he was a longshoreman for decades).

William Casby, Algiers, Louisiana, March 24, 1963.

The photograph is often cited by historians and critics (including Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida) for its ability to collapse time. When it was published, it served as a reminder that slavery was not “ancient history;” the man in the photo had personally experienced it, yet was alive to hold a child who would grow up in the space-age 20th century.