Reminiscing Life on EZ Chair: The uncertainties of life is best illustrated from the lives of some of the most beautiful women of Hollywood. The state of happiness is elusive for lot more people than many common folks like to believe. Sadness and suffering is a part of life; Betty Hutton faced a great deal of hardship after being addicted to alcohol and controlled substances, and a failed suicide attempt. Doris Day had to agonize over four bad marriages and the death of her only son to skin cancer. Betty Grable was exploited by the studios for her beauty and million dollar legs. For both Doris Day and Betty Grable, their husbands had embezzled all their earnings leaving them in deep debt. Lana Turner had many failed relationship with men just like Jayne Mansfield, Mae West, and Marilyn Monroe. The most excruciating was physical abuse from her mobster – boyfriend Johnny Stompanato and her 14 year old daughter charged for murder and tried as an adult.
Betty Hutton: Betty had a tumultuous life, starting off with a difficult childhood, but worked hard to establish herself on Broadway, and later in movies. In 1967, her life turned to despair as her mother passed away and she declared bankruptcy due to limited opportunities and hostile press and studios. Once, Time magazine wrote: "Betty Hutton, who is not remarkably pretty, by movie standards, nor a remarkably good singer or dancer...” This was not only unfair to Betty but cruel for this beauty with a bundle of talents. Getting her life back in order was very hard; four failed marriages, three estranged daughters, addiction to alcohol and controlled substances, and a failed suicide attempt after losing her singing voice. Betty turned her life restarting from bottom as a cook and house keeper at a rectory in Newport, Rhode Island, and then enrolling as an undergraduate student at Salve Regina University at Newport, R.I. She earned bachelors and masters degrees, and in 1984 she was awarded an honorary Ph.D. With her newfound zest for life, she began teaching, acting and singing classes at the university. In 1985 she received an award of achievement from the Musical Theater Society of Emerson College in Boston. James Hersh, Professor of philosophy at Salve Regina University recalled after hearing her death that "She did well because of her passion for learning. By the time I got to know her she was recovering from all her problems and she was an ideal student. You don't need to be sophisticated to be a good student in philosophy…She was so honest and brought everything she had into the classroom, the good and the bad." Betty eventually moved to Palm Springs, California and became a recluse. On March 11, 2007 she passed away due to colon cancer; she is buried at Desert Memorial Park in Palm Springs, California, and none of her daughters attended the funeral making this sad ending even sadder.
Betty Grable: Although Betty Grable had a better life than Betty Hutton; she had her own tale of sadness. She suffered from demophobia (fear of crowds), and somnambulism (sleep-walking.) Her marriage to big band leader Harry James was not exactly match made in heaven. Their 22 year marriage was plagued by alcoholism and infidelity, and her movie career was marked by feuds with studios, who worked her to exhaustion. At one point, in the middle of a fight with Darryl F. Zanuck, she tore up her contract with him and stormed out of his office. In 1960s when she found that her husband had spent all her savings, she had to work for her living. She Did Playtex Shortie commercials, and later Geritol commercials. Betty had a strong family and cared for her mother. She died of lung cancer at a young age 56 on July 5, 1973 in Santa Monica, California. Betty was a heavy smoker; often smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. Betty had many outstanding debts from hospital and IRS; her home in Nevada was sold at an auction to pay off part of her debt. She is interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California next to her mother Lillian Grable.
Doris Day: Doris had four difficult marriages, especially the third one to Marty Melcher, who had physically abused Terry, the only son of Doris Day. Melcher and his business partner Jerry Rosenthal had squandered all her savings leaving her in debt. Doris came to know about this after Melchers’ death, and she sued Rosenthal successfully. However these events caused a great deal of stress and led her to a nervous breakdown. It is sad that she had to return to work for living because of this. Al Jorden her first husband committed suicide after the divorce, and her son Terry died at the age of 62 due to skin cancer. Doris suffers from acrophobia (fear of heights) and aviatophobia or aviophobia (fear of flying). Doris is retired and lives in the Pacific resort town of Carmel, California.
Lana Turner: Lana had eight marriages and numerous lovers. Some of her marriages were stormy and abusive. Her fourth husband Lex Barker sexually abused her only daughter Cheryl Crane. Her relationship with Johnny Stompanato of the under world was very rocky and many times violent. In April 1958, he was stabbed to death by her daughter who was 14 at that time. It was later ruled that it was a justifiable homicide in self defense. Lana was a heavy smoker like Betty Grable and she died of throat cancer at the age of 74 in June 29, 1995. Much of her estate was left to her long term maid, Carmen Lopez Cruz. Lana Turner was cremated and ashes given to the family.
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