Down Argentine Way opened in New York in October, Tin Pan Alley in December, both to excellent reviews. After film was done on Tin Pan Alley, Betty took a break and went to Chicago for a week's stint with Ken Murray at the Chicago Theater. Traveling with her was Victor Mature, whom she had been dating. Together they went to the College Inn to hear Dick Haymes who introduced her to Harry James, a very famous band leader, and unknown to Betty at the time, her future husband. Back in Hollywood after a much needed break, Betty began filming her next film Moon Over Miami. Also at this time, her divorce to Coogan became final.

The huge success of Down Argentine Way prompted Zanuck to pledge color for all of Betty's films, a promise which he did not live up to. Moon Over Miami was a box office smash, but her next three films were received with only lukewarm reviews including; A Yank in The R.A.F., I Wake Up Screaming and Footlight Serenade. All three of which were filmed in black and white. Wisely, a decision was made by Fox to only use Technicolor for Betty's films, and although it was 1/3 of the films production cost, the returns would make up for the extra cost. A film executive from Fox quipped, "when Betty waves her hips in a color film she does it a favor." Song of the Islands was a huge success with Victor Mature and Jack Oakie and Hilo Hattie. Following Song of the Islands was the very popular Springtime in the Rockies in which Betty worked with Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood and Carmen Miranda, and Harry James, with whom Betty got much better acquainted. In the few scenes that she and Harry were in together there was a definite chemistry. With America now at war, she joined a host of Hollywood stars for a Bond Rally tour thorough the western states before starting work on Coney Island. When the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors in October of 1942 she was in there helping to entertain the servicemen. By the end of the year, she was ranked 8th among Hollywood's most popular star and topped the list for photo requests.

Early in 1943, Betty began work on one of her favorite films Sweet Rosie O'Grady. Her footprints were preserved in concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and later in the year, her legs were insured with Lloyd's of London for one million dollars. She was in New York when Coney Island opened to good reviews in June, and from there, she traveled the following month to Las Vegas, for a very special date. She met up with Harry James and they married in the early hours of July 5th in a quiet ceremony at the Little Church of the West. There was no time for a honeymoon however, as she had to report to Fox the very next day for filming Pin Up Girl. There were no other assignments that year, except for a cameo in Four Jills in A Jeep. Then Betty was absent from the studios as she was preparing for motherhood. Meanwhile, Sweet Rosie O'Grady was released in the autumn, and was a huge success with fans queuing for blocks to get into the theater.