From
the movies to television, Betty appeared
on many TV shows during the latter
Fifties. There was the Shower of Stars,
the Jack Benny show and the Lucy Desi
Comedy Hour.
She
made many nightclub appearances, opening
up in New York's Latin Quarter and
many, many shows in Vegas. Her and
Dan Dailey opened at the Dunes Hotel
in December of 1962 in a production
of Guys and Dolls. They played to
packed houses and the show ran until
the following summer the next year.
Betty's
marriage to Harry was on a rocky decline
and in October of 1965 she sued Harry
James for divorce. This ended a marriage
of a little more than twenty years.
In
November of that same year she began
touring for Hello Dolly, which opened
in Chattanooga, followed by performances
in numerous cities before arriving
in Las Vegas. It played at the Rivera
Hotel opening on December 23. With
two shows a night, it ran until autumn
of 1966, and then it played in Chicago
at the Schubert Theatre for two months.
Finally the show closed on June 12,
1967. Betty then replaced Martha Raye
on Broadway in Hello Dolly and stayed
with the cast until November.
In
August of 1968 she played in the production
of Born Yesterday. This production
only played in Chicago for two weeks
and in Houston for two. Then in 1969
Betty had a new vehicle for which
she was really excited. Belle Starr.
Unfortunately, it was a dismal failure
and 16 performances after it opened
in Scotland, it closed. After returning
to the U.S. she toured once again
for Born Yesterday. This production
opened in Illinois late in 1969, and
it ran for a year and a half. After
her dismal failure with Belle Starr,
Betty had once again come out on top.
