Betty Furness facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Betty Furness
from the film Mama Steps Out (1937)
2nd Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs
In office May 1, 1967 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Esther Peterson
Succeeded by	Virginia Knauer
Personal details
Born	Elizabeth Mary Furness (1916-01-03)January 3, 1916 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 2, 1994(1994-04-02) (aged 78) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Leslie Midgley (1967-1994) (her death) Hugh "Bud" Ernst (1945-1946; 1946-1950) (his death) Johnny Green (1937-1943)
Children	4

Betty Furness (born January 3, 1916, died April 2, 1994) was an American star. She was an actress, a champion for shoppers, and a news reporter. She became famous for her work on TV commercials. Later, she helped people understand their rights as buyers.

Betty Furness's Early Life

Betty Furness was born in Manhattan, New York City. Her dad, George Choate Furness, was a rich business leader. Betty went to the Brearley School and Bennett Junior College.

She first acted in a school play, Alice in Wonderland, during her holidays. Betty also posed for ads. She started her career as a model. A talent scout noticed her and she signed a film contract in 1932. Her first movie was Thirteen Women (1932). However, her parts were cut from the film.

Over the next few years, Betty was in many films. She became a popular actress. Some of her successful movies were Magnificent Obsession (1935) and Swing Time (1936). By the end of the 1930s, she had acted in over forty films. But in the 1940s, it was harder for her to find acting jobs.

Betty Furness's Career in Television

In 1948, Betty Furness was acting in a TV show called Studio One. This show was broadcast live. One day, she filled in for an actor to promote Westinghouse products. She did a great job and impressed the company. They offered her a contract to promote their products. This made her very well-known for Westinghouse ads.

Early TV commercials were sometimes tricky. Performers from radio found it hard to act on camera. Betty, with her Studio One experience, felt she could do better. An ad agency gave her a chance. She found she was naturally good at commercials. At first, she made $150 a week. Betty did three live Westinghouse commercials for each Studio One episode. This was before videotape existed.

One famous blooper happened when a refrigerator door wouldn't open. For years, people thought it was Betty. But it was actually another actress, June Graham, filling in for her. Betty cleared this up in a TV special in 1981.

Betty was a successful spokeswoman. She looked good and wore nice, simple clothes. She changed her outfit three times a day. She was also very independent. She refused to use a stage name or wear an apron. But she did agree to wear a wedding ring on camera. This made her look more like a housewife. Betty bought all her own clothes. She didn't want Westinghouse to choose for her. During the 1952 presidential election, Westinghouse sponsored the political conventions. Betty wore 28 different outfits. This was so interesting that Life magazine wrote a story about it.

Betty's contract with Westinghouse grew. She eventually earned $100,000 a year. Her ads made sales of Westinghouse appliances go way up. However, dishwashers were hard to sell. Research showed that American women didn't want a machine that would do all their kitchen work.

One of the most famous TV ads showed Betty opening a refrigerator. She would say, "You can be sure ... if it's Westinghouse." These ads were so well-known that they were often made fun of.

Betty also hosted Penthouse Party on ABC. It ran from 1950 to 1951. She was a regular on the CBS show What's My Line? in 1951. She also appeared in a series of live mystery shows on ABC.

In 1953, she had her own daytime TV show, Meet Betty Furness. Westinghouse sponsored this show too. In 1959, a new Westinghouse president decided to let Betty go. He wanted a new, younger spokeswoman. Betty was released from her contract at the end of 1960. Her last ads for Westinghouse were during the 1960 political conventions. After that, she tried to work in TV in a different way. But she was too linked to advertising to be taken seriously. During this time, she worked on radio and for the Democratic Party.

Betty Furness has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One is for her movies and the other for her TV work.

Betty Furness: A Champion for Shoppers

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson knew about Betty's work for the Democratic Party. He asked her to be his Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs. This meant she would help protect shoppers' rights. She took the job and stayed until 1969. During this time, she worked hard to learn about consumer rights. She proved her critics wrong by becoming an expert.

From 1969 to 1993, she was on the board of Consumers Union. This group publishes Consumer Reports. In 1970, Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller appointed her. She became the first head of the New York State Consumer Protection Board. She held this job until 1971, then returned to TV. In 1971, Betty was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board. In 1973, she also led the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.

Betty joined WNBC in New York. She reported on consumer issues. She especially looked for examples of fraud against shoppers. In 1976, she started working with The Today Show. She filled in as anchor and gave regular reports. In 1977, her program Buyline: Betty Furness won the Peabody Award. This is a very important award for TV shows.

Betty Furness's Personal Life

Betty Furness was married four times. Her first husband was composer-conductor Johnny Green. They married in 1937 and had one child. After they divorced in 1943, she married radio announcer Hugh "Bud" Ernst Jr. twice. First in 1945, then again in 1946. Her second marriage to him lasted until he died in 1950. She married Leslie Midgley in 1967. He was still alive when she passed away. Liza Snyder, an actress from TV shows like Yes, Dear, is her granddaughter.

In 1990, Betty was treated for stomach cancer. She cut back her schedule on The Today Show to four days a week. Two years later, NBC let her go. They also decided to change their consumer reporting to a more "tabloid" style. Betty was not happy about being fired. She felt it was because of her age. She wanted to keep working, but her stomach cancer came back.

Betty always believed in taking every job offer. She thought this was why she had such a varied career. During her illness, she said she wanted nothing more than to work. She also mentioned that the treatment for her cancer was "worse than the disease." Her health got worse. She died from stomach cancer on April 2, 1994. She was 78 years old and passed away at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Betty Furness: Partial Filmography