(26 November 1937 - 1943) (divorced) 1 child
14 February 1937
Louella observes Betty spending her evenings watching Johnny Green rehearse—yes, it’s that serious. Green, a composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist, majored in economics at Harvard. He worked as a banking clerk in New York, but was bored with finance, quit his job and decided to find employment in his true love, music. 1932 found him in Southern California, doing the background music for Paramount pictures.
28 February 1937
attends the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap with Johnny Green
1 March 1937
Paul Harrison hears: “Johnny Green's music is affetuoso when Betty Furness is around, and that's often.”
5 April 1937
Harrison Carroll spots: “Betty Furness and Johnny Green at the Cafe Lamaze. They are very thick these days.”
7 April 1937
Harrison Carroll thinks it strange: “...Peggy Fears singing at the Trocadero instead of occupying a ringside table, but this toughest of audiences gave her a sincere ovation. Almost everybody in the room was a celebrity. Betty Furness was with Johnny Green, while Caesar Romero, her erstwhile admirer, squired fragile Frances Drake.”
20 April 1937
is at the Trocadero the other night with Johnny Green and her table holds a cake with lighted candles
22 May 1937
Louella Parsons writes: “Johnny Green's quick plane dash back to New York isn't entirely to settle plans for headlining that big radio show this summer. A much more personal reason is the contemplated divorce action between Johnny and his wife, Carol Falk, following a lengthy separation. When he returns, the way will be clear for Johnny and Betty Furness, who are constantly together and so devoted, to start planning bride-and-groom ideas of their own. The popular band leader has always been so reticent about his marriage, not many people here knew he had a wife living in the east.”
5 June 1937
Harrison Carroll knows: “Incidentally, it was Johnny Green who was at the station to see Betty Furness off to New York.”
8 June 1937
wears a novelty pin made out of a key to the door of her home
16 June 1937
Louella predicts: “Johnny (Radio) Green host at a party for Betty Furness in honor of her fifth year in Hollywood; she will probably be Mrs. Green before 1938.”
Harrison Carroll spots her and Johnny Green lunching together at the Vendome. “This will probably be a match some day.”
16 August 1937
in Mexico City, she receives a call at 3 a.m. The operator told her "Robert Taylor from the studio" was calling. All in a dither, she accepts the call only to find it is a love-sick youth using Taylor's name to get her to the phone.
18 October 1937
May Mann observes: “In the Lido, Betty Furness dances with Johnny Green. If they're not wed already, they will take the vows soon.”
23 November 1937
Green’s first wife, Carol, obtains a Reno divorce, charging desertion. A few moments after the orchestra leader was informed Mrs. Green was awarded a decree, he and Betty filed notice of intention to wed, giving his age as 29 and hers as 21. His brother, Dick Green, who was courting Betty until Johnny entered the scene, will wed Betty Kern, Composer Jerome Kern's daughter.
25 November 1937
Louella knows: “Betty Furness and Johnny Green so happy at a cafe—well they’ve been in love for a long time.”
26 November 1937
marries Johnny Green late today in her Hollywood home. Only members of the immediate families attend the quiet ceremony. Wearing a white wedding gown of slipper satin, which she designed herself, and a shoulder-length white tulle veil, she is given away by her father. Richard Green, the groom's brother, is best man. Superior Judge Edward Brand read the brief, civil service, after the “Lohengrin Wedding March” was played while the bride walked down an improvised aisle. A reception was attended by dozens of film personalities, including Margaret Sullivan, Loretta Young, Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Virginia Bruce, Franchot Tone and his wife Joan Crawford, and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Benny.
15 December 1937
is probably the only actress who wears her engagement ring on her right hand. She isn’t trying to start a new style; it's just that her engagement gift is too large to wear on the same finger with her wedding ring.
18 December 1937
she and Johnny return from their honeymoon tomorrow. They will live in her apartment for now.
6 January 1938
Louella identifies: “That cute couple hiking every morning in slacks along the Sunset Strip is Johnny Green and his bride, Betty.”
5 February 1938
is the first in Hollywood to wear the interesting new clip pairs, featuring initials done in sign language. The individual clips are tiny hands. In black enamel, one represents the letter B, the other G. (for her new name Green). The hands extend out of elaborately jeweled clips done in emeralds, rubies and diamonds.
2 April 1938
during a lull in films, she is on stage in Santa Barbara in Golden Boy, playing opposite Francis Lederer, and falls in love with the stage
during the Golden Boy show, the audience thought it was part of the plot when Joseph Greenwald, a well known Broadway character actor, collapsed as he said, “All my life." But Greenwald's collapse was genuine; he had died of a heart attack. Not until members of the cast shouted for the curtains to be drawn did the audience know the truth. The audience was dismissed and all tickets were refunded. The troupe had been scheduled to open an engagement in San Francisco on Monday, and it was not decided whether the engagement would be filled.
4 August 1938
Louella can’t believe “it’s true that the Betty Furness-Johnnie Green marriage is on the rocks, but it's the talk of New York even if Johnny did give her a big cocktail party just before she left the coast.”
18 August 38
a federal grand jury investigation loomed today in connection with Communist recruiting on Boston Common of volunteers to fight for the Loyalist forces in Spain. Several film stars have been named in connection with the charges. Edward F. Sullivan, special investigator probing un-American activities, said the Department of Justice was almost certain to order a special sitting of a federal grand jury to make the investigation after he submitted his evidence before the committee. Sullivan named some Hollywood celebrities as having contributed to the North American committee to aid Spanish democracy during a drive by the Spanish government to raise money for medical facilities. The list includes Paul Muni, Luise Rainer, James Cagney, Johnny Green, Florence Eldredge, Betty Furness, Gale Sondergaard, Ernest Hemingway, Nancy Carroll, Lewis Milestone, Ben Hecht, Lionel Stander, Clifford Odets, Upton Sinclair, George S. Kaufman, Elmer Rice, Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Franchot Tone and Joan Crawford. Sullivan said the names appeared on the side of an ambulance pictured on a circular which he turned over to the Dies committee.
11 October 1938
Winchell says she “and her bridegroom, Johnny Green, will try their luck in New York.”
6 April 1939
Louella got it from the stork that Mr. and Mrs. Green “will increase the population in the fall.”
the stork gave the message to Winchell, too: “The Johnny Greens (Betty Furness) being kidded by orchestras who render: ‘Ten Baby Fingers, Ten Baby Toes’ because of their September rendezvous with the Blessed-Event man.”
26 September 1939
gives birth to her daughter Babette, “Babbie,” at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan
5 October 1939
Johnny Green, who used to wave the baton for Columbia pictures, and does now for the Johnny Presents programs on the air, has proved that he is a serious composer. He has finished a concerto, “Music for Elizabeth,” which Jose Iturbi will introduce at Carnegie Hall this season. "Elizabeth" happens to be Mrs. Johnny Green.
3 October 1940
Louella found out: “Betty Furness, happily married to Johnny Green, is paying Hollywood a visit and Johnny's good friend, Cesar Romero, is taking her out.”
20 January 1941
Jimmie Fiddler tries to set things straight: “Betty Furness, rumored rifting from Bandleader Johnny Green, is telling pals they couldn't be happier— and that she'd like a screen job.”
28 February 41
Ken Morgan says it “looks like the Johnny Greens have split. She's the former Betty Furness. He's been out several times recently with Ginger Rogers.” 2 March 1942
her husband is now working on a Broadway musical, Yours for a Year, while she tours the East in a company of My Sister Eileen
5 November 42
Walter Winchell reports: “By Jupiter conductor Johnny Green and Betty Furness have reached that familiar decision.”
3 February 1943
Louella sees all: “At Mocambo Anne Shirley was doing a rhumba with Johnny Green, the band leader, who just recently separated from Betty Furness."
9 April 1943
Louella Parsons pens: “In the days before Betty Furness married Johnny Green, orchestra leader, she was one of our most attractive younger actresses. Betty was the first to wear the trick hats, and she wore them very well. When she married Johnny she retired from the screen, but unfortunately their marriage did not work out. He is now here in the music department at MGM and she has been visiting Anne Shirley. Now the news is that Betty is about to sign a contract with MGM and stage a return. It is possible her first movie will be in Martha Cheavens I Cannot Sail Your Seas. She has been on the lot for the past few days and takes her final test Thursday.”
4 August 1943
Louella receives a note from actress Anne Shirley “that she is at the Last Frontier at Las Vegas visiting Betty Furness who is ‘doing time’ there--her freedom from Johnny Green.”
20 September 1943
Winchell notes: “The Johnny Greens (Betty Furness) have been put asunder.”
20 November 1943
while she lives in New York with their daughter, in Hollywood Johnny Green marries actress Bunny Waters, who stands 6’-1” in her stockings. It’s her first marriage and his third. Recently, she was reported engaged to Al Jolson.