Betty Ellen Haughey played a few important roles in the film.  Not only is she credited for continuity, but she also did the ghoul make up with Karl and Marilyn, as well as played two ghouls.  She played the black dress ghoul during the feasting scenes, but also just discovered was she also played the black dress ghoul in the day for night shots.  

Most importantly though for film history, is that it was her, as well as mutual friend Richard Ricci who suggested Duane Jones auditioning for the role of Ben.  Betty, Richard and Duane all became friends while attending the University of Pittsburgh.  

Duane says, "Richard, myself and another close friend named Betty Haughey were a trio in college.  This was back in the late 1950s, and we stayed close for years.  I think it was Betty, who portrayed one of the ghouls, that first called and

told me about the auditions, followed by a call from Richard."

- "A farewell to Duane Jones" by Tim Ferrante; Fangoria #80

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Betty Ellen was also a writer and in 1967 published a book called "Stephanie Lane: Editorial Secretary".  

The below bio comes directly from her from the book.

"I was born and have spent most of my life in Pittsburgh. I went to Wilkinsburg High School here where I took a secretarial course.  When I received a scholarship to the Univerity of Pittsburgh I used my secretarial skills in various offices around the university, making up the rest of my tuition.  I graduated with an A.B. in fiction writing, and decided that if

I was still to do secretarial work it would have to incorporate writing or editing.  My first job was as sole editor of a small regional architectural magazine, incidentally, doing letters for the publisher, my only co-worker.  I went to New York a couple of years later using both my editing, writing and secretarial skills as a secretary, and eventually. assistant to the editor of a trade magazine.  When the magazine was sold I worked for a literary agent who encouraged me to write STEPHANIE LANE. I returned to Pittsburgh where I now work for a research organization in the behavioral sciences where my activites range from writing and editing reports and programmed instructional materials to administering tests.  I want to continue writing books for young people and perhaps eventually to do an adult novel that I've been thinking about for a while.  I have a fox terrier puppy named Pussycat whom I've been trying to teach to heel with no success."

Betty sadly passed away in 1972 at the age of 34.  

Marilyn Eastman writes this about Betty in her "Night of the Living Dead" scrapbook

"Betty Ellen Haughey was school mates with Duane Jones, She was, in part, responsible for getting Duane to audition for the role of Ben in Night of the Living Dead.

Betty performed a dozen different production roles on NOTLD, She was a thoroughly beautiful person, at the time this photo was taken of Betty getting ready for the "cannibal" scene, she and George Romero were dating."

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Here's a comment Russ Streiner recently made in our Facebook group about Betty Ellen

"Betty Ellen was our close friend and a linchpin to Duane Jones. She also “gifted” George Romero with a cat (George named him ‘Fellini’) - then later another gift from her to George- a Capuchin monkey. In the early days of getting our new business (The Latent Image) off the ground we had a cat and a monkey as our assistants. Sometimes they played nicely and sometimes they didn’t."

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Researched and compiled by Daz Sargeant & John Vullo

Text and photos  © Image Ten, Inc.

If you know of any family, friends or acquaintances that appeared as extras in the original Night of the Living Dead, please contact John Vullo at jmv3683@gmail.com

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