Celebrating the Life of Betty White; A Pioneer of American Television
January 31, 2022
Betty White’s career in the entertainment industry lasted over eight decades, leaving her name to be recognized far and wide by millions. From her unforgettable roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls, to her dozens of famous appearances in movies and television, she left a visible imprint on the viewers of America. The actress’s death, three weeks before her 100th birthday, reminds us to reflect on the life of one of Hollywood’s greatest legends.
The Humble Beginnings
White’s mother and father, Tess and Horace White, had their first and only child Betty Marion White in the winter of 1922. Their daughter was born in Oak Park, Illinois on January 17th. When she was very young, their family moved to California for better economic opportunities because of the Great Depression. Her father started making radios, but when money got tight, he swapped them for possible business ventures, including dogs! At one point, White recalls having 20 dogs at a time. Because of this and various family vacations growing up, this sparked a young Betty’s interest for animals. Her interests to help and aid wildlife carried on throughout her adulthood and until her inevitable death.
Betty got her education at Beverly Hills High School, and this is when she peeked into her interest in acting. Intrigued by writing, White wrote and played the lead of her very own play, delving into her talents of performing. After her graduation in 1939, she finally decided to begin her career in the acting industry.
Hollywood, Here She Comes!
Betty continued to pursue her career after her efforts in World War Two, starting with radio show roles on programs, such as The Great Gildersleeve and Blondie. Although most do not recognize these programs, these are the shows that got the beloved legend started.
After her time on the radio, she later hosted a loose variety-talk show, Hollywood on Television. White’s time on this talk show transitioned her into a lot of other programs like Life with Elizabeth, Date with the Angels and her first string of programs called The Betty White Show. Her career only snowballed into plentiful and new opportunities from there. An important moment was when she got into game shows where she met her third husband, Allen Ludden, who she fell in love with and never remarried after his death in 1981.
The Golden Girl
Betty White’s fame skyrocketed when she was cast onto The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the early 1970s. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a comedy about a young, unmarried television news producer in Minneapolis, was one of the most successful comedies of its time or any other. Her character Sue Ann stood out even among captivating actors like Ms. Moore, Ed Asner, and Valerie Harper.
A decade later after The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, White got casted as her infamous role of Rose Nylind in 1985 on The Golden Girls, a sitcom about four senior women as roommates in a house in Miami, Florida. The cast hit it off immediately, beautifully showcasing their real life chemistry on the air. Over the course of its seven-season run, the sitcom received a number of Emmys, including one for Betty.
After the “Golden” Years
Even after The Golden Girls went off the air in 1992, Betty was always working and picking up jobs. In the 2000s, Betty appeared in a Snickers commercial, That ’70s Show, Boston Legal, Community, Save Me and Hot in Cleveland. Peaks of her career to note include when she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and acted in the romantic comedy film, The Proposal.
Betty never stopped working and had steadily been building her career for 70 years. In 2017 she told CNN, “I am the luckiest old broad on two feet. I’m still able to get a job at this age. I will go to my grave saying ‘Can I come in and read for that tomorrow?'”
A Trailblazer of Her Time
Betty White was often known for her work as an actress in Hollywood, but there are a lot of progressive and impressive achievements that should have gotten more attention. To illustrate, during World War II she served in the American Women’s Voluntary Services and drove a “PX truck” transporting goods such as soap, toothpaste and candy to soldiers in the established hills of Santa Monica and Hollywood.
In 1954, Betty White was criticized for having Arthur Duncan, a Black tap dancer, on her show. Dealing with all of the racist criticism, White’s response was, “I’m sorry. Live with it”. She then gave Duncan even more airtime and sadly, the show was canceled soon after.
Reminiscing about her beginnings, White stated in a 2017 interview with CNN, “It was a little out of character, a little unfeminine, to be … you shouldn’t be funny,” Speaking on the issue of sexism at the time period, she said how women were expected to “come in and be pretty,” White argued: “No, it’s so much more fun to get that laugh.”
Not only was she a female comedian during the 40s and 50s, she devoted serious time and money to organizations like the American Humane Association and the Fund for Animals. Betty White was honored by the Los Angeles Zoo in 2006, naming her “ambassador to the animals” and placing a plaque in her honor.
A Lost but Well-Loved Treasure
Betty White had a television career that spanned most of her life and was confirmed by the 2014 edition of “Guinness World Records” as “the longest TV career for a female entertainer”. Ms. White won five Primetime Emmys and one competitive Daytime Emmy and was a huge success. A name that is impossible to be forgotten, America’s favorite Betty White never took her stardom for granted, still being the same kind-hearted, whimsical and lovable woman she had been for decades.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/31/arts/television/betty-white-dead.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/31/entertainment/betty-white-obituary/index.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Betty-White
Image Source:
https://tvline.com/2021/12/31/betty-white-dead-remembered-golden-girls-tributes/
