Betty White Tribute

The plans were set. On January 17, 2022—Betty White’s 100th birthday—movie theaters around the country would premiere a new documentary called Betty White: 100 Years Young—A Birthday Celebration. With special guests that include Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Carol Burnett, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli and, of course, close friend Ryan Reynolds, everyone was invited to cheer on a woman who wasn’t just an adored entertainer, but also a beacon of joy and hope for admirers of all ages. “Who doesn’t love a party?!?” Betty said of the event. “This one is gonna be great.” On December 31, 2021, the world learned that the party will continue—but without the guest of honor in attendance. At 9:37 a.m. local time, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call at White’s…

Betty Marion White entered the world on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up the only child of Horace and Tess White, a traveling salesman/electrical engineer and a homemaker. The future Angeleno moved to California with her parents before she turned 2 years old, during the Great Depression. “I don’t think California was a state at the time,” she often quipped. “I think it was a territory or undiscovered land.” Some people complain about aging. White boasted about it. In fact, if you were fortunate enough to meet the Hollywood icon before she passed, it’s probable she introduced herself with this little gem: “Hi, I’m Betty White—I’m 99 years old!” And after an illustrious eight decades in showbiz, everyone’s favorite nonagenarian earned her fair share of bragging…

“I had the love of my life. If you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?” White said of her late husband, game show host Allen Ludden. An interviewer once asked Betty White if there was anything she hadn’t done over her long career that she’d still like to do. “Yes, Robert Redford,” the funny lady replied without skipping a beat. White was kidding, of course. (Maybe.) But while she and Robert Redford never had their time in the sun, White did experience a love for the ages with her husband, Allen Ludden. The pair met in 1961, on the popular television game show Password. Ludden was hosting the show, and White became a regular contestant. In fact, as an avid game-show enthusiast, White appeared on a number of game…

Betty White was never supposed to read for the role of man-hungry, sardonic, spicy Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Never mind that the character had been written as an “icky-sweet Betty White type.” The issue? White and star Mary Tyler Moore were close pals in real life. They were such good friends, in fact, that they often went on double dates together with their respective husbands, Allen Ludden and producer Grant Tinker. The show’s executives worried that if White auditioned for the part and then, well, blew it, things might get awkward for the two leading ladies. But they should have known that no one can play icky-sweet Betty White like the real deal. After a failed search for another actress to play Sue Ann, casting…

“The Lars Affair” SEASON 4, EPISODE 1 White makes her hilarious debut as Sue Ann Nivens in the season 4 premiere. It’s revealed that WJM’s Happy Homemaker is having an affair with Phyllis’s husband. Turns out that beneath the saccharine exterior is a Happy Homewrecker.  Sue Ann’s best line: “If you want to tidy up in a hurry, think of your living room as a big clock. Start at midnight, and then go around the room working clockwise toward the kitchen. You’ll be done in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” “The Dinner Party” SEASON 4, EPISODE 10 Mary is notorious for hosting disastrous parties. So the plucky news producer enlists Sue Ann for help in preparing the perfect meal for six. Spoiler alert: Things still go awry. Sue Ann’s…

Betty White never buckled under pressure—especially when doing the right thing was at stake, and even when her career was on the line. In 1954, the actress got her first big break on network television hosting The Betty White Show, a daytime variety program on NBC. She would sing songs and interview celebrity guests and had a live band, Frank De Vol and his orchestra, to back her up. White also brought on a singer and dancer named Arthur Duncan to be a regular member of what she called their “little troupe.” Duncan had been a guest several times on Hollywood on Television, and on her new show, he performed a number almost every day. “He could always count on knocking me out when he did ‘Jump Through the Ring,’”…