Happy Betty White Day!
In case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s Betty White’s 100th birthday today. I’ve mentioned her here in my blog a few times over the years, including my “Triple Kleenex reaction” to The Lost Valentine and finding her star on the walk of fame. Needless to say, I love her and like many people, I’m mourning her loss.
A few weeks before she passed away, I bought tickets for my family and I to attend the special showing of her birthday celebration. (Before I get any opinions flung my way--we’re vaxxed, boosted, and we’ll be masked and seated the proper distance from others in a local theater that practices above and beyond cleaning and air filtration.) It will be a bittersweet thrill to be able to celebrate her tonight.
Since my 2022 blog is a journey of what makes audiences love movies, it only makes sense to discuss Betty. She was welcomed into our homes from the moment there was television. She held the secret recipe for fandom across generations. No matter what she was doing, she exuded wit, humor, warmth, kindness, and inclusion.
Here are a few places to view her work:
Life with Elizabeth (1954): A sitcom featuring a young Betty as Elizabeth, newlywed to Alvin (Del Moore), and their circle of friends and neighbors. Watch: Amazon Prime, Sling, Pluto
The Betty White Show (1954): Variety show featuring singing, dancing, and interviews. Watch: Amazon Prime
The Pet Set (1971-72): Betty interviews celebrities and their pets, then features various dog and cat breeds, as well as her favorite animal non-profits. Watch: Amazon Prime
Game show and TV appearances: YouTube – try searching Betty White + Password, Match Game, To Tell the Truth, Hollywood Squares, Deadpool review, Tonight Show, The Carol Burnett Show, or Oprah Winfrey Show.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77): A sitcom about Mary, a 30-something single woman and her circle of friends, neighbors, and TV station coworkers. Betty is hilarious as Sue Ann Nivens, man-hungry host of the happy homemaker show. Watch: Hulu
Mama’s Family (1983-84): a sitcom about a dysfunctional family of characters who originated on The Carol Burnett Show. Betty played Ellen Harper. Watch: Amazon Prime, Sling
The Golden Girls (1985-92): A sitcom about four older women who share a home in Miami and navigate dating over 50. Betty plays lovable, dim-witted Rose Nylund. Watch: Hulu
The Golden Palace (1993): A spinoff of The Golden Girls, in which three of them own a hotel that is not as perfect as it appears—there are only two employees, a manager and a chef, so the women have to pitch in and hilarity ensues. Watch: Hulu
Hot in Cleveland (2010-15): A sitcom about three aging entertainment industry women from L.A. who move to Cleveland where they lease a home with a caretaker, feisty Elka (Betty), who still lives in the guest house. Watch: Paramount+
Lake Placid (1999): A game warden and local sheriff must stop a mysterious lake creature from killing people. Betty plays a seemingly sweet old lady who loves wildlife. Watch: Amazon Prime, Vudu, Sling
Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (2012-2014): Betty hosted this show in which senior citizens played practical jokes on younger people. Watch: Youtube
Saturday Night Live (2010 as host, 2015): Betty is HILARIOUS in the “public radio muffin sketch” (2010) and when she kisses Bradley Cooper in the Californians sketch (2015) Watch: Hulu
The Proposal (2009): A romantic comedy in which a high-powered book editor (Sandra Bullock) forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to pretend to be her fiancé so she won’t get deported, but he only agrees if she flies to Alaska to meet his family, including his eccentric grandmother (Betty White) Watch: Amazon Prime, Vudu
Betty White, First Lady of Television (2018): A feel-good PBS documentary about Betty’s lifelong career in television. Watch: Netflix
You can view hilarious clips from Hot in Cleveland, SNL, and The Proposal on my tiktok, instagram, and facebook.
Lastly, Betty was a dedicated, lifelong advocate for animal rescue and welfare. Please, if you can, donate to a local animal rescue in her name today. #BettyWhiteChallenge
In celebration of the one and only Betty,
She/her. Screenwriter. Author. Script Supervisor. Visual Artist. Ex-Comic.