Go, Betty!

Here's wishing a very happy 96th birthday to the one and only Betty White, born January 17, 1922.

Hard to believe it's been more than a decade since I had the privilege of interviewing her for my first book, The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. Long may she flourish!

Book Review: Ludden's Life

As I mentioned awhile back, I greatly enjoyed Adam Nedeff's well-done biography of Match Game star Gene Rayburn. So I'm delighted that the author has now given another top MC his turn in the spotlight with It's More Than 'Password'! The Life (and Wife) of Allen Ludden (BearManor Media).

I was interested to learn from Nedeff's thoroughly researched account that Ludden, who hosted multiple versions of Password over a twenty-year period, didn't necessarily intend to have a career as an on-camera performer. He embraced the opportunity in part to manage the substantial medical bills of his first wife Margaret, who died of cancer at a young age. His second wife, as most readers will already know, was Betty White. Since she also became a fixture on TV game shows, it's fitting that the author gives her quite a bit of space here as well. Nedeff's account of widower Ludden's successful campaign to win White's hand is interesting, and offers details beyond what she recorded in her own books.

Nedeff's book is an absorbing account of Ludden's life and career that also serves as a history of one of TV's smartest and most enduring game shows.

Betty White's "Men!"

Remember watching a game show called Just Men! hosted by Betty White? Yeah, me neither. That's probably because it lasted only 13 weeks on NBC, from January to April 1983. But despite its quick demise, Betty has a pretty terrific memento from the experience -- her Emmy Award as Best Game Show Host. She was the first, and thus far only, woman to be so honored, in a field long dominated by men.

As it turned out, losing this gig didn't turn out to be such a bad break. Always in demand, she went on not only to reprise her role as Ellen Harper in the sitcom Mama's Family, but to be cast in one of the biggest hits of her career -- The Golden Girls, for which she would be awarded yet another Emmy.

If you're curious to sample Betty's short-lived game show, you can watch an episode here.

As the TV World Turns

Here's a fun little artifact I acquired recently, courtesy of eBay -- the October 1955 issue of a television fan magazine. On the cover are Liberace ("man of a million talents"), Fess Parker, then playing Davy Crockett in a serial on ABC's Disneyland, and comedians Groucho Marx (You Bet Your Life) and Martha Raye (The Martha Raye Show). 

I enjoyed seeing the photos and stories about some of the most popular performers in the mid-fifties. There's a layout featuring husband and wife Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling, of Topper fame, showing off their baby son Jeffreys Sterling. Of course, some of the articles remind us that the information imparted in these publications often needs to be taken with a grain of salt, or twelve. A profile of Betty White declares, "Betty Ought to Get Married!" -- glossing over the fact that the clean-cut star was in fact a two-time divorcee. TV World also assures us that actress Jean Hagen (Make Room for Daddy) "loves co-star Danny [Thomas] as a dear friend," and that "being a TV mom comes second nature" to her. In reality, a frustrated Hagen would quit the show only a few months later, forcing the writers to make Thomas' character a widower the following season. Thomas would admit years later in his autobiography that their working relationship was often bumpy.

If readers didn't think they were getting their 25 cents worth from TV World, they could always venture down the darker alleys of magazines like the infamous Confidential, whose articles that year were more along the lines of "Rory Calhoun -- But for the Grace of God, Still a Convict!" Me, I think I'll stick with Betty White and her quest to find the man who can give her "that tingle that means Mama had better be shopping for wedding announcements."

Class Act

Happy birthday to the amazing and indefatigable Betty White, who turns 93 today.

Betty is the subject of a chapter in my book The Women Who Made Television Funny, which celebrates the pioneering female sitcom stars of the 1950s. One of the highlights of researching and writing that book was the opportunity to have a personal interview with her. She couldn't have been more gracious about looking backwards to the days of Life with Elizabeth and Date with the Angels, and shared some great anecdotes about the early days of television.

When I sent her a copy of the published book a year or so later, she responded with a handwritten thank you note. Though she claimed to be unsure whether she belonged in the company of the book's other subjects -- Lucille Ball, Ann Sothern, Gale Storm, to name a few -- I'll bet her many fans would disagree. Her current sitcom Hot in Cleveland may be coming to an end shortly, but don't rule out this lady yet. Chances are, she'll still be the busiest nonagenarian on the block. 

Memorable Meets: Betty White

One of America's favorite funny ladies, Betty White, turns 92 today. Like millions of other people, I am a longtime fan of her work, which made it a thrill to interview her when I wrote my book, The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms.

Any author researching books on Hollywood history can tell you that, when it comes to getting interviews, there can be many a slip between cup and lip. Some celebrities are difficult to track down; others may answer letters weeks or months later; some just plain ignore most requests for interviews. I didn't know what to expect when I wrote a letter to Betty White, who was not retired and resting on her laurels but a busy working actress. I was surprised and impressed when I received an answer within a week, and was able to conduct the interview a few days later. Given the book's focus, we talked primarily about her 1950s shows, Life with Elizabeth and Date with the Angels, and I was able to capture some behind-the-scenes stories that hadn't previously been recorded.

When the book was published, I sent her an inscribed copy, thanking her again for participating. She responded with a handwritten note saying she wasn't sure she merited being featured alongside stars like Lucille Ball, Donna Reed, and Gracie Allen, but that she was pleased to be included. She closed with a postscript: "I love the book!"

Now that's a class act. Happy birthday, Betty!