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Honoring Betty
A fan’s tribute to the legendary actress, comedienne, activist, and queer icon Betty White
My first exposure to Betty White’s impeccable body of work was her iconic show, “Golden Girls”, where she played ditzy and loveable Rose. When I was probably 3–5 years old, my family had cable for a short time. During that short few years, “The Golden Girls” was in reruns, and 4-year old me was smitten. I didn’t know what the show was called, so (in typical little kid fashion), I simply called it ”Pussycat”. If you watch the show, you’ll know that “Pussycat” was Sophia’s (Estelle Getty) nickname for her daughter, Dorothy (Bea Arthur). From then on, I loved both the show itself and all other subsequent projects Betty was involved in.
Like the rest of us, I watched her go from her iconic “Golden Girls” role to various beloved movies, TV specials, and one-off superbly delightful guest-starring roles or cameos. Like the rest of us, I was delighted and charmed by all of it. Her quick wit, spot-on comedic timing, and penchant for character acting became hallmarks of her work for me. It was even sweeter to find out that this hilarious and multi-talented woman was just as generous and humble as she was gifted.
While the world will rightfully remember Betty for her iconic roles in “Golden Girls”, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and her many films, I’d like to draw attention to something much more important Betty did. She stood up for people, especially when it counted.
The Netflix documentary, “Betty White: First Lady of Television” is a short and insightful look at her illustrious career and life. If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing it, I highly recommend it. Following her “big break” on her popular ‘50’s show “Life With Elizabeth”, NBC gave Betty her own show, “The Betty White Show”. Betty both starred in and produced the show. She hired Arthur Duncan. Duncan was a 20-something singer/dancer, and Betty’s namesake show was his big break as well. And, Duncan happened to be a black man. Incensed by his presence on national television, bigoted TV stations in the South threatened to pull the show. Betty responded by saying, “I’m sorry, but he stays. Live with it.” Not only did Arthur Duncan stay, but Betty also gave him MORE time onscreen. The show was canceled shortly afterward, but not before garnering Betty her first Emmy. Betty White…
