Betty White, The Golden Girl From The Golden Days Of Television
As part of a series called "My Big Break," All Things Considered is collecting stories of triumph, big and small. These are the moments when everything seems to click, and people leap forward into their careers.
Betty White is a television pioneer. She's played everything from the star of the '50s sitcom Life with Elizabeth to the sweetly naive Rose from The Golden Girls.
Sixty years later, she's still in show business, on the cast of TV Land's Hot in Cleveland — as well as innumerable guest appearances.
White's show-biz career blossomed just as television began to take off in Los Angeles, where she went to high school. She happened to be in the right place at exactly the right time.
"I was in the graduation play from high school, and the president of our senior class and I sang The Merry Widow and did a little dance," Betty White says. "I think that's when the show biz bug bit me — and they haven't been able to get rid of me since."
'People Either Sell Their Television Sets or Tune You In'
White's big break came when a Los Angeles disc jockey named Al Jarvis asked if she wanted to be his "Girl Friday" on his new talk show, Hollywood on Television.
"Sure, Friday, that's great," White says. "Well, what he meant, and I didn't realize was, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday."
She was on TV for 5 1/2 hours a day, six days a week.
Every broadcast was live.
"Whatever happened, you had to handle it. There was never any rehearsal or script or anything," she says. "Whoever came in that door was on, and you were interviewing them."
She first started appearing on Hollywood in Television in 1949. Three years later, White co-founded Bandy Productions, becoming one of the first female producers in Hollywood.
With her production company, she went on to star in her sitcom Life with Elizabeth, and her own daytime show, The Betty White Show.
On The Betty White Show, just like on Hollywood in Television, White had to work with whatever she got. In one of her live interviews, she talked with a 10-year-old boy named Ralph; he responded to her questions with grunts or one-word answers.
"The beauty of it," she says, "was if it didn't go well, it was over."
"People either sell their television sets or tune you in."
Still In The Business
White says every now and then, she'll catch one of her old programs being rebroadcast on TV.
"You think, 'My God, I had hair then!' " she says.
At 92 years old, she says, there are so many memories to relive.
"To be able to talk to that camera — the camera became your best friend," White says. "You're looking into that little camera lens and they're looking into your soul, because they're right into your eyes. You can't be phony. You can't fake it."
"I'm so lucky to still be blessed to be working in it," she says. "I love television."
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Transcript
ARUN RATH, HOST:
Time now for the latest installment of our series My Big Break about career triumphs big and small. Betty White is a pioneer of television, from "Life With Elizabeth" back in the 1950s to the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" to her role as Rose in "The Golden Girls." Sixty years later, she's still in show business. Here she is in a clip from her TV Land show, "Hot In Cleveland."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOT IN CLEVELAND")
BETTY WHITE: (As Elka Ostrovsky) And I got a spray tan.
(LAUGHTER)
VALERIE BERTINELLI: (As Melanie Hope Moretti) You look very tropical.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITE: Oh no. I look like a [bleep] Oompa Loompa.
(LAUGHTER)
RATH: Our producer Daniel Hajek caught up with Betty on the set of her show.
WHITE: I was in the graduation play from high school. And the president of our senior class and I sang "The Merry Widow" and did a little dance. And oh, I thought - I think that's when the show biz bug bit me - and they haven't been able to get rid of me since.
(MUSIC)
WHITE: My big break came when a local disc jockey, Al Jarvis, in Los Angeles invited me to be his Girl Friday on his talk show "Hollywood On Television" - so would I be his Girl Friday? Sure, Friday, that's great.
Well, what he meant and I didn't realize was Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Five-and-a-half hours a day, six days a week live - whatever happened you had to handle it. There was never any rehearsal or script or anything. Whoever came in that door, it was on, and you were interviewing them.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOLLYWOOD ON TELEVISION")
ROB: Some guy robbed him.
WHITE: Is it all right if I call you Rob?
ROB: Mm-hmm.
WHITE: Is it OK if you call me Betty? What do you like to do mostly?
ROB: Mmm.
WHITE: Do you have any favorite games you like to play?
ROB: Mm-mm.
WHITE: The beauty of it is if it didn't go well, it was over. (Laughter) People either sell their television sets or tune you in. (Laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE BETTY WHITE SHOW")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The second half of "The Betty White Show" from Hollywood.
WHITE: (Singing) Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong.
(MUSIC)
WHITE: Every once in a while, they'll run something that we did years ago and that's always fun. You think, my God, I had hair then. (Laughter).
DANIEL HAJEK, BYLINE: That's funny. I actually I found a commercial you did back in the '50s.
WHITE: You did?
HAJEK: Would you like to watch it?
WHITE: Oh, I'd love to. Can we do that? Oh, my Lord.
HAJEK: 1954.
WHITE: Oh, for heaven's sake.
(SOUNDBITE OF COMMERCIAL, "GERITOL")
WHITE: (Acting) Let's talk about you a little bit. How are you feeling? Do you get the feeling that you just don't have enough energy to finish out the day? That weak, rundown condition may be due to undernourished blood. Doctors have a special name for it. They call it iron-deficient blood.
WHITE: Oh, my Lord, it was Geritol. Oh, that was a hundred years ago.
(SOUNDBITE OF COMMERCIAL, "GERITOL")
(MUSIC)
(MUSIC)
WHITE: (Acting) To feel stronger fast, I wish you'd give Geritol a try.
WHITE: Oh, my goodness. I hadn't even thought about that.
(SOUNDBITE OF COMMERCIAL, "GERITOL")
WHITE: (Acting) And it's good tasting, too.
WHITE: To be able to talk to that camera - the camera became your best friend. You're looking into that little camera lend and they're looking into your soul because they're right under your eyes. You can't be phony. You can't fake it 'cause they'll pick up on it like that. I'm so lucky to still be blessed to be working in it. I love television.
(MUSIC)
RATH: Betty White talking with our producer Daniel Hajek. She's 92 years old and still in show business. Catch her in the new season of "Hot In Cleveland" Wednesday on TV Land. You don't have to be a pioneer of television to have a big break. Send us your story - mybigbreak@npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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