Secrets Of Betty White No One Knows

By molly atherton 1 year ago

1. Betty White Was A Guinness World Record Holder

Image source: Today

Betty White was awarded a Guinness World Record in 2014 for the "Longest TV Career for an Entertainer (Female)." It was so well deserved as she had spent more than 70 years in show business! The previous year, Guinness gave the "Longest TV Career for an Entertainer (Male)" to the legend British TV personality Bruce Forsyth, again for 70 years in the business. Both Betty and Bruce started their careers in 1939.

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2. Her First TV Appearance Is Lost To History

Image source: ABC News

Even Betty could hardly remember the name of the show she made her screen debut on, back in 1939 but she did recall dancing on an experimental TV show, the first on the west coast, in Los Angeles. She wore her high school graduation dress and danced the ‘Merry Widow Waltz.’”

3. World War II Got In The Way Of Stardom

Image source: The List

Before she took off on tv, Betty was working in theater, on the radio and also as a model. With WWII looming, she put all that on hold and joined the American Women's Voluntary Services. She delivered supplies via PX truck throughout the Hollywood Hills and spent her evenings at dances which were held in honor of soldiers who were due to set sail.

4. Her First Sitcom Hit Was In 1950s

Image source: NPR

Co-hosting the Al Jarvis show "Hollywood on Television" led Betty White to turn to producing, very rare at that time for a female. She developed "Life with Elizabeth" which, although hardly remembered these days, earned White an Emmy nomination and she won!

5. White Loved A Parade

Image source: The Hollywood Reporter

From 1962 through to 1971, White hosted "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" for NBC beside Lorne Greene (from Bonanza). She was also a color commentator for NBC’s annual "Tournament of Roses Parade." As Betty's fame grew on rival channel CBS’s "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", NBC decided to pull her from the Parade, a decision which upset White.

6. She Was Married Three Times

Image source: First For Women

White married and divorced her first husband, Dick Barker, within a year! Four years later she met agent Lane Allen and married him in 1947. That only lasted 2 years as he wanted her to quit show business. It wasn't until 1963 that she fell for widower and game show host, Allen Ludden who became husband number three.

7. She Met Her Husband On Password

Image source: TVLine

Bubbly Betty White was a regular on the game show circuit and she met her match in 1961 when she was a celebrity guest on "Password", hosted by Allen Ludden. Though White initially refused to marry him, he wore the engagement ring he wanted to give her, around his neck until she changed her mind. They were together until his death in 1981.

8. White Originally Auditioned For Role Of Blanch

Image source: Salon.com

Producers of the series thought Betty White would be perfect for the role of the ensemble’s promiscuous party girl Blanche in "The Golden Girls." Because the director didn't want to typecast White, he changed his mind and offered her the part of Rose, which she played perfectly.

9. Betty Wanted To Be A Zookeeper

Image source: People

Betty was an avid animal lover and activist. She always visited the local zoo wherever she travelled and she was a supporter of the Farm Animal Reform Movement and Friends of Animals Organisation. She belonged to many animal charities and donated tens of thousands of dollars to them.

10. She Passed On A Role Because Of Animal Cruelty Scene

Image source: Therapy/Route

White was offered the role of Beverly Connelly, the onscreen mother to Helen Hunt’s character, in "As Good As It Gets", the 1997 Oscar-winning movie. However, the devoted animal lover was totally horrified with the scene where Jack Nicholson’s character pitches a small dog down the trash chute in his apartment block.

11. She Was The Oldest Presenter Of Saturday Night

Image source: YouTube

In 2010, a Facebook group was formed and it called, "Betty White To Host SNL....Please." It proved successful and at the age of 88, White set a new record as the oldest presenter. She won rave reviews, giving the show its highest ratings in 18 months and winning her 5th Emmy for the performance.

12. She Was Older Than Sliced Bread!

Image source: CNN

You must have heard the joke about how sliced bread was the best thing since Betty White! It is actually based on truth as White was born in 1922 and the commercial for the bread slicing machine did not debut until 1928. Betty always found this comparison hilarious!

13. Betty White Loved Junk Food

Image source: HuffPost

The key to staying young and/or aging gracefully had absolutely nothing to do with health food as far as Betty White was concerned! In 2011, Jane Leeves, her "Hot in Cleveland" co-star, spilled the beans on Betty by saying, “She eats Red Vines, hot dogs, French fries, and Diet Coke." Love it!

14. She Had A Crush On Robert Redford

Image source: Zees

When Betty White was asked the question of what had she always wanted to do in the business but not yet achieved, she sht out her answer - Robert Redford! Whilst she had over 110 movie and television credits to her name, their paths never met. Redford was 14 years her junior so maybe she was after a toy boy!

15. She Was Born Before The Television Itself!

Image source: Reddit

Even though White was a star of the small screen, she was actually born before television existed! Betty was born on January 17, 1922 and although the root of television technology dated back to the 1870s, the actual first tv set, as we know it, was not introduced until 1927.

16. Betty Was A Television Pioneer

Image source: IMDb

White's first big role was as the lead in "Life with Elizabeth" in 1950. She was also the co-creator, making her the first female to produce a sitcom, a true accolade. The sitcom, filmed live at the weekends, lasted for 65 episodes and earned Betty White her first Primetime Emmy nomination.

17. She Was A Horror Star

Image source: Slash Film

Although White was primarily known for her comedic roles, she did have a horror credit on her resume. She appeared in the cult classic "Lake Placid" in 1999. In the movie, the Golden Girls' star played Mrs. Delores Bickerman, a widow with a secret. She takes care of a killer crocodile!

18. She Performed For Queen Elizabeth II

Image source: Daily Mail

The cast of The Golden Girls were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium in 1988. It was a huge honor for them, as it was for every act that was asked. Betty White said that they were not allowed to address Her Majesty until the Queen spoke first. The Golden Girls also met Princess Anne who had accompanied her mother to the event.

19. Barbara Walters Was Second Choice To Betty To Host The Today Show

Image source: New York Post

Back in the early 1970s, executives at the Today Show wanted White to co-host the morning program and asked he twice. On both occasions she refused as she did not want to forfeit her Californian lifestyle which she loved. Barbara Walters was their second choice and she certainly lasted the course.

20. She Was No Stranger To Live TV

Image source: PinkNews

The Golden Girls star did her first television gig on a live variety show that lasted for five and a half hours - that must have been draining! It's no wonder that Betty White became such a genius when it came to improvising. She said it was a great starting base for her future career.

21. Betty's First Work Was In A TV Commercial

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Betty White was nothing but persistent in getting herself known and out there. She was said to have hung around the office of tv producer Fran Van Hartesveldt and nagged him so much that he offered her a job, acting in a commercial. This then led to her appearance on "The Great Gildersleeve", a popular radio show also headed by Hartesveldt.

22. White Never Had Acting Lessons

Image source: Insider

Actress Betty White said that acting lessons were never her thing. She also reported, "I just want to bring as much natural as I can." She didn't think that acting lessons were false, admitted there were much better actors out there who had gone down that route, but it wasn't for her.

23. She Originally Wanted To Be An Opera Singer

Image source: Country Living Magazine

White took singing very seriously when she was young and her ambition was to be an opera singer. She divulged this to the Canadian Press when discussing her role in "The Lorax", an animated film where the actress had to sing a few bars (and apparently did so beautifully).

24. White was Not A Fan Of Date With The Angels

Image source: Christmas TV History

In her 1997 book "Here We Go Again," Betty described her experiences with the ABC show "Date With The Angels" as being unhappy. She didn't see her co-star Bill Williams as being funny enough and said it was the only time she had eve wanted to get out of her contract.

25. She Preferred Animals To Humans

Image source: Vanity Fair

"Animals don't lie. Animals don't criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do." This was an extract from White's 2012 book, "If You Ask Me." Betty estimated having around 20 dogs at one point when she was growing up and her first production company was called Bandy Productions, named after her Pekingese, Bandit!

26. Hot In Cleveland Was Supposed To Be A One Time Guest Role

Image source: IMDb

Betty rarely refused an opportunity to act although her appearance on “Hot in Cleveland” was only supposed to be a once only guest role. The producers loved her so much that they gave her more shows and ten more episodes of "Hot in Cleveland". The next thing, White was inundated with offers of work.

27. Her Second Husband Wanted Her To Stay At Home

Image source: The Sun

White’s showbiz career would have been cut short if she had stayed with her second husband Lane Allen. He wanted his wife to stop working and focus on a traditional family life. That wasn't what she wanted to hear and she chose her career over her husband, ending that marriage.

28. Betty Hosted The Pet Set

Image source: IMDb

Betty and her husband Allen Ludden, hosted and produced a show “The Pet Set” in 1971 and it featured celebrities and their pets. It was aired on many networks across the States and was borne out of her long time passion for animals. Her shrewd husband challenged her to make and sell a show on the topic.

29. She Had Step Children

Image source: Cinetalkers

Whilst it is thought that having kids of her own was not a priority for Betty White and she was said to have not regretted it, she did gain three stepchildren through her marriage to Allen Ludden. Betty gave an interview in 2009 and expressed how she got along "just fine" with David, Martha and Sarah Ludden.

30. Betty White Was A Romantic At Heart

Image source: Popsugar

Betty was perceived as being a bit raunchy, due to some of the many roles she undertook during her 70 year career. However, that was acting and in real life, she admitted to being a bit of a romantic. Despite divorcing twice, her third husband was "the real thing" and they made a great partnership.