PBS celebrates Betty White
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Following in the footsteps of its warm, nostalgic, Emmy-nominated March pledge special on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” PBS takes another trip down memory lane in this month’s pledge period with “Betty White: First Lady of Television” (8 p.m. Tuesday, WQED-TV).
Ms. White, 96, is celebrating almost 80 years in show business, and this program includes clips and interviews with friends and costars including Valerie Bertinelli, Georgia Engel, Tina Fey, Valerie Harper, Gavin McLeod, Ryan Reynolds and Alex Trebek.
Ms. Engel and Mr. McLeod along with dancer Arthur Duncan sang Ms. White’s praises at a PBS press conference during the Television Critics Association press tour in support of the program. (Ms. White was not in attendance.)
Mr. McLeod recalled working alongside Ms. White on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Love Boat” and most recently on a safety video for Air New Zealand.
“We had so much fun together,” he recalled of that 2013 shoot where he learned Ms. White eats a hot dog for lunch daily. “They tell you not to eat those things, but Betty White can do anything with the life she’s lived.”
Ms. Engel said her fondest memories of Ms. White, a noted animal advocate, are rooted in their friendship off the set, including visiting a zoo before opening so Ms. White could commune with the animals without crowds. Ms. Engel also recalled how when so many of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” stars were getting their own series, it was Ms. White who insisted Ms. Engel join her in the short-lived “The Betty White Show” (1977-78).
“She isn’t thinking about herself, she’s thinking about other people,” Ms. Engel said. “She insisted I be taken care of and that’s a pretty nice thingand speaks of Betty.”
The program reveals how some viewers in the South objected to the presence of Mr. Duncan, who is AfricanAmerican, dancing on a Betty White-starring variety show in 1954. Ms. White would have none of it; Mr. Duncan was on the show at every opportunity.
“She just stood up for her beliefs, and that ended that at thattime,” Mr. Duncan said.
Mr. McLeod recalled Ms. White as the first person to memorize a “Mary Tyler Moore Show” script, as someone who was always prepared.
“She instilled this attitude of, when you step on the stage you bring your Agame,” Mr. McLeod said.
Ms. Engel said sometimes Ms. White didn’t love the parts she was cast in, but she still had a good attitude about the work.
“She’s beloved in the business,” Ms. Engel said, “because no matter what the business has thrown at her, it hasn’tchanged who she is.”