Betty White – First Lady Of Television traces the career of the legendary TV entertainer. The documentary weaves archive footage and interviews with those who worked with her over the past 80 years. The archive footage gives the audience a vignette of Betty's astounding career. Her credits include: The Betty White Show, The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, St. Elsewhere, The Golden Girls, Ally McBeal, The Simpsons, That '70s Show, Boston Legal to mention just a few! Not forgetting that she once hosted Saturday Night Live too!
In the interview segments, we hear from a diverse range of personal friends, actors and actresses. They give a glowing account of her and also her achievements. I was surprised to find out that Deadpool star Ryan Renolds is a big fan. The pair worked together on The Proposal in 2009, striking up a friendship that lasts to this day.
A 2011 poll conducted by Reuters revealed that Betty White was the most popular and most trusted celebrity among Americans, beating the likes of Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock (The Lost City), and Tom Hanks (News Of The World).
While much of the documentary is about Betty's career, we do find out about her early life growing up in California. The star talks lovingly about her parents and their passion for wildlife and nature. Betty is a supporter of many animal charities, and she credits this passion as the driving force behind her incredible work rate – she is 98 and still working regularly.
Betty also talks candidly about meeting her second husband (Allen Ludden) in 1961 on his game show Password. The pair were married a year later and remained together until Allen's death in 1981.
At just over 50 minutes long, this documentary is easy to watch. It's full of fabulous clips of Betty in many of her most famous roles. This is a light and fun documentary which can be enjoyed by anyone. It will leave you feeling uplifted and grateful for the talent which is the marvellous Betty White.
