Betty White--This is Your Life. 1987 Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Mary Tyler Moore, Gavin McLeod.

[Music] the following is an nbc special presentation this is your life an american television tradition and here he is mr this is your life himself ralph edwards everybody good evening to you tomorrow well here we go again huh now tonight listen tonight's a very special this is your life for we'll be surprising not one but two totally unsuspecting celebrity subjects two stars who have enriched all of our lives through the gift of laughter but enough hints i'm leaving this theater now to surprise our first unsuspecting celebrity i'm going to the sunset gower studios practically next door here in hollywood our subject has just finished taping one of your most favorite television shows i guarantee you now we've put two hidden cameras in a rehearsal hall where our subject is doing a photo session for a national magazine cover let's hope we don't blow our cover all right we'll cut them in over there now at the other studio please cut them in now that's fine you can bring this in a little bit okay i'm shooting nice and natural bring those flowers in a little bit they look real good but you can bring it a little closer all right what's that betty yes there's a there's something on your flowers it's a tarantula no no no no fun by your hand by my hand yeah tell everybody from my secret [Music] and that's right uh betty i'm that secret admirer but it isn't a secret anymore because tonight betty white solid gold golden girl this is your life [Music] here they are ralph edwards and our this is your life honored guest betty white [Applause] oh boy you don't feel welcome how about that ah betty just sit here in our chat i think that was the greatest take we've had and this is your life history your mouth was open for over 15 seconds i i think we had a few 10 seconders before but this is more than i've ever seen all right we begin your life betty marion white in oak park illinois where you are born on january 17th to tess and horus white even at 2 the camera loved you what did your daddy do he was in the electrical business he sold floodlights and explored was always tough to explain in school too he sold explosion-proof fittings to the navy you attend horace mann elementary school and on to beverly hills high where you're active in the world friendship club of course the glee club and the drama department betty we're going to have to rehearse that scene one more time you're upstaging her classmates again now you haven't heard that voice for over 40 years it's your drama instructor from beverly hills high school professor robert whitney bob whitney's a [Music] professor [Music] oh my goodness i had such a crush on you but so did everybody else now professor webb not too long ago you received a letter from betty that's the letter you wrote dear bob through the years and various interviews i've admitted the huge crush i had on you in high school but what girl didn't oh well if it's true i just i just validated it for heaven's sake mr wooden what uh senior class play did uh betty appear in well it was a classic drama pride and prejudice that was pride must have been it must have been some production though elizabeth my beloved my feelings will not be repressed i love you i ardently love you hang on betty he played the role of darcy your leading man back there at barely high now a governmental relations consultant from the city of mercer island washington and here is larry rose [Applause] larry why don't you take another vow because anybody who has the courage to get on an airplane with that costume deserves the applause he wore this all the way down thank you very much robert whitton and larry rose you begin early on the radio in music shows and playing small roles in such radio classics as blondie this is your fbi and the great gildersleeve your first exposure to a national audience is on your own show betty white in life with elizabeth life with elizabeth reward you with your first of five emmy awards and tv guide calls you america's sweetheart and hailed you for your girl next door good looks your next situation comedy is called a date with the angels and then you get your own variety series betty whitejoe from hollywood [Music] also in our audience tonight as your musical director from that show frank duvall frank there he is not long after that you become a regular on the one and only jack parr show what you go through dear boy there you are reading a little heart out and there she is grabbing you by the knee pinching i didn't lay a glove i mean i i did layer gloves i was just checking you know these socks go all the way they're like those things the girls wear under the skirt after the jackpot show you go on to wait a minute you're not through with me yet i have a few words to say and we all want to hear it i kid you not the legend jack parr [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so good to see you again listen um i have something to say about her that that not many people know when she was on the tonight show well many years ago she was just uh too um too attractive for such a happily married show and she was dangerous to to the men on the show and i said i'm gonna get this girl married so i said you come thursday night and i'm going to introduce you to one of the most available handsome charming bachelors in the world it was phil cochran colonel phil cochran the second most decorated army flyer in the world he came she came they met they fell in love it lasted two years four and a half but who's counting i said four and a half years and i thought they would get married but he wanted her to live on a farm and raise horses and she was going to come to hollywood and so it didn't work out but one thing that you don't know is i know what what phil sent you when you announced that you were going to marry alan he sent a wire and it was one word ouch uh do you remember that oh do i remember yeah well i don't know i either gonna sit down or dance jackpot thank you for flying across the country oh leaky jack i thought you were going to break into the room well i had a chance i had my image i had my two ducks removed thank you for flying across the country to salute one of your prized alumni thank i'm you maybe i'm wrong maybe i'm tired and maybe i'm strong but nevertheless i'm in love with you and the whole country is in love with you betty white you're now an established actress and television personality your quick wit your sense of humor your knack for the double entendre make you a natural for what is to become another phenomenon in television the game show you're a sought after panelist for make the connection you don't say it takes two match game liars club family feud and password as a game show panelist betty you were almost always right but you were never at a loss for words and in my business words are definitely important that of course is the creator of password i've got a secret what's my line to tell the truth the price is right match game the master of game shows mr mark goodson mark come on up here and tell us when you uh first met we first met uh betty when we were children on a paddle show called make the connection in 1953. and you were trying to make me hostess and the network wouldn't hold still for it you remember it i'd sure anyway betty was so wonderful ralph that we booked her whenever we could after that and then i think the most important uh panel show you were booked on for a lot of reasons was in 1961 when you came on a show we had called password hosted by alan ludden and uh alan and i of course were great friends we sort of discovered alan and we used to go out to a place called touch shores and drink it up after the show and alan said to me one time allen said if you want to take a look right here you unbuttoned his shirt slightly and they're hanging from his neck was a gold chain with an engagement ring and i said what's that he said i'm going to wear this ring i don't care how long it takes until betty white says yes to me so i don't know how long it took darling how about a very romantic sir but it's true and i don't know whether you were at a loss for words the first time he asked you but when you finally said yes that was a good answer good answer thank you mark goodson you'll all get a chance to continue catching up at the party right after the show part of your life yes betty since you're such an expert at game shows i wonder if you can guess who this next voice belongs to betty stop that stuff you can't tickle me i'm trying i've got to get this job done don't do you're driving me crazy oh you're a wild wench the host of match game where you made over 670 appearances your good friend gene rayburn [Applause] did she really drive you crazy gene she drove me right up a wall but in a very delicious way and you know in spite of your craziness and your wild antics and everything you do you've never lost your sense of charm your dignity and your ladylike image [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] i just want to say one thing i'm selling clips of that by mail order thank you gene rayburn in just a moment betty white a lot more surprises for you they just told me i was being let go along with the rest of you is that true yeah must be a terrible feeling being fired is like being violated leave it to murray to find a bright spot find out who betty gets reunited with when we come back to this is your life and alan ludden start together in summer stock and a year after that you and alan get married you then become a stepmother to alan's three teenage children your home is filled with love happiness and there's always a lot of animals now 1973 is a very big year for you betty white as your career soars to new heights for your work as suanne nivens the happy homemaker you win two more emmys betty and in 1977 the mary tyler moore show ends i treasure you people i think we all need some kleenex there's someone near his desk [Applause] [Music] what do you mean was here they are your buddies ed asner clarence leitchman gavin the cloud [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] uh [Applause] no matter what the public thinks i never slept with betty [Applause] [Applause] you remember when you and i went to artie's for lunch and we were late for rehearsal and we crossed the street and a policeman stopped us and gave us a jaywalking ticket and you started batting your eyelashes and we got a policeman who'd never seen television any place else you go you know you can't get through never you never watch tell him and it was her birthday georgette you know i love you dear and betty loves you dear but trust me that is not an interesting story thank you all how about just a minute please hello excuse me this is my show yes here she is mary tyler moore i don't have an anecdote but what i do have is an old friend who wants to say hello to you betty even though you play the happy homemaker we we both know that you have always been far more interested in animals uh four-legged and two-legged but here's an old four-legged friend dash who wants to say hello to you and i want you to meet the newest member of our family this is just oh she's got a new baby yes we do this is dudley he's a petit basse griffin bondine and i love you betty and i'm just so proud and pleased to be a part of your life thank you thank you ed flores gavin valerie and georgia and me oh me and me oh of course mary oh yeah thank you mary tyler moore for running over from sweet suit of the studio in new york to help us celebrate thank you betty thanks so much a satellite coast-to-coast stuff here betty oh my gosh it's 1977 now only nine days after the last telecast of the mary tyler moore show you're back on the air with your own show get me off the street your husband allen promises you that one day he'll build you that house by the sea in 1980 halfway through the construction you learn that alan is ill and even though he lives to see that dream house finished your gallant mate of 18 years passes shortly thereafter as always you gain strength and support from your pal your mother tess your loyal friends and you plunge back into work in fact just a year later you're the first woman to host a game show called just men where you win your fourth emmy award mama's family follows and then the plum roll of your career so far rose on golden girls that cake looks delicious let's cut her up well i was gonna give it to joni winston but if you're really that hungry i'd still have time to make another one for the wedding of course i have to address those 3 000 envelopes in the morning after i pick up the decorations for the hootenanny at the church but that'll still give me plenty of time to wash cars in the afternoon and give blood before seven it was a saver in more ways than one as you reach what appears to be the pinnacle of your career your mother tess passes away but still you triumph over this heartache thanks to your new family the golden girls in fact your performance on golden girls wins you your fifth emmy and the winner is betty white the golden girl [Music] [Applause] [Music] escale and roo and b and i all thank you we're a match set you can't split us up we want to thank the network for taking a chance on four old bro uh ladies tonight we've traveled through your past to your present and now we take a look at your future now listen carefully betty to 6747 hollywood boulevard mean anything to you now that betty is the mayor of hollywood mr johnny grant does does does 6747 hollywood boulevard mean anything to you betty i i think uh there might be a star there it will very soon because i'm happy to say the uh the people from the hollywood chamber of commerce the walk of fame selection committee has just approved a brand new star to be installed on hollywood's famous walk of fame yes betty and it's a well-deserved tribute to a man we've all loved and respected a star in hollywood's walk of fame for your man alan lotto now listen listen to this voice betty when i first met alan ludden he was working at a radio station wtic in hartford connecticut alan's good friend and yours the former president of mtm productions and the former chairman of the board of nbc grant tinker [Music] that was a long time ago betty when i met alan that is it would be over 10 years ralph before alan met betty and drew allen i met betty and i'm here tonight just simply because i will go anywhere that people gather to express their love for this lady oh honey thank and ralph one more very important thing betty that johnny grant did not say and that is that alan star on hollywood's walk of fame which will be dedicated next year will be right next to yours where it [Applause] belongs dedication is a word that truly befits your life betty white to family to friends to animal welfare to your work through your laughter your indomitable spirit and your eternal optimism you always have added a touch of gold to our lives eddie white this is your life [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] we'll be right back to surprise our second star when you see who that is

Channel: John Flanagan

Views: 535,789

Keywords:

Id: 9g98-78G5b4

Length: 25min 25sec (1525 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 27 2020