Sigh… RIP Betty White

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Kevin M.

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Dec 31, 2021, 2:50:11 PM12/31/21
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She lived it. She lived every minute of it. 

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

PGage

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Dec 31, 2021, 6:49:34 PM12/31/21
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The testimonials, well deserved, are pouring in. I had occasion to meet her, very casually, a couple of times, when I was in my late teens and mid 20s, and she was already old. Super nice of course. I did a rewatch of MTM earlier in the year and felt her performance held up the best of anyone in the cast, and then a couple of months ago, at the urging of my wife, went through Hot in Cleveland, and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it, a lot of that just the opportunity to soak her up.

What a great life. I know she was hyping her centennial birthday in the upcoming People cover, but I am old enough to suspect that getting to such an arbitrary mark was less important to her than living the days she was given well.

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Kevin M.

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Dec 31, 2021, 9:14:49 PM12/31/21
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I liked this from Paula Poundstone’s Twitter 

“You know what's really great? We told Betty White that we loved her while she was still alive.“

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

Bob Jersey

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Jan 1, 2022, 9:53:58 AM1/1/22
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Now the "eternal" question is begged: which of her roles was best? "MTM"? "Golden Girls"? "Hot..."?

I picked on the Philadelphia all-news station (now on FM!) on Twitter for playing the opening of "Love Is All Around" to open a piece on Betty, but should I have?

B

PGage, to Kevin M, Dec 31st 2021:

PGage

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Jan 1, 2022, 10:41:25 AM1/1/22
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I noticed yesterday that several of my former college students, now in their mid 30s, posted that they had only ever known of her actual acting work from Golden Girls (which apparently people of that age group have binged repeatedly in syndication) and had no direct familiarity with MTM. I have a relative in her late 80s who said yesterday she still can only think of White as the title character in the 1950s show Life with Elizabeth.

For me, her defining role will always be Sue Ann Nivens, who was a hero in our house because we borderline didn’t like Mary because she was so sweet and conforming (though it wasn’t until a rewatch earlier this year that I realized the show presents Unmarried Mary Richards as having had sex with several of her boyfriends, something that went over my head as a kid).

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Brad Beam

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Jan 1, 2022, 11:44:32 AM1/1/22
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From: 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV [mailto:tvor...@googlegroups.com]

>Now the "eternal" question is begged: which of her roles was best? "MTM"? "Golden Girls"? "Hot..."?

 

I would add to your choices “game-show panelist.”

 

 

There’s the problem: she worked best in an ensemble. Phyllis, Rhoda, and Lou got spinoffs, but Sue Ann didn’t. “Golden Palace” spun Dorothy out completely. And there were three “Betty White Show”s (1954, 1958, 1977-8) – two variety, one sitcom – that no one’s considering.

 

_   _

|_>|_>  Brad Beam- Belle WV

|_>|_>  http://www.facebook.com/74bmw

 

Brad Beam

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Jan 1, 2022, 11:46:28 AM1/1/22
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From: 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV [mailto:tvor...@googlegroups.com]

>I picked on the Philadelphia all-news station (now on FM!) on Twitter for playing the opening of "Love Is All Around" to open a piece on Betty, but should I have?

 

That being said, I’ll be playing “Thank You For Being A Friend” as the outro at church tomorrow. (If they ever find a better pianist, I’m in trouble.)

David Lynch

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Jan 1, 2022, 11:53:17 AM1/1/22
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And with her, we have lost the last member of the main cast of Mary Tyler Moore, the last Golden Girl, and, as far as I’m aware, the last person to emcee an episode of Password — she hosted for a week in the 70s while Allen served as one of the celebrity partners.

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Brad Beam

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Jan 1, 2022, 12:06:14 PM1/1/22
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(Excluding random sketch appearances on "The Tonight Show.")

Sent from my iPhone

Kevin M.

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Jan 3, 2022, 6:53:52 PM1/3/22
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Joyce Bulifant sets the record straight on how many MTM semi-regulars are extant.

Buzzr will be airing a Betty White game show marathon this coming Saturday. 


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Kevin M. (RPCV)

Mark Jeffries

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Jan 3, 2022, 7:03:11 PM1/3/22
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The BUZZR marathon was moved up a week--it was going to commemorate Betty's 100th birthday.  It'll be "Match Game" on Saturday, "Password" on Sunday and everything else they have the rights to on Monday, including her last game show appearance in the first season of the current ABC version of "To Tell the Truth."

Mark Jeffries
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PGage

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Jan 3, 2022, 11:59:09 PM1/3/22
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Joyce adds “recurring” to what I have seen most comments along these lines say, in order to cram in her point; our own David Lynch wrote “main” cast.  

There may be even more than just the three she mentions who were in more than one episode and are still alive, but sorry, still true that BW was the last series regular to die.

And, of the three she mentions Bulifant was likely in the fewest number of episodes (and or had the fewest total lines).

Dave Sikula

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Jan 4, 2022, 4:28:30 AM1/4/22
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I haven't seen Lisa Gerritsen in a few years, but I'm still good friends with her husband (they're still together; we just haven't seen them), and their son turns 18 this year.

--Dave Sikula

M-D November

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Jan 4, 2022, 3:09:57 PM1/4/22
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Are we not counting the abomination that was the Regis-hosted version of "Password"?

David Lynch

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Jan 4, 2022, 3:11:45 PM1/4/22
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I was but he died in 2020.

Mark Jeffries

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Jan 4, 2022, 6:22:14 PM1/4/22
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And now we have on either NBC or Peacock in the coming year the Fallon-produced reboot of "Password" (from the bit on his show), with either Fallon or (as in the bit) announcer Steve Higgins hosting.  If it's Fallon, Bert Convy will have a rival as a total screwup.

Mark Jeffries
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M-D November

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Jan 5, 2022, 12:23:22 PM1/5/22
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You know what? I completely forgot Regis died.  Complete blank.

Eddie Anderson

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Jan 25, 2022, 10:08:24 AM1/25/22
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On 01/01/2022 11:53 AM, David Lynch wrote:
> And with her, we have lost the last member of the main cast of Mary
> Tyler Moore,

(N.B. I just finished binge-reading this thread. AFAICS, no one
mentioned this, so I will...)

Speaking of which, has anyone else noticed that 2021 took down about
half of the main cast of that MTM show? That fraction (1/2) and the
count (4 - MacLeod, Leachman, Asner, and White) both seem remarkable
for a single year.

I don't remember seeing any similar die offs from a single show in a
single year. Does anyone else here?

I've been mentally reviewing relatively long running shows with
ensemble casts from the 70s, and 80s w/o remembering anything similar.

E.g. shows like All in the Family, Maude, M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart
Show, Newhart, SOAP, Barney Miller, Good Times, The Jeffersons, The
Waltons, Taxi, WKRP, Cheers, Dallas, Wings, Dear John, Knots
Landing, Dynasty, thirtysomething, Family, and others had long runs,
ensemble casts, and are now about 30 years or more beyond the end of
their runs. But I don't remember seeing so many obits (in a single
year) for any one of them.

There were also a lot of cop / PI / legal shows from around those
years (like Hill Street Blues, Rockford, Ironsides, Magnum P.I.,
Kojak, LA Law, NYPD Blue) that might also be candidates.

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