From NECN:
“5 Golden Moments From NBC's
Betty White Special”
NBC aired a special on Monday night called “Celebrating Betty White:
America’s Golden Girl” that brought together Betty White’s friends and co-stars
to reflect on her trailblazing career and a legacy filled with love and
laughter. On Friday, Cher teased the final moments of the special when she
shared a video of her performing “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the
unforgettable opening number from “The Golden Girls.” The musician sang her
flawless rendition from the same stage where White taped the beloved sitcom
each week as Rose. “She was a true American icon but what really
stood out about her is that she was exactly who we all want in a friend–warm,
caring, authentic and always fun,” Cher explained before she belted along to the
lyrics. The special also included celebrities and other notable names like
President Joe Biden, Drew Barrymore, Valerie Bertinelli, Cher, Bryan
Cranston, Ted Danson, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer,
Goldie Hawn, Vicki Lawrence, Jane Leeves, Jay Leno, Anthony Mackie, Wendie
Malick, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Jean Smart and Mary Steenburgen.
The hour-long event also included
clips from the countless shows White appeared in. Leno referred to her as “the
first woman of television.” Here are the five most heartwarming and hilarious
moments from the special, which aired exactly one month after White died at the
age of 99.
1. Behind-the-scenes skit from
“The Proposal” One of the first funny moments featured was a bit between
her and her “The Proposal” co-star Ryan Reynolds on the set of the 2009 rom-com.
In the clip, White mistakenly refers to Ryan as “Bryan” and requests he get
her a cup of coffee. “No, my name’s Ryan,” he corrected her. “We’ve been
working together for weeks.” With a serious look, White replied, “When
Betty White says she wants a cup of coffee, you get her a (bleeped) cup of
coffee.”
2. Praise and memories from
her fellow actors McHale, who shared the television screen with White back
in 2010 on the show “Community” pointed out how “unprecedented” it was for
White to star in hit sitcoms in three different decades: “The Mary Tyler Moore
Show,” “The Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland.” Fallon recalled hosting the 62nd Emmys and
said that White improvised her sensual dance number with Jon Hamm during the
opening. Her comedic skills were so impressive that they only shot one take.
Later in the special, Fallon told a story about one of White’s appearances
on “The Tonight Show.” A clip played of Fallon teaching White how to play beer
pong on the show. By the end of the segment he said, White had chugged a beer,
pretended to flash Fallon and eventually beat him. After a scene from White’s guest spot on
“30 Rock” was shown, Tracy Morgan shared, “I’ve worked with a lot of people in
my career, a lot of top dogs in my career. Betty White was the Lebron James of
comedy. She’s scoring.” Cher might’ve been the biggest fan included in
the special. She remembered being around 7 years old when first saw White on
television in the sitcom “Life with Elizabeth.” The “Believe” singer
gushed, “I came upon this face. It was really sweet. She looked like a beauty
queen. It had big dimples and I think that was the beginning of my love affair
with Betty White.” White later
appeared as a guest star on “The Sonny & Cher Show” in 1977 and the
musician was able to express her love in person.
3. Mary Tyler Moore reveals
Sue Ann was supposed to have a short run on her show White’s character Sue
Ann was introduced on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the comedy’s fourth
season. She quickly became a fan-favorite for her flirtatious and witty lines. “Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden
Girl” included a moment from an interview with Mary Tyler Moore in 1997 when
she spoke about the development of Sue Ann. “Well, Betty was added after Valeric
(Harper) went on to do her own show,” said the actor, who died in 2017. “It was
supposed to be a one-time shop. But she was so good, so great, so inventive
that you couldn’t not have her back on.” Moore described Sue Ann as
“everyone’s delicious pixie.” She added that White’s character, “represented
all the little evil corners and dark places that we have inside us. And they
cheered her on.” "It is very hard to absorb you are not here
anymore,” actor Henry Winkler said Friday after the news of actor Betty White’s
death. Here are other reactions from Hollywood.
4. Salute from President Joe
Biden Halfway through the special, President Biden delivered a heartfelt
message about White. “Betty White
was an American treasure, an icon and a pioneer,” he began. “She challenged
convention. With every laugh and smile, she opened our hearts. But above all,
she moved our souls and the soul of our nation.” He concluded the short
speech with, “What a gift we’ll always treasure. God bless you, Betty. We all
love you.”
5. Betty White’s legacy as a
pioneer. Jean Smart said that White
was a “trailblazer” because she produced her own talk show in the 1950s, which
was ‘unheard of” at the time. As
clips from White’s self-titled show were shown, Goldie Hawn noted that White
used her show to speak about racial injustice. One of the most well-known examples of
“The Betty White Show” being a revolutionary program was in 1954 when White had
a Black dancer named Arthur Duncan on the show. Anthony Mackie explained, “She was asked
to take Arthur Duncan off the show and she said no. For her to do that in 1954
on a variety show paved the way for so many people after him. “Speaking more
about the significance of how White used her platform, Mackie praised the late
actor for being “the biggest influence on his career in life.” He
continued, “I’m here because of that. For her to say no, it changed the face of
television. It was that type of humility and strength and backbone I try to
carry in my career every day.”
The special will also be
available on Peacock to stream on Feb. 1.
^ I watched the Special and it
did a good job to honor her life, her acting and her love of animals. ^
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