One of the little joys in the house I shared in college came from a theme song.
The schedules of my three roommates and I rarely aligned but at least once a week, we managed to gather in the living room. Taking a break, together, to watch “Golden Girls” reruns was a treat. And it didn’t require too much thought.
Our break got even better in the rare times when the full version of the theme song aired. Maybe the show often ran long or perhaps the station wanted to add an extra commercial. Most times, “Thank You For Being a Friend” was cut short. So when we heard “and if you threw a party…,” it was a big deal.
When Betty White died just before her 100th birthday, the comedian left behind a witty, funny legacy beyond “Golden Girls.” She managed to be a woman ahead of her time and somehow stay hilarious and relevant throughout seven decades.
White had a long career that started in the 1940s, but it was those afternoons of “Golden Girls” reruns filmed decades later where I started to recognize her comedic genius.
Yes, the clothing these women wore was dated and totally ’80s. The kitchen where they gathered was in dire need of a makeover. But (surprise!) this dorky show from my childhood was actually funny. My roommates and I sat down for something light yet these women were fast with their lines. Betty White’s Rose Nylund had impeccable timing and could play the straight woman so well. (Take the story of the Great Herring War from the final season. The story may have been improvised but it definitely left Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan breaking into laughter.)
In this show, here were four old women with rich lives that didn’t revolve around caring for other people. Were they (gasp) feminists?
Rose’s humor and White’s later roles remind me of Anita Loos’ characters.
Loos was an author and screenwriter during Hollywood’s silent era. She wrote the novel “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” which later was turned into an iconic musical starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. Loos’ leading ladies are beautiful and perhaps gold-digging but reading the novel makes it clear that they have the last laugh. They’re so subversively witty that at first glance, it’s tricky to see who’s the butt of the joke (everybody but them). And to think Loos wrote this book in 1925.
Betty White started her career in radio and then shifted to television around the time of “I Love Lucy.” The difficulty of juggling humor, gender and the morality police of that era is something you imagine when watching “Being the Ricardos.” It’s stunning to think how an actress can thrive in a time when the word “pregnant” was considered offensive. As the world changed, she continued to evolve.
I stumbled upon her again a decade after college with “Hot in Cleveland.” The show on TV Land starred three women who settled down in Cleveland and their landlord Elka (Betty White). The show’s laugh track got old fast but I stuck around for Elka’s zingers.
Around that time, she got a lot more attention from a Super Bowl Snickers commercial. Her delivery on the football field (at age 88) was much more memorable than the Super Bowl.
That led to a Facebook campaign where a half a million fans pushed for her to host “Saturday Night Live.” She did and she won yet another Emmy.
Over the last decade, how did she manage to pop up in commercials, award shows and late night shows and still not be over-exposed?
How did she stay so sharp and ready to pounce just when the time was right, dropping a joke that’s so innocent but a lot more?
I’ve appreciated diving into her appearances and interviews to see her wit through the decades. Over 70 years, there’s plenty to explore.
“Unscripted” is a weekly entertainment column produced by a rotating team of writers.
