Betty White, America's favorite
grandma and Hollywood icon,
has captured our hearts and made us
realize that age is just a number in
a new book called How to Be Golden.
Author Paula Bernstein recounts Betty
White's life story while teaching
us a thing or two about living well.
That is what really fascinates me that
you ask anyone about Betty White and they
jump up and down and are so excited to
tell you and everyone feels like they
have a personal relationship with her.
I think some of it is obviously the
characters that she plays in that
she almost seems like she could
be one of us if we were, you know,
incredibly talented and funny.
She's not afraid to make fun of herself,
which I think appeals to people.
But really, the other thing is,
she's been around forever.
She's going to be.
100 in January.
So pretty much,
unless you're over 100 years old you
grew up with Betty White on your TV.
That
is so true. You know your book is set
up with life lessons learned. What is
the best advice you learned from Betty
White? I feel like, especially given
I was writing this book during this
really unusual, difficult year.
I feel like I took a lot of lessons
for her and one of them is you.
Sort of. You know, if things jokers
way that you were planning it,
you know you got a pivot and starting
in early in her life she wasn't afraid.
If something wasn't going her way,
she would just pivot.
So for instance,
her dream was to be a movie star and early
on the studio is even though she's gorgeous.
Judios had a very set idea of
what a starlet would look like,
and she didn't fit that.
But instead of going back home,
which incidentally was Hollywood, she lived.
But instead of going back home,
she was like, you know what I'm
gonna figure something else out,
and that's how she pursued radio.
And then from that anyway,
I feel like it's so easy now
to look back and say, well,
she's had such a successful career.
Why you know?
Why would she have any problems?
But in fact, if you look at her career,
she's been working steadily for so long.
And obviously we remember the hits.
We don't remember all the
shows that she was in.
That didn't work
so true, and actually brings
up an interesting point.
We were talking about.
Amongst our new day crew about how she's
actually called the First Lady of Game
shows and you realized that kind of,
you know, throughout the 60s,
that was her claim to fame.
She was on all the game shows. Yes,
that's interesting. You're right.
Talk about pivoting.
Also just having fun with
whatever she was doing,
seizing whatever opportunity came her way.
And as far as game shows and interviews,
she has said, you know,
I love playing games.
I get to be paid to play games.
With my best friends.
Who were some of the people
appearing with her on a
Hollywood squares or match game?
Or all those shows? What
was your favorite Betty White character?
Well, it's it's funny 'cause as a
little girl, I mean she was already and
an old lady and as far as I saw it,
of course now I'm the same age she
was when I believe when she started
on the goals that always
blows my mind. Anyway, I
heard that is funny but growing up I
pretty much knew her from The Golden Girls.
And later I discovered her from Mary
Tyler Moore and all the other shows.
But I would say Rose on the
golden girl who doesn't love Rose.
She's just so loveably naive,
but also really strangely
knowing like she's so perceptive.
So perceptive and just yeah,
I mean she is that great character that
almost is kind of like in mythical terms,
always had these great things
to share about Saint Olaf.
I do remember her on MTM.
I was one of my favorite shows
growing up on Nick at night.
Yeah, but I have to say my favorite
character of hers was on Lake Placid.
Did you ever see that movie?
I did OK but yeah, that was
just phenomenal. Like only she
could pull off someone who fed her
husband to an alligator. Am I right?
And somehow she still lovable right?
Because it's Betty White?
Yeah that yeah that
actually it's interesting.
You pointed out that movie because that.
Really was sort of the beginning
of her return. Not exactly return.
She never went away,
but were younger people started
recognizing her, and that of course sort
of culminated in her being the oldest
person host ever on Saturday Night Live.
I can't believe I'm hosting
Saturday Night Live
and then doing that Snickers ad that
went viral, so it's pretty unusual
to be in your 80s at that point as
she was to be, you know, a huge star.
I feel like the way that we age
now is changed. What can we learn
from her there? Fighting thing is when
people at of course people always
ask her for advice and she always
says I'm sure it's tongue in cheek,
which is her way. But she always says.
Drink vodka and eat hot dogs,
which of course for audiences
listening not good advice.
Don't do that.
We cannot advise that as a healthy form of
we don't have. I sat,
but really for her I think
animals keep her active.
She's always loved animals
such that keeps her busy.
I think really the fact that
she's always involved with things,
not just show business,
but with these philanthropic
organizations to support animals.
And then Betty White National
treasure, I tell you.