Betty White Turns 100

I hope the movie will be available to watch somewhere for those of us who can't see a screening. Maybe even a physical release?

Comedian Steve Martin recalls meeting Betty White for the first time...

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Steve Martin is taking a stroll down memory lane to the first time he ever met Betty White.

As White gears up to celebrate her centennial birthday, Martin shared a story on Twitter on Thursday about meeting the famed comedian over four decades ago when he was just beginning his career.

"In 1974, I was an obscure opening act for Linda Ronstadt at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Passing through the lobby before the show, I saw Betty White and her husband Allen Ludden waiting in line," the Only Murders in the Building actor wrote.

In a follow-up tweet he added, "I loved Betty White, so I went up to them: 'I'm so honored to meet you both.' And then I said, 'Isn't Linda great?' She said, 'We came to see you.' I said, 'Why?' 'Because we heard you were funny.' I was elated."

White turns 100 years old on Jan. 17. In preparation for the special day, Martin isn't the only celebrity singing her praises.

In this week's PEOPLE, Ryan Reynolds honored the actress and said he's been a fan of hers "for as long as I can remember," and went on to praise White's comedic talent.

The pair starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the 2009 comedy The Proposal, and over the years Reynolds, 45, has carried on the joke that his onscreen grandmother is his "ex-girlfriend."

"I heard that scripts for Golden Girls were only 35 pages, which makes sense because so many of the laughs come from Betty simply looking at her castmates," he said, before joking that White is "a typical Capricorn" because she "sleeps all day" and is "out all night boozing and snacking on men."

Bullock added that close pal White is a "loving, decent, optimistic, inclusive, hilarious human being," and she hopes White spends her milestone birthday "the same way she has celebrated every day of her life: with humor, kindness and a vodka on ice, toasting to the fact that she's a badass who has left us all in the dust."

White also joked about her relationship Reynolds while speaking with PEOPLE about her upcoming birthday.

"I've heard Ryan can't get over his thing for me," she said, "but Robert Redford is The One."
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Glad you got one!!

I did buy a ticket for the movie next month… going alone, which will let me just enjoy the experience.

Today was Betty's 100th birthday. Prior to her passing, I purchased a ticket to see the documentary "Betty White: A Celebration" in my local theater. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the theater was closed. I ended up going to a theater ~45 minutes away.



I got my reserved seat in the theater, and enjoyed my first experience in a recliner while watching a movie. The added seat warmer made for perfect viewing! There were ~15 in the theater - but for a 1:00 pm showing, on a Monday, I was okay with that. It also meant I could do a little bit of videotaping to share with other GG followers.

The film began, and immediately it went into the tribute to Betty from her passing. A short written message appeared on the screen, and then Betty appeared. She looked good for 99... although her voice was definitely not in the shape it once was.



A number of images of Twitter and Instagram posts from celebrities appeared on the screen, remembering Betty, from December 31.

Then the documentary began... and I realized that I had seen the interviews and video clips.

My guess is 90%+ of the content was from the PBS documentary "Betty White: First Lady of Television." Conversations with Valerie Harper, Valerie Bertinelli, Gavin Macleod, Georgia Engel, Ryan Reynolds and others were part of the show. There were photos of young Betty, her early days in television and on to present day. Her love of animals was near the end of the documentary.

You can watch the PBS special here. It's also available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

At the end, the audience was encouraged to watch a "lost episode" of Betty's 1950s sitcom, A Date with the Angels. It was odd that it was described as "lost," considering it's been on YouTube for eight years.



In all the whole piece was a little over 90 minutes.

For a "regular" fan, the film experience was amazing. Seeing all the history and interviews, and Betty's in-depth comments on her life, made for a great way to celebrate her birth. It was also fun to laugh with other fans... and there was a lot of laughter.

For the "hard-core" fan - like myself - much of the show was a repeat. I kept thinking there would be something new, but I really don't know of anything new... perhaps some of the footage of Betty growing up, but not much else.

Regardless, I'm glad I went and I'm glad Betty was able to participate in the project. I'm sad that she's gone, but we are all blessed with her television and film roles that will be around forever.

I wonder what was going on with her voice?