Betty White: First Lady of Television (2018 TV Movie) User Reviews

Such a nice visit with her...

[shelleyalevin · 8/10 · 24 January 2020]

...but I'd have loved it if they'd, at the bottom of the screen, named the ppl being interviewed. And how/when/where/ they worked together. I have no idea who one or two of them are :(

Wonderful tribute

[Calicodreamin · 9/10 · 25 January 2020]

A wonderful tribute to the legacy that is Betty White. The show features insights into how Betty became such an icon as told through snippets of interview of close friends and coworkers.

Betty Will Always Be a TEN!

[live-and-let-live · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

Loved everything about Betty, her story, & history.

Would have enjoyed more photos from her earlier life and fewer opinions from those with whom she worked minimally, but it was ok.

One of a kind

[blakeghx · 10/10 · 24 January 2020]

It's an entertaining and inspiring mashup sort of story about a truly unique and genuine lady! I just wish it was longer and had more of and interview with Betty but it's a must see in my book!

I love you Betty White

[annemwntwrth · 10/10 · 17 February 2021]

I just finished watching Betty White First Lady of Television and I just loved it. I knew she had been a pioneer of TV but wow she did so much! A live show for 5 1/2 hrs, 6 days a week!? Just incredible. She has brought her incredible talent to everyone and we are all so very lucky. Watching this program I laughed a lot at the clips from Mary Tyler Moore to Hot in Cleveland. I cried too because I remember watching her on a late night show when I was in my 20s and she talked about her late husband, Allen Luden and even then she got emotional talking about him, then to see her again get very emotional thinking about him just made me very emotional just knowing how much she will always love and miss him. I think she's wonderful and I think this program really shows us that she truly is the First Lady of Television.

We all love Betty White!

[jruddy43 · 10/10 · 23 March 2020]

She's like an American treasure, and this documentary shows exactly why. I wasn't familiar with all of her work that she did in her earlier years. She was a trailblazer. Funny and inspiring!

Just Wonderful

[Foutainoflife · 8/10 · 2 October 2023]

Watching this after Betty's passing has made it all the more touching for me. She had such a brilliant career, was admired for her friendliness and work ethic and unashamedly adored animals.

While enjoyable, the documentary was short. I would've loved to have heard more about her personal life and just got to know her a little better in that regard. Since I am a HUGE Golden Girls fan and see it as a crowning achievement in comedy, I would've also loved to heard her, along with the rest of the cast, take on their time together. It would've also been nice to known more about her work with animals since she seemed to hold them so close to her heart and they were so very special to her.

The compiled archive of Betty's professional accomplishments is vast, undeniable, speaks volumes of her talent, charm and wit and this documentary gave us a short look directly at it. While I suppose one should expect such a direct focus considering the title is "Betty White: FIRST LADY OF TELEVISION" (i.e. Betty White: Her Lifelong Profession), I won't deny that I'm slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see more about Betty White: The Woman. She was so much more than her career and I would've simply loved to have seen more about that aspect of her life.

Thanks to Betty for leaving us with the body of work she left behind allowing us to always find something to laugh about. It was quite the mark she left on this world and the world is a better place because of it.

Much Love Betty RIP.

SPOILER.... everyone knows betty white!

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 27 October 2021]

Spoiler -- everyone's older sister. Aunt. Best friend. Betty white.. from doing game shows with her husband allen ludden, to numerous television sitcom series. From her show life with elizabeth, to being the naughty girl on mary tyler moore, to the innocent sweetheart on golden girls. And of course, the internet got her to host saturday night live! Fun. I didn't need to hear everyone fawning over her and saying how great she is, i would rather have had more information on behind the scenes. Born in 1922, an only child. Always energetic, positive, and upbeat. Fun stuff! They don't say much about her three marriages; she does talk about ludden, but her first marriage only lasted six months, and I'll bet there's a story there. Too bad we don't hear it. It's a fun hour. Directed by steve boettcher, who specializes in documentaries. He had done one on mary tyler moore a few years before.

a disappointment

[tingski · 6/10 · 5 March 2022]

For something that was 10 years in the making, I'd expected more. More videos of Betty's early days in television (Life with Elizabeth, Date with the Angels, her emceeing the Macy's parade, etc. - you could easily find these old videos on YouTube). I expected more interviews with co-stars. Granted many of her contemporaries are gone, they could have done a little more effort. And because the narrative revolves around what her co-stars tell us about Betty (most of which we already know), it lacked the objective voice of why she had the career that she had - why she remained relevant & beloved till her last decade. With the exception of her roles in the Mary Tyler Moore Show & The Golden Girls, most of her roles on television aren't that noteworthy. Let's face it - if you're a television actor, you'll take what you can get. (Personally, I love her on Life with Elizabeth. She was a natural). This is not to say she isn't a great actor - she is. A pity that she didn't get or choose to do more serious roles. She was great in The Golden Girls' more serious scenes. (Rose the Prude, Season 1 Episode 3 comes to mind). I love Betty White, so do the producers of this documentary - this is a love letter to her. But as a documentary, this was a disappointment.

Not as Good as White Herself

[matthewssilverhammer · 4/10 · 20 October 2018]

While there's no question that Betty White is a fun personality to get to know better, there's just not much to this aimless and familiar celebrity biography.

Boring and dull documentary for such a wonderfully hilarious lady

[maccas-56367 · 4/10 · 3 March 2020]

Such a boring and dull little "documentary" of a wonderfully hilarious and charismatic lady!

This screams "cheaply produced 1990s TV special". The kind of thing that you'd find on TV late at night, perhaps before an episode of Autopsy USA or something.

It felt like a long 1 hour. The highlight was Betty feeding a huge bear - which was just such an odd fit to what was already a disjointed documentary.

It needed a lot more of Betty, as things were best when she was talking, or delivering hilarious one-liners in old footage from her career.

Viewers are better off enjoying some of Betty White's work than giving this a spin.

Needs More Betty White

[doug-godsoe · 3/10 · 21 January 2020]

Mostly D-list celebrities mugging for the camera, giving testimonials on her talent. Very meta.