By My story starts back when I would visit my Grandparents in a little township outside of Detroit called White Lake. They bought a house on a hill after Grandpa retired to be one block away from the cottage on the lake so they could enjoy their golden years out of the city of Detroit that was decaying from crime and corruption within the Mayor’s office.
They had one television in the house downstairs in the basement with enough seating for no less then 10. The couch held 4 if you were small, then there was a single chair to match the couch. Between the chair and the couch a few feet back was a circular seating area around the support beam which could handle 3 more viewers. Finally there was the bar in the corner with 4 high bar stools if you were interested in the show while enjoying a cocktail.
My Grandpa would watch sports whenever he could break away from his chores. Grandma made the rules and he followed them to the T. I don’t ever remember him watching anything other then the events with a team from Detroit playing whether it was baseball, basketball or football. That was his enjoyment after retirement.
picture: theWikifeed.com
Grandma on the other hand never watched sports. She said “she didn’t have time for that nonsense.” When she finished all her work she would glide down those steps and switch on the tv to watch one of two shows depending on the day. Saturday nights was the Lawrence Welk show. She usually went to bed around 8:30 every night to get up by 4 in the morning to start her day cooking and baking, but not on Saturdays. She would sit and watch the show religiously each weekend as she laughed and sang with the set. I would go down and watch the show with her to keep her company, to this day I enjoy listening to the big bands and crooners in the music industry because of our time together.
My Grandpa would watch sports whenever he could break away from his chores. Grandma made the rules and he followed them to the T.”
Before we watched the Lawrence Welk show she would put on the Golden Girls which aired at 8:30. She loved the comedy so much, she never missed a show if she was at home. All the girls were phenomenal in their roles as it ran for years. My Grandma loved Betty White. She was a bit ditzy as Grandma would say but she is so kind and nice to everyone. That was my Grandma, never a bad word about anyone or anything. When Rose would step in front of the camera my Grandma would laugh out loud as Rose recited her lines. Betty played the role expertly.
I learned from my Grandma Betty White was a pioneer in the television industry. She had her own show, a production company and later on I would learn she had a African American tap dancer on her show in the 1950’s regularly. Arthur Duncan was the first man of color to appear as a regular on any variety show and Betty White get’s the credit as she never backed down when management wanted her to remove Arthur from the show.
Years later I watched a movie my niece said was funny called “The Proposal” with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. Ten years after it came out I took the time to watch the movie and to my amazement Betty White was the Grandma and she dominated every scene she was in. To date I guess I have seen the movie no less then 15 times. It is a great comedy and Betty just made it so much better.
Just short of her 100th birthday Betty passed away in her sleep peacefully. She was an icon who never was full of herself and always treated those around her kindly I am told. One thing she always said was she wanted to be remembered for her love and caring of animals of which she contributed both time and money for their well being.
Betty, thank you for the memories, you will be in many of our hearts for years to come. Happy 100th birthday as you celebrate with the love of your life Alan Ludden after all these years.
