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The Allen Ludden & Betty White Archive

The Allen Ludden & Betty White Archive

Category Archives: Ephemera

Betty Answers Her 1954 Fan Mail

19 Thursday May 2022

Posted by The Archivist in Ephemera, Just Betty, Photos

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Arthur Duncan, Betty White, Frank DeVol, The Betty White Show (1954)

fanclubDuring the summer of 1954, Betty hosted a variety show on NBC called The Betty White Show.  Betty and her crew of nine guys (!) presented musical numbers, read viewer mail, and celebrated “Wish Day,” in which the whole cast showered young guests with presents.

Here’s what a fan named Lydia received in reply when she wrote…

Please click the image see the mailing!

Given the volume of mail she likely received, it’s understandable that she relied on a “Dear Friend” form letter. It’s a nice touch, though, for her to reply to Lydia’s specific questions.

The insert listing the men on Betty’s show is interesting.  Frank DeVol was a well-know composer and arranger, and wrote a number of tv themes, including that of The Brady Bunch.  Arthur Duncan is a tap dancer, who went on to appear as a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show.

Betty was pretty forward-thinking in including Arthur Duncan, an African-American, in the cast.  She noted in her book Here We Go Again the following:

It came as a frightfully ugly surprise, one day, when a few of the stations that carried our show through the South notified us that they would, “with deep regret, find it most difficult to broadcast the program unless Mr. Arthur Duncan was removed from the cast.” I was shocked, and it goes without saying that Arthur continued to perform on our show as often as possible. To its credit, the network backed us up. I was livid — this was 1954, for heaven’s sake! I wanted to tell them what to do with their stations, but wiser heads prevailed. To no one’s surprise, that was the last we ever heard of the matter. They continued to carry us without another word on the subject.

Relax… Betty’s June 1962 Bills are PAID!

26 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by The Archivist in Ephemera, Just Betty

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Betty White, Critic's Choice, Theatre, To Tell The Truth, US Steel Hour

billbothTwo little pages, so much information! From the archivist’s personal collection comes this fascinating glimpse into the cost of being Betty in the summer of 1962.

Please click the image see the full document!

Some observations…

  • Ashley-Steiner was Betty’s professional agency. She enclosed with this note her paychecks for June appearances on To Tell the Truth and an episode of US Steel Hour entitled “The Scene of the Crime.” She made about $5700 in today’s dollars for the two appearances.
  • Betty had to pay for own transportation to New York for her TV appearances of this era, hence the bill from her agency for a trip to be taken the next day. You can see that the costs likely offset much of her salary.
  • Bullock’s and I. Magnin were California-based department stores. Girlfriend was probably buying clothes!
  • Poor Betty must have lost one of her beloved pets at the beginning of June, resulting in the vet and pet crematory bills.  🙁
  • Essex House was a luxury hotel in New York. Notice the separate checks four days apart. Betty must have flown back to Los Angeles between the two appearances.
  • Lastly, note the June 14th check for a wig for her appearance in a summer stock production of the play Critic’s Choice. It cost about $1600 in today’s dollars – must have been real human hair.  But it was worth it in the end. Her co-star was none other than Allen Ludden, and he was proposing to her by the end of it!

Allen Charges Dinner at Chasen’s

25 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by The Archivist in Ephemera, Just Allen

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Allen Ludden, Betty White

Here’s Allen’s card from the rolodex at Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood. If the staff needed to verify that a diner had a charge account at the restaurant, this is what they checked.

Please observe:

  • The account was opened in May 1962. Allen took Betty to dinner and a performance of “Critic’s Choice,” the play they were to co-star in during the summer of 1962. Did Allen open the account specifically for the very first date/”business meeting”?
  • On the reverse of the the card, you’ll also note that Allen charged a meal on September 23rd of 1962; likely this was one of his many courting trips to the West Coast prior to their April 1963 engagement.
  • Betty’s 51st, 54th, 56th and 57th birthdays appear to have been celebrated at Chasen’s; as there are stamps for January 17th in those years.

How Much Did Allen & Betty Spend on Parking in 1963?

20 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by The Archivist in Allen & Betty Together, Ephemera

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Allen Ludden, Betty White

Don’t we all lie awake each night pondering that very question?

Click on the image to enlarge!

A few observations:

The firm of Edward Traubner & Co. managed the business interests of many performers.  The company filed its articles of incorporation on Friday, February 17, 1956.

The couple estimated that they spent $400 on “business parking” in 1963.  In 2011 dollars, that’s about $2825.  That’s a lot of parking at a time when the average annual wage in the United States was $4,397. Where were they parking?!

Finally, this is the only example I’ve ever seen of Betty signing as Betty Ludden, rather than Betty White (personally or professionally) or Betty White Ludden (for documents & contracts).

Betty’s Banana Loaf… Not Likely!

18 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by The Archivist in Ephemera, Just Betty

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Betty White

Here’s a interesting item I found on eBay. Someone was selling a beat-up plain wood recipe box with this recipe card inside it. Bidding started at $50 and there were no takers. I love how people think their junk is worth a ton!

Anyway. I digress… The rare “Betty White recipes” (I’ve only seen one other example – for “Chicken Wings Pacifica”) are amusing, as Betty is a self-admitted klutz in the kitchen. And was the public really to believe she cared what brand of flour she allegedly used? I wonder if there were other variations of this card?

I would date it at about 1954. All in all, an interesting piece.

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