Through the years, two of my favorite actresses have been Doris Day and Betty White. As I thought about what to put in this column I realized that these two amazing women have many things in common.
Doris was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio; she passed away in Carmel, California on May 13, 2019 at age 97. I don't know whether to refer to her as an actress or a singer because she excelled at both.
Many people do not know that Doris' first true interest was dancing, however at age fifteen Doris was in a terrible accident when the car she was in was hit by a train. The accident shattered her right leg, it was not until fourteen years later in the movie "Lullaby of Broadway" that she really started doing some intricate dance moves that tested her leg strength. Doris was again able to do some dancing from time to time, but not to the extent which she had originally intended.
As an actress, her movies were some of the most popular ones around for many years. She made different types of movies but I like the comedies she was in the best. I was visiting my grandmother in San Antonio when I first saw my favorite Doris Day movie; it was titled "Move Over Darling." It is a remake of an old movie titled "My Favorite Wife" about a lady shipwrecked on an island for five years, after being declared legally dead she shows up just as her husband is about to remarry. Often times, remakes of movies are not as good as the original. However, in this case both versions are fun to watch. Some of Doris' other popular movies are "Calamity Jane," "Lover Come Back," "Pillow Talk," "and Teacher's Pet."
As a singer, it's hard to determine what Doris' most popular hit song may be, it seems like a lot of people have their favorite Doris Day song and there are many. Four of her hits are "Everybody Loves a Lover," "I've Got the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night," "Que Sera, Sera," and "Sentimental Journey," which was her very first song to reach number one on the charts.
Doris was known as one of the most dedicated and hardworking advocates of animal rights. Long before it was fashionable to do so, Doris was protecting and defending animals and the people who loved them. In 1971 Doris founded the Doris Day Pet Foundation; seven years later it was renamed the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
Betty was born Betty Marion White on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois, she is now 99 years of age.
Betty is known mainly as an actress, she was married to popular game show host Allen Ludden when he passed away in Los Angeles, California on June 9. 1981.
Betty may be best remembered as the zany Sue Ann Nivens on the popular "Mary Tyler Moore" show and she also played Rose Nylund on "The Golden Girls" series. Two of her earliest television shows I enjoyed watching were the comedies "Date With The Angels" and "Life With Elizabeth." Betty has also appeared in or starred in a number of other television shows; one of her most recent was "Hot in Cleveland" that ran from 2010 to 2015. At an age when many people have been retired for a long time, Betty is still going.
My favorite episode of "Date With The Angels" is titled "Star Struck" and it can be seen on YouTube. Betty sings just a little in this episode, I'm not sure if she is actually doing the singing or if that was somebody's voice that was dubbed in. Originally Bette wanted to be an opera singer, however she is mainly known for her long career as an actress. It is said that she sang a very good rendition of "Getting To Know You" from "The King and I." She also sang a duet of their original song "Miami" with co-star Bea Arthur on "The Golden Girls."
Like Doris, Betty has been a longtime advocate of animal rights. She says that her interest in animals goes back as far as she can remember. Betty hosted a 1971 animal show on television titled "The Pet Set" and Doris Day was one of the guests on that show. Betty has written books about animals and is involved with many animal rights organizations, including serving as co-chair of the board of trustees at the Los Angeles Zoo. She loves all animals, but dogs seem to be her favorite. Betty says that dogs are always glad to see you return home because they seem to handle a bad day better than humans do. I agree with her.
There are probably some other similarities between Doris and Betty. The one that I think of most is that both continue to be known as just down-to-earth wholesome and amazing women. As the old saying goes, "What you see is what you get." Nothing seemed to be fake about either lady.
Another famous person we associate with animal rights is Bob Barker, who for 35 years hosted "The Price is Right" television show. Bob is now 97 years of age. Ed Asner recently passed away at age 91; his passing leaves Betty White as the only still surviving cast member of the very popular "Mary Tyler Moore" television show.
If you have any comments or questions my e-mail address is deh63shs@yahoo.com.