Betty White’s Pet Set makes me wish for more celebrity shows like this one. The long-unseen series created by and starring the sitcom legend made its debut on digital platforms and DVDs. Celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary, Betty White’s Pet Set finally has a venue for the first time in decades. “If I haven’t told you already, I will now. The Pet Set is one of my favorite shows. I’m thrilled it’s going to be seen again after all these years,” says Betty White.
As a Betty White fan, I am just as thrilled. White is an icon for animal rights, and though I never heard of her show until now, I am not surprised she created it. In an unparalleled television career spanning over 70 years, the beloved Betty White has brought laughter and joy to millions of fans of all ages via such hit series as The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland, as well as countless game show appearances.
In 1971, just before Betty’s sitcom superstardom, she created and hosted a weekly program celebrating her lifelong love of animals. Produced with her husband Allen Ludden, known for Password, her show featured her welcoming celebrity friends with their dogs, cats and horses. It also included a wide range of wild animals, including tigers, bears, elephants, lions, wolves, gorillas, chimps, cougars, cheetahs, seals, kangaroos, zebras, eagles, snakes and penguins – both in the studio and on location.
The 39 episodes feature such entertainment greats as Carol Burnett, Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, Mary Tyler Moore, Burt Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Michael Landon, Barbara Eden, James Brolin, Della Reese, Vincent Price, Rod Serling and many more.
Betty White has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy Award, among many others. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a 1985 Television Hall of Fame inductee, and a 2009 Disney Legend. Dubbed “the first lady of game shows,” she was the first woman to receive a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host.
A television pioneer, she was one of the first women to exert control in front of and behind the camera and is recognized as the first woman to produce a sitcom, Life with Elizabeth, which led to her receiving the honorary title Mayor of Hollywood in 1955.
Special features on the DVD set include a look behind the scenes of the series, original promotional spots, the featurettes Betty White: Game Show Goddess and Daytime Hostess: The Betty White Show, Betty’s Photo Album, and public service ads.