JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WKBW) — If there is one thing the National Comedy Center knows, it’s laughter, and the people who can make others laugh.
Safe to say, they know the work of Betty White, well.
“Betty White made it look effortless and easy. And truly, she was a master of the art form,” said the Director of The National Comedy Center, Journey Gunderson.
In the gift shop of the museum in Jamestown, there's Golden Girls paraphernalia. In the archives of the museum, there's Golden Girls memorabilia. Most of the pieces in the archives were donated by writer-producer of the Golden Girls, James Wooten. Included was an original script for pilot episode of The Golden Girls.
“She was always one of the funniest female comedians going and I love the fact that she was just a little bit irreverent. She was, maybe, way more than a little bit irreverent. We were just watching clips of her here doing comedy roasts of other comedians and she was fantastic,” said Mary Roberts as she left the National Comedy Center.
Gunderson remembers White for more than what she did on the screen.
“She was one of the first women to host a television show solo. She produced a series with a female director at a time that that was pretty unheard of, and she hired, and then stood by the hiring of Arthur Duncan, as an African American actor in 1954, even though, that was considered controversial at the time,” added Gunderson.
In a place that idolizes the laugh, the work of Betty White will be enshrined for generations.
“This is an instance where the legacy is truly unmatched. Betty White will certainly be remembered as one of the best of all time,” said Gunderson.
