poll. she had a sense of humor about her newfound ubiquity. if you thought you couldn t get rid of me before, now you re really stuck with me. reporter: her celebrity transcended generations. indeed. what a remarkable legacy. with me now is stan zimmerman. a writer and producer who wrote for the first season of the go golden girls . thanks for being with us. you were a great friend of betty white s and i know this loss is tremendous. tell me what s that? i think we all were. we all felt a part of her family and that she was a part of our family. i wonder, you know, tell me, you wrote for, you know, a lot of iconic shows, rose ann, gilmore girls, what would be your approach in writing when
we look back at the incredible and extraordinary career of america s sweetheart. reporter: in 1949, betty white played a side kick on a live afternoon show in los angeles. it ran about five hours a day, at least five days a week. at that point, television was just starting and nobody had any idea it was going to change the world. reporter: she appeared in sitcoms and game shows, winning hearts with her sweet smile and sharp wit. she was one of the earliest female producers in hollywood. she played seven seasons as the lovable but naive rose on the go golden girls . and they attack chickens. i don t care about chickens. reporter: the actress and comedian amassed a collection of emmys, awards and a grammy.
interviewed for the new york times and she had talked about her husband who had passed. and how she said said that not a day goes by that she doesn t think of him. and we put that in a scene and i wish i got to tell her that we had done that, but every time i see that scene, i kind of get goosebumps knowing that those were her actual words and she actually said them about the character, charlie, on golden girls. what longevity, in the industry, and just as a human being, period. she died 17, 18 days before her 100th birthday. on new year s eve. which i think is so fitting. she would choose that day knowing that we would all be talking about her and toasting her and i know i toasted her last night. not as much as andy cohen did, but i did a little bit.
how do you want people to remember her? those of us who didn t get to know her personally, but got to know her because of her characters and watch her on tv for this many decades, we have our own ideas about how to remember her. how do you want people to remember your dear friend, betty white? i think now would be a good time to go back and look at all the shows, mary tyler moore, golden girls or talk to your pet the way betty white loved her pets. and those that we love, like the golden girls created for themselves. what a pleasure to talk to you. thanks for sharing your memories and great encounters with the late now great betty white. i ve always been running. to meetings. errands. now i m running for me.