
Betty White was a pioneer in television. Britannica tells us her career on the small screen began in 1949, a time when fewer than a million people owned television sets (per How Stuff Works). In fact, as noted by the Los Angeles Times, White often joked that her career went back so far that she started in "silent television."
Her first gig? According to Variety, it was as a "record-spinning sidekick" on a daily talk show called "Hollywood on Television," which was hosted by DJ Al Jarvis. The show lasted five hours every day — possibly because there simply wasn't much else on in 1949.
The show was a variety show, and White was required to perform a wide variety of roles, including singing, doing skits, and live commercials. In fact, she once read 58 live commercials in one day, notes the Los Angeles Times. White made enough of an impression that, according to Britannica, she was eventually made host of the show. As noted by The Film Detective, White introduced the character of "Elizabeth," a housewife with a corny sense of humor, while working on "Hollywood on Television." She eventually launched her own sitcom called "Life With Elizabeth" based on the character, and White's legendary TV career was in motion.
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