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Everyone thinks they know the Betty White story. We picture the sharp-tongued, animal-loving "Golden Girl" who lived to 99 and became the internet’s favorite grandmother. But if you really want to understand what made Betty tick, you have to look at the man she called "the best." Allen Ludden and Betty White didn't just have a Hollywood marriage; they had the kind of connection that actually makes you believe in that "soulmate" stuff, even if you’re a cynic.
Most people assume they met on a movie set or at some glitzy gala. Nope. It was a game show. And honestly, it wasn't even love at first sight—at least not for her.
The "Password" That Changed Everything
In 1961, Betty White walked onto the set of Password. She was a celebrity guest; Allen Ludden was the host.
At the time, Betty’s life was... complicated. She’d already been through two "rehearsal" marriages (her words, not mine). First, there was Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot, in 1945. That lasted about five minutes because he wanted to live on a chicken farm in Ohio and Betty wanted to be on camera. Then came Hollywood agent Lane Allen in 1947. That one made it two years, but he wanted her to quit show business.
Betty wasn't looking for a third try. She was "going steadily" with someone else when she met Allen.
But Allen? He was smitten. He was a widower—his first wife, Margaret McGloin, had tragically died of cancer just a week before Betty’s first appearance on the show. Despite the grief and the chaos of raising three kids, he saw something in Betty.
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A Summer in Maine and a Stuffed Bunny
They didn’t start dating immediately. It took a summer stock play in 1962 called Critic’s Choice to seal the deal. They were performing together in Maine, and by the time the curtain closed, Allen was ready.
He didn't just ask once. He asked for a year.
Every time he’d propose, Betty would laugh it off or get annoyed. She didn't want to leave her life in Los Angeles to move to New York, where Allen filmed his shows. She was stubborn. "I wasted a whole year we could have had together," she later told Oprah Winfrey.
The breakthrough came on Easter 1963. Allen sent her a stuffed white bunny. But it wasn't just a toy; it was wearing gold leaf earrings with rubies, diamonds, and sapphires. When he called her that night, she finally said yes. Not because of the jewelry, she joked, but because of the bunny.
Why Betty White and Allen Ludden Actually Worked
They got married on June 14, 1963, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. From that point on, they were basically inseparable.
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If you watch old clips of them on Password or The Love Boat, the chemistry is palpable. It wasn’t just "TV magic." Friends like Carol Burnett have talked about how they’d call each other from their dressing rooms even when they were working in the same building.
- The Enthusiasm: Betty loved how Allen was interested in everything.
- The Support: When Allen got sick, Betty kept working—specifically on The Carol Burnett Show—just to keep some sense of normalcy, but she’d rush to the hospital the second she was done.
- The Respect: They both had massive careers, but there was never any competition.
The 18-Year Honeymoon
People call it an 18-year honeymoon because, by all accounts, it was. They bought a home in Chappaqua, New York, and later a getaway in Carmel-by-the-Sea. They shared a deep, bordering-on-obsessive love for animals. In fact, after Allen died, Betty donated a Labrador Retriever named "Ludden" to Guide Dogs for the Blind in his memory.
But the fairy tale had a clock on it. In 1980, Allen was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
It was a brutal year. He took a leave of absence from Password Plus for chemo. At one point, he slipped into a coma—not from the cancer itself, but from a reaction to his medication. He fought for months, hoping to get back to the podium. He never did. Allen Ludden passed away on June 9, 1981, just days before their 18th anniversary. He was only 63.
Living Forty Years Without Him
This is where the story gets really heavy. Betty was 59 when Allen died. She lived for another 40 years.
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People always asked her: "Betty, why didn't you ever remarry?"
Her answer became legendary. She told Anderson Cooper, Larry King, and anyone else who’d listen: "Once you've had the best, who needs the rest?" She wasn't being dramatic. She truly felt that no one could ever measure up to what she had with Allen.
The Final Words
When Betty passed away on December 31, 2021, just weeks before her 100th birthday, a story started circulating. Her co-star Vicki Lawrence mentioned that Carol Burnett told her Betty’s very last word was "Allen."
Whether that's 100% factual or a beautiful bit of Hollywood lore, it fits. She never took off the wedding ring he gave her. She kept his picture on her nightstand. She even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that sits directly next to his.
Insights for the Rest of Us
Looking at Betty White and Allen Ludden, it’s easy to get caught up in the romance, but there are some real-world takeaways from how they handled their life together:
- Don't let geography kill a good thing. Betty almost lost the love of her life because she was scared of moving from California to New York. She eventually realized the person mattered more than the zip code.
- Wait for the "Best." Betty called her first two marriages "rehearsals." She didn't settle after Allen died because she knew what a real connection felt like.
- Keep the fun alive. Even in their 50s and 60s, they were known for flirting and playing games. Marriage doesn't have to be boring.
- Regret is a teacher. Betty’s biggest regret was the year she spent saying "no" to Allen’s proposals. It reminds us that time is the one thing we can't buy back.
If you’re ever in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, you can visit Allen’s resting place at Graceland Cemetery. Or, you can just go to the Los Angeles Zoo and walk down "Ludden’s Way," a walkway named in his honor. Either way, you're seeing the footprint of a man who managed to capture the heart of the world's most beloved woman for nearly sixty years—even after he was gone.
To really appreciate their legacy, watch the 1963 episodes of Password filmed right after their honeymoon. You can see the private smiles and the way they lean into each other. It’s a masterclass in what happens when two people actually like each other as much as they love each other. Betty lived a long, incredible life, but she never stopped being Allen Ludden’s wife. In her mind, she was just waiting to catch up with him.