Talk about ensemble acting. How do those women get along?
Oh, they are a piece of work. Aren't they?
The four of us are so different on the show. But if you think we're different on the show,
in person we are northwest, east, south, we are absolutely, and maybe that's why we love
each other. We adore each other. Explain how you're different.
Oh, well, Bea, you know, I dance around and make jokes and fancy dance and Bea puts up
with it just so long and then somebody says, please, and we stop and shape up.
But the jello person is Bea Arthur. She is the one who's just jello inside. She gets
the most stage fright. She gets the most, she really is uptight about what she does so beautifully.
Lou McClanahan is blanch. She is growing to be blanch more every not so much when we started,
but now she really believes it and she really is blanch and she makes it work.
Sophia, of course, we all get such lovely greetings from people when we see them on the street,
the three of us, but they don't realize that Estelle is this feisty little lady with the
red hair and they don't recognize her when they see her as she really is. So she doesn't
get all the lovely personal greetings. They're beginning to realize now. They're beginning
to recognize her. And of course, the minute she opens her mouth, you can hear that voice.
I think that almost everybody who watches television knows of your interest in animals
and animal welfare. Tell us about Gorillas in the Mist.
Gorillas in the Mist is a new movie that Universal made, the life story of Diane Fossey, who
did all the work with the Wild Mountain Gorillas and was subsequently murdered. I had known
Diane. I've worked with the Morris Animal Foundation for 17 years and we had brought her over to
this country a couple of times and they did such a magnificent job of her life in this
movie that we decided to do a premiere for the benefit of the Digit Fund, which was her
favorite gorilla who was killed by poachers. She started the Digit Fund to protect the
animals and to further the studies. The dwindling population with poachers was to the point
that we were going to lose these gorgeous animals in five years. Thanks to Diane, she
reversed that and now we did a premiere last Monday in Los Angeles, a couple of weeks ago
in Los Angeles, and raised a lot of money. There was a premiere in New York, raised a
lot of money and we've opened the first medical center on the face of the earth to service
a wild animal population. The three gorillas were brought in last week, caught in traps.
Two of them survived and we lost one. In the old days, we'd have lost all three.
How many are left?
278.
In the whole world?
In the whole world. There are none in captivity. The animals you see in captivity are lowland
gorillas. The mountain is magnet. When you see the film, you will die. Their heads are
like this.
Let's take a look at the clip from Gorillas in the Mist.
Are you all right?
Yes.
What does Charlotte's book say when a gorilla charges?
It says, never run.
We'll take a break. We'll be right back.
Well, we could spend another seven hours with her. And since we can't, you might. The book
is called Betty White, in person. In one word, endearing. Thank you for being our guest.
Thank you.