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I so greatly admire so many actresses who prove the (cliche, I know) adage that “age ain’t nothing but a numbe.r” I love Cher, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, but the OG, the pinnacle of aging gracefully, the QUEEN is Betty White.

The actress, who turned 96 in January, is the subject of the upcoming documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television. The doc will air on PBS as part of its Pioneers of Television series on Tuesday, August 21. The documentary’s co-director, Steven J. Boettcher, said in a press release that “The goal of the film from the beginning was to highlight the universal appeal that is Betty White…to showcase Betty’s life in front of and behind the curtain.”

Steven recently discussed the doc with Closer Weekly, sharing that Betty is showing no signs of slowing down and that she told him “I’m going to be in the saddle forever.” Steven went on to reveal that “She loves working; she loves the challenge. She’s someone that we’re all better off for that she’s lived this long.”

The doc was screened at Betty’s 96th birthday celebration back in January with “400 of her closest friends.” Steven recalled that after the screening, Betty asked, “Does it have too much Betty White?” I still miss Hot in Cleveland, and have been known to revisit Mary Tyler Moore episodes and the Betty-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live, so there will never be too much Betty White.

The film was a labor of love for Steven, who spent 10 years making it. He had a lot of ground to cover and fondly recalled, “We spent a great deal of time with her [on this project] and she never said a bad word about anyone.” He then added something I think we all suspected, stating, “Through her career, every cast and crew member loved working with her. She’d remember every one of their names, their kids, and most importantly, the names of their pets!” Betty is still a huge animal advocate, in fact her latest Instagram post was a tribute to the late gorilla, Koko.

Who doesn’t love Betty? I can’t wait to see this documentary, especially to see how they were able to condense her long, successful career in under two hours. And, if you forgot to send Betty a present for her birthday, might I suggest a set of Golden Girls action figures?

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