Betty White and Allen Ludden fell in love in Madison, Maine

MADISON, Maine — Betty White had a profession in Hollywood that spanned a long time, however she thought of her marriage to Allen Ludden amongst her biggest accomplishments.

In a 2011 interview with Anderson Cooper, when requested why she by no means remarried after Ludden died of most cancers in 1981, White responded, “I had the love of my life. If you happen to’ve had the very best, who wants the remainder?”

White, who would have turned 100 years outdated on Monday, was married to the sport present host and actor for 18 years. However it could take the widower a 12 months to persuade her to marry him — a 12 months White would later describe as the largest remorse of her life. In 2015 she mentioned, “I spent an entire 12 months — wasted an entire 12 months— that Allen and I may have had collectively, saying no, I would not marry him.'”

The pair met in 1961 on Ludden’s recreation present “Password,” shortly after his first spouse died of most cancers. In line with Jenny Oby, writer of “Lakewood Theatre,” Ludden was trying to make plans the next summer season that will be enjoyable for his three kids. That is when he determined to do summer season theater that will take him to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after which to the Lakewood Theater in Madison, proper outdoors of Skowhegan. 

“It’s the oldest constantly operating summer season theater within the nation,” Oby mentioned of the theater, which opened its doorways in 1901 and solely shut down for 2 years throughout World Conflict II. 

White and Ludden performed reverse one another as a married couple in “Critic’s Alternative.” The actors lived for 3 weeks in cabins shut to 1 one other on the picturesque theater on the Wesserunsett Lake. 

“Betty described it as being so quiet and peaceable, and so they had been the one ones round having fun with boating and swimming and mountain climbing. After which at night time, all these individuals would come out of nowhere to fill the theater seats,” Oby mentioned. 

In Madison, White bought to know Ludden and his kids higher, however she was additionally courting a person named Phillip Cochran, who was an officer within the U.S. Military Air Corps and the U.S. Military Air Drive.

One night time, Cochran got here to see his girlfriend carry out. In line with Oby, Ludden knew Cochran was within the viewers and drew out a romantic scene with White on the finish of the play. Cochran may very well be heard clearing his throat within the crowd.

When the summer season was over, Ludden flew to Los Angeles typically to pursue White. White had been married twice earlier than, each short-lived marriages, and he or she was not wanting to dive again into the establishment. White declined Ludden’s many marriage proposals.

“At one level [Ludden] even purchased her a marriage ring and pushed it throughout the desk at dinner and mentioned, ‘You would possibly as nicely take this now as a result of sooner or later you’ll put it on,'” Oby mentioned. 

White declined, and Ludden put the ring on a necklace he wore till she lastly consented. 

The couple had been wed in Las Vegas on June 14, 1963, and regarded their summer season journey again to the Lakewood Theater their honeymoon. The couple would carry out another time at Lakewood Theater, in 1968. 

White and Ludden had been solely married for 18 years when Ludden died of abdomen most cancers. Maine performed a small half in what was by all measure a legendary love story.