Beginning her career in 1939, Betty White was a pioneer of television who saw the medium cross countless landmarks. Not only that; she helped shape its development while also determinedly shattering barriers. In fact, Betty White worked faithfully with Arthur Duncan, a groundbreaking Black dancer, and when stations threatened to boycott their program, White doubled down and kept working with Duncan.
Born in September 25, 1925, Arthur Duncan would be called an “Entertainer’s Entertainer.” He excelled at tap dance and would perform all over the country and world, but especially at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. His debut on The Betty White Show made him the first African-American regular on a variety television program.
Betty White disregarded threats of boycotts and kept working with Arthur Duncan
Duncan was one of 13 children and first entered show business at the age of 13. Into adulthood, he developed a unique visual style that stood out because of the stiff swing of his arms and the strained pull of his smile. Most of his work before collaborating with White saw Duncan perform abroad, including Cairo, Beirut, London, Paris, and Switzerland.
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When Duncan made his big debut on The Betty White Show, appearing for the first time in ‘54, Duncan’s domestic audience grew exponentially. As did negative attention from segregationists.
“People in the South, some of them resented me being on the show and wanted me thrown out,” recalled Duncan in the 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television.
White elaborated, “All through the South there was this whole ruckus, they were going to take the show off the air if we didn’t get rid of Arthur because he was Black.”
White did the opposite.
White made sure to uplift those she worked with and show off their talents
It got to the point where they “had some letters out of Mississippi and elsewhere that some of the stations would not carry the show if I was permitted to stay on there,” explained Duncan. “Well, Betty wrote back and said, ‘Needless to say, we used Arthur Duncan every opportunity we could.’”
White also had a resounding message to the people telling her to ditch Duncan or risk her show going under. “I said, ‘I’m sorry, but he stays…Live with it!’” she said.
The pair of historymakers got to reunite in 2018 on Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots: Forever Young. There, Duncan revealed that he had not been totally aware of the full extent of the controversy surrounding his employment with White. He added, “I credit Betty White for really getting me started in show business.”
But Duncan boasted the skills to build such a strong career for himself. He would tour with Bob Hope, entertaining troops during the Cold War and Vietnam War. He was recruited by Lawrence Welk’s personal manager Sam Lutz. Duncan was also among the crowd representing “TV’s greatest entertainers” for an event that served to “salute to the ‘golden days of television.’” In 2004, Duncan danced at the second annual Los Angeles Tap Festival. He continued to tap dance his way across people’s hearts until 2008.
Sadly, Duncan died in January 2023 at the age of 97, but his legacy remains as a groundbreaking artist who threw the door wide open for countless others.
