Remembering the smart, sharp, naughty Betty White

Something awful happens to the pop-culture take on smart, sharp-witted people when they have the audacity to age beyond some unspecified point. It seems especially true for women. There's a reason people still quote the speech in First Wives' Club when the character played by Goldie Hawn says that Hollywood recognizes three life stages for actresses: "babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy."

Betty White, who died Friday a few weeks short of her 100th birthday, raised her profile in the 1960s, in a cultural moment in which you could be a famously wonderful guest. A talk-show guest, or — in White's case — a game-show guest. Take the old show , where contestants would try to match answers with the ones offered by six celebrities. The celebrities filled certain