McClanahan was 51 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered, and she was 58 when it concluded. [35], Hired to shoot the pilot, director Jay Sandrich also became instrumental in helping to cast the roles of Blanche Devereaux and Rose Nylund. In reality, all but one of the principal cast members of the Golden Girls had enormous age gaps between their true ages and the ages of their roles. The Golden Girls came to an end when Bea Arthur elected to quit the series after six seasons in the top ten and the seventh season at #30. After reruns on different regional channels of the ARD Network, the show later aired on private channels RTL, VOX, Super RTL, Disney Channel and RTLup. [25] NBC senior vice president Warren Littlefield was among the executive producers in the audience who were amused by their performance, and he envisioned a series based on the geriatric humor the two were portraying. The Golden Girls received critical acclaim throughout most of its run, and won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice. They decided that a separate cook would distract from their friendship. [24] Though her vision of a sitcom about women in their 60s differed from NBC's request for a comedy about women around 40 years old,[27] Littlefield was impressed when he received her pilot script and subsequently approved production of it. Apparently, writer Susan Harris envisioned a Bea Arthur type when conceptualizing the character of Dorothy. Sarah Jessica Parker and Betty White, both of whom play a 55-year-old woman. Clearly, the wardrobe and hairstyles in each show are extremely different from each other. [39] In 2011, White stated that she believed it was her "positive attitude" and perky demeanor that got on Arthur's nerves. However, her popularity with audiences caused Sophia to become a main character in the series. The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. At times, she even froze on camera while filming. Although Getty was impressive, the show's producers went with another actress. Designing Women began competing against The Golden Girls. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. The women's ages were usually not explicitly stated, although some deductive work gives a pretty safe estimate of how old each Golden Girl was at the start of the series. Rose was probably closer to 51 than her stated age of 55, and Sophia was likely closer to 79 than her stated age of 77. [58], The kitchen set seen on The Golden Girls was originally used on an earlier Witt/Thomas/Harris series, It Takes Two, which aired on ABC from 1982 to 1983. According to McClanahan, by the end of season three, Getty's anxiety had become a serious problem, and she had increasing trouble memorizing her lines. The women in The Golden Girlsall have white, short hair styled in a way we often associate with older individuals. How old were the ladies on golden girls in real life? The film featured five episodes from the show: "The Pilot", "The Flu", "The Way We Met", "Ladies of the Evening" and "Grab That Dough". Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). [74] The show was the anchor of NBC's Saturday line-up, and almost always won its time slot, as ABC and CBS struggled to find shows to compete against it, the most notable being ABC's Lucille Ball sitcom Life With Lucy in the beginning of the 198687 season although it aired at 8:00, an hour earlier. It could also be because the show was trying to emphasize the idea that age is just a number and that life does not end at a certain age. It's a classic. In addition, the character of Sophia had originally been planned as an occasional guest star, but Getty had tested positively with preview audiences, so the producers decided to make her a regular character. The sitcom was conceptualized by writer Susan Harris. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, the show is about four older women who share a home in Miami, Florida. Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, Mothers Day, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanches dates. Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. In order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. [70][self-published source?] The show was a hit with viewers of all ages. In "And Just Like That.", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. . Hurwitz later created Arrested Development for Fox and later for Netflix. The show is seen in more than a hundred countries. When Arthur first received the script for The Golden Girls, she loved the concept of having senior women as the stars of the show. ISBN978-0-06-242290-3. Discover all about The Golden Girls cast from their names, ages and how old they were supposed to be in the showwho was oldest & youngest, and more. White, Betty (2010). She received her Bachelors of Arts in history and her Masters of Arts degree in history both from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. The series ran for a total of seven seasons and a total of 180 full-length episodes. Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman were the first head writers of the series, and wrote for the show's first four seasons. As head writers, Speer and Grossman, along with Mort Nathan and Barry Fanaro, who won an Emmy Award for outstanding writing for the first season, gave general ideas to lower staff writers, and personally wrote a handful of scripts each season.[43]. Estelle Getty portrayed the role of Sophia Petrillo, the mother of Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthurs character). The Golden Girls are also dressed in cardigans or long dresses, similar to the outfits we would find in our grandmothers closet. As of February 2013, WE tv's rights expired and Viacom networks' TV Land, home to Betty White's last series Hot in Cleveland, purchased them,[79] as did Logo TV. Hulu estimated that over 11 million hours were spent viewing this sitcom in 2020 alone, making it one of the top ten most binge-watched series on the streaming service. She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. Sophia was 86 by the series' end. Blanche was inspired by the popular fictional characters Blanche DuBois (from A Streetcar Named Desire, a famous 1947 Broadway play written by Tennessee Williams) and Vivien Leigh, who portrayed the same character in the 1951 film adaptation alongside Marlon Brando. The ages of the Golden Girls were never revealed on TV. The series starred Stephanie Hodge and a set of other young nurses. Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. It was popular for addressing a demographic that rarely saw the spotlight on television or in Hollywood: senior women. Fans of all ages still enjoy The Golden Girls and its actors today. The show never approached the popularity or acclaim of the original, and ranked 57th[citation needed] in the annual ratings. RELATED: Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. Blanche Devereaux, a widow, was joined by Rose Nylund, a fellow widow, and Dorothy Zbornak, a divorced woman after they both answered a room-for-rent post on the bulletin board of a local grocery shop. The basic facts to work with are that The Golden Girls began in 1985 and ended in 1992, both in real life and in-world. It was my positive attitude, and that made Bea angry sometimes.. The series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. Often deemed as the den mother of the main characters in the show, Bea Arthur played the role of Dorothy Zbornak, a substitute teacher hailing from New York City. The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. Empowering Lives with Nutritious and Delicious NDIS Meals! In 1989, Marc Sotkin, previously a writer on Laverne & Shirley and a producer on another Witt/Thomas series, It's a Living, assumed head writing responsibilities, and guided the show (to varying degrees) during what were its final three seasons. We assume that middle-aged women continue to live their lives working, partying, being mothers, or hanging with their friends. The classic NBC comedy The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its cast of four older women, a representation that was previously lacking on television. Starring actress Hodge left after two seasons, David Rasche joined the cast at the start of the second season, and Loni Anderson was added as the new hospital administrator in the third. [81], Forever Golden: A Celebration of The Golden Girls released in select movie theaters across North America via Fathom Events on September 14, 2021, marking the show's 36th anniversary. Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Harris served as the original executive producers. [5] Terry Tang of the Associated Press reported that the series continues to attract new fans in the 21st century and characterized it as an example of a sitcom that has aged well.[6]. In March 1997, the Lifetime cable network acquired the exclusive rights to repeat the episodes of The Golden Girls in the US until March 1, 2009. For simplicity's sake, each season is considered a separate year, as the show ran for seven seasons. Dorothy, following an impassioned speech in which she told the girls that I love you, always, she says as she rushes back into the home through several entrances for their final goodbyes, before making her final exit, saying, Youll always be my sisters. Continually , leaving the other three females to fend for themselves. Getty was the first actress to be cast, and her role was intended to make the rest of the characters appear younger. Sophia is to join her, but in the end, she stays behind with the other women in Miami. This "created a great deal of stress and competitiveness amongst those of us who weren't in that inner sanctum. 3. Carl Gettleman, one of her two sons, says the co-star of the TV show "The Golden Girls" died early Tuesday, July 22, 2008, at home in Los Angeles. [124] The eatery closed in November 2017 after less than a year of operation.[125]. [11], Ideas for a comedy series about older women emerged during the filming of a television special at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, in August 1984. The show was aired as a bilingual broadcast using a two-channel sound system (Zweikanalton). Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. That means with a little digging, coming up with each Golden Girl's age is easy for a superfan. Cast alongside Rue McClanahan, she impressed the producers of The Golden Girls with her recurring role as Ellen in Mamas Family. New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. Soap lasted for four seasons and was marred by controversy due to Harriss insistence on including content that dealt with themes of sexuality, religion, and race. As of September 15, 2021, every episode was made available to stream on Disney+ in Germany and Austria. Betty White was actually the oldest Golden Girl. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, the show is about four older women who share a home in Miami, Florida.It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions . [42], Creator Susan Harris went on to contribute another four episodes to the first season, but became less involved with the sitcom throughout its run; she continued reading all scripts, however, and remained familiar with most of the storylines. Beginning in 1990, Marc Cherry served as writer and producer, years before creating Desperate Housewives, which ran on ABC from 2004 to 2012. Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE, Heres How the Royal Family Gets Its Money, These 12 Cities Have Changed A Lot Over Time, Police arrest a 72-year-old suburban grandfather suspected of being the Golden State Killer, Im not dead yet: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification, Project Azorian: Howard Hughes secret mission, 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013, The Walk of Shame in Game of Thrones historical inspiration, The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break, Kurt Gdel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation, Little Ease: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London, The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl, Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story. Sophia then recounts to Dorothy the account of the night Dorothy was conceived in Season 3, Episode 5, Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself. Sophia claims it happened in 1931, so Dorothy was most likely born in 1932, based on her sign. The majority of sitcoms in the period centered on either families or teenagers. The wooden accents, columns, and doors were painted to mimic bald cypress wood, popular in South Florida homes, with rattan furniture and tropical-printed upholstery chosen for the furniture. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. 2023 Wording Vibes - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Although the womens ages were rarely disclosed, some deductive work may be used to, The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. The story follows four older single women (three widows and one divorced) who share a home in Miami, Florida. Rue McClanahan. Unlike anything we had ever seen on television before, The Golden Girls featured an ensemble cast of four older single women (Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty) sharing. McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. The Golden Girls Almost Had a Fifth Main Character - Here's Why He Was Dropped The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its main cast of older women, but it originally broke even more with the lost fifth member of the hit sitcom. Season 2, Episode 25, "A Piece of Cake," reveals Sophia celebrated her 50th birthday in 1956, putting her at 79 at The Golden Girls' beginning. By Zachary Guida Jan 31, 2023 10 Ways Audience Popularity Gave TV Characters Greater Roles In New Zealand, the series aired on TVNZ and is replayed on public holidays and it is shown on Jones!. Estimating the ages of the characters can be tricky, since the show never explicitly states their ages. She is passionate about Princess Diana, the Titanic, the Romanovs, and Egypt amongst other things. [41], The show was the second television series to be produced by the Walt Disney Company under the Touchstone Television label, and was subsequently distributed by Buena Vista International, Inc. (which holds as the ownership stake in Disney Channel Southeast Asia, now DisneyABC Television Group). Despite fan theories that the actresses were playing characters much younger than their actual age, Rue McClanahan's age in 1985 was 52, one year younger than her character on the show. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. [2] Each of the four stars received an Emmy Award, making it one of only four sitcoms in the award's history to achieve this. Although the womens ages were rarely disclosed, some deductive work may be used to approximate how old each Golden Girl was at the commencement of the series. 4. Cheers. McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. -- Thirty years ago today, "The Golden Girls" premiered on television. "[45], After season three, Arthur had expressed her growing dissatisfaction with the disparaging jokes made about her physical appearance, which were often in the scripts. This program, on the other hand, was centered on a group of older ladies. Dorothy was likely in her late 40s, rather than her early 50s. [41] To aid her retention, Getty tried hypnosis, and the show hired an assistant to run lines with her before taping; neither method worked. [43] Mitchell Hurwitz also served as writer for the show in its last two seasons. It ran from September 1992 to May 1993 and also starred Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle. This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness, allowing the show to appeal to viewers of all ages. This faade, along with the Empty Nest house, sustained hurricane damage leading to Disney's 2003 decision to bulldoze the houses of "Residential Street" and construct its Lights, Motors, Action! She was especially intimidated by her co-stars, who were all higher profile actresses than she was. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. [9], The pilot was taped on April 17, 1985.[10]. 12. Rose's age is the easiest to track down, thanks to Dorothy openly saying it in Season 1, Episode 22, "Job Hunting." Their regular writer declined, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris,[24] who had been semiretired since the conclusion of their ABC series Soap. For, That was the case. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. It has recently come to light that the leading ladies of AndJust Like That, Sex and the Citys reboot, are basically the exact same age as the leading ladies in The Golden Girls a fact that has completely blown our minds! For example, one or more of the women would become involved in some sort of problem, often involving other family members, men, or an ethical dilemma. Producers wanted to cast McClanahan as Rose and White as Blanche based on roles they had previously played; White portrayed the man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, while McClanahan co-starred as the sweet but scatterbrained Vivian Harmon in Maude. In 2022, we no longer believe that women need to lose their purpose once they hit the big 5-0. Saving the most difficult to track down for last, Rue McClanahan's character Blanche Devereaux kept her age a mystery (and a recurring joke) throughout most of The Golden Girls. Premiering in 1985, The Golden Girls was an instant smash, attracting a diverse audience for a then-novel concept depicting the lives of four older women sharing friendship, a home and a lot . Estelle Getty reprised her role as Sophia in The Golden Palace, which only lasted for one season. Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and Betty White reprised their roles in the 1992 spin-off series The Golden Palace (Credit: CBS). The Golden Girls was a highly-acclaimed and rated, well-received, popular American situation-comedy/sit-com television series that aired on NBC originally from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? [4] In 2014, the Writers Guild of America placed the sitcom at number 69 in their list of the "101 Best Written TV Series of All Time". How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? [45][46] The cast often had to stay behind after the audience had departed to redo scenes where Getty had flubbed her lines, and although this was at first met with resistance from the producers, cue cards were eventually introduced to help her. She wanted to be a Southern heroine, like Vivien Leigh. (season two, episode five). The owner of the house is a widow named Blanche Devereaux (McClanahan), who was joined by fellow widow Rose Nylund (White) and divorce Dorothy Zbornak (Arthur) after they both responded to an ad on the bulletin board of a local grocery store a year before the start of the series. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. Betty White, who died on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99, was best known for her role as the wonderfully naive Rose Nylund in the NBC comedy The Golden Girls. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. The pilot takes audio from the sitcom and sets it against a futuristic background inspired by The Jetsons. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. Harold Gould played two of Rose's boyfriends, Arnie and Miles. She loves spending quality time with her friends, family, and puppy Luna! Arthur and White worked well together in shared mutual respect, but they did not pursue a personal friendship with one another outside of The Golden Girls set. Details on Betty White and Bea Arthur's Off-Screen Feud", "CNN Official Interview: Betty White: Bea Arthur was not fond of me", "Marc Cherry Shares His Memories of Writing for Golden Girls", "Golden Girls weren't so chummy off the screen, star's son reveals", "Estelle Getty, 'Golden Girls' Matriarch, Dies at 84", "Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84", "Bea Arthur's son says she 'wasn't really close to anybody' despite 'Golden Girls' fame", "The Changing Face of Modern Television: When Costume Design Costars", "Bea-ing Stylish: Former "Golden Girl" Bea Arthur Talks About Comfort Clothes, Going Barefoot and Her Famous "Maude" Wardrobe", "7 Must-Have Items from Rue McClanahan's Estate Sale", "30 Things You Never Knew About 'The Golden Girls', "The Golden Girls Creators On Finding a New Generation of Fans", "The Queen Mother Loved The Golden Girls So Much That She Requested a Live Performance from the Cast", "Preview 2: The Golden Girls Arrive on Logo April 13th", "Fathom Events to Celebrate Nearly 40 Years of "The Golden Girls" This September", "The Golden Girls 25th Anniversary Complete Collection", "The Golden Girls - The Complete First Season [DVD] [1985]", "The Golden Girls - The complete Season 2 [DVD] [1986]", "The Golden Girls - Season 3 - Complete [DVD]", "TV Weekend; 3 of the Golden Girls in a New Home", "Thank You For Being a Friend brings the Golden Girls to the stage as puppets", "TVE comienza a rodar 'Juntas, pero no revueltas', su versin de 'Las chicas de oro', "TVE presenta el remake: 'Volvemos a la sitcom pero con valor seguro', "Altin Kizlar'in Setine Gizli Kamera Koymak Gerek", "Heard the one about the US sense of humour? [4] In 2014, the Writers Guild of America placed the sitcom at number 69 in their list of the "101 Best Written TV Series of All Time". Did Rue McClanahan have a Southern accent? How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? The show ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 and featured four women in their golden years living together in Miami. Ellen Albertini Dow played Sophia's friend Lillian and an unnamed hospital patient with a flower cart. Life. The show promptly received a full order of 12 episodes. According to Cherry, the writers' room was "a competitive atmosphere. The shows executives were unsure how the public would react to the eccentric program because older women in leading roles were rarely seen on television. Rose Nylund is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. The women's ages were usually not explicitly stated, although some deductive work gives a pretty safe estimate of how old each Golden Girl was at the start of the series. During a conversation where Rose discusses her difficulty finding a new job after losing her previous one at the grief counseling center, Dorothy reveals that Rose is 55.
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