how old were the golden girls supposed to be
It had a total of 180 half-hour episodes across its seven seasons. 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. According to the calculations, Dorothy was 53 at the start of the series, according to the, Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, , Blanche lied to her housemates about her age so easily (and Sophia promptly called her out and said shed be 70 when the kid graduated), its reasonable to, Fun Things to Do for Mothers Day Filled With Activities, Hilarious Thanksgiving Puns for Your Friends and Family, 60 Sweet Merry Christmas Wishes for Mothers 2021 Update, Applauding Employee Appreciation Quotes Befitting for Hardworking Staff, Heart Warming One Month Anniversary Wishes Latest Update 2021, Adorable Thanks for Birthday Wishes Messages to Send Someone. As a result, new viewers are becoming aware of the show. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. Bea Arthur was not a part of the main cast but did guest star in a double episode, reprising her role as Dorothy.[106]. 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. 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. [24] The Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich, who had previously worked with Harris, Witt, and Thomas on Soap, agreed to direct the pilot episode. 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! She expressed that she would not continue if changes were not made, but changes were made and jokes regarding Dorothy's physique appeared less often. Richard Vaczy and Tracy Gamble, previously writers on 227 and My Two Dads, also assumed the roles of producers and head writers. This suggests that she was likely in her early 50s when the show began. 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. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? The women had a homosexual cook named Coco who lived with them at first, but after the premiere episode, the character was never seen again. 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 initial pilot was aired as the 1987 Golden Girls episode "Empty Nests", and starred Paul Dooley and Rita Moreno as George and Renee Corliss, a married couple living next to the Golden Girls characters, who face empty nest syndrome after their teenaged daughter goes to college. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. The series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. [31] The suit was later settled. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? According to Cherry, the writers' room was "a competitive atmosphere. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. Betty Whites heartbreaking final post on her Instagram with the caption: My 100th birthday I cannot believe it is coming up, and People Magazine is celebrating with me! (Credit: Betty Whites Instagram). In Season 2, Episode 1, "End of the Curse," Blanche believes she is pregnant, and states she'll be 65 by the time the child graduates high school. She thought an accentuated Southern accent would be sexy and strong and attractive to men. The classic NBC comedy The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its cast of four older women, a representation that was previously lacking on television. The series, starring Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan as four women sharing a Miami home, was an instant hit -- and eventually won all four of its stars Emmys. Their regular writer declined, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris,[24] who had been semiretired since the conclusion of their ABC series Soap. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. Among all of the great roles she played over the course of her legendary career, the late, great Betty Whitewho passed away on Dec. 31, 2021, at the age of. 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. 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. [24] Produced to introduce the network's 198485 season schedule, two actresses appearing on NBC shows, Selma Diamond of Night Court and Doris Roberts of Remington Steele, appeared in a skit promoting the upcoming show Miami Vice as Miami Nice, a parody about old people living in Miami. 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. Its probable it examined a lot of the same scenarios as previous episodes. As of September 8, 2021 all 7 seasons of The Golden Girls were made available to stream on Disney+ in Canada. The series starred Stephanie Hodge and a set of other young nurses. [65][66] Eventually, McClanahan went on to create a clothing line for QVC called "A Touch of Rue", inspired by Blanche, but made with affordable fabrics and practical designs. Shopping Guide "[60] Anna Wyckoff of the Costume Designers Guild wrote, "Evans took the direction from the producers to create a vibrant look for the four mature leads, and ran with itredefining what 'dressing your age' looked like. One, while the characters ages on the show appeared to be quite. Sarah Jessica Parker and Betty White, both of whom play a 55-year-old woman. It was, however, more than a fringe success. New York: Harper Collins. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. The show ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 and featured four women in their golden years living together in Miami. 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. Rue McClanahan is the youngest Golden Girl! Blanche Elizabeth Marie Devereaux (ne Hollingsworth) is one of the four, fictional, main characters on the highly-acclaimed, revered, and well-received 1985-1992 NBC situation-comedy/sit-com TV series, The Golden Girls, and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. She was also impressed by Getty's audition for the role of the mother of Steven Keaton (played by actor Michael Gross) for a guest episode of Family Ties. Ellen Albertini Dow played Sophia's friend Lillian and an unnamed hospital patient with a flower cart. Rue McClanahan. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? 3. [29][30], Walt Disney, NBC Studios and the creators were named in a federal copyright infringement suit filed by Nancy Bretzfield claiming the show was based on a script rejected by NBC in 1980. Getty was the first of the four stars to die in 2008 at age 84. 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. The part of Sophia Petrillo was the first of the four roles to be cast. Last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:40, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy, Lights, Motors, Action! The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. White, Betty (2010). In the pilot episode, the three are joined by Dorothy's 80-year-old widowed mother, Sophia Petrillo (Getty), after the retirement home where she has been living has burned down. The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. [64] Rue McClanahan had a special clause written into her contract allowing her to keep her costumes, which were mostly custom-made for her, utilising expensive fabrics. In Southeast Asia, Rewind Networks began airing reruns of The Golden Girls on its HD channel, HITS, in 2013. Required fields are marked *. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. The clever use of makeup and a wig aged Getty to match her character's age. At the request of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was reputedly a big fan, the cast of The Golden Girls performed several skits as their characters in front of her and other members of the British royal family at the 1988 Royal Variety Performance in London.[77]. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. This indicates that she was likely in her late 40s when the show began. Click Registration to join us and share your expertise with our readers.). Sophia was supposed to accompany her, but she ends up staying in Miami with the other females, which leads to the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. For simplicity's sake, each season is considered a separate year, as the show ran for seven seasons. Assuming her child would graduate at 17, that would make Blanche 48 in 1986 and 47 at the start of the series. That was the case. New York: Scribner. In order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. One such source is the actors who played the characters. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). The show dealt with many controversial issues, such as coming out and same-sex marriage,[75] elder care, homelessness, poverty, HIV/AIDS and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, US immigration policy, sexual harassment, teenaged pregnancy, artificial insemination, adultery, bad medical care, sexism, miscegenation and interracial marriage, antisemitism, age discrimination, environmentalism, addiction to pain killers, problem gambling, nuclear war, death, and assisted suicide.[76]. Ironically, the actress who played Sophia, Estelle Getty, was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter, Dorothy. Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). 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. [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. : Extreme Stunt Show, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, List of awards and nominations received by The Golden Girls, "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time", Golden Girls appears to get better with pop culture age, "7 Things You Might Not Know About The Golden Girls", "The Golden Girls - Cast/Crew Documentary (2/9)", "These Are the Most-Watched TV Series Finales of All Time: 17", "The TV Ratings Guide: 1987-1988 season ratings", "Golden Girls: A 20th Anniversary Oral History", "Catching Up with the Golden Girls' Susan Harris", "Crackle's Creator Conversation: Soap's Susan Harris", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, "Betty White and Bea Arthur's Friends Open Up About Their On-Set Feud", "Say It Isn't So, Girls! In "And Just Like That", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. Who was the youngest Golden Girl cast member? When "The Golden Girls" premiered over 30 years ago, on Sept. 14, 1985, audiences were introduced to Southern belle Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and her roommates Rose Nylund (Betty. In this article, we will explore the evidence and try to uncover the true ages of the Golden Girls. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. In New Zealand, the series aired on TVNZ and is replayed on public holidays and it is shown on Jones!. The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. The company expected the show to appeal to older female viewers. [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. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. We didn't want the show to be about four dowdy ladies. The producers of The Golden Girls decided to cast Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan after seeing them act alongside each other in shows like Maude (1972-1978) and Mamas Family (1983-1984). She is also the only living core cast member from the series. Lifetime, which held the rights to The Golden Girls at the time, aired reruns of The Golden Palace in the summer of 2005, and again in December of that year. Arthur's son, Matthew Saks, later spoke of tension between the two actresses, stating that his mother, "unknowingly carried the attitude that it was fun to have somebody to be angry atIt was almost like Betty became her nemesis, someone she could always roll her eyes about at work. Plus, Sophia was a great cook. [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". Bea Arthur actually hated cheesecake. After learning this tidbit, its clear that the only difference between the Golden Girls and the Sex and the City ladies is how they style their hair. The film featured five episodes from the show: "The Pilot", "The Flu", "The Way We Met", "Ladies of the Evening" and "Grab That Dough". [26] She found the concept interesting, as "it was a demographic that had never been addressed," and she soon began work on it. "[45], Estelle Getty's stage fright, which affected her from the beginning of the show, grew worse as the show went on. Sophia had her 50th birthday in April 1956, making her character 79 years old when the series premiered in 1985, according to a flashback scene in Season 2s A Piece of Cake.. Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. [57], The show's designer, Ed Stephenson, took inspiration from his time living in Florida to design a "Florida look" for The Golden Girls house set. Colucci, Jim (2016). Contact Us Despite her enjoyment in playing Dorothy, the show eventually concluded when Bea Arthur decided to depart the show in 1992. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. Susan Harris developed a spin-off centering on the empty nest syndrome. One, while the characters ages on the show appeared to be quite consistentBlanche, Rose, and Dorothy were all in their mid-50s, and Sophia was Dorothys widowed, elderly motherthe actors who played them were all somewhat varied in age. Crypto Wallet Development: Types, Features, and Popularity, 5 Ways AI is Detecting and Preventing Identity Fraud. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Proudly powered by WordPress I think we pushed that [the jokes about Arthur's appearance] a little bit far and I think she let it be known she didn't love that. At some point, they would gather around the kitchen table and discuss the problem, sometimes late at night and often while eating cheesecake, ice cream, or some other dessert. 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Then, in Season 3, Episode 5, "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself," Sophia tells Dorothy the story of the night Dorothy was conceived. "[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. It won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and two. [7][8], The first episode features a cook/butler named Coco (played by Charles Levin), but the role was dropped before the second episode. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? [40] However, Arthur preferred that her three castmates and she all break for lunch together on workdays. [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. 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. [108] After the end of The Golden Palace, Getty joined the cast of Empty Nest, making frequent appearances as Sophia in the show's final two seasons. The Golden Girls is one of four live-action shows, along with All in the Family, Will & Grace, and Schitt's Creek, where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy. McClanahan and White were friends on- and off-screen. They decided that a separate cook would distract from their friendship. The series ran for a total of seven seasons and a total of 180 full-length episodes. Estelle Getty, who portrayed Sophia, was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy, Sophias daughter. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . [30] Stritch's audition flopped, however, and under the impression that Arthur did not want to participate, Harris asked McClanahan if she could persuade Arthur, with whom she worked previously on the CBS sitcom Maude, to take the role. Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. [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 a 1988 interview, Getty commented on her phobia and expressed how working with major stars, such as Arthur and White, made her even more nervous. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. The ages of the Golden Girls were never revealed on TV. The pilot takes audio from the sitcom and sets it against a futuristic background inspired by The Jetsons. Rose Nylund is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. The show became a huge hit with viewers, thanks to its clever writing and strong performances by the four main stars. ISBN978-0-06-242290-3. In the end, the math adds up to Dorothy being 53 at the start of the series and 60 at the series' end. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). In her spare time, Maddy loves playing volleyball, running, walking, and biking, although when she wants to be lazy she loves to read a good thriller. Levin had been suggested by then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff based on Levin's groundbreaking portrayal of a recurring gay character, Eddie Gregg, on NBC's Emmy-winning drama Hill Street Blues. [109] The production ended because the producers failed to secure the rights and received a cease-and-desist order by the creators of the original television show. In Germany, airing of the show started in January 1990, only months before the German reunification, by German public broadcaster ARD in the late evening programme on their main channel Das Erste. The sitcom was conceptualized by writer Susan Harris. Similarly, Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, was 79 when the show began and 83 when it ended. How to Start a Fire in Dayz A Comprehensive Guide, How to Be More Ladylike: Speak Softly, Dress Modestly, Carry Yourself with Grace, How to Eat Babka: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, How to Wire a Weed Eater: A Step-by-Step Guide. 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. Though Harris had created the character of Dorothy with a "Bea Arthur type" in mind, Littlefield and the producers initially envisioned actress Elaine Stritch for the part. (Photo Credit: New Line Cinema/ HBO/ MovieStills DB and MovieStills DB). As one of the few times in television history where three shows from the same producer, set in the same city, aired back-to-back-to-back on the same network, the three shows occasionally took advantage of their unique circumstance to create storylines carrying through all three series, such as "Hurricane Saturday". Fans of all ages still enjoy The Golden Girls and its actors today. Casting director Judith Weiner had seen Torch Song Trilogy, and thought Getty was terrific in it. She was just as uptight as a human being could get. It happens again, by a handsome male model, the kind she might have once. For simplicity, because the program lasted seven seasons, each season is treated as a different year for the purpose of simplicity. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. We will always remember Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty for bringing joy into our lives and for being our friends. It ran from September 1992 to May 1993 and also starred Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle. Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. While the characters' ages on the series seemed fairly clear-cutBlanche, Rose and Dorothy were in their mid-50s, while Sophia was Dorothy's widowed, elderly motherit may surprise fans to know that the actual ages of the actresses playing them were completely different. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? 100 Black-Owned Businesses to Shop Now. When Arthur first received the script for The Golden Girls, she loved the concept of having senior women as the stars of the show. She joined the cast as Rose Nylund, a Norwegian-American hailing from St. Olaf, Minnesota. "[44] Writer Christopher Lloyd explained that the usual situation was for all of the more junior writers to be assigned the same scene to write, with the one judged the best version becoming the one chosen.