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. 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. The majority of sitcoms in the period centered on either families or teenagers. While RTL initially chose to cut some scenes for time, some of the gags remain incomprehensible for their broadcast and all subsequent reruns, only to be restored partially for the release of DVD in 2005. The show never approached the popularity or acclaim of the original, and ranked 57th[citation needed] in the annual ratings. 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. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. According to Evans, "I wanted a sexy, soft, and flowing look for Rue, a tailored, pulled-together look for Bea, a down-home look for Betty, and comfort for Estelle. 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. Reportedly, a second season was approved before being cancelled the day before the network announced its 199394 schedule. Estimating the ages of the characters can be tricky, since the show never explicitly states their ages. This program, on the other hand, was centered on a group of older ladies. 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. Privacy Policy, Brands However, she wasn't much older than Bea Arthur. The 'And Just Like That' Women and 'The Golden Girls' Are the Same Age DO YOU LOVE SHOES? 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. The Golden Girls - Wikipedia "[72], During the NBC upfronts, the preview screening of the show got a standing ovation. Estelle Getty portrayed the role of Sophia Petrillo, the mother of Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthurs character). [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. Win free shoes, organize your shoe closet, see the latest styles + more, About The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. On November 9, 2010, the studio released a complete-series box set titled The Golden Girls: 25th Anniversary Complete Collection. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. In Season 4, Episode 10, Stan Takes a Wife, Dorothy declares that she is a Leo, indicating that her birthdate is in late July or early-to-late August. When the show initially aired, NBC took a chance. 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. The classic NBC comedy The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its cast of four older women, a representation that was previously lacking on television. "[45], Estelle Getty's stage fright, which affected her from the beginning of the show, grew worse as the show went on. Roses age is the easiest to determine, owing to Dorothy revealing it in Season 1, Episode 22, Job Hunting. Dorothy exposes Roses age is exposed during a chat in which Rose describes her problems finding a new career after leaving her prior one at the grief counseling center. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. We hope this article on how old were the golden girls has been interesting and has also been able to bring back good memories. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? One such source is the actors who played the characters. Cheers. In order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. Ironically, despite being the oldest actress in the show, Betty White was the last of the main stars to survive. 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. 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. This suggests that she was likely in her early 50s when the show began. We can also look at other clues from the show itself. [124] The eatery closed in November 2017 after less than a year of operation.[125]. 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]. [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. 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. -- Thirty years ago today, "The Golden Girls" premiered on television. Although Getty was impressive, the show's producers went with another actress. Sophia states it happened in 1931, making it likely Dorothy was born sometime in 1932, judging by her sign. In 2022, we no longer believe that women need to lose their purpose once they hit the big 5-0. Hurwitz later created Arrested Development for Fox and later for Netflix. [31] The suit was later settled. "[62], Bea Arthur had a preference for wearing loose-fitting clothing, like slacks and long sweaters, along with sandals, because she hated wearing shoes. In Canada, Corus Entertainment's digital specialty channel, DejaView, aired reruns of The Golden Girls until 2017. The Golden Palace, a spinoff of the successful sitcom The Golden Girls, will make its streaming debut on Hulu early next year.. On Jan. 10, just one week before Betty White's 100th birthday on Jan. 17, the single season of the sitcom featuring three of the four main characters from the original series -- Rose Nyland (White), Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty . 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. Betty White was famous in Hollywood for being a pioneer of television dating back to the 1950s. 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. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? RELATED: Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. Based on the assumption that Season 1 and Season 2 took place in the same year, Rose would have been 55 at the start of The Golden Girls. She was said to have worn aged cosmetics in character to make her appear to be an eighty-something woman. Iconic Golden-era Hollywood actress Scarlett OHara was also reportedly an inspiration for the role. Arthur was born on May 13, 1922, making her the second oldest actress in the main cast. : 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! The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. Required fields are marked *. RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? How Old Was Rose Nylund On Golden Girls? [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. However, White and McClanahan wanted to play against their typecasting, so McClanahan was cast as Blanche instead. It was, however, more than a fringe success. All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their performances on the show. When your brain is frozen like that, you can't remember lines. There are no tricks. Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. Rue McClanahan. 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. You have a lot of table reads where the actors will mess it up because they don't understand what the characters are doing, or they misinterpret. "[38] Both actresses had dramatically different training and acting backgrounds; Saks commented on White's habit of breaking the fourth wall to engage and joke with the studio audience during breaks between filming, which Arthur found unprofessional. "[34] Getty continuously battled stage fright during her tenure on the show. Rose went so far as to search through official records to find out, only to learn it was "deleted by authority of the governor." 12. [52][53] Debbie Reynolds was brought on as a guest star in the season six episode "There Goes the Bride: Part 2" to test her chemistry with the other actresses as a possible replacement for Arthur, but producers decided that nobody could replicate the chemistry of the four original actresses. Rue McClanahan was the youngest of the Golden Girls, according to Parade. This indicates that Sophia was likely close to her real-life age. The cast of The Golden Girls, Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, have been even further immortalised in two puppet parody shows Thank You For Being A Friend[110] and That Golden Girls Show: A Puppet Parody, both created by Australian screenwriter Thomas Duncan-Watt and producer Jonathan Rockefeller. "[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. Until April 2006, Lifetime played the series as a virtual season eight, airing the series in between the conclusion of the final season and the syndicated roll-over to season one. However, her popularity with audiences caused Sophia to become a main character in the series. Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, Mothers Day, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanches dates. 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. [56] In 2020, owners marketed the property for $3 million. Social norms regarding women in their fifties have also changed since Golden Girls premiered. Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai. This indicates that she was likely in her late 40s when the show began. Dorothy, meanwhile, is stated to be in her early 50s, which could mean that she was anywhere between 50 and 54. 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. White, Betty (2010). We will always remember Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty for bringing joy into our lives and for being our friends. (Note: Is this article not meeting your expectations? We didn't want the show to be about four dowdy ladies. 1. She wanted to be a Southern heroine, like Vivien Leigh. The show became a huge hit with viewers, thanks to its clever writing and strong performances by the four main stars. After the retirement home where Dorothys mother, Sophia Petrillo, lived burned down in the pilot episode, the three were joined by Dorothys 80-year-old widowed mother, Sophia Petrillo. 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. [9], The pilot was taped on April 17, 1985.[10]. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. During its original run, The Golden Girls received 68 Emmy nominations, 11 Emmy awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Viewers for Quality Television awards. 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. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. One such source is the actors who played the characters. In an interview with The Village Voice in 2011, White stated that Arthur found me a pain in the neck sometimes. 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. "It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry. As a tribute to the success of The Golden Girls, all four actresses were later named Disney Legends as part of the class of 2009.[78]. The faade was based on a real house at 245 North Saltair Avenue in the Westgate Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. According to the math, Blanche was 53 at the start of the series. [40] However, Arthur preferred that her three castmates and she all break for lunch together on workdays. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Proudly powered by WordPress 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. [3] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. 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. 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. [62] Evans generally dressed the actresses in expensive pieces and high-quality fabrics, despite the recurring theme that the four characters were struggling with money, because, "The main idea was to make them look good. How old was Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls? 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]. Blanche Devereaux | Golden Girls Wiki | Fandom As of 2019, every episode is available for streaming on Stan. 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. [107] When that idea was not well received, Harris retooled the series as a vehicle for Richard Mulligan, and the following year Empty Nest debuted, starring Mulligan as pediatrician Harry Weston, a widower whose two adult daughters moved back home. Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman were the first head writers of the series, and wrote for the show's first four seasons. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. 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. In "And Just Like That", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. Who was the youngest Golden Girl cast member? Thats also the same reason why she refused to reprise her role in the spin-off series The Golden Palace, which featured Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. It is interesting to note that the ages of the characters are never directly addressed in the show. Sophia was never ashamed to confess her age, and she often took advantage of it to get an advantage over the other ladies in the home. Rose's age is the easiest to track down, thanks to Dorothy openly saying it in Season 1, Episode 22, "Job Hunting." 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. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. 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. For simplicity, because the program lasted seven seasons, each season is treated as a different year for the purpose of simplicity. After some careful math, viewers also figured out that Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur) was supposed to be 53. Clearly, the wardrobe and hairstyles in each show are extremely different from each other. Airing from 1985 to 1992 with seven seasons in total, The Golden Girls was a smash hit during the entirety of its run. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. The character of Blanche Devereaux appeared in a total of 8 seasons and a total of 204 full episodes in both The Golden Girls (total of 7 . [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. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. [68] Many episodes of the series followed a similar format or theme. McClanahan and White were friends on- and off-screen. [39] In 2011, White stated that she believed it was her "positive attitude" and perky demeanor that got on Arthur's nerves. One, while the characters ages on the show appeared to be quite. The Golden Girls is one of the most well-known television shows of all time. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. That was the case. 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. Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Bea Arthur as the beloved main cast of the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). The doorway from the living room, with the alcove and baker's shelf just inside, was designed to give the illusion that the actors were walking into and out of the kitchen. 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. There was a lot of competition to get your words into the script. The Golden Girls (TV Series 1985-1992) - Trivia - IMDb The writers observed that in many of the proposed scripts, the main interaction between the women occurred in the kitchen while preparing and eating food. It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. [35], Hired to shoot the pilot, director Jay Sandrich also became instrumental in helping to cast the roles of Blanche Devereaux and Rose Nylund. Crypto Wallet Development: Types, Features, and Popularity, 5 Ways AI is Detecting and Preventing Identity Fraud. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. [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]. This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness, allowing the show to appeal to viewers of all ages. 3. | Disney's Michael Eisner explains, "Estelle Getty made our three women into girls. 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.. Similarly, Dorothy mentions in another episode that she was married in 1960, which would have made her 22. Subscribe 41 Behind-the-Scenes 'The Golden Girls' Facts - 'Golden Girls' Trivia. [111], Golden Girls 3033 is an animated pilot created by Mike Hollingsworth. Advertise The show is seen in more than a hundred countries. In "The Golden . The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. Lets see how each actress was cast in their respective roles and how their careers continued after the show concluded. Golden Girls: Why Coco the Butler Was Dropped After the Pilot - CBR 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. [24][30], In the pilot script, Blanche was described as "more Southern than Blanche DuBois", so McClanahan was perplexed when she was asked by director Sandrich during the filming of the pilot not to use the strong Southern accent she had developed, but to use her natural Oklahoma accent instead. She is passionate about Princess Diana, the Titanic, the Romanovs, and Egypt amongst other things. [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. [24] The Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich, who had previously worked with Harris, Witt, and Thomas on Soap, agreed to direct the pilot episode. Why is Good UI/UX Design Imperative for Business Success? This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness or to emphasize the idea that age is just a number. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be - Pagelagi Audiences can figure things out with a little detective work. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? By tape day, she was unreachable. dog | 281K views, 6.6K likes, 7.7K loves, 9.7K comments, 2.9K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from AMC Princess Ana - Team AMC Ana: This is Ana's FIRST. Another brief run of the show began on 27 April 2020 till summer 2020 on Channel 5, but only showed episodes up to the season-four finale and is returning to Channel 4 starting from early 2022. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Golden_Girls&oldid=1139544706, "Thank You for Being a Friend" (instrumental), "I was running all over the house grabbing anybody who would listen. Getty came to Weiner's mind soon after, when it became time to begin casting of The Golden Girls. These ages seem to contradict what is stated in the show, suggesting that the characters may actually be younger than their stated 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! On the other hand, the women in And Just Like That dress in a trendy, modern style. Getty was picky about the jokes Sophia would make. Getty was the first of the four stars to die in 2008 at age 84. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. 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. The adventures of Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose ( universally beloved Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty) -- four older women who lived in a Miami home together -- took audiences by storm and provided representation to a group generally overlooked by television of the time. [32], Getty, who went through a three-hour transformation to become Sophia, wore heavy make-up, thick glasses, and a white wig to look the part. : Extreme Stunt Show attraction, later replaced by Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Colucci, Jim (2016). She took to writing her lines on props at which she could glance easily, like the wicker purse Sophia always carried with her. [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. Betty White's Best TV & Movie Roles - CBR It won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and two. The series also ranked among the Nielsen ratings' top ten for six of its seven seasons. The sitcom was conceptualized by writer Susan Harris. 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. She joined the show after Estelle Getty, who was the first actress to be cast in The Golden Girls. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. Betty White was 63 years old when the show premiered in 1985, yet she managed to play a younger persona perfectly. Golden Girls Cast, Ages, Names & More - Parade: Entertainment, Recipes However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. [80] In 2020, CMT purchased the rights to the series.

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