How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? At times, she even froze on camera while filming. Rose even went to the trouble of looking up the information in official documents, only to discover that it had been removed by authorization of the governor.. [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. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. [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. (Note: Is this article not meeting your expectations? 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. By Zachary Guida Jan 31, 2023 10 Ways Audience Popularity Gave TV Characters Greater Roles It ran from September 1992 to May 1993 and also starred Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. [50] She had reportedly started to show signs of the dementia during the filming of the television series, when, despite more than three decades of theater work, she began to struggle to remember her lines, and in later seasons of the show, had to rely on cue cards. For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. But the women were so uniformly brilliant at nailing it the first time we basically knew that if the women didn't get it right the first time, the joke needed to be replaced." Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. "[62], Bea Arthur had a preference for wearing loose-fitting clothing, like slacks and long sweaters, along with sandals, because she hated wearing shoes. : Extreme Stunt Show attraction, later replaced by Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Their hair also hasnt greyed (or is colored), and they style their hair in a more contemporary way. [71], On Metacritic, the series has an overall score of 82 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Proudly powered by WordPress It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. 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. Going off the idea that Season 1 takes place within the same year, Rose would have been 55 at the start of The Golden Girls as well, making her the oldest Golden Girl -- after Sophia, of course. McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. The series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. After some careful math, viewers also figured out that Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur) was supposed to be 53. Cast alongside Rue McClanahan, she impressed the producers of The Golden Girls with her recurring role as Ellen in Mamas Family. The Golden Girls will always be remembered as a show that put a spotlight on senior women in a way no other show had done before. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. [33] The character of Sophia was thought by the creators to enhance the idea that three retirement-aged women could be young. The Golden Girls are also dressed in cardigans or long dresses, similar to the outfits we would find in our grandmothers closet. 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. Luckily, Susan Harris didnt lose her spark after Soap concluded, as she included much of the humor and sharp wit that made Soap popular in The Golden Girls as well. Disney's Michael Eisner explains, "Estelle Getty made our three women into girls. Considering how easily Blanche lied to her housemates about her age (and that Sophia immediately called her out and said she'd be 70 when the kid graduates), it's safe to assume that 53 is her actual age going into The Golden Girls. Between 1973 and 1977 White made several appearances on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Sue Ann Nivens, the snobby, man-obsessed supporting character. [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. How Old Were the Golden Girls? 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. In the end, the math adds up to Dorothy being 53 at the start of the series and 60 at the series' end. Iconic Golden-era Hollywood actress Scarlett OHara was also reportedly an inspiration for the role. Your email address will not be published. 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. Fans of all ages still enjoy The Golden Girls and its actors today. 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. The classic NBC comedy The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its cast of four older women, a representation that was previously lacking on television. 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". 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. RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? By the end of the series, Rose was 62. "[45], Estelle Getty's stage fright, which affected her from the beginning of the show, grew worse as the show went on. 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. Some episodes featured flashbacks to previous episodes, flashbacks to events not shown in previous episodes, or to events that occurred before the series began. Chick Vennera played a prize fighter and TV reporter Enrique Mas. [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. For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. However, Season 3, Episode 25, "Mother's Day," confirms Blanche was 17 in 1949, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanche's dates. 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.. If technically supported by the home television, this system allowed their audience to watch the show either in the dubbed German version (by default) or the original English version. In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. 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. 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. [59], Costume designer Judy Evans created distinctive looks for each of the four actresses to suit their characters' personalities and to reflect the Florida setting. Estelle Getty portrayed the role of Sophia Petrillo, the mother of Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthurs character). According to the math, Blanche was 53 at the start of the series. Rue McClanahan is the youngest Golden Girl! Why is Good UI/UX Design Imperative for Business Success? Then, in Season 3, Episode 5, "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself," Sophia tells Dorothy the story of the night Dorothy was conceived. McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. [69] One of the other girls then told a story from her own life, which somehow related to the problem (though Rose occasionally regaled the others with a nonsense story that had nothing to do with the situation, and Sophia told outrageous, made-up stories). The show never approached the popularity or acclaim of the original, and ranked 57th[citation needed] in the annual ratings. 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. [52], The house's address was mentioned as being 6151 Richmond Street, Miami. How old was Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls? In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. [48][49] Her co-stars, in an interview, said that her disease had progressed to the point that she was not able to hold conversations with them or recognize them. [31] The suit was later settled. Win free shoes, organize your shoe closet, see the latest styles + more, About Cherry commented on read-throughs of the scripts that "generally, if the joke was a good one, the women found a way to make it work the very first time they read it. We hope this article on how old were the golden girls has been interesting and has also been able to bring back good memories. The show became a huge hit with viewers, thanks to its clever writing and strong performances by the four main stars. The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. In an interview with The Village Voice in 2011, White stated that Arthur found me a pain in the neck sometimes. Airing from 1985 to 1992 with seven seasons in total, The Golden Girls was a smash hit during the entirety of its run. Although Getty was impressive, the show's producers went with another actress. Subscribe The reasons for her departure are speculative, but the popular theory is that Arthur felt as though the quality of the sitcom had begun to slip by the seventh season, and she wanted to leave while the show was still popular. So why do the ladies in Golden Girls seem so much older than the characters in And Just Like That, even though theyre all supposed to be around the same age? Casting director Judith Weiner had seen Torch Song Trilogy, and thought Getty was terrific in it. [55] Producers used this residence for exterior shots during the first two seasons. [43] Mitchell Hurwitz also served as writer for the show in its last two seasons. The ages of the Golden Girls were never revealed on TV. Dorothy states she is a Leo in Season 4, Episode 10, "Stan Takes a Wife," placing her birthday either in late July or early-to-late August. For example, in the pilot episode, Blanche states that she is 54 going on 55, which would mean that her age at the start of the show was 54. 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. 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. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. Every episode of The Golden Girls was made available to stream on Hulu on February 13, 2017. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. Bea Arthur actually hated cheesecake. 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. Bill Dana played Sophia's brother Angelo and her father. We can also look at other clues from the show itself. [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". 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. "[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. The film featured five episodes from the show: "The Pilot", "The Flu", "The Way We Met", "Ladies of the Evening" and "Grab That Dough". From left to right- Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls. It was, however, more than a fringe success. 41 Behind-the-Scenes 'The Golden Girls' Facts - 'Golden Girls' Trivia. [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. Blanche Devereauxs age had been a mystery and a recurrent joke for most of the Golden Girls, and it had been saved until last. However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. Dorothy, meanwhile, is stated to be in her early 50s, which could mean that she was anywhere between 50 and 54. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. She took to writing her lines on props at which she could glance easily, like the wicker purse Sophia always carried with her. Many episodes were edited to allow more commercials and for content. 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. Blanche would have been 60 by the series' end. The Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992. However, White and McClanahan wanted to play against their typecasting, so McClanahan was cast as Blanche instead. As of September 8, 2021 all 7 seasons of The Golden Girls were made available to stream on Disney+ in Canada. The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended, Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. It had a total of 180 half-hour episodes across its seven seasons. McClanahan continued to portray the role of Blanche in the spin-off series The Golden Palace, which only lasted for one season from 1992 to 1993. Rue McClanahan was the youngest of the Golden Girls, according to Parade. Estimating the ages of the characters can be tricky, since the show never explicitly states their ages. Privacy Policy, Brands After the pilot, the character of Coco was eliminated from the series. Shopping Guide Richard Vaczy and Tracy Gamble, previously writers on 227 and My Two Dads, also assumed the roles of producers and head writers. 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. ISBN978-0-06-242290-3. She was portrayed by Betty White for 8 years, totalling 204 episodes.. Rose was supposed to be played by Rue McClanahan, while Blanche Devereaux, one of Rose's roommates, was to be played by White.However, Jay Sandrich, the director of the show, suggested that Betty and Rue switch . All four cast members got Emmy nominations for their roles in the Golden Girls. Contact Us For, That was the case. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? [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. [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. [39] In 2011, White stated that she believed it was her "positive attitude" and perky demeanor that got on Arthur's nerves. At this time, syndicated reruns began airing, distributed by Buena Vista Television (now DisneyABC Domestic Television), the syndication arm of Disney, whose Touchstone Television division produced the series. [70][self-published source?] The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. 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. [68] Many episodes of the series followed a similar format or theme. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. Estelle Getty, however, was 62 in 1985, making her 17 years younger than the character she portrayed. She passed away from Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) on July 22, 2008, at 84 years old. [67], The Golden Girls was shot on videotape in front of a live studio audience. Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman were the first head writers of the series, and wrote for the show's first four seasons. It was popular for addressing a demographic that rarely saw the spotlight on television or in Hollywood: senior women. "We had games going all the time off camera." 13. [41] Rue McClanahan, who shared a dressing room with Getty, described the severity of Getty's stage fright: "She'd panic. In "And Just Like That", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. Who was the youngest Golden Girl cast member? Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. 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. Blanche was probably around 50, Dorothy was likely in her late 40s, Rose was probably closer to 51, and Sophia was likely closer to 79. 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. [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. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. This was the first time since 1993 that The Golden Palace was seen on American television. It won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and two. Each of the four main stars received an Emmy Award, making The Golden Girls one of only four sitcoms in the Primetime Emmy Awards history to achieve this. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, in association with Touchstone Television. Betty White was actually the oldest Golden Girl. She was just as uptight as a human being could get. Blanche Devereaux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo managed the single life as seniors in Miami for seven seasons. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. [51], During season six, some uncertainty arose over whether Bea Arthur would commit to future seasons, or leave the show once her contract expired, to pursue other projects. The Golden Girls: Live! As a result, new viewers are becoming aware of the show. 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 . [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. 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. Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, Mothers Day, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanches dates. 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. Rose went so far as to search through official records to find out, only to learn it was "deleted by authority of the governor." In order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . The story follows four older single women (three widows and one divorced) who share a home in Miami, Florida. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. 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. As of 2019, every episode is available for streaming on Stan. Afterwards, Getty had returned to New York, but gained permission from her manager to return to California in early 1985. The series starred Stephanie Hodge and a set of other young nurses. Rose Nylund was 55 years old when the show premiered, as Dorothy stated in the Season 1 episode Job Hunting.. This suggests that her character was likely around the same age. 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. That was the case. She would return home to New York if she were unsuccessful. Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Harris served as the original executive producers. All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their performances on the show. "[47] Getty died in 2008, the result of dementia with Lewy bodies. However, the actress who played Sophia, Estelle Getty, was only 62 years old in real life, making her one year younger than her on-screen daughter! Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness or to emphasize the idea that age is just a number. The series ran for a total of seven seasons and a total of 180 full-length episodes. In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. 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. 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. [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". However, it did so from a very different perspective. Before The Golden Girls, she was most renowned for creating the series Soap, which parodied daytime soap operas such as The Young and the Restless. Estelle Getty reprised her role as Sophia in The Golden Palace, which only lasted for one season. 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. 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. She joined the cast as Rose Nylund, a Norwegian-American hailing from St. Olaf, Minnesota. 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.
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