The pilot takes audio from the sitcom and sets it against a futuristic background inspired by The Jetsons. Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Bea Arthur as the beloved main cast of the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). Getty came to Weiner's mind soon after, when it became time to begin casting of The Golden Girls. [citation needed]. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. Lets see how each actress was cast in their respective roles and how their careers continued after the show concluded. Mulligan and Manoff were alumni from one of Susan Harris' earlier shows, Soap. 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. The ages of the Golden Girls were never revealed on TV. 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. Privacy Policy, Brands 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. "[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. 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 . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Continue reading to find out how old were the golden girls on the set of The Golden Girls. This article promises to be interesting and really informative. This suggests that she was likely in her early 50s when the show began. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. Similarly, Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, was 79 when the show began and 83 when it ended. Your email address will not be published. Empty Nest launched its own spin-off in 1991 set in Miami in the same hospital where Dr. Weston worked. In "And Just Like That.", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. . 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? 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. 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. Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. In Italy, the series aired on Rai Uno (or Rai 1) as Cuori senza et (Ageless Hearts) from 1987 until 1994. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. 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. The series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. McClanahan was 51 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered, and she was 58 when it concluded. [124] The eatery closed in November 2017 after less than a year of operation.[125]. And that was, to me, what made it seem like it could be a contemporary, young show. In Canada, Corus Entertainment's digital specialty channel, DejaView, aired reruns of The Golden Girls until 2017. 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. 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. Empowering Lives with Nutritious and Delicious NDIS Meals! For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. 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 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. DO YOU LOVE SHOES? How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. Estimating the ages of the characters can be tricky, since the show never explicitly states their ages. 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 show promptly received a full order of 12 episodes. Featuring an all-male cast in drag, The Golden Girls: Live! McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. Bea Arthur actually hated cheesecake. 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. Betty White was famous in Hollywood for being a pioneer of television dating back to the 1950s. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. Characters from both shows made occasional crossover guest appearances on the other show, with the four girls guesting on Empty Nest and Mulligan, Dinah Manoff, Kristy McNichol, David Leisure, and Park Overall appearing on The Golden Girls in their Empty Nest roles. It wasnt until she was informed of Roses naivety that she gained the confidence to play the role and pull off the character. Their hair also hasnt greyed (or is colored), and they style their hair in a more contemporary way. The program is about four elderly ladies who live . By the end of the series, Rose was 62. [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]. She is passionate about Princess Diana, the Titanic, the Romanovs, and Egypt amongst other things. Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. She joined the cast as Rose Nylund, a Norwegian-American hailing from St. Olaf, Minnesota. Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Golden Girls are truly ageless. Click Registration to join us and share your expertise with our readers.). Their fears were allayed when the preview screening garnered a standing ovation and the program was instantly renewed for 12 more Golden Girls episodes. [28], The pilot included a gay houseboy, Coco (Charles Levin), who lived with the girls. 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? She was born on July 25, 1923, making her 62 years old by the time the sitcom premiered. Eager not to be typecast, they took the suggestion of Sandrich and switched roles at the last minute. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. As such, this social belief is shown on our screens in the Sex and the City reboot, whereas Golden Girls portrayed societal norms of the 1980s. 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. Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kristen Davis in And Just Like That. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). 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 the hour-long series finale, which aired in May 1992, Dorothy meets and marries Blanche's uncle Lucas (Leslie Nielsen) and moves to Hollingsworth Manor in Atlanta. None of the other Golden Girls outright state their ages, so Dorothy is where the deductive work begins. The Golden Girls are also dressed in cardigans or long dresses, similar to the outfits we would find in our grandmothers closet. New York: Scribner. However, her popularity with audiences caused Sophia to become a main character in the series. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Chick Vennera played a prize fighter and TV reporter Enrique Mas. It had a total of 180 half-hour episodes across its seven seasons. 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. Contact Us 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. We can also look at other clues from the show itself. ISBN978-0-06-242290-3. Dorothy was likely in her late 40s, rather than her early 50s. Prior to that, when old people were shown on television, you could almost smell them., Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, and Betty White as Rose Nylund in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. [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. 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. 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. She passed away from Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) on July 22, 2008, at 84 years old. [68] Many episodes of the series followed a similar format or theme. 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. [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. 2. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, in association with Touchstone Television. An instant ratings hit, The Golden Girls became an NBC staple on Saturday nights. The Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992. The faade was based on a real house at 245 North Saltair Avenue in the Westgate Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. For simplicity's sake, each season is considered a separate year, as the show ran for seven seasons. In "And Just Like That", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. Who was the youngest Golden Girl cast member? Finally, Sophia is stated to be in her late 70s, suggesting that she was between 77 and 79. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? 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. Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. 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 assume she was 53 when The Golden Girls premiered. Its a tiny marvel, looking back, that the Golden Girls magnificent casting came together as well as it did. Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. 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. [83] The 21-disc collection features all 180 episodes of the series as well as all special features contained on the previously released season sets; it is encased in special collectible packaging, a replica of Sophia's purse. Life. However, she wasn't much older than Bea Arthur. Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. : 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!