how old were the golden girls supposed to be

New York: Scribner. When the show initially aired, NBC took a chance. [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 main cast of The Golden Girls included Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, Betty White as Rose Nylund, Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, and Estelle Getty as Dorothys mother, Sophia Petrillo. Rose Nylund was 55 years old when the show premiered, as Dorothy stated in the Season 1 episode Job Hunting.. Casting director Judith Weiner had seen Torch Song Trilogy, and thought Getty was terrific in it. 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. 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 or to emphasize the idea that age is just a number. 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. 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." [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). 41 Behind-the-Scenes 'The Golden Girls' Facts - 'Golden Girls' Trivia. Dorothy is revealed to be a Leo in another episode, which means she was born in July or August of 1932, making her character 53 years old at the time the series began. Initially, the producers of the show had planned for Getty only to be a recurring guest. She wanted to be a Southern heroine, like Vivien Leigh. 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. 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. [41] Rue McClanahan, who shared a dressing room with Getty, described the severity of Getty's stage fright: "She'd panic. [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. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. 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". "[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. [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. Many episodes were edited to allow more commercials and for content. 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. Chick Vennera played a prize fighter and TV reporter Enrique Mas. 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. One such source is the actors who played the characters. The clever use of makeup and a wig aged Getty to match her character's age. White, Betty (2010). Arthur died from cancer in 2009 at age 86 and McClanahan followed in. On November 15, 2005, Warner Home Video released The Golden Girls: A Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series on DVD which contains a separate biography of Arthur, White, McClanahan and Getty, revealing each woman's background, rise to stardom and private life, which originally aired on Lifetime network between June 2000 and January 2003. She thought an accentuated Southern accent would be sexy and strong and attractive to men. One such source is the actors who played the characters. For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. "[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. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. Their regular writer declined, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris,[24] who had been semiretired since the conclusion of their ABC series Soap. If she had returned, her character would have been in her sixties. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. "[34] Getty continuously battled stage fright during her tenure on the show. When your brain is frozen like that, you can't remember lines. [67], The Golden Girls was shot on videotape in front of a live studio audience. At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. The faade was based on a real house at 245 North Saltair Avenue in the Westgate Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. It is interesting to note that the ages of the characters are never directly addressed in the show. Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, Mothers Day, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanches dates. (season two, episode five). Subscribe 2. 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. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Estelle Getty, however, was 62 in 1985, making her 17 years younger than the character she portrayed. It's a classic. Rose went so far as to search through official records to find out, only to learn it was "deleted by authority of the governor." This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. Arthur was born on May 13, 1922, making her the second oldest actress in the main cast. On the other hand, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 in Just Like That, while Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) are both supposed to be 54 years old. In "The Golden . We will always remember Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty for bringing joy into our lives and for being our friends. [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. All four cast members got Emmy nominations for their roles in the Golden Girls. [3] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. 1. They decided that a separate cook would distract from their friendship. 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! 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. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. 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. 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. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . Afterwards, Getty had returned to New York, but gained permission from her manager to return to California in early 1985. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. 100 Black-Owned Businesses to Shop Now. Although the four main stars appeared to have good chemistry onscreen, there was some tension on the set between Betty White and Bea Arthur, whose personalities clashed during filming. Born on January 17, 1922, Betty White was the oldest of the four main stars. [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. As of September 8, 2021 all 7 seasons of The Golden Girls were made available to stream on Disney+ in Canada. 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. She was also 63 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered in 1985. DO YOU LOVE SHOES? Blanche would have been 60 by the series' end. "[61] Many of the characters' outfits were designed by Evans and made especially, but seven to ten costume changes per episode were made between the four actresses, which entailed a great deal of off-the-rack shopping. As of December 1, 2021, every episode was made available to stream on Disney+. RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? Rue McClanahan. Some episodes featured flashbacks to previous episodes, flashbacks to events not shown in previous episodes, or to events that occurred before the series began. We hope this article on how old were the golden girls has been interesting and has also been able to bring back good memories. Estelle Getty, who portrayed Sophia, was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy, Sophias daughter. Getty came to Weiner's mind soon after, when it became time to begin casting of The Golden Girls. Colucci, Jim (2016). How Old Was Rose Nylund On Golden Girls? In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. [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. Life. [24] The Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich, who had previously worked with Harris, Witt, and Thomas on Soap, agreed to direct the pilot episode. [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. These ages seem to contradict what is stated in the show, suggesting that the characters may actually be younger than their stated ages. For instance, in the series finale, it is revealed that Blanche was born in 1931, which would make her 54 at the beginning of the show. However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. 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). Lets see how each actress was cast in their respective roles and how their careers continued after the show concluded. 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]. This suggests that her character was likely around the same age. 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' ages were never quite revealed on screen. [citation needed]. For simplicity, because the program lasted seven seasons, each season is treated as a different year for the purpose of simplicity. This was the first time since 1993 that The Golden Palace was seen on American television. The series starred Stephanie Hodge and a set of other young nurses. 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. Harold Gould played two of Rose's boyfriends, Arnie and Miles. consisted of two back-to-back episodes of the sitcom: "Break-In" (season one, episode eight) and "Isn't It Romantic?" 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. Writer and producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason created a sitcom with this kind of image as a "four women" show, which became Designing Women on CBS. 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. As of September 15, 2021, every episode was made available to stream on Disney+ in Germany and Austria. 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. In fact, that's who I think she thought she was."[37]. 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 . Featuring an all-male cast in drag, The Golden Girls: Live! Betty White was actually the oldest Golden Girl. 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. 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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. The pilot takes audio from the sitcom and sets it against a futuristic background inspired by The Jetsons. [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. 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. In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. This means that she was 63 years old by the time the show premiered in 1985. Gettleman says she suffered from advanced. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. At times, she even froze on camera while filming. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. 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! [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. The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended, Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. [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. [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. Arguably the main protagonist of the show, Blanche Devereaux is portrayed by Rue McClanahan. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? However, the exterior backdrop seen through the kitchen window changed from the view of Chicago high-rises to palm trees and bushes for the Miami setting. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. Estelle Getty reprised her role as Sophia in The Golden Palace, which only lasted for one season. In the original Sex and the City, Samatha Jones (Kim Cattrall) was in her late 40s/ early 50s, but Cattrall decided not to be a part of the reboot. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). ", This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:40. In Canada, Corus Entertainment's digital specialty channel, DejaView, aired reruns of The Golden Girls until 2017. Exploring the Basics, Benefits, and Policies, How to Contact Tesla: Customer Service Phone Number, Website, Social Media, Email & Live Chat, Bruce Willis Health Condition: Understanding the Actors Diet and Exercise Regimen, Exploring the Impact of Greg Gutfelds Vacation from Fox News. This "created a great deal of stress and competitiveness amongst those of us who weren't in that inner sanctum. In the first season of Golden Girls, it is revealed that Rose (Betty White's character) was 55. [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. 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. 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. For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. Cheers. [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. Finally, Sophia is stated to be in her late 70s, suggesting that she was between 77 and 79. [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. McClanahan and White were friends on- and off-screen. 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. Apparently, writer Susan Harris envisioned a Bea Arthur type when conceptualizing the character of Dorothy. In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. [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.