Sophia was 86 by the series' end. 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. 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. 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 . As of 2016, it was the 17th-most watched television finale. [112], In 2017, a Golden Girls-themed eatery, Rue la Rue Cafe owned by Rue McClanahan's close friend Michael La Rue, who inherited many of the star's personal belongings and in turn decorated the restaurant with them, opened in the Washington Heights section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Golden Girls: Live! Susan Harris developed a spin-off centering on the empty nest syndrome. 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]. Sue's personality as the perky housewife host on a fictional television station of the show . 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. RELATED: Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. After the pilot, the character of Coco was eliminated from the series. 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. It was, however, more than a fringe success. 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. 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] 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. 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. 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. 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. Bea Arthur actually hated cheesecake. [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. 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 . consisted of two back-to-back episodes of the sitcom: "Break-In" (season one, episode eight) and "Isn't It Romantic?" "[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. Betty White was actually the oldest Golden Girl. "[62], Bea Arthur had a preference for wearing loose-fitting clothing, like slacks and long sweaters, along with sandals, because she hated wearing shoes. 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. Although the women's ages were rarely disclosed, some deductive work may be used to approximate how old each Golden Girl was at the commencement of the series. She was born on July 25, 1923, making her 62 years old by the time the sitcom premiered. 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. Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kristen Davis in And Just Like That. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. ISBN978-0-06-242290-3. We can also look at other clues from the show itself. 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. [24] The Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich, who had previously worked with Harris, Witt, and Thomas on Soap, agreed to direct the pilot episode. Contact Us For simplicity's sake, each season is considered a separate year, as the show ran for seven seasons. 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. At times, she even froze on camera while filming. It is interesting to note that the ages of the characters are never directly addressed in the show. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. 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. Dorothy, meanwhile, is stated to be in her early 50s, which could mean that she was anywhere between 50 and 54. [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. 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. 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. We didn't want the show to be about four dowdy ladies. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. When the show initially aired, NBC took a chance. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). New York: Harper Collins. (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. Richard Vaczy and Tracy Gamble, previously writers on 227 and My Two Dads, also assumed the roles of producers and head writers. Iconic Golden-era Hollywood actress Scarlett OHara was also reportedly an inspiration for the role. However, it did so from a very different perspective. 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. 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! Betty White as Rose Nylund in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). 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. The Golden Girls is one of the most beloved and enduring sitcoms of all time. 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. 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. [40] However, Arthur preferred that her three castmates and she all break for lunch together on workdays. After some careful math, viewers also figured out that Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur) was supposed to be 53. This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. Jan 31, 2023 Movie Features Harry Potter: Wait, How Are Bellatrix and Leta Lestrange Related? Actress Elaine Stritch was also considered for the role, but she blew her audition by using curse words, which was something that the writers felt was out of character for Dorothy. 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. That means with a little digging, coming up with each Golden Girl's age is easy for a superfan. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. 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. However, her popularity with audiences caused Sophia to become a main character in the series. 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. It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. On the other hand, the women in And Just Like That dress in a trendy, modern style. McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. It won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and two. Getty was the first actress to be cast, and her role was intended to make the rest of the characters appear younger. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. 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. Sophia states it happened in 1931, making it likely Dorothy was born sometime in 1932, judging by her sign. [24], Shortly afterward, he met with producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, who were pitching a show about a female lawyer. She took to writing her lines on props at which she could glance easily, like the wicker purse Sophia always carried with her. Bill Dana played Sophia's brother Angelo and her father. Afterwards, Getty had returned to New York, but gained permission from her manager to return to California in early 1985. Arguably the main protagonist of the show, Blanche Devereaux is portrayed by Rue McClanahan. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? Space was limited on the soundstage, so when the kitchen was off camera, it was usually detached from the rest of the set and the space used for something else. The program is about four elderly ladies who live . They decided that a separate cook would distract from their friendship. 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. 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. Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. 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. How Old Were the Golden Girls? Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Golden Girls are truly ageless. 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. Your email address will not be published. October 8, 2022 According to evidence presented by the ladies themselves during the first year of the show, Sophia is 80 years old, Rose is 55 years old, and Blanche is 50 years old. Shoes Accessories, Copyright Your Next Shoes 2010 - 2023 |, The 9 Best Classic and Designer High Top Sneaker Brands, How to Spot Fake Converse Shoes: 10 Ways to Tell Real All Star Sneakers, Sabrina Carpenter Presents K-Pop Twice With Breakthrough Award in Racy Mini Dress Amidst Shawn Mendes Dating Rumors, The Cast of Creed III: What 7 Actors Look Like in Real Life, Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega Steal the Show at SAG Awards With Hilarious Deadpan Presentation, Next in Fashion Season 2 Cast: Gigi Hadid Promotes Netflix Show in 5 Stunning Outfits, Jessica Simpson Shares Adorable Photo With Mini-Me Daughter Birdie Mae on Instagram. In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. Although Sophia appears to be much older than the other girls in the show, Getty was actually younger than both Bea Arthur and Betty White. Gettleman says she suffered from advanced. By the end of the series, Rose was 62.