When all of the evidence is taken into account, it seems likely that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. 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.It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions . Subscribe In Canada, Corus Entertainment's digital specialty channel, DejaView, aired reruns of The Golden Girls until 2017. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. Golden Girls Trivia Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. 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. Golden Girls Cast, Ages, Names & More - Parade: Entertainment, Recipes Eager not to be typecast, they took the suggestion of Sandrich and switched roles at the last minute. 10 things you never knew about 'The Golden Girls' - Fox News Similarly, Dorothy mentions in another episode that she was married in 1960, which would have made her 22. 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. When the show hit TV screens in the 1980s, society believed that women in their 50s were more grandmotherly, and ready for retirement. Initially, the producers wanted Betty White to play Blanche because she had been famous for playing promiscuous characters in the past. the golden girls | CBR Fans of all ages still enjoy The Golden Girls and its actors today. Getty came to Weiner's mind soon after, when it became time to begin casting of The Golden Girls. Casting director Judith Weiner had seen Torch Song Trilogy, and thought Getty was terrific in it. Cast alongside Rue McClanahan, she impressed the producers of The Golden Girls with her recurring role as Ellen in Mamas Family. The Golden Girls came to an end when Bea Arthur elected to quit the series after six seasons in the top ten and the seventh season at #30. 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. The Golden Girls is one of the most well-known television shows of all time. Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. But one of the questions that has always been asked is: how old were the Golden Girls characters supposed to be? [111], Golden Girls 3033 is an animated pilot created by Mike Hollingsworth. Sophia states it happened in 1931, making it likely Dorothy was born sometime in 1932, judging by her sign. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? These ages seem to contradict what is stated in the show, suggesting that the characters may actually be younger than their stated ages. Its time to look back at the golden years with our favorite Golden Girls. Initially, White was considered for the role of Blanche Devereaux, which eventually went to Rue McClanahan. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). 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. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and Betty White reprised their roles in the 1992 spin-off series The Golden Palace (Credit: CBS). 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! However, she wasn't much older than Bea Arthur. 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. The faade was based on a real house at 245 North Saltair Avenue in the Westgate Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. After some careful math, viewers also figured out that Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur) was supposed to be 53. 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. Blanche would have been 60 by the series' end. 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. 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! "[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. 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. The Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? Susan Harris developed a spin-off centering on the empty nest syndrome. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). [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. "[47] Getty died in 2008, the result of dementia with Lewy bodies. 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. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. How Old Were the Golden Girls? She was just as uptight as a human being could get. 10 Things You May Not Know About 'The Golden Girls' - Biography Finally, Sophia is stated to be in her late 70s, suggesting that she was between 77 and 79. [24] The Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich, who had previously worked with Harris, Witt, and Thomas on Soap, agreed to direct the pilot episode. 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. [33] The character of Sophia was thought by the creators to enhance the idea that three retirement-aged women could be young. 3. 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 page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:40. How old were the ladies on golden girls in real life? 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. 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. 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 . Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. In Australia, the show airs daily on FOX Comedy. 100 Black-Owned Businesses to Shop Now. 'The Golden Girls': Who Was the Oldest Golden Girl - Outsider Their hair also hasnt greyed (or is colored), and they style their hair in a more contemporary way. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. One such source is the actors who played the characters. 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. The series also ranked among the Nielsen ratings' top ten for six of its seven seasons. We didn't want the show to be about four dowdy ladies. Social norms regarding women in their fifties have also changed since Golden Girls premiered. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. 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. Airing from 1985 to 1992 with seven seasons in total, The Golden Girls was a smash hit during the entirety of its run. 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. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. Sophia is to join her, but in the end, she stays behind with the other women in Miami. For, That was the case. Rose's age is the easiest to track down, thanks to Dorothy openly saying it in Season 1, Episode 22, "Job Hunting." 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, Betty White as Rose Nylund, and Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). [80] In 2020, CMT purchased the rights to the series. [71], On Metacritic, the series has an overall score of 82 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim. It is interesting to note that the ages of the characters are never directly addressed in the show. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. At times, she even froze on camera while filming. 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! [43] Mitchell Hurwitz also served as writer for the show in its last two seasons. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? 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. was an off-Broadway show that opened in the summer of 2003 in New York City at Rose's Turn theater in the West Village, and ran until November of that year. She passed away after suffering complications from a stroke at 99 years old on December 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. There was a lot of competition to get your words into the script. Getty was the first of the four stars to die in 2008 at age 84. In the first season of Golden Girls, it is revealed that Rose (Betty Whites character) was 55. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness or to emphasize the idea that age is just a number. 41 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets From 'The Golden Girls' - Good Housekeeping 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). The show promptly received a full order of 12 episodes. Rose Nylund - Wikipedia I kept reading scenes to them and saying, 'God, this is brilliant [] There's nothing trendy about this show. 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. The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. 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 , 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, 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. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. Blanche Devereauxs age had been a mystery and a recurrent joke for most of the Golden Girls, and it had been saved until last. In Southeast Asia, Rewind Networks began airing reruns of The Golden Girls on its HD channel, HITS, in 2013. 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. It also won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series Musical or Comedy. The oldest character in Golden Girls is Sophia (Estelle Getty), who is thought to be about 80 years old at the start of the series. That was the case. "[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. [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. How Old Were the Golden Girls? - CBR This would mean that Dorothy, who was born in 1938, would have been around 47 when the show started. She thought an accentuated Southern accent would be sexy and strong and attractive to men. Every episode of The Golden Girls was made available to stream on Hulu on February 13, 2017. "[60] Anna Wyckoff of the Costume Designers Guild wrote, "Evans took the direction from the producers to create a vibrant look for the four mature leads, and ran with itredefining what 'dressing your age' looked like. 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. [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. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. She was also 63 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered in 1985. Both the Hallmark Channel and WE tv picked-up the reruns in March 2009. 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.. The majority of sitcoms in the period centered on either families or teenagers. 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how old were the golden girls supposed to be