how old were the golden girls supposed to be

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. Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Harris served as the original executive producers. In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. 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. According to the math, Blanche was 53 at the start of the series. 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. The show never approached the popularity or acclaim of the original, and ranked 57th[citation needed] in the annual ratings. "[62], Bea Arthur had a preference for wearing loose-fitting clothing, like slacks and long sweaters, along with sandals, because she hated wearing shoes. Rue McClanahan is the youngest Golden Girl! Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. 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. Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. "[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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Proudly powered by WordPress Why is Good UI/UX Design Imperative for Business Success? How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? "The Golden Girls" turns 30: 10 things you didn't know - CBS News Advertise How Old Were the Golden Girls? - CBR McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. 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]. It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. After reruns on different regional channels of the ARD Network, the show later aired on private channels RTL, VOX, Super RTL, Disney Channel and RTLup. "It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry. [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". How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? Estimating the ages of the characters can be tricky, since the show never explicitly states their ages. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? Celebrities [24], Shortly afterward, he met with producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, who were pitching a show about a female lawyer. Hulu estimated that over 11 million hours were spent viewing this sitcom in 2020 alone, making it one of the top ten most binge-watched series on the streaming service. 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. This would mean that Dorothy, who was born in 1938, would have been around 47 when the show started. 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. She passed away after suffering complications from a stroke at 99 years old on December 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. The program is about four elderly ladies who live . It happens again, by a handsome male model, the kind she might have once. Reportedly, White doubted that she could effectively play the role of Rose. Getty was picky about the jokes Sophia would make. On November 9, 2010, the studio released a complete-series box set titled The Golden Girls: 25th Anniversary Complete Collection. Their fears were allayed when the preview screening garnered a standing ovation and the program was instantly renewed for 12 more Golden Girls episodes. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. She would return home to New York if she were unsuccessful. [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. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. | However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. 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[54] The model used for exterior shots of the house from the third season through the end of the series was part of the backstage studio tour ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Their regular writer declined, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris,[24] who had been semiretired since the conclusion of their ABC series Soap. 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 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. In the end, the math adds up to Dorothy being 53 at the start of the series and 60 at the series' end. 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. After the pilot, the character of Coco was eliminated from the series. 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. [43] Mitchell Hurwitz also served as writer for the show in its last two seasons. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). DO YOU LOVE SHOES? 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. Apparently, writer Susan Harris envisioned a Bea Arthur type when conceptualizing the character of Dorothy. Arguably the main protagonist of the show, Blanche Devereaux is portrayed by Rue McClanahan. [3] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. Iconic Golden-era Hollywood actress Scarlett OHara was also reportedly an inspiration for the role. She took to writing her lines on props at which she could glance easily, like the wicker purse Sophia always carried with her. The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. 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. It was popular for addressing a demographic that rarely saw the spotlight on television or in Hollywood: senior women. 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. "[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. ISBN978-1-4516-1369-8. [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. She passed away from Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) on July 22, 2008, at 84 years old. The classic NBC comedy The Golden Girls broke boundaries with its cast of four older women, a representation that was previously lacking on television. "[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. However, her popularity with audiences caused Sophia to become a main character in the series. By the end of the series, Rose was 62. Its a tiny marvel, looking back, that the Golden Girls magnificent casting came together as well as it did. 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. 'The Golden Girls' Turn 35 - forbes.com Many episodes were edited to allow more commercials and for content. However, there is also some evidence to suggest that these ages may not be accurate. Going by the math, that makes Blanche 53 at the start of the series. 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. Empty Nest launched its own spin-off in 1991 set in Miami in the same hospital where Dr. Weston worked. The Golden Girls was a highly-acclaimed and rated, well-received, popular American situation-comedy/sit-com television series that aired on NBC originally from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). While RTL initially chose to cut some scenes for time, some of the gags remain incomprehensible for their broadcast and all subsequent reruns, only to be restored partially for the release of DVD in 2005. The doorway from the living room, with the alcove and baker's shelf just inside, was designed to give the illusion that the actors were walking into and out of the kitchen. By Zachary Guida Jan 31, 2023 10 Ways Audience Popularity Gave TV Characters Greater Roles 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. Blanche Devereaux | Golden Girls Wiki | Fandom How old were the ladies on golden girls in real life? 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). Similarly, Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, was 79 when the show began and 83 when it ended. (season two, episode five). Sarah Jessica Parker and Betty White, both of whom play a 55-year-old woman. We didn't want the show to be about four dowdy ladies. In March 1997, the Lifetime cable network acquired the exclusive rights to repeat the episodes of The Golden Girls in the US until March 1, 2009. 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! 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. Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. Rose Nylund is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. Estelle Getty auditioned and won the role as the feisty mother of character Dorothy Zbornak, due, in part, to the rave reviews she garnered in her off-Broadway role reprisal for the 1984 Los Angeles run of Torch Song Trilogy. It could also be because the show was trying to emphasize the idea that age is just a number and that life does not end at a certain age. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? As a result, new viewers are becoming aware of the show. 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 . It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, in association with Touchstone Television. The Golden Girls - Wikipedia In Season 4, Episode 10, Stan Takes a Wife, Dorothy declares that she is a Leo, indicating that her birthdate is in late July or early-to-late August. Golden Girls Trivia The Golden Girls was part of a series of Brandon Tartikoff shows that put an end to NBC's ratings slump, along with The Cosby Show, 227, Night Court, Miami Vice, and L.A. Law. That means with a little digging, coming up with each Golden Girl's age is easy for a superfan. 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. That was the case. She joined the cast as Rose Nylund, a Norwegian-American hailing from St. Olaf, Minnesota. 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. [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. By tape day, she was unreachable. 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. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. In New Zealand, the series aired on TVNZ and is replayed on public holidays and it is shown on Jones!. [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. After some careful math, viewers also figured out that Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur) was supposed to be 53. Estelle Getty, however, was 62 in 1985, making her 17 years younger than the character she portrayed. 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. Who is the youngest Golden Girl in real life? - TeachersCollegesj She was especially intimidated by her co-stars, who were all higher profile actresses than she was. 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. Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Bea Arthur as the beloved main cast of the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). 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. 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. Disney's Michael Eisner explains, "Estelle Getty made our three women into girls. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? 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. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. The Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992. She loves spending quality time with her friends, family, and puppy Luna! [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. [52][53] Debbie Reynolds was brought on as a guest star in the season six episode "There Goes the Bride: Part 2" to test her chemistry with the other actresses as a possible replacement for Arthur, but producers decided that nobody could replicate the chemistry of the four original actresses. Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. In Southeast Asia, Rewind Networks began airing reruns of The Golden Girls on its HD channel, HITS, in 2013. 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). She reconsidered, however, after hearing that McClanahan and White had switched roles. 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. 10 things you never knew about 'The Golden Girls' - Fox News Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kristen Davis in And Just Like That. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). (Photo Credit: New Line Cinema/ HBO/ MovieStills DB and MovieStills DB). The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended, Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams Is Iconic for Pushing Boundaries. 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. [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). RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? In order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. How old were the golden girl actresses during filming? Both Rue McClanahan and Betty White came into consideration, as the series Mama's Family, in which the two co-starred, had been cancelled by NBC. Sue's personality as the perky housewife host on a fictional television station of the show . Betty White was 63 years old when the show premiered in 1985, yet she managed to play a younger persona perfectly. For one thing, it did pave the way for a new terrain. 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. 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. [26] She found the concept interesting, as "it was a demographic that had never been addressed," and she soon began work on it. 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. The majority of sitcoms in the period centered on either families or teenagers. How Old Was Rose Nylund On Golden Girls? This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE, Heres How the Royal Family Gets Its Money, These 12 Cities Have Changed A Lot Over Time, Police arrest a 72-year-old suburban grandfather suspected of being the Golden State Killer, Im not dead yet: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification, Project Azorian: Howard Hughes secret mission, 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013, The Walk of Shame in Game of Thrones historical inspiration, The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break, Kurt Gdel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation, Little Ease: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London, The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl, Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story. 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. Similarly, Dorothy mentions in another episode that she was married in 1960, which would have made her 22. Betty White was famous in Hollywood for being a pioneer of television dating back to the 1950s. She was said to have worn aged cosmetics in character to make her appear to be an eighty-something woman. Arthur and White worked well together in shared mutual respect, but they did not pursue a personal friendship with one another outside of The Golden Girls set. [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. According to Cherry, the writers' room was "a competitive atmosphere. Finally, Sophia is stated to be in her late 70s, suggesting that she was between 77 and 79. Susan Harris developed a spin-off centering on the empty nest syndrome. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? McClanahan said, "Betty and I loved word games, and we would play word games every day,". This means that she was 63 years old by the time the show premiered in 1985. [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. The producers of The Golden Girls decided to cast Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan after seeing them act alongside each other in shows like Maude (1972-1978) and Mamas Family (1983-1984). As of 2016, it was the 17th-most watched television finale. These ages seem to contradict what is stated in the show, suggesting that the characters may actually be younger than their stated ages. 16 Things You Didn't Know About The Golden Girls - Southern Living When Arthur first received the script for The Golden Girls, she loved the concept of having senior women as the stars of the show. 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.