Golden Girls Cast, Ages, Names & More - Parade: Entertainment, Recipes McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). [7][8], The first episode features a cook/butler named Coco (played by Charles Levin), but the role was dropped before the second episode. However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. Betty White's Best TV & Movie Roles - CBR 2. [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. 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. Going by the math, that makes Blanche 53 at the start of the series. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? Social norms regarding women in their fifties have also changed since Golden Girls premiered. 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. Who is the youngest Golden Girl in real life? - TeachersCollegesj She reconsidered, however, after hearing that McClanahan and White had switched roles. [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. Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kristen Davis in And Just Like That. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). Similarly, Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, was 79 when the show began and 83 when it ended. [64] Rue McClanahan had a special clause written into her contract allowing her to keep her costumes, which were mostly custom-made for her, utilising expensive fabrics. The Golden Girls - Wikipedia This indicates that she was likely in her late 40s when the show began. [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. 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. Getty was the first of the four stars to die in 2008 at age 84. White's birthday is January 17th and Arthur's was May 13th. Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. This suggests that she was likely in her early 50s when the show began. 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. [citation needed]. 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. 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. Beginning July 3, 1989, NBC added daytime reruns of the show, replacing long-running Wheel of Fortune (which had moved to CBS) on the NBC schedule at 11:00am(EST); it ran until September 1990. She passed away from Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) on July 22, 2008, at 84 years old. Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. 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. Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman were the first head writers of the series, and wrote for the show's first four seasons. Celebrities 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. Dorothy, following an impassioned speech in which she told the girls that I love you, always, she says as she rushes back into the home through several entrances for their final goodbyes, before making her final exit, saying, Youll always be my sisters. Continually , leaving the other three females to fend for themselves. 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. 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 . 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. 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". It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. In Southeast Asia, Rewind Networks began airing reruns of The Golden Girls on its HD channel, HITS, in 2013. Arthur was born on May 13, 1922, making her the second oldest actress in the main cast. In Italy, the series aired on Rai Uno (or Rai 1) as Cuori senza et (Ageless Hearts) from 1987 until 1994. [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 women in The Golden Girlsall have white, short hair styled in a way we often associate with older individuals. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? - TrendRadars White, Betty (2010). 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. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? Initially, White was considered for the role of Blanche Devereaux, which eventually went to Rue McClanahan. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? [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). Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). "The Golden Girls" turns 30: 10 things you didn't know - CBS News That means with a little digging, coming up with each Golden Girl's age is easy for a superfan. [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 . As of February 2013, WE tv's rights expired and Viacom networks' TV Land, home to Betty White's last series Hot in Cleveland, purchased them,[79] as did Logo TV. 10 things you never knew about 'The Golden Girls' - Fox News Blanche was probably around 50, Dorothy was likely in her late 40s, Rose was probably closer to 51, and Sophia was likely closer to 79. In New Zealand, the series aired on TVNZ and is replayed on public holidays and it is shown on Jones!. In reality, all but one of the principal cast members of the Golden Girls had enormous age gaps between their true ages and the ages of their roles. Estelle Getty, however, was 62 in 1985, making her 17 years younger than the character she portrayed. 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. She was also 63 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered in 1985. This suggests that her character was likely around the same age. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. 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. Rose Nylund was 55 years old when the show premiered, as Dorothy stated in the Season 1 episode Job Hunting.. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. 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. Gettleman says she suffered from advanced. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. 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. 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 . 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. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. 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! In fact, that's who I think she thought she was."[37]. When the show initially aired, NBC took a chance. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? Often deemed as the den mother of the main characters in the show, Bea Arthur played the role of Dorothy Zbornak, a substitute teacher hailing from New York City.