Carrie's age range in "And Just Like That." puts her in the same age range as the characters in "The Golden Girls" season one, according to TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. But what made the show golden were its stellar cast and the beloved characters they portrayed. She passed away after suffering complications from a stroke at 99 years old on December 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. She was especially intimidated by her co-stars, who were all higher profile actresses than she was. 41 Behind-the-Scenes 'The Golden Girls' Facts - 'Golden Girls' Trivia. [33] The character of Sophia was thought by the creators to enhance the idea that three retirement-aged women could be young. It was popular for addressing a demographic that rarely saw the spotlight on television or in Hollywood: senior women. The golden girls trivia is the most exciting series we have created for those who love comedy. 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. 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. Arthur flipped upon reading the script, but felt hesitant about McClanahan's approach, as she did not "want to play (their Maude characters) Maude and Vivian meet Sue Ann Nivens." White's birthday is January 17th and Arthur's was May 13th. [43] Mitchell Hurwitz also served as writer for the show in its last two seasons. How old were the ladies on golden girls in real life? 3. The company expected the show to appeal to older female viewers. Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. Social norms regarding women in their fifties have also changed since Golden Girls premiered. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. 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! Blanche Devereauxs age had been a mystery and a recurrent joke for most of the Golden Girls, and it had been saved until last. Bea Arthur was not a part of the main cast but did guest star in a double episode, reprising her role as Dorothy.[106]. Betty White was famous in Hollywood for being a pioneer of television dating back to the 1950s. It was, however, more than a fringe, Its a tiny marvel, looking back, that the Golden Girls magnificent casting came together as well as it did. Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper and Betty White as Ellen Harper-Jackson in the 1983 sitcom Mamas Family (Credit: NBC). [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. Blanche Devereaux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo managed the single life as seniors in Miami for seven seasons. This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. Sarah Jessica Parker and Betty White, both of whom play a 55-year-old woman. 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. 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 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. McClanahan was 51 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered, and she was 58 when it concluded. The majority of sitcoms in the period centered on either families or teenagers. "[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. She is also the only living core cast member from the series. In "And Just Like That.", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. . Ironically, despite being the oldest actress in the show, Betty White was the last of the main stars to survive. Reportedly, a second season was approved before being cancelled the day before the network announced its 199394 schedule. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. We hope this article on how old were the golden girls has been interesting and has also been able to bring back good memories. Styles At the age of 86, Bea Arthur passed away from lung cancer in April 2009. 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? Sue's personality as the perky housewife host on a fictional television station of the show . She was also 63 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered in 1985. [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. 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." Arguably the main protagonist of the show, Blanche Devereaux is portrayed by Rue McClanahan. 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. McClanahan insisted on the character having a thick Southern accent, a popular aspect of her character throughout the show. 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 A Piece of Cake.. 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. 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. How Old Were the Golden Girls? 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. consisted of two back-to-back episodes of the sitcom: "Break-In" (season one, episode eight) and "Isn't It Romantic?" 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). Designing Women began competing against The Golden Girls. 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 women had a homosexual cook named Coco who lived with them at first, but after the premiere episode, the character was never seen again. None of the other Golden Girls outright state their ages, so Dorothy is where the deductive work begins. Apparently, writer Susan Harris envisioned a Bea Arthur type when conceptualizing the character of Dorothy. In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. 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. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). This "created a great deal of stress and competitiveness amongst those of us who weren't in that inner sanctum. 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. 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. [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. Airing from 1985 to 1992 with seven seasons in total, The Golden Girls was a smash hit during the entirety of its run. She loves spending quality time with her friends, family, and puppy Luna! 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. Did Rue McClanahan have a Southern accent? Clearly, the wardrobe and hairstyles in each show are extremely different from each other. For simplicity, because the program lasted seven seasons, each season is treated as a different year for the purpose of simplicity. In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Channel 4, Living and Disney Channel. When the show initially aired, NBC took a chance. Sophia was 86 by the series' end. [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.[6]. 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. All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their performances on the show. 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. 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. McClanahan said, "Betty and I loved word games, and we would play word games every day,". 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. Blanche was 17 in 1949, according to Season 3, Episode 25, Mothers Day, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanches dates. 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 . 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. She took to writing her lines on props at which she could glance easily, like the wicker purse Sophia always carried with her. Empty Nest launched its own spin-off in 1991 set in Miami in the same hospital where Dr. Weston worked. However, there is also some evidence to suggest that these ages may not be accurate. [108] After the end of The Golden Palace, Getty joined the cast of Empty Nest, making frequent appearances as Sophia in the show's final two seasons. Blanche Elizabeth Marie Devereaux (ne Hollingsworth) is one of the four, fictional, main characters on the highly-acclaimed, revered, and well-received 1985-1992 NBC situation-comedy/sit-com TV series, The Golden Girls, and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. According to the math, Blanche was 53 at the start of the series. It wasnt until she was informed of Roses naivety that she gained the confidence to play the role and pull off the character. In 2022, we no longer believe that women need to lose their purpose once they hit the big 5-0. However, there are some clues that can be found in the show itself. [58], The kitchen set seen on The Golden Girls was originally used on an earlier Witt/Thomas/Harris series, It Takes Two, which aired on ABC from 1982 to 1983. Assuming her child would graduate at 17, that would make Blanche 48 in 1986 and 47 at the start of the series. [124] The eatery closed in November 2017 after less than a year of operation.[125]. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. The character of Blanche Devereaux appeared in a total of 8 seasons and a total of 204 full episodes in both The Golden Girls (total of 7 . Their regular writer declined, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris,[24] who had been semiretired since the conclusion of their ABC series Soap. Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She thought an accentuated Southern accent would be sexy and strong and attractive to men. You have a lot of table reads where the actors will mess it up because they don't understand what the characters are doing, or they misinterpret. By the end of the series, Rose was 62. At some point, they would gather around the kitchen table and discuss the problem, sometimes late at night and often while eating cheesecake, ice cream, or some other dessert. New York: Scribner. New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. Betty White was 63 years old when the show premiered in 1985, yet she managed to play a younger persona perfectly. 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. The series also ranked among the Nielsen ratings' top ten for six of its seven seasons. Because none of the other Golden Girls explicitly disclose their ages, the logical process begins with Dorothy. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. "[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. Sophia states it happened in 1931, making it likely Dorothy was born sometime in 1932, judging by her sign. To portray Sophia Petrillo, Getty was required to wear makeup and a wig to appear visibly older than her co-stars. 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. 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. As of September 8, 2021 all 7 seasons of The Golden Girls were made available to stream on Disney+ in Canada. Rose Nylund was 55 years old when the show premiered, as Dorothy stated in the Season 1 episode Job Hunting.. The Golden Girls is one of the most well-known television shows of all time. Rue McClanahan is the youngest Golden Girl! For, That was the case. Similarly, Dorothy mentions in another episode that she was married in 1960, which would have made her 22. As a result, new viewers are becoming aware of the show. [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. That was the case. Its a tiny marvel, looking back, that the Golden Girls magnificent casting came together as well as it did. How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? McClanahan deliberately exaggerated her accent, stating, "I played Blanche the way I felt Blanche. 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. When Arthur first received the script for The Golden Girls, she loved the concept of having senior women as the stars of the show. [65][66] Eventually, McClanahan went on to create a clothing line for QVC called "A Touch of Rue", inspired by Blanche, but made with affordable fabrics and practical designs. Actors 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. [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. She was born on July 25, 1923, making her 62 years old by the time the sitcom premiered. Featuring an all-male cast in drag, The Golden Girls: Live! Arthur felt the characters had been in every possible scenario, and wanted to end the series while it was still successful. Estelle Getty, however, was 62 in 1985, making her 17 years younger than the character she portrayed. 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. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. 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. However, with some detective work, audiences can figure them out. Before The Golden Girls, she was most renowned for creating the series Soap, which parodied daytime soap operas such as The Young and the Restless. However, Season 3, Episode 25, "Mother's Day," confirms Blanche was 17 in 1949, when she and her mother reminisce about one of Blanche's dates. 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. The Golden Girls are also dressed in cardigans or long dresses, similar to the outfits we would find in our grandmothers closet. Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai. How Old Was Rose Nylund On Golden Girls? An instant ratings hit, The Golden Girls became an NBC staple on Saturday nights. [40] However, Arthur preferred that her three castmates and she all break for lunch together on workdays. Iconic Golden-era Hollywood actress Scarlett OHara was also reportedly an inspiration for the role. Her thesis examined menstrual education in Victorian England. 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. [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 this article, we will explore the evidence and try to uncover the true ages of the Golden Girls. 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.. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. Although Getty was impressive, the show's producers went with another actress. For example, one or more of the women would become involved in some sort of problem, often involving other family members, men, or an ethical dilemma. Dorothy meets and marries Blanches Uncle Lucas in the hour-long series finale, which aired in May 1992, and moves to Hollingsworth Manor in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it did so from a very different perspective. "[72], During the NBC upfronts, the preview screening of the show got a standing ovation. 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. Privacy Policy, Brands Their hair also hasnt greyed (or is colored), and they style their hair in a more contemporary way. In "And Just Like That", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. Who was the youngest Golden Girl cast member? The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. Crypto Wallet Development: Types, Features, and Popularity, 5 Ways AI is Detecting and Preventing Identity Fraud. The film featured five episodes from the show: "The Pilot", "The Flu", "The Way We Met", "Ladies of the Evening" and "Grab That Dough". The show was aired as a bilingual broadcast using a two-channel sound system (Zweikanalton). RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. [80] In 2020, CMT purchased the rights to the series. 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 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. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. McClanahan and White were friends on- and off-screen. 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. "[47] Getty died in 2008, the result of dementia with Lewy bodies. Dorothy, meanwhile, is stated to be in her early 50s, which could mean that she was anywhere between 50 and 54. 8 Silk Pillowcases for Your Best Beauty Sleep. [84], After the original series ended, White, McClanahan, and Getty reprised their characters in the CBS series The Golden Palace, which featured Rose, Blanche, and Sophia selling their house to buy and run a hotel in Miami. [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. 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. [111], Golden Girls 3033 is an animated pilot created by Mike Hollingsworth. The clever use of makeup and a wig aged Getty to match her character's age. Rue McClanahan.