how old were the golden girls supposed to be

New York: Scribner. However, the exterior backdrop seen through the kitchen window changed from the view of Chicago high-rises to palm trees and bushes for the Miami setting. 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. 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. 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. She passed away after suffering complications from a stroke at 99 years old on December 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. After the pilot, the character of Coco was eliminated from the series. Empty Nest launched its own spin-off in 1991 set in Miami in the same hospital where Dr. Weston worked. 100 Black-Owned Businesses to Shop Now. 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. Its probable it examined a lot of the same scenarios as previous episodes. Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. Harold Gould played two of Rose's boyfriends, Arnie and Miles. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. In the pilot episode, the three are joined by Dorothy's 80-year-old widowed mother, Sophia Petrillo (Getty), after the retirement home where she has been living has burned down. Clearly, the wardrobe and hairstyles in each show are extremely different from each other. 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. 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). This indicates that Sophia was likely close to her real-life age. She passed away from Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) on July 22, 2008, at 84 years old. It was popular for addressing a demographic that rarely saw the spotlight on television or in Hollywood: senior women. Audiences can figure things out with a little detective work. [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. Celebrities Initially, the producers wanted Betty White to play Blanche because she had been famous for playing promiscuous characters in the past. As head writers, Speer and Grossman, along with Mort Nathan and Barry Fanaro, who won an Emmy Award for outstanding writing for the first season, gave general ideas to lower staff writers, and personally wrote a handful of scripts each season.[43]. 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. 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! 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. McClanahan and White were friends on- and off-screen. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. [82], Buena Vista Home Entertainment has released all seven seasons, with edits, of The Golden Girls on DVD in Region 1 and Region 4 with the first four being released in Region 2. The clever use of makeup and a wig aged Getty to match her character's age. 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. Airing from 1985 to 1992 with seven seasons in total, The Golden Girls was a smash hit during the entirety of its run. 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 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 . [51], During season six, some uncertainty arose over whether Bea Arthur would commit to future seasons, or leave the show once her contract expired, to pursue other projects. 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. 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. [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. She was just as uptight as a human being could get. 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. She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. 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. For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. This "created a great deal of stress and competitiveness amongst those of us who weren't in that inner sanctum. Life. [6], The show features an ensemble cast and the plot revolves around four older single women (three widows and one divorce) sharing a house in Miami. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. 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. The series also ranked among the Nielsen ratings' top ten for six of its seven seasons. [63] Much of Arthur's wardrobe was custom-made because at the time, finding off-the-rack clothing that was flattering for a taller woman was difficult. How Does PTO Work for Salaried Employees? This was the first time since 1993 that The Golden Palace was seen on American television. 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. 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. Lets see how each actress was cast in their respective roles and how their careers continued after the show concluded. The shows executives were unsure how the public would react to the eccentric program because older women in leading roles were rarely seen on television. According to Cherry, the writers' room was "a competitive atmosphere. [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. 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. "[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. "[34] Getty continuously battled stage fright during her tenure on the show. White, Betty (2010). For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. 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. Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. Cheers. The film Golden Girls was a critical and commercial triumph. 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. [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. 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. [28], The pilot included a gay houseboy, Coco (Charles Levin), who lived with the girls. Betty White was 63 years old when the show premiered in 1985, yet she managed to play a younger persona perfectly. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). The hot young It Girl neighbor downstairsthe new Carrie Bradshaw if you will, a bruising realizationdrops the slur. The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. 1. Sophia is to join her, but in the end, she stays behind with the other women in Miami. Privacy Policy, Brands It was, however, more than a fringe success. 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.. The show was a hit with viewers of all ages. RELATED: The Golden Girls: How the Classic Sitcom Ended. So why do the ladies in Golden Girls seem so much older than the characters in And Just Like That, even though theyre all supposed to be around the same age? 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. Dorothy was likely in her late 40s, rather than her early 50s. The Golden Girls: Live! 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. 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. Another brief run of the show began on 27 April 2020 till summer 2020 on Channel 5, but only showed episodes up to the season-four finale and is returning to Channel 4 starting from early 2022. 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. [62] Evans generally dressed the actresses in expensive pieces and high-quality fabrics, despite the recurring theme that the four characters were struggling with money, because, "The main idea was to make them look good. Did Rue McClanahan have a Southern accent? Going by the math, that makes Blanche 53 at the start of the series. Bea Arthur actually hated cheesecake. From left to right- Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls. [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. Blanche Devereaux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo managed the single life as seniors in Miami for seven seasons. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. Arguably the main protagonist of the show, Blanche Devereaux is portrayed by Rue McClanahan. Getty was picky about the jokes Sophia would make. 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 . In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Channel 4, Living and Disney Channel. 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. Rue McClanahan. Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. She reconsidered, however, after hearing that McClanahan and White had switched roles. To portray Sophia Petrillo, Getty was required to wear makeup and a wig to appear visibly older than her co-stars. [35], Hired to shoot the pilot, director Jay Sandrich also became instrumental in helping to cast the roles of Blanche Devereaux and Rose Nylund. She remarked that it was revolutionary because it was the first time older women were shown in an atmosphere where they were well-groomed, well dressed, had active sex lives. McClanahan was 51 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered, and she was 58 when it concluded. Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak in the 1985 sitcom The Golden Girls (Credit: NBC). All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their performances on the show. [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. The show was aired as a bilingual broadcast using a two-channel sound system (Zweikanalton). Many episodes were edited to allow more commercials and for content. 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! 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. In Canada, Corus Entertainment's digital specialty channel, DejaView, aired reruns of The Golden Girls until 2017. "[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. "[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. At the request of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was reputedly a big fan, the cast of The Golden Girls performed several skits as their characters in front of her and other members of the British royal family at the 1988 Royal Variety Performance in London.[77]. And that was, to me, what made it seem like it could be a contemporary, young show. [80] In 2020, CMT purchased the rights to the series. 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. 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." But one of the questions that has always been asked is: how old were the Golden Girls characters supposed to be? This indicates that she was likely in her late 40s when the show began. [36] Once the show was picked up for a first season, new director Paul Bogart felt exactly the opposite, insisting that McClanahan use a Southern accent. 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.. "[47] Getty died in 2008, the result of dementia with Lewy bodies. It wasnt until she was informed of Roses naivety that she gained the confidence to play the role and pull off the character. The series ran for a total of seven seasons and a total of 180 full-length episodes. By tape day, she was unreachable. Its a tiny marvel, looking back, that the Golden Girls magnificent casting came together as well as it did. 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. 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. For example, Betty White, who played Rose, was 76 when the show first aired and 80 when it ended. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . 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All four cast members got Emmy nominations for their roles in the Golden Girls. dog | 281K views, 6.6K likes, 7.7K loves, 9.7K comments, 2.9K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from AMC Princess Ana - Team AMC Ana: This is Ana's FIRST. 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. 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. While the characters' ages on the series seemed fairly clear-cutBlanche, Rose and Dorothy were in their mid-50s, while Sophia was Dorothy's widowed, elderly motherit may surprise fans to know that the actual ages of the actresses playing them were completely different. Rose, who was born in 1934, would have been around 51, while Sophia, who was born in 1906, would have been 79. [52], The house's address was mentioned as being 6151 Richmond Street, Miami. 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. How to Start a Fire in Dayz A Comprehensive Guide, How to Be More Ladylike: Speak Softly, Dress Modestly, Carry Yourself with Grace, How to Eat Babka: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, How to Wire a Weed Eater: A Step-by-Step Guide. 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 conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. 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. Sophia, Dorothy's straight-talking mother, was the oldest character in the Golden Girls' house. 3. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. When all of the evidence is taken into account, it seems likely that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. 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. Sophia states it happened in 1931, making it likely Dorothy was born sometime in 1932, judging by her sign. 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. 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. | ", This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:40. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Eager not to be typecast, they took the suggestion of Sandrich and switched roles at the last minute. Rose is said to be in her mid-50s, suggesting that she was between 55 and 59. In the end, the math adds up to Dorothy being 53 at the start of the series and 60 at the series' end. [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. Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) was thought to be around 47 years old in the first season of Golden Girls. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Sophia was 86 by the series' end. Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper and Betty White as Ellen Harper-Jackson in the 1983 sitcom Mamas Family (Credit: NBC). The Golden Girls will always be remembered as a show that put a spotlight on senior women in a way no other show had done before. Featuring an all-male cast in drag, The Golden Girls: Live! How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. [45][46] The cast often had to stay behind after the audience had departed to redo scenes where Getty had flubbed her lines, and although this was at first met with resistance from the producers, cue cards were eventually introduced to help her. It happens again, by a handsome male model, the kind she might have once. [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. 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. : Extreme Stunt Show attraction, later replaced by Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The Golden Girls first aired on September 14, 1985, and it continues to appeal to both young and older audiences. [24], Shortly afterward, he met with producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, who were pitching a show about a female lawyer. If she had returned, her character would have been in her sixties. We assume that middle-aged women continue to live their lives working, partying, being mothers, or hanging with their friends. 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. 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.

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