how old were the golden girls supposed to be

Reportedly, White doubted that she could effectively play the role of Rose. In 2022, we no longer believe that women need to lose their purpose once they hit the big 5-0. Maddy Hiltz is someone who loves all things history. Ironically, despite being the oldest actress in the show, Betty White was the last of the main stars to survive. 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. 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. 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). Do you have knowledge or insights to share? ", This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 17:40. 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. In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. "[34] Getty continuously battled stage fright during her tenure on the show. By the end of the series, Rose was 62. Estelle Getty reprised her role as Sophia in The Golden Palace, which only lasted for one season. Initially, the producers wanted Betty White to play Blanche because she had been famous for playing promiscuous characters in the past. Though Littlefield nixed their idea, he asked if they would be interested in delivering a pilot script for Miami Nice, instead. Exploring the Basics, Benefits, and Policies, How to Contact Tesla: Customer Service Phone Number, Website, Social Media, Email & Live Chat, Bruce Willis Health Condition: Understanding the Actors Diet and Exercise Regimen, Exploring the Impact of Greg Gutfelds Vacation from Fox News. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. [35], Hired to shoot the pilot, director Jay Sandrich also became instrumental in helping to cast the roles of Blanche Devereaux and Rose Nylund. [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. Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper and Betty White as Ellen Harper-Jackson in the 1983 sitcom Mamas Family (Credit: NBC). Cherry commented on read-throughs of the scripts that "generally, if the joke was a good one, the women found a way to make it work the very first time they read it. According to the show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is 55 . At times, she even froze on camera while filming. 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. She wanted to be a Southern heroine, like Vivien Leigh. The show never approached the popularity or acclaim of the original, and ranked 57th[citation needed] in the annual ratings. However, she wasn't much older than Bea Arthur. [55] Producers used this residence for exterior shots during the first two seasons. Bill Dana played Sophia's brother Angelo and her father. [41] Rue McClanahan, who shared a dressing room with Getty, described the severity of Getty's stage fright: "She'd panic. [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. We can also look at other clues from the show itself. 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. 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. Although the writing was mostly comical, dramatic moments and sentimental endings were included in several episodes. Actors How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? She would return home to New York if she were unsuccessful. [70][self-published source?] 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 ran from September 1992 to May 1993 and also starred Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle. (Photo Credit: New Line Cinema/ HBO/ MovieStills DB and MovieStills DB). [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. [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. 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. Getty was the first of the four stars to die in 2008 at age 84. [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. In this article, we will explore the evidence and try to uncover the true ages of the Golden Girls. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. Going by the math, that makes Blanche 53 at the start of the series. 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. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be? Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. White, Betty (2010). 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. She passed away after suffering complications from a stroke at 99 years old on December 31, 2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. 100 Black-Owned Businesses to Shop Now. Theme: Newsup by Themeansar. 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.. In "And Just Like That.", Miranda and Charlotte are 54, while Carrie is 55. . We assume that middle-aged women continue to live their lives working, partying, being mothers, or hanging with their friends. We hope this article on how old were the golden girls has been interesting and has also been able to bring back good memories. 12. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, in association with Touchstone Television. Saving the most difficult to track down for last, Rue McClanahan's character Blanche Devereaux kept her age a mystery (and a recurring joke) throughout most of The Golden Girls. In Italy, the series aired on Rai Uno (or Rai 1) as Cuori senza et (Ageless Hearts) from 1987 until 1994. 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. This suggests that her character was likely around the same age. The ages of the Golden Girls were never revealed on TV. [33] The character of Sophia was thought by the creators to enhance the idea that three retirement-aged women could be young. 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.. Rose is said to be in her mid-50s, suggesting that she was between 55 and 59. (Photo Credit: MovieStills DB). [31] The suit was later settled. This suggests that she was likely in her early 50s when the show began. 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. Life. New York: Harper Collins. For, That was the case. 41 Behind-the-Scenes 'The Golden Girls' Facts - 'Golden Girls' Trivia. [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. Betty White was 63 years old when the show premiered in 1985, yet she managed to play a younger persona perfectly. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. Clearly, the wardrobe and hairstyles in each show are extremely different from each other. Cast alongside Rue McClanahan, she impressed the producers of The Golden Girls with her recurring role as Ellen in Mamas Family. 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. [68] Many episodes of the series followed a similar format or theme. Interestingly enough, Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright and would often freeze on camera during the filming of The Golden Girls. Betty White, who died on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99, was best known for her role as the wonderfully naive Rose Nylund in the NBC comedy The Golden Girls. For instance, Blanche mentions in one episode that she was married in 1952, which would have made her 21 at the time. She is also the only living core cast member from the series. [67], The Golden Girls was shot on videotape in front of a live studio audience. Ellen Albertini Dow played Sophia's friend Lillian and an unnamed hospital patient with a flower cart. However, this older age makes sense because Sophia is Dorothys mother. 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. : Extreme Stunt Show, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, List of awards and nominations received by The Golden Girls, "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time", Golden Girls appears to get better with pop culture age, "7 Things You Might Not Know About The Golden Girls", "The Golden Girls - Cast/Crew Documentary (2/9)", "These Are the Most-Watched TV Series Finales of All Time: 17", "The TV Ratings Guide: 1987-1988 season ratings", "Golden Girls: A 20th Anniversary Oral History", "Catching Up with the Golden Girls' Susan Harris", "Crackle's Creator Conversation: Soap's Susan Harris", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, "Betty White and Bea Arthur's Friends Open Up About Their On-Set Feud", "Say It Isn't So, Girls! How Old Was Rose Nylund On Golden Girls? She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. 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 Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992.