How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be?,The Golden Girls' ages were never quite revealed on screen. 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! How Does PTO Work for Salaried Employees? Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. Your email address will not be published. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the Golden Girls characters were actually younger than their stated ages. This could be because the writers wanted to create an atmosphere of timelessness, allowing the show to appeal to viewers of all ages. 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. The Golden Girls is an American comedy that was produced by Susan Harris and aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. She was born on July 25, 1923, making her 62 years old by the time the sitcom premiered. 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. This was the first time since 1993 that The Golden Palace was seen on American television. 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. [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 basic facts to work with are that The Golden Girls began in 1985 and ended in 1992, both in real life and in-world. At times, she even froze on camera while filming. In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. [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. How old were The Golden Girls supposed to be on the show? 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. It was my positive attitude, and that made Bea angry sometimes.. An instant ratings hit, The Golden Girls became an NBC staple on Saturday nights. [73], In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. In Germany, airing of the show started in January 1990, only months before the German reunification, by German public broadcaster ARD in the late evening programme on their main channel Das Erste. [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. The pilot takes audio from the sitcom and sets it against a futuristic background inspired by The Jetsons. Rue McClanahan was the youngest of the Golden Girls, according to Parade. How old were the ladies on golden girls in real life? [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. Ironically, despite being the oldest actress in the show, Betty White was the last of the main stars to survive. It wasnt until she was informed of Roses naivety that she gained the confidence to play the role and pull off the character. 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. The adventures of Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose ( universally beloved Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty) -- four older women who lived in a Miami home together -- took audiences by storm and provided representation to a group generally overlooked by television of the time. Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai. 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. 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. That was the case. The writers observed that in many of the proposed scripts, the main interaction between the women occurred in the kitchen while preparing and eating food. McClanahan was 51 years old by the time The Golden Girls premiered, and she was 58 when it concluded. 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. [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". In "The Golden Girls", Rose is 55, Dorothy is 53, Blanche is 47 and Sophia is 79. In any event, Arthur chose to commit to a seventh and final season. 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 series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. Based on the assumption that Season 1 and Season 2 took place in the same year, Rose would have been 55 at the start of The Golden Girls. "[45], Estelle Getty's stage fright, which affected her from the beginning of the show, grew worse as the show went on. She had established this signature look while playing Maude, and Evans honored it in her designs for Dorothy. The program is about four elderly ladies who live . "It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry. From left to right- Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls. [24], Shortly afterward, he met with producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, who were pitching a show about a female lawyer. 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. We will always remember Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty for bringing joy into our lives and for being our friends. She was just as uptight as a human being could get. 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. On the other hand, the women in And Just Like That dress in a trendy, modern style. [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". [40] However, Arthur preferred that her three castmates and she all break for lunch together on workdays. Initially, White was considered for the role of Blanche Devereaux, which eventually went to Rue McClanahan. In her spare time, Maddy loves playing volleyball, running, walking, and biking, although when she wants to be lazy she loves to read a good thriller. This suggests that her character was likely around the same age. She would start getting under a dark cloud the day before tape day You could see a big difference in her that day. The Golden Girls began in 1985 and concluded in 1992, both in real life and in the fictional realm. It shattered stereotypes and even made that demographic entertaining for audiences of all genders and ages. 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 order to try and determine the real ages of the Golden Girls, we need to look at other sources of evidence. 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. 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 . 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 is to join her, but in the end, she stays behind with the other women in Miami. 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. She passed away in 2010, at the age of 76, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. 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. Blanche Devereaux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo managed the single life as seniors in Miami for seven seasons. RELATED: How Old Were the Golden Girls Supposed to Be? How Old Were the Golden Girls Characters Supposed to Be? [25] NBC senior vice president Warren Littlefield was among the executive producers in the audience who were amused by their performance, and he envisioned a series based on the geriatric humor the two were portraying. As of 2016, it was the 17th-most watched television finale. Both Betty White and Bea Arthur were 63 when The Golden Girls premiered, coinciding with the fan theory. Lets see how each actress was cast in their respective roles and how their careers continued after the show concluded. Sophia, Dorothys straight-talking mother, was the Golden Girls houses oldest figure. 5. Click Registration to join us and share your expertise with our readers.). The show ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 and featured four women in their golden years living together in Miami. 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. 12. The clever use of makeup and a wig aged Getty to match her character's age. That means with a little digging, coming up with each Golden Girl's age is easy for a superfan. 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. Getty came to Weiner's mind soon after, when it became time to begin casting of The Golden Girls. Rose Nylund is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls and its spin-off, The Golden Palace. | As a result, new viewers are becoming aware of the show. [70][self-published source?] The show is seen in more than a hundred countries. Theme: Newsup by Themeansar. Hurwitz later created Arrested Development for Fox and later for Netflix. This means that she was 63 years old by the time the show premiered in 1985. 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.