15 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Golden Girls’

4. Betty White Was Almost the Tramp

When the official casting call originally came down, TV veteran (and coolest lady on the planet) Betty White was actually slated to play the house’s gal about town, Blanche Devereaux. Rue McClanahan was slated to play the saintly Rose Nylund. However, White suggested that she and McClanahan swap roles. And thus TV history was born. It’s a good thing, too, because McClanahan later stated that she couldn’t imagine having played another role.

5. Bea Arthur and Betty White Hated Each Other

Call it rival egos if you want. Not until years after the show went on the air did Betty White reveal that, “Bea had a reserve. She was not that fond of me. She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude — and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she’d be furious!” That may be true, but according to Rue McClanahan the feud sprung from Arthur’s jealousy at White being the first cast member who was nominated for Best Actress.

6. The Cheesecake Fixation

Anyone who watched the show knows that cheesecake was a fixture during the late night conversations that featured so heavily on the show. According to imdb.com, “The girls consumed over 100 cheesecakes during the show’s 7-year run.” That’s about half a cheesecake per episode. Most people would be totally fine with that, but Bea Arthur hated cheesecake.