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

In the annals of TV history, in all the sitcoms that have been released between I Love Lucy and New Girl, there is one group of geriatrics that stands head and shoulders above the rest: The Golden Girls, the sassiest quartet in all of sitcom-dom. Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia were each embodied to perfection by some of the funniest women ever to grace the small screen. However, there was a lot going on in the background of one of television’s most beloved shows. So here are some facts you may not know about these saucy retirees. Enjoy!

1. NBC Didn’t Want to Hire Bea Arthur

Originally, the star of The Golden Girls was supposed to be TV-fixture Lee Grant. However, Grant wasn’t keen on the idea of being (ugh) a grandmother, so she turned down the now-iconic lead role of Dorothy Zbornak. When Bea Arthur’s name came up as a replacement, NBC balked at the idea. Broadway legend Elaine Stritch was brought in to read for Dorothy, but she … well, she dropped the most powerful expletive during her audition, which didn’t play well with producers (for some reason). So, Arthur got the part.

2. Thank God For Blanche

Understandably, Bea Arthur wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about taking a role she was the third choice for. She almost turned NBC down, however, thanks to a little nudge from a former co-star, she finally signed on. The Golden Girl’s promiscuous senior, Blanche Devereaux, had to be the one to force Arthur to take the part, saying, “Why are you going to turn down the best script that’s ever going to come across your desk as long as you live?”

3. Estelle Getty Had the Toughest Job and the Least Experience

Among the cast and crew, it was no secret that Estelle Getty had a serious case of nerves. She was the least experienced of all the actresses in the core cast, and she had to wear make-up and a wig to “age” her up because she was a year younger than Bea Arthur, her on-screen daughter. Every week, she’d routinely freeze up on camera because she was so unnerved by the arrayed talent playing off of her. Of course, she managed to battle that stage fright every week, eventually becoming one of the more loved members of the ensemble.

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.

7. The Kitchen Has History

One of the most famous kitchens in sitcom history was actually on its second show by the time The Golden Girls moved in. It was originally used on a 1982 sitcom called It Takes Two, which was cancelled after just one season. Here’s another fun fact, the kitchen table only has three chairs. Arthur — as the star and best actress — was always given the center chair, otherwise the displaced person rotated depending on the context of the scene.

8. The Make-Up Process

It’s no secret that Estelle Getty was one of the younger members of the cast (only Rue McClanahan was younger; Betty White was the oldest), however, you may not be aware that makeup artists actually had to spend 45 minutes applying the wig and prosthetics necessary to make her look like an 80-year-old woman. The issue became even more pronounced in season 2 when Getty showed up to set on the first day having had a facelift.

9. Coco the Manservant

On the series pilot, Blanche Devereaux employed a sarcastic gay butler-type named Coco. If that sounds a little silly and outdated to you, then that probably explains why Coco (though generally liked by audiences) was written out after the first episode with nary an explanation, at least in terms of the plot. Writers claimed that having Coco (played by Charles Levin) on the cast, they’d have trouble meeting time requirements.

10. Rue McClanahan and Betty White Were Total Besties

Despite a solely – let’s say, “businesslike” relationship with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White were actually quite close. On the set, the two women liked to pass time by playing word games (Betty White had a reputation for being quite competitive). When McClanahan died, Betty White said, “Rue was a close and dear friend. I treasured our relationship. It hurts more than I ever thought it would, if that’s even possible.”

11. The Girls Were Critical Hits

The Golden Girls were not only a riot, they were a well-written, well-directed riot. The show was nominated for Best Comedy Series every year it was on the air (from 1985-1992) and actually won three of those. In addition, every member of the cast won an Emmy for their performance, “a feat only accomplished by two other shows, All In the Family and Will & Grace.

12. Bea Arthur Would Have Quit After 5 Seasons

Oh, Bea, you lovable curmudgeon. It was said that the series’ star, Bea Arthur, actually wanted to leave the show after the fifth season. She’d grown tired of the routine (the same thing happened with her previous series, Maude). Producers were forced to coerce Arthur into staying for another two season until she ultimately left. Not willing to carry on without one of the key cogs in the machine, the show went off the air after season seven.

13. Estelle Getty Was Terrified of Death

Betty White later revealed that star Estelle Getty actually had a morbid fear of death, an odd fixation when you’re playing a woman who’s literally on the verge of … let’s just say death was a common theme in episodes of the show. Of course, like her stage fright, the diminutive actress proved feisty to the end and battled past her fears with aplomb.

14. Rue McClanahan Got To Keep Her Wardrobe

Ever the fashion conscious lady, Rue McClanahan actually made sure to have a clause included in her contract that allowed her to keep all of her clothes for the show. It wasn’t a bad deal considering her on-screen wardrobe consisted of custom-made brand name duds. It was said that by the end of the show, she had 13 closets full of clothes she’d gotten from the set.

15. The Queen Mum Loved ‘Golden Girls’

Good taste knows no social ranks, so it’s probably not a huge surprise to discover that the Queen Mother herself was a big fan of the show. All the way back in 1988, she actually invited the entire cast of the Golden Girls to participate in her annual Royal Variety Performance. “We’ll do about seven minutes from the show, but we’ll have to censor a few things for the queen,” said Bea Arthur at the time.