THE GOLDEN GIRLS (Buena Vista, 1985-92) Buena Vista Home Entertainment
A show as
beloved abroad as it was at home, from 1985 to 1992, The Golden Girls
reigned supreme as television’s hottest ‘must see’ comedy on television,
bringing together the brainy, and oft bawdy wit of supremely talented TV alumni
– Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, with the writing
talents of creator, Susan Harris. On the
surface, The Golden Girls was nothing if not a quaint little gem about
four old broads, rudderless after the deaths of their respective husbands, finding
a new lease on life, love and much laughter as roomies in fashionable Miami. Truth to tell, Disney – the company footing
the bills, and, NBC – the network, reluctantly to have agreed to air its pilot,
had zero confidence in the show’s longevity. Oh, how wrong executive logic can
be. Although, ostensibly a gamble, The Golden Girls would prove,
overnight in fact, to be a runaway smash hit, cutting across generations,
social castes and, indeed, cultures (it was the #1 program in Sri Lanka) – a show
uniquely situated for its time – and even more exceptionally, to become a
classic series for all time. The
Golden Girls also tested TV’s then well-ensconced boundaries, talking frank
and dirty – if playfully; addressing time-honored taboos, generally off limits
to a prime time sit-com, and making up the slack with a grace, polish and a
charm all its own. It is not an overstatement to suggest that The Golden
Girls blazed a trail for women over fifty, the age usually considered the ‘cut-off’,
not only for female ‘desirability’ but also, television marketability. “We
were like four points on a compass,” Betty White later reflected, “…so
different, and yet somehow, we all meshed.”
The impetus for The Golden Girls was a little seen ‘tribute’ special,
created by NBC to pitch new programs for their fall line-up, including Miami
Vice (1984-90). To introduce this skit, producers chose two seasoned hams –
Doris Roberts (then, appearing on the network’s Remington Steele, 1982-87)
and Selma Diamond (Night Court, 1984-92), with Diamond playing the ‘Lou
Costello’, to Robert’s ‘Bud Abbott’. The skit was charming, and gave NBC’s Vice
President, Warren Littlefield the idea that a show about middle-aged women, a
sadly undernourished demographic in current programming, might offer a
refreshing twist to their fall line-up. The idea was then pitched to NBC
President, Brandon Tartikoff, who chomped at the bit. Writers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas were
brought in to consider the property. Unfortunately, Witt and Thomas had come
with their own pitch for a show about a much younger female District Attorney
living in Miami. Littlefield was unimpressed, and Witt and Thomas declined to partake
of his idea for a show about older women living together to share expenses.
Magnanimity, however, prevailed, as both Thomas and Witt concurred that the
only person absolutely right to write The Golden Girls was Susan Harris –
the prolific comedy writer of such edgy sit-coms as Maude (1972-78) and Soap
(1977-81). Harris accepted the gig on
two conditions: first, NBC follow through with their promise and actually air
the show, and second, that she could use The Golden Girls as a
springboard to illustrate a point of contention within the industry at large:
that life, indeed went on after the age of 40, showing women in much later
years as diverse, funny, charming, independent and exciting - not the dotty old crones frequently being depicted.
To this end, Harris
came up with four utterly unique and charismatic archetypes: Rose Nylund (Betty
White) – the naïve Minnesotan, whose tales from her remote farming community ‘back
in St. Olaf’ would prove the impetus for many a hearty chuckle; Blanche
Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) – a Southern spitfire whose self-delusion still
perceived herself to be the cutest little trick in shoe-leather, Dorothy Zbornak
(Bea Arthur) – a sharp-shooting former New Yorker, divorcee and school teacher,
and, Sophia Patrillo (Estelle Getty); her retired mother, newly ejected from Shady
Pines’ rest home after a fire gutted the facility. The show’s pilot would
depict Sophia as newly recovered from a stroke affecting the part of her brain
that judges when to hold her tongue without a pithy retort. After the pilot,
this premise was dropped and Sophia steadily evolved into a touchingly tough,
no-nonsense sage, who had seen, heard and done it all and was not afraid to
talk about it either. Only Getty came to this party seemingly unannounced. McClanahan
and Arthur had starred together in Maude, and, indeed, had developed a wonderful
repartee on that iconic show. McClanahan then, played Maude’s ditzy neighbor,
Vivian. This may have colored the producers’ original intent to cast McClanahan
as Rose – not Blanche. Conversely, Betty White, who had worked with McClanahan
on both The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78) and Mama’s Family (1983-90)
had previously made her mark playing the man-hungry sexpot, Sue-Ann Nivens on Mary
Tyler Moore (1970-77), and, originally was slated for Blanche. Neither
McClanahan nor White were particularly interested in stepping into roles,
ostensibly, they had already created on other hit shows. Producer, Jay Sandrich
agreed. The parts were switched, and the rest, as they say – is – history.
For the role of Dorothy, Susan Harris had written in her liner notes ‘a Bea
Arthur type’; never actually believing Beatrice Arthur would actually do
the show. And in fact, Arthur was initially quite reluctant to partake – even after
McClanahan telephoned to beg her indulgence. What eventually sold Arthur on the
premise was the writing. Harris presented all four women as vital, sexy, and
fun to be with for more than a one-line zinger or two. Meanwhile, writer, Tony Thomas was absolutely
convinced Estelle Getty was his Sophia – the then, 61-year-old actress coming
off an incredible run in the Broadway hit, Torch Song Trilogy. Getty had
not turned to acting until age 50, but had made up for lost time considerably during
these intervening 10 years. And indeed, Estelle’s audition for The Golden
Girls went so well she was immediately signed for the part. Although barely
3 months younger than Arthur, Getty proved she could do ‘older’ and make it freshly
convincing and quite honest.
As Sunset’s
Gower Studio played host to The Golden Girls’ debut, the first run-through
of the pilot cemented the on-screen chemistry soon to be unleashed on
television audiences around the world. The pilot dealt with bigamy as Blanche
is nearly hornswoggled into a marriage Rose is certain is headed for disaster.
At the end of the pilot, Blanche – heart sore, but grateful for having dodged the
proverbial ‘bullet’, declares her friendship to Rose and Dorothy – “her
family” from now on, who have provided her with the comfort, solace and strength
she needs, and, in subsequent episodes, is reciprocated, come what may, with
all the warmth, heart and tenderness of a close-knit and unbreakable bond. Screening
the pilot, NBC made a single request: to jettison the gay housekeeper, Coco (played
by Charles Levin, of TV’s Alice, 1976-85). The good news: NBC exec’s,
ecstatic over the pilot, ordered thirteen episodes for their fall line-up. The
bad news: Susan Harris, then suffering from ‘chronic fatigue syndrome’
declined to assume the Herculean responsibility of both writing and producing
the show. Having established the characters, Harris gracefully took a backseat
to her writing team. Enter Barry Fanaro – a story consultant who initially
incurred Bea Arthur’s lack of confidence, chiefly from a momentary case of reverse-ageism.
“Where’s the gray hair?” Arthur reportedly asked, “You’ve hired a
bunch of kids to write for middle-age women!” Mercifully, the writing team
assembled by Fanaro not even half the age of the ladies into whose mouths they
were putting their words, had plenty to offer. After the first run-through of
the script commissioned by Fanaro, Arthur quietly put down her copy and
applauded the effort. “My God,” she would later reminisce, “…they
were brilliant!”
The Golden Girls’ instant
popularity made it ‘appointment’ television – meaning, audiences stayed
home and made it their Saturday night ritual above all else because it had
suddenly become the best entertainment available anywhere on TV or at the
movies. And Season One surely did not disappoint, as the ladies hit their
stride, and, the fur began to fly under the dynamic tension between these fast
and funny women. Season One’s iconic moments included Rose dating a midget, Blanche
almost marrying a bigamist, and Dorothy falling in love with a priest – all,
sincerely funny and daring premises that engaged audiences on a visceral level
and made these characters instantly identifiable, likable and genuine. Until The Golden Girls, a show about
senior citizens would not have been considered ‘must see’ TV. Yet, it tantalized with its tart-mouthed
dialogue and racy situations; ‘the girls’ gathering around their kitchen table at
the end of a long day for good conversation, a little cheese cake, and, more
than a bit of no-nonsense talk about sex. Case in point: the Christmas episode,
where the girls exchange gifts; Rose’s bequest of a hand-whittled maple syrup
spigot, sardonically judged by Dorothy as more suitable than the set of diamond
earrings her own heart was set on - especially the next time she is caught
unawares in a forest with a plate of pancakes - outdone by Blanche’s homemade calendar,
entitled ‘The Men of Blanche’s Boudoir’ to which Blanche explains how
each month represents a man who has brought ‘some special joy’ into her
life. Perusing the offering of photographs (never shown on camera), Dorothy’s
shocking reaction to ‘September’ leads directly into Sophia’s kicker, “I’m
surprised you were able to walk in October.”
For the next six
years, the writers would continue to refine each of these characters with a
finite determination never to make any of them figures of fun outright. Thus, each
‘lady’ had both her virtues and her flaws. Dorothy’s Achilles’ Heel was her nagging
insecurity she might never be attractive enough for another potential suitor
after her first husband, Stan (Herb Edelman) left her for a much younger woman –
the never seen, but much discussed airline stewardess, ‘Chrissy.’ By contrast,
Blanche’s diffidence regarding what age was steadily doing to her once
seemingly Teflon-coated good looks, would increasingly, and, in tandem, become
the subject of much anxiety and humor, while Rose’s ambivalence to engage in a
sexual relationship with any man not her beloved late husband, Charlie,
resulted in a sincere giddiness that bode well for her otherwise simple and
trusting good nature. Only Sophia, with
her advanced tenure, remained well-anchored and even more circumspect about
what the future might hold for all of them in terms of love and romance. Over
the course of its run, The Golden Girls tackled gay rights, lesbian romance,
date rape, death, and every conceivable sexual hang-up known to man – and woman
– with a frank, occasionally bittersweet, though always gentle core of
compassion to strengthen the friendship between these four funny gals.
Perhaps most shocking
to network executives was The Golden Girls – apart from achieving a spot
in the Nielsen’s Top 10 ratings for its entire run – attracted an audience base
that cut across the usually-ascribed boundaries. Young and old – and seemingly
everyone in between – loved The Golden Girls and tuned in regularly to
see what other pearls of wisdom these ladies would be doling out each week. That
these dowagers did not always behave in a manner befitting their dotage – and
were occasionally at each other’s throats – likely helped to humanize the
series and make it more readily accessible to a broader cross-section of the public.
And the show’s appeal was hardly limited to the United States and Canada.
Across the world, The Golden Girls touch a nerve and quickly became a
beloved part of ritualized television viewing for many decades yet to follow. Through
comedy, the show wrestled with real crises of conscience, including an
ill-stricken family member (Blanche’s sister, Virginia, played by one-time fifties’
pin-up, Sheree North), in desperate need of a kidney transplant, and, the estrangement
from their father, Curtis ‘Big Daddy’ Hollingsworth (first played by an ailing
Murray Hamilton, then David Wayne, after Hamilton’s death), after he loses his Twin
Oaks’ southern estate and turns to an unlikely career as a country singer, thus,
having disgraced the family’s honor. In the episode, ‘Isn’t It Romantic?’,
Dorothy’s gay friend, Jean (Lois Nettleton) developed a crush on Rose. And
then, there was ‘Yes We Have No Havanas’ in which Blanche and Sophia
were both engaged in a sexual relationship with one, Fidel Santiago (Henry
Darrow) – a charismatic Lothario who, unfortunately died in the midst of each
woman finding out about the other, leaving both ladies confused, dejected and holding
a grudge.
Behind the
scenes, The Golden Girls incurred several shake-ups in its creative
roster that only benefited the show’s chemistry as time wore on. The first of
these ‘new finds’ was Terry Hughes – a Brit-based TV director, well-known to
Bea Arthur, and, in fact, put forth by Arthur to assume the reins after Jay
Sandrich’s departure to pursue his endeavors on The Cosby Show (1984-92).
Hughes brought an air of pleasurable sophistication with him to instantly put
the entire cast at ease. With such a potent combination of talents toiling in
unison, Hollywood began to take notice of the magic brewing on the back lot;
the result – The Golden Girls’ first Emmy nomination and win for Best Original
Sit-Com, and another for Betty White, who could count it as her sixth major award
working in television. Writer Mort Nathan and Barry Fanaro also won writing
awards for the episode, ‘A Little Romance’ in which Rose dates a ‘little
person’ who turns her marriage proposal down because she is not Jewish. By
Season Two, The Golden Girls was already a beloved cornerstone of
Saturday night programming and a whirlwind sensation with fans and critics
alike. It won a slew of Golden Globes during this time, including one for Rue
McClanahan, whom presenter, Howie Mandel incorrectly introduced as ‘Rue McCallahan’.
Rising to the occasion, McClanahan teased that she would forever thereafter
refer to Mandel as ‘Harvey Mandrell’. But her most heartfelt thanks was
reserved for Terry Hughes – by then, considered so integral to the show’s
success, McClanahan dubbed him ‘the fifth golden girl’; a moniker, Hughes
humorously concedes he has been trying to live down ever since. By its fourth
season, virtually all of the lead actresses had won their own Golden Globe for
Best Actress – a distinction only repeated one other time in television history,
on Norman Lear’s ground-breaking classic, All in the Family (1971-79).
Then, as now, shooting
a weekly television series is no small feat. But on The Golden Girls,
professionalism reigned. The principles were assembled by 9:30am on a Monday morning,
ready to read through their parts by 10am. Rehearsals followed, and then, two
live tapings – one at 5pm, the other at 8pm. These occurred on the Friday night
often with major rewrites between the two; editors, culling the best of
the best from each and putting it all together in a matter of hours – in the
can, and, ‘to air’ on Saturdays at 9pm.
Season 4 of The Golden Girls kicked into high gear, shying away
from nothing. In the episode, ‘Scared Straight’, Blanche came to terms
with the fact her beloved brother, Clayton (Monte Markham) is a homosexual
about to emerge from the proverbial ‘closet’ and wed his lover of many years.
Season 4 also dealt with Rose’s addiction to prescription painkillers, and, her
iron will to break the habit with dignity. When a show is this cutting edge, it
is not long to remain exclusively heartfelt in the nation of its origin.
Indeed, by 1988, The Golden Girls had achieved international renown,
particularly popular in the U.K., in part, due to the Queen Mother’s passion it.
So, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia were invited to perform live for a Royal
audience as part of a variety comedy special attended by the Queen Mother and
Princess Margaret at London’s famed Palladium. With ease, they once again
brought down the house.
Alas, back in
Los Angeles, The Golden Girls was preparing for a shake-up as Thomas and
Witt announced that after four-years they had effectively burnt themselves out
of creative situations. But of even greater loss was Terry Hughes’ decision to depart
the show. He had done his best, but elected to leave the series on a high note
to pursue other projects. Hughes’ announcement broke both Rue McClanahan and
Bea Arthur’s heart, if not entirely their spirit. However, as contracts came up
for renewal, Arthur sincerely contemplated returning for a six season. Was
there any point to it? Indeed, by the end of the 1990 season, The Golden
Girls tested several directors to fill Hughes’ shoes. Also new to the
behind-the-scenes family was writer, Marc Sotkin, whose tenure in sit-coms
included Laverne & Shirley (1976-83) and It’s a Living (1980-89).
Sotkin’s entrée to The Golden Girls was the ‘sperm bank’ episode where
Blanche’s single daughter desires to have a baby ‘technically, at least’
without a man. In endeavoring to keep the show fresh, Rose was also given a
main staple ‘boyfriend’ – Miles Webber (Harold Gould); a reoccurring character
who would eventually, through his ever-gentle perseverance, win Rose’s heart. But
at the end of Season Six, Bea Arthur made her intentions known. The show had hit
its stride for six memorable seasons. It had ridden its crest of fame and
success unlike anything anticipated at its outset. It was time to gracefully
bow out while fans could still be counted upon to harbor their ‘golden memories.’
Hence, on May 9, 1992, Arthur’s Dorothy wed her fiancée (Leslie Nielsen) in a
glamorous wedding, and, with much aplomb and tears, bid her co-stars a
bittersweet and tearful farewell.
If only the show’s
producers had had the good sense to end it there. But NBC, believing the
remaining cast could survive without its anchor, tried their hand at a revamp
instead. The Golden Palace (1992-93) tried to transplant Rose, Sophia
and Blanche to a hotel near Miami Beach. Regrettably, by the time it aired, The
Golden Palace had migrated over to CBS, embroiled in a bitter bidding war
to claim access, thus promising writers, Susan Harris, Paul Junger Witt, and
Tony Thomas a full 24-episode commitment to NBC’s original 13-episode ‘test’
season. British comedian, Alexei Sayle was set to appear as the hotel’s chef but
was then recast with Cheech Marin before the pilot even aired. Marin, in a
throwback to Levin’s Coco proved as unsuccessful gelling with the remaining
three cast members, as did Don Cheadle, as the hotel’s ever-harried manager.
For exteriors, The Golden Palace relied on the easily identifiable
Carlyle hotel, located on Ocean Drive with virtually all of the interiors shot
at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood. Slotted into Friday nights, to take full
advantage of CBS’s TGIF programming line-up, to include Major Dad (1989-93),
Designing Women (1986-93) and Bob (1992-93), audience interest in
The Golden Palace quickly fell off after its premiere episode. In an unprecedented
move, CBS not only cancelled plans for a second season of The Golden Palace,
it also sacked all of the other shows in this line-up, save Bob, which
lingered for an extra run with Betty White brought on board during their summer
hiatus in a last-ditch cast revamp. It
was the end of the road, and, in hindsight, a bittersweet epitaph to what had
been a glorious time on television.
There will never
be another series like The Golden Girls – a perfect mesh of talents and
types who were real characters to begin with, and thus brought their independent
tapestries of life to bear on their creative work. Of the beloved stars,
tragically, Estelle Getty would be the first to leave us in 2008, just shy of
her 85th birthday. For several years, the actress had suffered from advanced-stage
dementia, a disease that, in its final stages, deprived the usually articulate
and witty golden girl from even being able to hold a conversation or recognize
her former costars. She would not have long to wait for a reunion, however; Bea
Arthur, the antithesis of the outspoken and gregarious matriarch she played,
succumbing to cancer just two weeks shy of her 87th birthday on
April 25, 2009; to be followed, even more shockingly, by Rue McClanahan’s
passing on June 3, 2010, age 76. McClanahan, who recovered from breast cancer
in 1997, was the planned recipient of a lifetime achievement award on Nov. 14,
2009, postponed after she underwent emergency triple bypass on Nov. 4,
resulting in a minor stroke. The actress then appeared to be on the mends, her
speech returning to normal. But on June 3, she suffered a brain hemorrhage that
claimed her life. This leaves Betty White as the sole survivor from the original
series. White, whose Golden Girls’ afterlife has included a 5-year
run on another sit-com, Hot in Cleveland (2010-15) will turn 98 this
Jan. 17th, 2020; an enduring, and endearing survivor of television
and of life. And The Golden Girls? Well, if art is judged by the
artifacts of laughter it leaves behind, then Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sofia can
truly be classified as priceless. In its time, The Golden Girls invigorated
our lives with lively banter and sexy good humor, shedding new light on a
demographic thought fit, only for the rocking chair and retirement home. Viewed
today, it continues to cast its sentimental afterglow, an impact undiminished
by time. In fact, the show continues to garner new fans whenever and wherever it
is shown.
Were that we
could convince someone at Buena Vista Home Entertainment to take a bit more
care of its cultural heritage. The Golden Girls, as it survives
currently on home video, sold either as individual seasons or as the
high-priced ‘box set’ that looks like Sofia’s purse, is a travesty in home
video mastering; one, alas for which not a lot, but some improvement might be
achieved with new scans, some minor color correction and image stabilization applied.
To be clear: The Golden Girls was shot on tape. Thus, no up-conversion
to 1080p – much less 4K – will ever be possible. The full fruition of this
egregious shortsightedness has only now begun to make itself apparent as the
era of ‘tube’ TV broadcasts has given way to hi-def displays, capable of
illustrating every flaw, as much as every virtue in original film-based
content. Again, The Golden Girls is tape-based. So, image resolution
leaves much to be desired. What I find rather appalling however, are the
digital mastering errors – particularly on Seasons 1 and 2 where audio drop
outs are readily apparent, and where episodes have been remastered at varying decibel
levels; one episode sounding much softer than the next, or vice versa. There is
also some instability across all of the Seasons here, and a lot of digital noise;
again, some of which is baked-in from the original video-based format, but the
rest, easily tempered – if not entirely correctable – with just a little more
care applied. Clearly, Disney Inc. was more interested at the time in simply
getting one of its most marketable franchises out for public consumption, but
with marginal care applied to ensure these episodes looked marginally better
than when they originally aired on network TV. In some cases, color smearing
and lens flair renders these images as overly bright and digitally harsh.
Again, The Golden Girls will never be a perfect affair on home video. However,
given the great success Sony Home Entertainment had with remastering Fraggle
Rock – another ‘tape-based’ series given due care on Blu-ray, the results
for The Golden Girls could be far better than what is being offered
here. Audio is 2.0 mono and adequate, if tinny. Extras are spread throughout
the seasons and include several commentaries, a few reflective ‘making of’
pieces, and, some reunion TV special footage. Bottom line: the content is
golden. The DVD’s are less than perfect. Some basic remastering touch-up and
clean-up could greatly enhance the overall presentation here. It’s Disney,
remember. So, don’t count on it getting any better than this!
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
(overall)
2.5
EXTRAS
3
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