The Roles Were Reversed
The show ‘Golden Girls’ was objectively one of the wittiest and most well-written comedy shows out there.
‘Golden Girls’ might have ended years ago, but there’s still a plethora of secrets the producers tried to keep hidden from fans.
Betty White was supposed to play Blanche, and Rue McClanahan was supposed to play Rose.
Rue McClanahan Kept All Of Blanche’s Clothes
They decided to switch roles since they already played roles like these in the past and wanted something different.
Actress Rue McClanahan had a special clause in her contract stating she gets to keep all of Blanche’s outfits that she wore in the show.
Estelle Getty Had Stage Fright
She accumulated so much clothing she had to transform her her kitchen into a closet room.
Estelle Getty, who played the witty Sofia, actually had crippling stage fright. She was smooth all week, but as soon as they brought the audience, she would flip 180 degrees and become very nervous.
Bea Arthur Had issues With Her Wardrobe
Estelle claimed it was due to her lack of confidence, as the other stars had much more acting experience.
The designer of the show added huge chunky earrings for Beas character to add interest. The only issue with this was that she didn’t have her ears pierced, so she had to wear clip on earrings.
No One Liked Bea Arthur
She said in an interview the pain and numbness in her ears after a long day of shooting were hard on her.
Surprisingly enough, the girls didn’t always get along. The other cast members said Beatrice was a bit odd at times, and there were even moments that the girls refused to have lunch with her.
Estelle Was Younger Than Her On Screen Daughter
Ouch.
Estelle Getty was a year younger than her daughter in the show, Bea Arthur. She had to sit in makeup for over an hour before shooting to look her age.
Betty White Was The Oldest Girl
The makeup routine became even longer when she came back to season two after a facelift.
Even though she played the youngest character, Betty White is the oldest one of all the cast.
The Queen Really Liked The Show
Betty seems to stay a step ahead of father time.
It turns out the Queen of England Is a huge fan of the show. So much, that she asked the cast to come and perform for her in England.
Bea Arthur Actually Hated Cheesecake
They performed one episode in front of her.
Golden Girls had four main characters, five if you count the cheesecake. Cheesecake was a huge part of the show, as the girls constantly ate the creamy dessert.
Every Cast Member Won An Emmy
What you didn’t know is that Beatrice Arthur hated cheesecake with a passion, and she mustered through all those cheesecake eating scenes like a champ.
The Show received over 60 Emmy nominations throughout it’s run.
Four Girls And Three Chairs
Each of the four main actresses took home an Emmy, a feat that no other show at the time managed to achieve.
Did you ever notice the kitchen table had only three chairs, even though the house has four tenants?
The Interactions Were Inspired By Life
The missing chair is intentional as not to have one of the girls sitting with her back to the camera.
Brandon Tartikoff, an NBC executive, was visiting his elderly aunt when he saw her interaction with her friends and neighbors.
Sophia Had All The Risky Jokes
He thought it would be a good idea for a TV show and ran with idea.
There Was Never An Accent
The Writers Gave Sophia all the controversial jokes as her characters had a stroke previously in life and couldn’t fully control what she said.
There was no southern accent written in Blanche’s character.
Betty And Rue Were Real Close
Rue McClanahan decided to bring it, and the producers of the show loved it so much they ran with it.
Betty White and Rue McClanahan enjoyed each other’s company quite a lot and even played word game together on their breaks between shooting.
The Set Was Recycled
They were closer with each other than with any other person on set.
The famous kitchen set was in the show ‘It Takes Two’ before being used on ‘Golden Girls’.
The Show Was Actually Pretty Controversial
The production did a makeover to match the theme of the show better.
Back in the days, the show was running, many topics we’re used to today we’re pretty taboo. The show raised some controversial issues, such as gay marriage, teen pregnancy, and even abortion.
Bea Was An Activist
The fact that this got to run on television is in itself astounding.
Bea Arthur was a passionate activist. Her main causes were LGBTQ, the elderly, woman’s rights and the Jewish.
Betty White Has The Longest Acting Career
She was also involved with PETA. After her death, she left a large sum of money to help homeless LGBT youth.
Betty White holds the Guinness record for the longest acting career for a female on television.
Betty White Is Way Into Game Shows
She launched her first TV series in the 1950s and has since appeared in countless shows and movies.
Betty White loved game shows and word games. So the show “Password!” was one of her favorites.
The World Loves Golden Girls
Betty appeared in the show so many times; she eventually married the host.
The show was a huge hit within the United States, but it was also a hit in over 60 countries in the world.
The Golden Girls Almost Had A Gay Butler
There were even local versions of the show made in England, Russia, and Greece.
Initially, there was a character, Coco Davis, who was to play the girls gay butler/cook.
Bea Arthur Ended The Show
Sadly the character had to be dropped, maybe because a gay character on tv was ahead of its time.
After the fifth season, Bea Arthur decided she got tired of playing her role and decided to leave.
Bea Arthur Was A Marine
The producers convinced her to stay for another two seasons, at the end of which Bea had got up and left, essentially putting an end to the show.
Before her successful acting career, Bea Arthur was among the first women to serve an active duty as a marine.
During her service, she went up the ranks from Private to Staff Sergeant.