Thirty years ago today, "The Golden Girls" premiered on television.
The series, starring Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan as four women sharing a Miami home, was an instant hit -- and eventually won all four of its stars Emmys.
"It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry. I'll never forget that first read," White once told DVD Talk. "That just continued through the series. It was such a pleasure to see four professionals who knew good material and respected it."
The chemistry between the four actresses is obvious to anyone who's watched the show, but here are a few facts that even the biggest "Golden Girls" fan might not know.
1. The original pilot had a butler that didn't make it to the series.
2. Many of the stars worked with each other before. Arthur and McClanahan were friends on "Maude" and White and McClanahan collaborated on "Mama's Family."
3. The series had several writing teams which may account for the huge difference in number and names of kids, different relatives, and character histories between seasons.
4. The layout of the house also changed.
5. The theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend," was originally written and recorded by Andrew Gold. For the show, however, Cynthia Fee sang.
6. Elaine Stritch auditioned for the part of Dorothy, but claimed that the writer didn't like her very much. "I didn't get the job," she said. "I blew a multi-million, zillion dollar, international, syndicated, residual-grabbing, bopparoni, smasharoni, television situation comedy entitled, 'The Golden Girls'!"
7. Arthur auditioned for "Golden Girls" after Dorothy was described initially as "a Bea Arthur-type." "I thought it was brilliant," she told the Archive of American Television of reading the first script. "I thought it was one of the funniest, most adult, hilarious, sophisticated, terrific, delicious things I had ever read."
8. McClanahan remembered things a bit differently. She said that Susan Harris, the show's co-executive producer, asked her to persuade Arthur to take the part, as she kept turning it down. "I said, 'Why are you turning down the best script that's ever going to come across your desk as long as you live?' and she said, 'Rue, I have no interest in playing Maude and Vivian meets Sue Ann Nevins.'" Eventually, McClanahan explained that she was going to play Blanche and White was going to play Rose, and that piqued Arthur's interest.
9. Arthur's confusion would have been understandable. Originally, the part of Blanche was offered to White, and McClanahan was given the part of Rose. Eventually, they switched.
10. According to the New York Times, Getty won the role of Sofia after she showed up to the audition looking like "a little old lady."
WSBTV
