A lot of people did and still do relate to The Golden Girls. Men and women from all over the United States retire in Florida. It’s really no surprise that the characters and settings are inspired by actual people. Brandon Tartikoff, a producer from the network, used to visit a family member that lived in a similar situation.
After he witnessed the hilarious banter and the strong bonds, he knew he’d found some real television gold.
Betty White is a Time Traveler
Betty White’s character, Rose Nylund, was the youngest of the four women in the household. However, Betty was actually senior to the rest of the actresses in real life and has even outlived all of her costars.
Sadly, Betty passed just a few weeks before her 100th birthday in 2021.
Hey, Where’s my Chair?
Of the four main characters on The Golden Girls, only three of them had a seat at the kitchen table. But why?
As the kitchen was basically the main set of the show, producers had their angles all picked out and didn’t want any of the women to have their backs to the lens.
Naming Names
There seemed to be a bit of confusion about what the full names of some of the characters were over the years. For instance, Blanche was named as “Blanche Marie Hollingsworth” in one episode, but in a later episode, it was implied that her name was “Blanche Elizabeth Devereaux.”
It was never revealed why it was altered over time.
The President of Disney Demanded Changes
Michael Eisner, former president of Disney adored the whole idea behind The Golden Girls when it was first pitched to him. The big-time producer, however, had some changes in mind and felt that the addition of some young blood might help it appeal to a younger crowd. To meet his demands, Sophia was written in, as well as Dorothy.
Eisner loved it, and he gave them the green light.