Getty Was Afraid of Dying
Estelle Getty had a serious phobia about death. This became a definite handicap when starring in a show centered around four senior women.
Knowing this it’s pretty amazing how to Getty’s character Sophia always seemed very nonchalant and effortlessly undisturbed in all of the funeral home and death scenes. What convincing acting skills.
Bea Arthur's Favorite Episode
Arthur once stated that one of her favorite scenes was with Getty in which they dressed as Sonny and Cher and sang “I Got You, Babe." She reminisced in an interview with the Archive of American Television saying "Oh God, it was fun,".
Do you remember this episode? What was your favorite episode?!
Dorothy's Borrowed Last Name
Dorothy borrowed the show's stage manager, Kent Zbornak's, last name. He worked on set for the entire duration of the series.
Susan Harris had worked with Kent on Soap in 1977 and fell in love with his surname.
Is There a More Epic "Girls Night"?
We mentioned the Queen was a fan of the show but she wasn't the only royal to love the Golden Girls. The Princess of Wales, yes, Diana(!) and rockstar, Freddie Mercury, used to watch the show together.
According to the UK-based comedian, Cleo Rocos, she once spent an afternoon drinking champagne while watching reruns of the show with the pair with volume down and improvising lines with "a much naughtier storyline." Some would die to see any footage of that!
The Episode Based on Harris' Life
The two-part episode entitled “Sick and Tired” was autobiographical about the show's creator, Susan Harris. It was centered around her real-life struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome. Dorothy’s struggle finding a doctor who would take her symptoms seriously is still relevant for many women today.
In fact, a 2011 study showed that 62 percent of doctors referred men to cardiologists when they complained of chest pain and/or shortness of breath, while less than 30 percent did the same for their female patients. Instead, the doctors advised the women to “take it easy” and prescribed them anti-anxiety meds.