Though Getty had audiences rolling with laughter, crippling stage fright left her scribbling her lines everywhere she could on the set: inside cabinets, on the kitchen tablecloths and even the salt-and-pepper shakers, Colucci says. In prepping for her audition, Getty shopped around in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District for props, which is where she found Sophia’s ever-present straw purse, used for the show’s entire run. But she was so good as Dorothy’s wisecracking mom Sophia Petrillo, producers elevated the role from recurring to full-time. Getty, a housewife from Bayside, Queens, got her start in theater in Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” and was the only one of the four without a television background. When her longtime friend told her who was playing who, Arthur replied, “Now that is very interesting,” and the rest is history.

“Rue, I have no interest in playing Maude and Vivian meet Sue Ann Nivens,” she told McClanahan. Known for playing sexpot Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” White was surprised to be tapped for the role of innocent, literal Minnesotan native Rose Nylund, while McClanahan, who rose to fame “mousy” Aunt Fran on “Mama’s Family” and neighbor Vivian Harmon on “Maude” was thrilled to be handed the part of sexy Blanche Devereaux.Įven though famed TV writer Susan Harris had created the character of no-nonsense, divorced substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak specifically for Arthur, the Broadway and television star wasn’t eager about “The Golden Girls,” Colucci says. It almost didn’t star Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White, however, writes Jim Colucci, whose new book “ Golden Girls Forever” is an exhaustively detailed look at every episode. When the renamed “Golden Girls” premiered the next year, it was a ratings smash, pulling in more than 22 million viewers a week over its seven seasons. The network decided to make it into a show. But in 1984, when NBC presented its fall lineup to the press, a “Miami Nice” skit with Doris Roberts and Selma Diamond bantering on stage and ogling Don Johnson drew big laughs and surprising buzz. It was an unlikely concept - four older, sassy ladies living together in Florida. T-shirts, live reenactments, ice-cream tributes, and of course, reruns: No matter which way you slice it, “The Golden Girls” are still a platinum hit.

Golden Girls Forever by Jim Colucci