Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Betty White: Looking Back at the Golden Girls
Rue McClanahan’s death by stroke today struck anyone who was a fan of the Golden Girls, and hit especially hard for her former co-star Betty White, who at 88 is experiencing a career resurgence.
“Rue was a close and dear friend. I treasured our relationship. It hurts more than I ever thought it would, if that’s even possible,” said White in a statement. {NY Daily News}
Thank you for being a friend
While McClanahan also had roles on Maude and Mama’s Family, it was her role as saucy senior Blanche Devereaux that won her an Emmy and many dedicated fans. Betty White is now the last surviving star of the show, which followed 4 senior friends during its run from 1985 to 1992. Bea Arthur died in 2009 after a battle with cancer, and Estelle Getty died in 2008.
Before there was Sex and the City, Golden Girls was one of the first shows to feature an all female lead ensemble, particularly one where the women were “of a certain age,” but still active and enjoying life. There wasn’t much fashion eye candy to look at, and while Shady Pines and Miami might not be able to compete with the Meatpacking District and New York, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and “Ma” tackled sex and much more with the kind of gusto that continues to find fans of all ages long after the show’s final episode.
The pre-cursor to Samantha, Blanche tackled sex and the single mature woman with humor and a good dose of liberation (as liberated as sex on network television can be, anyway).
While it would have been easy for the character to serve only as fodder for Sophia “Ma” Petrillo’s endless one-liners, McClanahan gave her character dimension and audiences a new outlook on the Golden years.
Golden Girls DVDs available at Amazon
The Golden Girls – The Complete First Season
The Golden Girls – The Complete Second Season
The Golden Girls – The Complete Third Season
The Golden Girls – The Complete Fourth Season
