Fifty Nifty Things You Didn’t Know About the Golden Girls

Forty Years Later, There Is Still Nothing Quite Like This Series

Coming up on the 40th anniversary since its original debut this fall, Golden Girls is still a top-rated show. Syndicated on several channels and streaming on Hulu, the award-winning sitcom follows three older single women living together in Miami. The four main characters — Rose Nylund, Blanche Deveraux, Dorothy Zbornak, and Dorothy’s mother Sophia Petrillo — bring fun and laughter to each scene as they navigate their crazy lives and learn to love each other despite each character’s rough edges. It is wonderful to see so many pages(and even some publications) devoted to one of the greatest sitcoms ever broadcast. To add to this discussion from a super Golden Girls fan, here are fifty nifty facts about the series. Many of these came from linked sources, but others came from knowledge gained after watching the show for decades. (For further reading, you could spend hours perusing the Golden Girls Wikipedia page or various fan sites).

Image taken from Wikipedia

1. There is no real “Saint Olaf, Minnesota,” the infamous hometown of Rose Nylund. However, there is a Saint Olaf Township in Otter County, Minnesota. There is also a Saint Olaf College. There is also a small town of Saint Olaf, Iowa. But none of these come close to the acclaimed central point of Rose’s fascinating life.
2. Not enough can be said about the fictional Saint Olaf, Minnesota. Apparently, there was a “black hole” in the middle of the city that residents often just stopped and observed. The town also is difficult to access. When the women visit in season 5, they must take two planes, a train, and then a toboggan to reach the center of commerce.
3. Although somewhat slow-witted to most people, Rose’s special brand of wisdom is a rare asset back in Saint Olaf. She is often able to learn profound wisdom from outsiders with her fellow city residents. For instance, in season 4 Rose calls some of the town members when Dorothy suggests encyclopedia salesmen can carry 13 volumes in each hand rather than two whole sets of 26 volumes for balance.
4. Rose and Charlie had five children, of which only two daughters Kirsten and Brijit visit Rose in episodes throughout the series. In the series finale, Rose is set to move in with Kirsten but decides to stay with Blanche and Sophia instead.
5. Of the show’s four main stars, Betty White was the oldest. She also happened to outlive her three co-stars Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty.
6. Betty White’s acting career spanned back to the 1950s when she starred in The Betty White Show. During WWII, White volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Service.
7. Dorothy’s husband Stan Zbornak spent decades working as a novelty salesman, an unrealized hot profession that delivered fake dog doo-doo and padded toilet seats to American families. This is seen as an abysmal failure of a business until Stan makes it big with the baked potato peeler in season 6 and begins raking in millions.
8. Stan and Dorothy had two children over 38 years of marriage, Kate and Michael. In season 1, Dorothy must tolerate Stan after he left her two years earlier for a flight stewardess as their daughter Kate marries podiatrist Dennis. The plot development doesn’t fit that Kate would only be in her late twenties at most as Dorothy and Stan were forced to get married after Dorothy got pregnant in high school.
9. In addition to playing Dorothy, Bea Arthur held numerous other roles in both television and Broadway, including starring in her own hit comedy series Maude. Arthur was also a staff sergeant in the Women’s Marine Reserve in World War 2.
10. Sal Petrillo, Sophia’s husband and Dorothy’s father, suffered from a gambling addiction. In season 5, it is revealed Sal gambled away the couple’s savings and forced their pizza business to go under. In one other episode, Dorothy’s gambling addiction resurfaces.
11. Blanche Deveraux almost gets married in the series premiere, but when her groom Harry never shows up it is revealed he was a bigamist and con artist.
12. Throughout the series, all women face prospects of getting married again. Blanche leaves a wealthy fiancee with a private jet after she realizes his work will get in the way and dumps another boyfriend when he is about to propose to her. In season 7, Rose and Miles plan to marry due to an all-expenses-paid honeymoon to Paris but decide to wait. In season 6, Dorothy almost marries the newly wealthy Stan but calls off the wedding when he requests she sign a prenup.
13. Only Sophia and Dorothy actually make it down the aisle again. In season, Sophia marries old friend and business partner Max Winestock. After a failed reopening of the old pizza stand, the two agree to live separately but “stop by for visits anytime.” Dorothy marries Blanche’s Uncle Lucas (played by guest star Leslie Nielsen) in the series finale. Dorothy and Lucas start out playing a prank on Blanche when she tricks them into going on a blind date. However, they end up falling in love.
14. In season 1, Blanche’s fourteen-year-old grandson stays with the women for a week. After originally causing a lot of trouble, he grows close to all of them. Like many other characters, Blanche’s grandson sadly is not included in future seasons.
15. Two of Blanche’s daughters, Rebecca and Janet, make guest appearances at different times in the series. Rebecca Deveraux visits as the estranged daughter in season 3, having gained excessive weight and wooed an arrogant and emotionally abusive boyfriend. In season 5, Rebecca reappears as a completely transformed woman — much more outspoken and having lost weight. She announces that she is going to have a baby by in-vitro fertilization, and visits in season 6 while pregnant where she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl.
16. Rose’s deceased husband Charlie is the only spouse of the four women who never appears in the series. Dorothy’s ex-husband Stan is a regular guest in the series while both Blanche’s husband George and Sophia’s husband Sal appear in dreams or visions.
17. Stan Zbornak was married twice in addition to being married to Dorothy. He divorced Dorothy and married a flight stewardess sometime before the start of the series. This marriage doesn’t last long as Stan’s new wife leaves him in season 2. In season 4, he marries again to a younger businesswoman. Stan invites all of the women to the wedding, and Dorothy ends up almost wanting to stop Stan from getting married again and reuniting. However, she meets the bride-to-be in the hotel lobby and realizes the new relationship is genuine. Sadly, this marriage did not last long either as Dorothy and Stan begin dating in season 6.
18. Blanche’s mortgage lender is Miami Federal, as revealed in season 1. In season 7, Blanche allows her three friends to become co-owners on the house deed. This ensures the girls can all live there in spite of city sanctions.
19. Nothing is ever dull at the Golden Girls household. In season 2, two police officers use the home to stake out jewel thieves who have just moved in next door.
20. George and Blanche Deveraux had five children, including daughters Rebecca and Janet who make guest appearances in several episodes. Strangely, none of Blanche’s sons ever visit though she says she never stops worrying about one who is a CPA.
21. Blanche is proud of her Southern heritage and tries to join the Daughters of the South in season 6. However, her family tree reveals an ancestor from Buffalo, New York. Although this guarantees she will not be able to join the group, she develops a greater appreciation of her American identity.
22. Sophia Petrillo, played by Estelle Getty, immigrated to the U.S. from Sicily in the 1920s or 1930s. She has two siblings who make guest appearances throughout the series — a sister Angela and a brother Angelo. Angelo visits in season 3 pretending to be a priest until he confesses he never joined the seminary. He returns as a recurring character in season 6 when he takes residence in an apartment complex owned by Stan and Dorothy.
23. Sophia lived in a retirement home Shady Pines in the early 1980s. After a fire, she brought a taxi to Blanche’s home and moved in with Dorothy. It was believed that Sophia caused the fire by letting a boilerplate overheat in season 6. However, evidence of a coverup by the fire inspector helps Sophia to remember she and a friend ran from the room after a small fire broke out from a faulty room heater.
24. Sophia often experiences visits from her deceased husband Sal, Dorothy’s father. In season 7, Sophia has a near-death experience where Sal appears and tells her it is not yet time to rejoin him. This is the same episode where the four visit Blanche’s grandmother’s old plantation mansion about to be torn down and Blanche swears she hears her grammy’s voice. A skeptical Dorothy criticizes both Blanche and Sophia for their illogical ways until she realizes that their spiritual experiences are genuine.
25. Sophia is quite the superb chef. Throughout the series, she is often seen putting her amazing culinary skills to use — concocting Italian masterpieces like Lasagna Al Forno.
26. Rose’s cooking is more of an acquired taste. In season 5, she cooks Miles and his daughter a unique herring dish where she uses red hots for the entree’s eyes.
27. Estelle Getty experienced newfound fame at age 60 in 1982 with her role in the musical Torch Song Trilogy. For decades, Getty had been claiming roles in the New York theater circuit.
28. Sophia Petrillo’s will includes multiple golden teeth from Sal(as revealed in season 7). Sophia decides to give one to Dorothy in advance to pass some of the family wealth on.
29. Miles Weber appears as the new romance and new long-term partner of Rose in season 5. Miles’ intelligence, charisma, and career as a literature professor are a stark contrast to Rose’s simple naive charm, but the differences prove to be a positive influence in the relationship’s success.
30. Blanche’s father goes by “Big Daddy.” Big Daddy’s life in old age is quite eventful — he sells the family estate in season 1 to hit the road as a country singer and weds a woman half his age in season 2. Big Daddy passes away in season 4. Dorothy accompanies Blanche to the funeral in Atlanta where she spars with her sister Virginia but is still able to say goodbye.
31. In season 6, it is revealed that Miles was living under a fake identity as a member of the Witness Protection program. Strangely, when his enemy the Cheese Man is caught he goes back to living with the same identity as though it was his real name and life all along.
32. In season 5, Dorothy finds that she suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a newly discovered illness that leaves her constantly tired and suffering from symptoms like heart palpitations and muscle aches. This was based on the real-life experiences of one of the show’s creators, Susan Harris.
33. At the show’s beginning, Rose works as a grief counselor. However, in a later season, she finds a job as a television producer after Charlie’s old pension goes bankrupt.
34. In season 2 right before the women depart for the holidays with their families, they are taken hostage by a man dressed as Santa Claus at Rose’s counseling center. Thankfully, Sophia recognizes the culprit’s gun as fake and helps resolve the situation.
35. Rose was adopted by the Lindstroms at birth. In season 6, she meets her biological father who happens to be a monk. He reveals that he fell in love with Rose’s mother but had to break off the relationship when his superiors found out. Furthermore, he did not ever learn about Rose until after her birth mother’s tragic passing and Rose’s adoption.
36. Rose’s eccentricities and idiosyncracies make her loveable yet super-irritating. A mixture between “Little Miss Muffet” and “Wilma Flintstone,” she has trouble comprehending linguistic mechanisms like sarcasm or metaphors while also demonstrating slowness with complex mathematical functions like multiplication. Yet she can often recite complex legal or scientific theories, play multiple instruments, and excel in sports. She also is quite philosophical with a unique brand of wisdom.
37. Blanche is always secretive about her age, often exaggerating that she is in her early 40s or under 40. However, she was born in 1931 or 1932 which puts her not too far behind Rose and Dorothy.
38. In season 4, Blanche learns George was unfaithful when a young man named David visits and claims to be his son. Blanche is shocked at first. However, she soon starts to remember her love for George and the happy times they shared, which she recounts with David.
39. In season 7, it is revealed that Blanche’s middle name is Elizabeth. So, the initials for her name Blanche Elizabeth Deveraux spell “BED.”
40. Blanche is known to have at least three siblings — two sisters Virginia and Charmaine and a younger brother Clayton. The series shows Blanche clashing multiple times with both sisters yet then reconciling. Blanche is closer to her younger brother Clayton who visits in season 4. Their relationship is tested when Clayton reveals he is gay. In season 6, Clayton returns with his boyfriend Doug seeking Blanche’s blessing. Blanche is initially disapproving but later offers her love and support.
41. Stan’s brother Ted is a neurosurgeon and owner of multiple mini-malls. In season 3, he and Dorothy spend the night together which upsets Blanche. However, when Dorothy learns Ted is as much of a womanizer as Stan she reveals to the whole restaurant that Ted is “impotent,” so Blanche and Dorothy’s friendship proves to win over boyfriends once again.
42. In addition to playing Blanche Deveraux, actress Rue McClanahan had an impressive multi-decade career in television which included roles in Another World and the soap opera Where the Heart Is.
43. Blanche and Rose formed an Elvis fan club in season 4. Dorothy was quickly kicked out of the club after she made a derogatory remark about Elvis, stating he would “never leave that much meat on a pork chop” when the club members were passing around supposed leftovers from one of Elvis’s dinners.
44. Although the women squabbled over membership in the Elvis fan club, they did share an interest in many clubs, projects, and hobbies throughout the series. These included organizing fundraiser dinners and talent shows, competing in dance competitions, and assisting with political and social campaign events.
45. Even four women who grow so close they become family have squabbles. At one point in season 3, the ladies find themselves visiting a psychiatrist to work through their differences. While the psychiatrist tells them they should consider moving, the four return home to share cheesecake and make amends.
46. The four women have an ironclad friendship but often get into feuds with one another. Many of these feuds are over relationships and sometimes quite outrageous matters. For instance, in season 3 Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy get involved in a battle when they learn a Hungarian artist Laslow has been asking all three of them to pose for his latest work.
47. Throughout the series, Dorothy is a substitute teacher who struggles to make ends meet. In season 7, she is offered a lucrative training job at a video game company owned by a former student. After only a couple of days, she resigns when she realizes high school is where she belongs.
48. Rose is a full-hearted animal lover. Throughout the series, she often looks after dogs. In season 2, she watches a chicken that can play the piano. In many episodes, she temporarily takes in dogs despite the other women’s apprehension.
49. Each of the characters faces unique health scares. In advanced age, Sophia has survived a stroke and suffers from a horrid case of pneumonia in season 4. Dorothy must undergo foot surgery in season 2 and suffers from prolonged illness in season 5. Blanche must get a pacemaker in season 5. In season 2, Rose suffers from gallbladder issues but recovers quickly. In season 7, she suffers a serious heart attack and must undergo open heart surgery. The women band together and support Rose through recovery, borrowing money from the house to cover medical expenses.
50. The spin-off show The Golden Palace aired the year after Golden Girls ended. After Dorothy has married and moved to Atlanta with Lucas, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia buy and move into a hotel which they are forced to bring back from decline. While the three women flourished in their new roles, the series did not make it past the first season.

Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash

So, we have finished with our fifty nifty things about the characters and world of The Golden Girls. Like any topic, we have barely scratched the surface here. To savor more riches, you can view the whole series on Hulu. First-time viewers, brace yourselves. You won’t get through an episode without full belly laughs, tearing eyes, and heightened endorphin levels.