Is there anyone who hasn’t played the game, “What Golden Girl Are You?” via an internet quiz or just in conversation with a group of friends? I have fond memories of watching the “Golden Girls” in the late eighties, through the early nineties, and then reruns on "Lifetime" in the late nineties and through the 2000’s. Not unlike most of the general public I have seen every episode of the “Golden Girls” no less than a million times. Who would have thought that a sitcom about four geriatric women roommates would be so interesting and laugh out loud funny? Well obviously someone did and struck pure gold.

Having begun watching the show as a child I had no previous knowledge of Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur or Estelle Getty. I thought for years that the “Golden Girls” was their breakout performances. In the late eighties, when I saw the movie Mannequin and recognized Estelle Getty, I remember being so happy that she had scored another acting job outside of the “Golden Girls.” Imagine my surprise when I learned of the extensive careers of these women. In reruns of the show, “Mama’s Family” I recognized Betty White and Rue McClanahan. Much later in my life again through reruns I learned of the show, “Maude” which starred Bea Arthur and also included Rue McClanahan. It took me a few years to realize why it was I enjoyed “Maude” so much as a kid. I didn’t fully grasp the concepts or ideas of liberals and Democrats. I just thought it had a catchy theme song. I also recognized Mr. Drummond (Conrad Bain) from”Diff’rent Strokes”, another childhood favorite with a catchy theme song. Through "Nick at Night," I watched and fell in love with another show with; you got it, a catchy theme song (starting to see a pattern yet?) which was “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” which featured Betty White as a “Blanche Devereaux” type character in the role of Susan Nivens. To this day, I still can remember all the words to this theme song. For added trivia Harold Gould, the actor that played Miles Webber, or for you true fans Nicholas Carbone, on the “Golden Girls” was also in two episodes of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” He also appeared in one of the early season episodes of the “Golden Girls” as Arnie Peterson.

The “Golden Girls” was one of the many shows that my father considered too racy for my viewing. I always doubted his rating scale until I started to actually get all of the jokes and double entendres that saturated almost every episode. Due to his attempted blocking of my viewing of the show I devised a fail-safe plan to ensure I always got to watch. Saturday night was a family night to watch television and I was usually sent to bed right before the show aired. During one of the shows deemed appropriate, I would feign being asleep, usually with my face turned away from the television (this added to the allure of sleep) and when I was sure my parents believed I was sleep I’d turn around hoping it would appear that I was just moving around in my sleep. I know it sounds hokey but it always worked. I would use this same strategy on Friday evenings so that I could watch “Dallas” and “Miami Vice.” The key was remembering not to laugh aloud during the “Golden Girls” or gasp at whatever foolishness was being displayed on “Dallas.”

The “Golden Girls” changed my expectations and challenged my thinking on older people and the possibilities of what the elderly could accomplish and the quality of life they could have at that time in their lives. I always thought that as an older person the best you could expect was grandchildren, shuffleboard (whatever that is), church functions, knitting, false teeth, strange smells, dementia and of course death. The television show portrayed the aged as fun, interesting, lively people who dated, took fun trips, whose friendships were vital to their survival and ate junk food (cheesecake). These were people I could identify with; these were people I would hang out with. I learned several years ago that my granddaddy watched the show. I never would have guessed that it would be something that he would have enjoyed but when I thought about it, it made sense. Why wouldn’t someone want to watch something that portrayed them as their best selves - at the peak of what they could be and should aspire to? I’m always encouraged by stories of people with health challenges that go on to do extraordinary things despite their health restraints and simply sometimes it’s just good to laugh at one’s self - these things can be inspiring. I was talking to a good friend recently about the show, which is probably the reason for this writing, and we discussed our favorite lines, episodes and just memories of watching the show at certain periods of our lives. I have fond memories of watching the show with my cousin (who’d kill me for merely mentioning her name) and our excitement when it would be an episode with a long version of the theme song - again with the theme song, I know. We figured out that if we saw the plane at the beginning it would be the version we loved. Yes that is sad and probably pathetic but it does not make it any less true.

I can’t end this without highlighting a few great quotes from the show. Here are a few of my favorites.

Rose Nylund: Can I ask a dumb question?
Dorothy Zbornak: Better than anyone I know.

Blanche Devereaux: This is strictly off the record but Dirk is nearly five years younger than I am.
Dorothy Zbornak: In what, Blanche, dog years?

Sophia Petrillo: Esther Weinstock is dead. We grew up together, she was my best friend.
Dorothy Zbornak: I'm so sorry. What happened?
Sophia Petrillo: [sarcastically] She was fighting an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico.
[agitated]
Sophia Petrillo: SHE WAS 88!
Rose Nylund: Well, it's great that she was able to work right up to the end.

Blanche Devereaux: What was your first impression of me?
Rose Nylund: I thought you wore too much makeup and were a slut. I was wrong. You don't wear too much makeup.

Rose Nylund: You don't understand. Everyone likes me-I'm the nice one! Dorothy is the smart one, Blanche is the sexy one, Sophia is the old one, and I'm the nice one! EVERYBODY likes me!
Sophia Petrillo: The old one isn't so crazy about you.

Miles Webber: I'm a college professor, Rose. What did you think when I said I taught Hemingway?
Rose Nylund: I thought you were old.

Hat’s off to great show with great characters and phenomenal actresses.

*some names have been substituted*

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