Behind the Scenes of The Golden Girls: Secrets from the Set You Didn’t Know
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of the legendary TV show The Golden Girls. The show, which aired from 1985 to 1992, became an instant classic and continues to be beloved by fans around the world. Even now, more than 30 years after the final episode aired, people still talk about The Golden Girls, a show that originally wasn’t expected to last beyond its first season!
Stan Zimmerman, a staff writer for Season 1 of The Golden Girls, recently sat down with Newsner to share some insider stories about the making of the show. What he revealed will make you see the show in a whole new light—there are some behind-the-scenes moments you’ve probably never heard before!
Estelle Getty: The Heart of the Show
Everyone remembers Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, the feisty and hilarious character who delivered some of the best one-liners on TV. But according to Stan Zimmerman, Estelle was so much more than the character she played. In fact, he remembers her not for her famous zingers, but for her warmth and kindness.
“I was so excited that she was coming over to talk to me and my writing partner, Jim,” Zimmerman recalled, thinking back to when Estelle first approached him. “She came over and said, ‘I’m so small, come here, come here!’” Estelle’s playful nature immediately caught their attention, and soon they were following her backstage.
“She told us, ‘Your secret is safe with me,’” Zimmerman continued. “I thought she was talking about our personal lives. We were gay, and she’d been introduced to many LGBT people through the Torch Song Trilogy show.”
Back in 1985, it wasn’t easy being openly gay, especially on a major TV set. Zimmerman explained that their managers advised them to keep their personal lives quiet while working on the show. But Estelle was different. “She was prepared to stand by us and keep our secret, which was really nice and comforting,” Zimmerman said.
Estelle Getty’s Maternal Side
While viewers knew Estelle for her tough-guy persona on-screen, she had a much softer, more nurturing side off-screen. Zimmerman remembered how Estelle always made him and his colleagues feel cared for, asking about their lives long after the show ended.
“She had a very motherly quality,” Zimmerman shared. “Even after I stopped writing for Golden Girls, we would still talk on the phone. She’d ask, ‘Who are you dating? Where are you working?’ She was always ready to offer advice.”
Although Estelle played the oldest Golden Girl, she was actually younger than Bea Arthur and Betty White! To make her look older, the makeup artists had to apply a lot of makeup. Zimmerman even joked, “I think she had a facelift between seasons one and two. We were all wondering, ‘Why does she look better?’”
Estelle’s Struggles Behind the Scenes
As much as Estelle was adored by fans, Zimmerman recalled that the actress struggled behind the scenes due to early onset dementia, which wasn’t known at the time. “We didn’t know what was going on with her,” he explained. “But she was really worried about forgetting her lines in front of a live audience. And those Friday night tapings were very stressful for her.”
Zimmerman and his colleagues did everything they could to help Estelle through the tough times. “She told me she was going to therapy several times a week,” he revealed. “Most people on the set didn’t know that. They thought she was out partying every night in Hollywood. But in reality, she was at home studying her lines.”
The writers took special steps to help Estelle during filming. “We wrote her lines on her hands, and sometimes we taped them to furniture,” Zimmerman said. “We also had cue cards for her in later years.”
Despite her challenges, Estelle always delivered top-notch performances. “Every time she delivered her lines, it was like a home run,” Zimmerman said. “She had this incredible ability to knock it out of the park.”
Betty White’s Tough Love
Interestingly, Zimmerman didn’t have the best first impression of Betty White. He recalled that Betty would sometimes make jokes about Estelle Getty in front of the studio audience when Estelle struggled with her lines. “She’d crack jokes while Estelle was trying to remember her lines,” Zimmerman said. “I thought it was unkind at the time.”
However, over time, Zimmerman realized Betty might have been trying to ease the tension. “Looking back, I think she was just trying to give Estelle some time to regroup. She’d go over to the audience to get their attention and allow Estelle to collect herself,” Zimmerman reflected.
Zimmerman also mentioned the occasional tension between Bea Arthur and Betty White. “There were whispers of personality clashes between Bea and Betty,” he said. “Bea was a stage actress, and she didn’t like it when Betty broke character or interacted with the audience during a scene.”
The Golden Girls: A Legacy of Gratitude
One thing that truly set The Golden Girls apart was the genuine respect and appreciation the cast had for the writers. “I have to thank those four women for always crediting the writers during interviews,” Zimmerman said. “They would mention us on almost every talk show. That’s something you don’t see very often in Hollywood.”
And despite what some people think, the women never ad-libbed their lines! “They said every word exactly as we wrote it,” Zimmerman explained. “What we wrote was what they said. No improvisation!”
Stan Zimmerman shared all these fascinating details in his book The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, which takes readers behind the scenes of The Golden Girls and other famous TV shows.
Today, Zimmerman is also touring with his play Right Before I Go, which is based on the heartbreaking suicide of a close friend 13 years ago. It’s a moving story that showcases his deep talent as both a writer and a storyteller.
What do you think of these behind-the-scenes stories? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
