40 Years of 'The Golden Girls': Learning More Secrets from the Lanai
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| Art by Jenna Louise |
If you've been following me closely on social media during these last several months, I may have given the impression that my sole fandom surrounds all things horror (particularly that of the R.L. Stine variety).
But you would be mistaken. The Golden Girls remains to be one of my favorite TV shows of all-time. My relationship with the iconic NBC sitcom has evolved over the years (as one should with a great and timeless show). As a child, it was the funny show about older ladies I watched in reruns with my grandmother at her house – and later, first-run episodes on Saturday nights as a preteen. In my 20s, it was the show I collected on DVD to tap into my 80s nostalgia and revisit the comedy through a slightly different lens.
And in my late 30s and early 40s, it has become something else entirely. As I approach (gulp) middle-age as a writer and as someone who has worked in entertainment for over 20 years, I watch The Golden Girls with a renewed appreciation and respect. Sure, nostalgia is still a factor, but for the most part, it is now a clearer blueprint for how my loved ones and I can live our lives after a certain age. It also helps that a majority of its episodes hold up extremely well, tackling topics that can easily be applied to storylines in 2025.
While I could list all the memorabilia I own – board games, books, glassware, T-shirts, finger puppets, to name a few – I'll save that inventory for another time and, instead, focus on the show's 40th anniversary this year and all the festivities celebrating this milestone.
Many things have been written and discussed about the show since it premiered on September 14, 1985 – from its pioneering premise that laid out the blueprint for shows like Sex and the City and Hot in Cleveland and its enduring appeal across generations (especially gay men)...to the on-set tension between stars Bea Arthur and Betty White that's been covered ad nauseam in the media. But I've always remained open to learning more about the show's history and other trivia that other fans can appreciate.
Earlier this summer, I attended a special panel at NeueHouse Hollywood celebrating The Golden Girls 40th Anniversary, hosted by Pride LIVE! Hollywood, "the ultimate LGBTQ+ pop culture festival" founded by authors Jim Colucci and Frank DeCaro and the team behind Infinity Festival Hollywood. The special event included a 45-minute clip package highlighting all of the queer themes and stories that were showcased throughout the sitcom's seven-year run. It was followed by a discussion panel moderated by Colucci, who wrote the comprehensive Golden Girls Forever ("an Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai"). Guest panelists included story editor Rick Copp, script supervisor Isabel Omero, casting director Joel Thurm, co-producer Jim Vallely, writer Stan Zimmerman, and co-producer Marsha Posner Williams.
Throughout the funny and insightful discussion, several things were revealed – tidbits that this die-hard fan never knew about!
Cher almost guest-starred as Dorothy's sister-in-law
In the Season 7 episode "Ebbtide's Revenge," Dorothy's never-seen, cross-dressing brother, Phil, passes away from a heart attack. While the funeral is held in Miami, Sophia's strained relationship with Phil's wife, Angela (played by Brenda Vaccaro), comes to a boil, leading to a poignant moment that deals with guilt and shame. Angela was written with Cher in mind, but apparently, the Oscar-winning actress didn't respond to producers when they sent her the script.
But fans will remember that Cher's presence was felt earlier in the show, particularly during the Season 5 episode, "An Illegitimate Concern," when Dorothy impersonated the singer alongside Sophia's version of Sonny Bono for a Shady Pines mother-daughter pageant. And then, in 2022, Cher herself performed the show's theme song during Celebrating Betty White, an NBC special that honored the late actress. (Perhaps this was her attempt to make up for missing out on that guest-starring role.)
The opening titles were kind of a fluke
Many know by now that the instantly recognizable theme song was sung by Cindy Fee – recorded in one single take – a cover of "Thank You For Being a Friend," the 1978 single originally performed by Andrew Gold. However, co-producer Marsha Posner Williams was responsible for the show's footage that accompanied the tune, creating a main titles sequence that has been parodied and mimicked throughout the years.
The show received several pitches from companies that specialized in producing and designing main titles for sitcoms. Concepts involved shooting the actresses on location and getting helicopter shots of popular Miami landmarks. These ideas came with a hefty price tag, so Williams thought she'd save executive producer Tony Thomas some money.
"We had four episodes in the can," she recalls. "Why don't you just let me take all the raw footage into an edit bay with the song and let me just fuck around with all the material, and he said 'Okay, go ahead.' And for the first time in the history of my relationship with Tony Thomas, which was long and storied, frame for frame, what I came out with was what went on the air for forty years." The cost: a very affordable $2,500.
Eagle-eyed fans like myself will also notice that, after Season 4, some shots in the opening titles were changed, particularly the ones featuring Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. "I was very offended by it," says Williams.
There was more to Coco the cook
After the LGBTQ+ moments of the show were highlighted during the event, attendees were treated to a never-before-seen version of the pilot episode that gave Coco, the ladies' gay live-in housekeeper and cook, more screen time.
Played by Charles Levin, the character was eventually cut from the show because Sophia — initially meant to be a recurring role — was so popular that they made Estelle Getty a regular; unfortunately for Levin, that meant he had to be cut.
All 7 seasons of The Golden Girls (and one season of its spinoff The Golden Palace) are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
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