S8 E6 - Golden Girls Extra Sugar: The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship

As we begin to close out our “The Golden Girls” coverage (cue all the tears), we were THRILLED to learn about a special episode of ABC’s “20/20” celebrating the 40th anniversary of the show! We knew it was our responsibility - nay, duty - to report back to “ST&TV’ about it. 

Let’s chat about the highlights of this true love letter to the fans, including the things that surprised us! The things that didn’t. And what we wish we could’ve gotten a little more of!

As Cindy Fee would sing, thank you for being a friend!

Or listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music.

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Transcript

ABC and Hulu have a Golden Girls special coming out on November 11

Hey, Nikki.

Hey, Salina.

And hey, y'. All. And welcome to this week's Extra Sugar. So, okay, we learned that ABC and Hulu, I guess they, like, teamed up. I don't really know. It doesn't really matter.

I think they are, like, owned by the same parent company. Abc, Disney, Hulu are all part of.

The same umbrella, so they're always teaming up.

I think that's right.

And I feel like I should probably know that. But here we are.

any.

Any. Who's.

Any.

Who's he? Anyhow, they, did a special on Golden Girls. And this is, the Golden Girls. 40 years of laughter and friendship. And we knew that this was going to be a worthy detour. So this was not initially planned. We didn't really know anything about it until a few weeks ago. But we shuffled some stuff around and came together to talk about this special. What?

That sounds so strategic. We moved some things around. We had plenty of plans. All the plans we did. I'm,

Like, we're just shuffle around, like, four episodes.

Okay, fair point. Fair point.

And now y' all know. Ooh, more behind the scenes, I'm sure. That's so exciting. But anyways, so if you missed it, it premiered on Tuesday, November 11th. I did, because I got home, I had it in my phone to watch. Oh, got home. I got distracted by food.

Oh, sure.

And then, like, halfway through dinner, I went, no. And there was only ten minutes left.

so, I can't watch live tv. We don't have cable of any kind. So I knew I was gonna have to watch it on Hulu afterwards.

I see. What made me mad is, like. Well, like. But at that moment, it wouldn't let me rewind. We had to wait until later. Yes. And so I couldn't immediately start it. That was very frustrating to me. But what I'm getting to really here is it is streaming on Hulu, and that is where you can watch it if you would like to see it. And as the name implies, the special is in celebration of the 40th year since it premiered. Also the 40th year since Nikki and I premiered on hulu.

This is 40 years of laughter from us, too.

Laughter and something. So I don't know. There is something about that being the same. I don't know. I've thought about it a little bit, and I've also felt very 40. So here we are.

but we're still not as old as the Golden Girls.

Not yet. Although I think I can't remember if I said this in one of the episodes that we've done, or if I've just said it elsewhere, but, like, people keep dragging down the ages because they think it's so, you know, weird that, you know, they were only this age or this age. And, like, I've seen a couple that are like, I mean, they're basically only 40. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. No one was 40.

Blanche claimed 40, but she was a full decade older than that.

That's right. In one year.

Yep. And one year.

And one year. so it'll be here eventually for us, but it's not here yet. You know what I'm saying?

There were a lot of notable participants in this special Golden Girls segment

I do.

I know we're going to talk more about everything that this special segment entailed, but for what it's worth, and just to frame things up here at the top, you know, it was really like a hodgepodge of old, old and new interviews. I had show clips, behind the scenes footage, and it gave us, a taste of how the show lives on today. there were a lot of notable participants. We had Cheryl Lee, Ralph, who is of many fame, but also of Designing Women fame. Kelly Ripa, Lorraine Cox, Pamela Adlin, Erica Alexander, former guest stars, George Clooney. Ever heard of them? And Mario Lopez. And then we also had show creator Susan Harris was there, as well as several other writers, producers, and members of the crew. I do have them written down. If you want me to go through all of them, you just let me know. Nikki.

I'm good. I think you meant Laverne Cox, though.

What did I say?

Lorraine, from the last episode we were talking about.

Yep. Thank you so much.

Of course.

I bet you I definitely got that mixed up while maybe preparing for those two episodes back to back.

Do you know? I'm sure. Do you know, the one that surprised me in terms of, like, the, the others was Jim Kaluchy, who is the author of this book that we're gonna read for the next Extra Sugar.

Yeah. So I, I did. I did actually call him out separately. I was going to because of that book.

Surprised me. I didn't put two and two together as quickly as I should have.

Now, were you upset that they didn't call us since we have a Golden Girls podcast?

I had. I had the call out for that later, too. I have a section at the end. Salina, just so you know, called, a couple of personal follow ups for me. I had items I had to research afterwards.

Oh, I'm so excited.

that was one of them.

Well, so Nikki and I couldn't make it in as the podcasters, you know, but Patrick Hines and, Jennifer, Simmered made it, so. Good for them.

Good for them. I'm glad they were able to work out that scheduling. We couldn't move things around.

Yeah, we're both. We already moved it around for this episode.

Yep.

Busy, busy bees. There were also some pop culture experts. I mean, all to say, there's a lot of people who love the Golden Girls a lot, who continue to love the Golden Girls a lot, and they were there to talk about it.

So what I want to do before we jump into our Watch Party notes are some numbers

So what I want to do before we jump into our Watch Party notes and Nikki, that's where you'll come in, is I'm going to drop a few numbers on you. It's literally two, but.

Oh, it's too. Too many.

No math for you.

Okay.

Yes. But, this is just a reminder that Golden Girls was, and it's always been, a beloved TV series. And I think these numbers help. So you may have mentioned this in our season opener, so I'm so sorry if you did, but the number of viewers for the pilot was 21.5 million. That means nearly half of every television set that was on that night was watching Golden Girls on a Saturday night, no less. So pretty amazing. And then it's been heavily syndicated for decades, but it's also been streamed over 1 billion hours globally on Hulu.

I don't find that that impressive. I think, like, half of that's me, so. No, it's so funny that this isn't my nighttime programming. I've realized I really should make this like, this should replace King of Queens for. Have probably streamed king of queens 1 billion hours. but yeah, no, I. I just.

Does it count while you're sleeping?

Yes.

Okay.

It is astounding to me the influence that this show continues to have. It's not, I don't think it's unearned. It's just surprising after 40 years how much it continues to resonate with people.

Yes. And like, people you wouldn't expect.

Yeah.

And I love that kind of thing.

Yeah.

So I know, like, one of the people, they kept have the showing a couple of times was like, I, can't remember his name, but it's Ice Cube, son.

Oh.

And. And I really love that.

So that's nice.

Yeah. Because they're just. They're just lovable, you know?

Love the old ladies.

Absolutely.

For this Watch Party, we'll talk about our top three moments

You ready to go into some Watch Party Notes?

You know, I am, because I. Shut up.

You looked at me expectantly. This is where I pick up the cue. so the first thing we want to talk about is our. This is a little different than we've been doing our main episodes. For the this Watch Party, we're going to talk about, like, our top three moments, our biggest surprises, and then we'll think a little bit as producers. So in thinking about our top three moments, what you got, Salina?

This is the first thing again, I laugh at Watch Party notes because I'm like, well, first thing we did is we watched in isolation.

We watched asynchronously in our respective locations.

That's right.

I wasn't available on Tuesday night to watch the second half of it with.

You the last 10 minutes. That's how I missed it. I kind of. I bucketed my top three moments into, like, more, like, categories of things that stuck with me.

I like the clips of celebrities talking about how much they love Golden Girls

So the first thing that I have is the bookends of the show. So I really like the clips of all the different celebrities talking about how much they love the show. I like the different celebrities answering which Golden Girl they are.

Yeah.

because we're all Dorothy's. That's what it boils down to. Yes. With the exception, of, like, Laverne Cox. Everyone. M. Else is Dorothy and I. It's a little surprising, even from, like, Kelly Ripa, you know?

Yeah.

then at the end, we get to hear about all the, the podcast, the Golden Con, the stage shows, the stores, the merch. It's really exactly what you were just saying. That that light, that shelf life of Golden Girls is eternal. And, I liked Mark Cherry's comment about hoping all four ladies were somewhere out there in the universe, looking down at how much they're still beloved with the light and surprise. I thought that was really sweet. Yeah. Mark Cherry also has a connection back to Designing Women because he started out as Dixie. Ah, Carter's assistant. and then I like to sell Gettys. This is also like LinkedIn. Towards the end, they have a clip of her saying, don't stop cooking. Don't stop gardening, don't stop sex. Especially don't stop sex, because if you don't use it, you lose it. And I was like, she's a little Sophia. and then the final screen where they introduce all of them one by one and call their names out, and it's a shot of them from behind in, like, the director's chairs. And one by one, like, I'm getting chills just saying it right now. It signs their names on the back.

Oh.

And it's Just so precious.

It's just real sweet. Yeah.

I really appreciated how they framed the Golden Girls alongside its contemporaries

What's. What's your first top moment?

I really appreciated how they framed the Golden Girls alongside its contemporaries sort of in the mid-80s time period. Family Ties, Growing Pains, Dynasty. I feel like we've touched on that here. But it was really helpful to see it side by side with the other things that were really popular at the time, just for, like, comparison's sake, just to see how different this show was from everything else that it was competing against. And you almost can see why 24 million TVs were watching this, because they're like, what in the world are they gonna do with four older women in Miami that's going to be worth my time? And it was just sort of amazing how different it was from all the other programming.

And the answer is everything.

Everything.

Yeah, that's. That's a really. That's a really good takeaway. and I remember, like, I think somebody said it was like the first show to do that, and I real quickly Googled that because. And there were people who argued that it wasn't. And they had some. Where there was four technical female leads. But it sort of reminded me of the conversation we had about older women in Hollywood. And, like, a lot of the ones that they were mentioning were ensemble casts, and so they weren't really strictly for female leads the way that this is. And it just truly is a one of a kind.

Yeah.

This week's Golden Girls episode addressed a number of social issues

So my second is, again, categorically is, I thought was a nice matchup, a nice compliment, if you will, to this week's main episode, because there sort of was this whole thematic thing going on about, like, when the Golden Girls get serious, you know.

Yeah.

Which is threaded in. I know this is going to feature, I would imagine, heavily in your, thoughts as well. So jump in or push me down whenever you'd like. and, and let me know, how this, like, different things hit you as well. But, you know, it was really nice to hear people from the show underscore what we were just talking about.

They.

Again, earlier this week, they didn't initially intend to bring up a bunch of social issues. One of the people, one of the writers, I think, said that really just that there is life beyond a certain age and you can create family. You know, that whole idea of film family that we've talked about. But then as time went on, they quickly realized that they had the right platform and the right messengers to do more. So I liked hearing people who were part of the show talk about that. and kind of confirm the things that, you know, we've already been talking about here and talking.

Oh, go ahead. I was going to say I feel like I have it somewhere else in my notes, but I also know that I think it was Susan Harris who said at one point, like, I felt like I had a responsibility to start to address some of these issues. So I also think it's a nice reminder of how malleable these things are. So they started out, which is, like, ostensibly a social issue, to remind people that old people matter and old people are still a part of society. So it starts out as sort of addressing this social construct that they're trying to sort of push, back against or whatever. But then as they realize it has teeth, but then using that platform and using that voice that it gave them to tell even more stories, I thought that was, a nice way of summarizing the intent of the show and where it ended up going over time.

Yeah. And I'm not sure we've talked about this or not. Maybe I just read it somewhere else. I would have tell you that some of this stuff is running together because we are really going at quite a clip through the show. And all of these stand back at a thousand paces and let's talk about it kind of, you know, aspects.

Susan Harris wrote this show when she was around our age

but she also. She being Susan Harris, also talked about how she didn't like to write for young people, because she liked to write from someone who lived, about people who live some life. And from that perspective, which was very interesting. And I think she was around our age when she was writing this show, which is. I mean, you know, she's writing people who are older than her, and I think that's, interesting. I really like that they brought up the immigration episode specifically right now. We talked about that in our main episode as well. I, mean, I think about how disheartening it is that there's been so little change. But I actually was going to say, though, if I was going to. I wish they had pushed a little bit more in this, given the current environment. I'm curious what wound up on the cutting room floor. I almost expected it to be a little bit, I don't know if edgier is the right word. Maybe pointed. Yeah, just a little bit more pointed. And then they specifically brought up the episode where Blanche's brother gets married and Sophia's. Sophia's, line, everyone wants someone to grow old with, and shouldn't everyone have that chance? So one of the writer producers said they Got a lot of mail, much of it positive, but. But the ones that were extremely ugly and mean, like, they also got a bunch of those too. And that the, you know, it struck a nerve, you know, and the co host, I think, of the Golden Girls Deep Dive podcast commented that it was this episode and the way the show handled it is one of the reasons, one of the many reasons, but a strong reason why they have also such a strong LGBTQ fan base.

I appreciated the character by character approach that they took on this special

What else did you have? For talk show moments?

I appreciated the character by character approach that they took. So they kind of walked you through each of the characters and then talked about them. I think it made me feel very much at home, the way we've been approaching our podcast this season. But there were some standout pieces about each of the characters that I, pulled out. So on Blanche, and I feel like maybe this was. I didn't write the person's name down. I feel like maybe it was Tony Thomas. I think it like a producer on the show who said, Blanche was the sexy one, but I never agreed with that. She's just honest and self confident, and he sort of talks a little bit about how, she gets reduced to the sexy one, but really there's so much more to her, and it really is just this woman owning herself at a certain age. And I appreciated that.

Did you appreciate it because you had that same comment in our Blanche episode? Yes, yes.

And this is what I'm saying.

Like, you felt. You felt seen.

I felt seen. And I hate that we were so busy when they were taping this special that they couldn't talk to us.

Oh, it's tough, isn't it? Look how. Look how well spoken we are.

So good. So good.

I m barely tripped over myself.

I. When they talked about Sophia, this is the first time I learned that Sophia was a representation of Susan Harris's grandmother. I don't think I'd ever heard that. they gave credit to Jay Sandrich, the TV director and screenwriter, for coming up with the idea for, Betty and Rue to switch roles, where Betty would play Rose and Rue would play Blanche. That's different than the version that Rue told in her book.

Yeah, I feel like I've heard, like, 10 different versions now. Yes.

I. When they talked about Bea Arthur and Dorothy, they said, Bea Arthur didn't like that. We all chewed gum. She said, you all look like cows. Felt like a very Dorothy thing to say. But then she also applauded them after she read an early script. So, like, she walked in thinking, these young writers don't know anything. But then when they delivered her something of substance, she gave them their due and appreciated that for them. and then two other things about each of the characters. They mentioned again how Estelle was, like, to the point of writing lines on her hand at one point in the show, and they could see it on camera. And they showed a quote from Betty White where she said, we were watching, watching it happen, and it hurt. And she got teary eyed. And I thought that was, a nice reminder that these ladies had become friends over time and they were sort of like family. and then there was a comment about, Bea Arthur's final speech is Dorothy. The comment was, her final speech isn't the most poetic, it isn't the most articulate, but it doesn't have to be. And the rest of the context around that was that almost. It was almost, off the cuff. It was almost improvised in certain pieces. Like, I don't think she read it exactly as it was written. I think she read it the way she felt like it needed to be read. And I just appreciated that we got to see each of the characters and each of the actors get their own moment in the spotlight and learn these little things about them.

Yeah, that, that was really lovely. I'm sitting here wondering if, it was written at all that she ran back in twice.

I can't remember.

You're seeing me pause.

I can't remember if we've heard that or not.

Yeah, I don't know. Maybe someone wants to tell us.

It's probably in the book we're gonna read next week for extra sugar.

Just haven't gotten there. I don't know. I will tell you. I got to the episode by episode breakdown, and I skipped ahead because I was like, oh, we're doing it for every episode. Grandma needs a break. let's see what the lanai set was like. I'll get back to it, Nikki. I'll get back to it.

Okay, you've got time.

I really like the behind the scenes footage from this film

my last one for this category. I categorize this one as behind the scenes. And I just really like the behind the scenes footage. I would have liked much more of that. I liked learning about their schedule, like, kind of that nitty gritty stuff, like the camera blocking on Thursdays. They were taping on Fridays, and I just. All I could think about is like, omg, what would that have been like to sit in that audience? You know? it's. It's wild to see Estelle in that setting without her wig.

Yeah.

And she's, like, rocking the red hair.

Yeah.

You know.

Yeah. She looks very different.

Very different. and then, you know, you mentioned this as well, but they're talking about what happened with Estelle Getty off camera, and she was toughing it out. But, you know, their reflections are heavy. But it's also, like, a reminder of, again, the strength of her performance. And, you know, again, like, also, I think it's that age, people, that generation, they just limped along. I mean, let me be clear. I've seen you limp along. I know I've limped along, but, man, they really could do it.

Yeah.

On a whole different level. So I'm not saying that's the right thing to do. I'm just saying. Dang, they did it really well.

Yeah.

I also really liked the vintage interview clips they pulled together for Extra Sugar

is there anything else in these big moments for you?

I think, along the lines of what you're mentioning. I also really liked the vintage interview clips they pulled together. On a, personal level, that's been really challenging for me, as I've been doing research on whatever character we're doing for Extra Sugar. Finding quotes from the actor about being on set, about their time in the role, about the character. That's been hard. So I loved seeing that sort of vintage interview stuff that they pulled. I thought it was a really nice way to bring in the voices of the ladies, knowing they couldn't be there.

Yeah, that was. It was really special. I thought also that, you know, so we, See. Look how well spoken I am. Biggest surprises. can I go ahead and tee one up? Because it's really an addendum to something you already talked about. So this is about how young all the writers were, so. Yes. Yep. Susan Harris. Our age. That's true. But a lot of these kids were in their late 20s. M. And what a crazy spot to be in. And they're all like, we're a bunch of nerds, is basically what they said. And then these four rock stars walk in, and we're like, what are we supposed to do? And it was really. I don't know. I thought. I just thought it was really funny because you already mentioned Dorothy's lines, but the one that really got me was apparently, one of the writers said, just give us 30 days, and if it doesn't work, you can get rid of us. And Betty White is the one who said, okay, 30 days and not one more, darling. Yep.

That would be such an intimidating group of women to walk into as a young writer.

Yes.

That would be so intimidating of a group to walk into in any circumstance. But as the person responsible for putting the words in their mouths. Oh, I can't even imagine.

Can I tell you that, like, my dream.

Tell me.

My dream is to be an intimidating woman. I want someone to come in the room and be intimidated by me. That's all. And I'll turn out to be nice.

You'll be like Bea Arthur. Hard on the outside, but soft on the inside.

That's right. Instead of like, Betty White in the opposite. Yep. M. So speaking of, that was, my next big surprise. Is that on your list at all?

It is. Yeah.

Okay.

And there was a quote. No matter what age you are, people get angry, People get hurt, People get lonely. Someone said that. I think they were talking about the genesis of the show and, like, why it worked for so many different people. But to me, that sort of tracks with the people being in their twenties. It doesn't really. The issues are all the same whether you're in your 20s or you're in your 80s or 70s.

I thought that was so smart. And then you kind of got the other secret sauce of the show. Right. That they weren't like, I'm gonna write about my bunions right today.

Although I can write about that if anyone needs to. Me too.

Same.

And bunions are not gross. They're not infectious. They're not contagious. Muscular. A bone deformity.

Yeah. Some of us were born with them.

Yes.

Maybe she's born with it.

Maybe it's bunionish.

Susan Harris, who plays Betty White, looks stunning on screen

So you want to know my other big surprise?

I do.

It was hearing and seeing freaking Susan Harris. Okay. Because when I mentioned her in my Betty White extra sugar. So in my extra sugar, I did like those women who were sort of behind the scenes in Hollywood. And one of the things I mentioned about Susan Harris was that she tends to keep a low profile. So as soon as she showed up on screen, I nerded out so much. So much. I loved that they shared some of her backstory. They mentioned she was a single mom when she started writing for TV. I was shocked that she's gonna be 85 on her next birthday.

She's very beautiful. I want to be clear. That doesn't not matter.

My notes say looks aren't everything. In fact, they don't matter. That said, she looked incredible.

Yeah. She just, like, she. When, I mean, especially, like, even when she was in her 40s. Like, she looked like she could be, like, a catalog model or something.

Very pretty.

Chic. Like, very chic looking. There's something sophistic. It's more than. It's. There's like a presence there.

Yeah. almost like she could produce and write one of the most influential sitcoms of all time.

But she's pretty.

She's so beautiful.

so. So do we.

Do we want to talk about Bea Arthur and Betty's tense relationship

Do we want to talk about Bea Arthur and Betty's tense relationship, or we. Are we comfortable doing that?

We can. Yes. And I put it in the category of what would I have changed if I were the producer here?

Oh, okay.

Because I would have explored that a little bit more.

Okay. and I wasn't sure there was. I'm. I guess I just take things at face value and, just assume that was all there was.

And there's like. So like you said earlier, you've heard one story, like, 10 times. It's like this little tribble. Triple. Triple. What is the word?

Trickle, Little trickle, a little treble clef.

Their relationship is trickling out little by little. So it was always sort of rumored that things were spicy amongst them and never really came much of that. And then, like, a couple years ago, there was this whole story about Bea running into Betty at the grocery store, leaving, calling her the C word. And then more, even more has trickled out since, since then about their relationship. So, I think there's more to be said. I am so curious why we're not saying it. Just say it.

She called her a countess. She called her a collector.

All the C words. All of them. Well, a caring individual.

What, that one?

That one.

yeah. So I just need to say, because I didn't pay attention to Golden Girls lore, I, I. There's, like, a note that you can find somewhere from me to Nikki in a document that said, did you know this? It was about the two of them not getting along well. To which probably Nikki laughed at me from her home, and that's okay. and. And so we knew we were going to talk about this. I think we had it saved for later. But because it did take up a significant portion of the show, it just felt so weird to me to not say anything. But I also wanted to be like, if you don't want to, we don't have to.

It's funny you say it took up a significant portion, because I feel like it could have been so much more.

So I think what I mean is, like, this is a pretty, A sunshiny show.

Yes.

You know what I'm saying? It's. And that's why, like, I'll get into it, like, if I Were the producer. But I also understand why not. Like, this was supposed to be a celebration. So I think they wanted to rise above the gossip. You and I are like, take me into that gossip town.

You know, I just want to go to gossip town. I just want to get into the tea.

Want two tickets to paradise?

Is that it? Ah.

There was a running gag that Dorothy would smack Rose over the course of series

I want to know, like, this grocery store story that keeps getting told. What happened? Like, did Betty grab the last can of pumpkin puree at Thanksgiving? Did she pretend not to know? B. Did she use her star power to cut in line and then have 12 items and the 10 items or less, aisle or line? Like, what was the deal?

Or did, like, Golden Girls come up and something on set, like, got, you know, like, just pressing on something, you know, that was already circulating.

Yeah.

yeah. I don't know. Who was the woman that. Do you remember who she was talking. She was like. She called me about it. She told her to, like, write a letter and burn it. Don't write a letter. Yeah. I wasn't sure who that. I couldn't remember who it was. And I'm sorry. I didn't have time to go.

I don't think I wrote it down.

But, like, I. I don't know. That stood out to me. you know, the smacking thing stood out to me. They said that, yeah, there was, like, the running gag over the course of the show that Dorothy would smack Rose. But those hits got harder and harder over the course of the series.

I think that that was for dramatic effect. What they're them saying that they got harder and harder throughout the series. I think she played it up more and more. I don't think it became more aggressive. I think it just ran. It rang, funny to the audience, so she just like. And as they got more comfortable, it got more dramatic.

Okay. I didn't believe that when they showed them. They did look like they got harder, but, like, I don't know what order they were in. And there was some. They're like. Like, near the face. I gotta tell you, even in an acting thing, that might be the thing that pushes me over the edge. Because anything around the face or head. Ruh. Row.

That's why it was Bea doing it to Betty and not the other way around. Because I think if Betty had done that, Bea would have freaked out. And I think what I'm reading about Betty White is that she was willing to take things if it just meant that we could keep moving along and get the work done.

Yeah. You know, one of the things I think is really? So there's this.

One of the things that also comes out is this screaming match on set

One of the things that also comes out is this screaming match on set. Right. And it is. I. It's really hard for me to imagine Betty White screaming.

I was really curious. So I think this came up in, Estelle Getty's book too. I think she mentions this fight they had.

So it's funny because I didn't remember her mentioning the fight. Now I read that book real fast and it's. But she mentions the calendar.

Yeah.

And so that's the part I remember. And I was like, oh, that's funny. I don't remember her mentioning the fight. So I'm glad that you remembered that. But I may be.

I had the same thought. Like, I can't imagine Betty White yelling at someone. And so in Estelle's version, it's a very sanitized version of a fight. Here it felt more aggressive.

Yes. I. I think the other thing.

Is, you know, and Maybe even Rue McClanahan was the one that mentioned it in her book, or maybe both of them did.

Are you saying that all of the books are running together for you now? Now that you've read like 12.

Yes. there was a fight. That's all we know.

Right. I was also like thinking, like, just it's similar to what you're. Like, what happened in the grocery store? Well, like the broader approach, like, what is it between these two women? And the only thing I could really come up with was like, it sounds like B was serious and Betty was a ham.

Yeah.

You know, and that didn't vibe well between them, especially with rehearsals. And I mean, it's not like I came up with this. They were talking about that. But that was the thing I think that struck me is like, you could see that difference. If someone really is like A. I'm not that they weren't both consummate professionals, but if someone really is like at that point where they want to be more serious and someone is coming in and like joking around with the audience, I. I can see those two personalities bumping up against each other.

I think that there several times through many things I've read, I know this. They talk a lot about how Betty was America's sweetheart and she was like the sunshine and roses one. She was the one that won the first Emmy. She was the beloved one. When they came out on stage to take their bows, she was the one that people would scream for. Like, I think there were several things that compounded over time to a point where Bea just didn't want to be around her anymore.

Yeah. Jealousy.

I think that had a lot to do with it.

Yes. I think they were saying that without saying it. Yeah. In the episode. And so I, you know, if you put that together with, What was that score that you were talking about where, like, people. The way they scored. Mod or whatever.

Oh, yeah, the Q score.

Yeah. And. But that gets, like, on to be Arthur, too.

Yeah.

And, like, people just. They just didn't like her.

Yeah.

And I think. I mean, that's gotta. That's gotta be painful.

Stings. Yeah.

If, you take that together with also, like, the Intimate Portrait of Bea Arthur. And, like, she's talking about how she just always wanted to be that beautiful blonde starlet.

Yeah.

And she just never got that opportunity. And they were always putting her in the character role and everything. That's got to be wearing on a person.

Yeah.

if. Because. Well, we often won't. We can't have. I'd like to be tall and chesty. So here we are. Not any of those things. Did you have any.

Someone in this special said their relationship was 98% of enormous respect

First of all, actually, let me stop. Is there anything else about this, conflict, that you want to talk about?

The la. I think the last thing I would say on it is where it tends to get left whenever it's brought up. And I think it's important to leave it there because this is what we know from what people have said many times. Someone in this special said their relationship was 98% of the time one of enormous respect. They had very different acting approaches. Here Betty is being beloved. B was soft on the inside and tough on the outside, and Betty was the other way around. So I think that's where it tends to get left is just like, they just approached acting differently. And so it was going to lead to some level of conflict, but they were always, a hundred percent of the time professional. And when the lights went on, when the cameras were on, they did what they needed to do. And ultimately, isn't that what it's all about? Like, did they get the job done? They did. So they don't have to be besties.

Yeah. Do the job. Honor each other's work. And I'm glad you said that because we're not really trying to be salacious. I think we're interested.

Some of this might be generational, some of it might be situational

I'm fascinated. I am, fascinated because this has come up so many times, and, like, the first couple of times I heard it, I wanted it to be. I actually, this is an instance where I wanted it to be just pitting successful women against each Other because I just didn't want it to be true because I wanted them to be, like, above it all. And then the more that comes out, I'm like, oh, there really was conflict. But also, like, does it matter? It's okay. You don't like everybody and everybody doesn't like you. It's fine.

No. And it doesn't keep me from sleeping at night at all. yeah, I, I, I do think also some of that might be generational.

Yeah.

Like, again, it goes back to that. These gals knew how to limp along m. And so they did.

Fee on the theme song, which is a total banger

I had one more big surprise.

Oh, okay.

So just the last one. I on the theme song, which is a total banger. It's in my head, like, all the time now. And honestly, before I was watching the show, it would sometimes get in my head just because it's a goodie. But, it was originally made famous by Andrew Gold. But the rendition we know and love so well is from singer, Cindy. Ah, Fee. We're obviously. I'm obviously a huge fan because I just tripped over her name so beautifully. So sorry, Cindy. turns out she had no idea what it was for when she recorded it. And that iconic song was turned out in maybe half an hour, which is. I don't know. It's just impressive.

So. Yeah.

Did you already know that?

No, no, I, knew. I mean, I knew it was a song by someone else before her and that she was one to sing it. the part that surprised me, in addition to the short time span in which she did it, was that they were looking for a theme song with friend in it, and that's how they came across this. It's like me searching for the perfect gif on my phone, and I just search keywords, and I just love the idea of some producer somewhere being like, it's four old women. Is there a song about old women? Nope. Nope. That won't work. Roommates? Is there a song about. Nope. Nope. Not those kind of roommates. And then they, you know, they filter all the way down to. But what about friends? Could we just have friends? I just think that's funny.

Yes. That some amazing, things are just total accidents.

Exactly.

And I also. It's like a. It's like a time stamp, right?

Yeah.

Because there's a whole piece about the theme song and there's, like, not theme songs anymore.

Yeah. Yeah.

I miss theme songs. I like them.

I would have loved to have seen more behind the scenes stuff on this show

So you teed this up earlier. We get to be the producer. What would we change? Would we change anything? You've also kind of given us, some idea that you would give a little bit more tea. You would go deeper into this. This issue between the two ladies. But is it. How else? What else?

So to the point you were just making, I would have done a lot less air time to the theme song. Oh, my gosh. I was like, we're still talking about the theme song.

Okay.

Like, the Thursday rehearsal clips which you mentioned at the top. I loved those so much, and I would have loved to have seen so much more of that. That said, again, I'm reading this, Golden Girls Forever book, and they said that, in one of the. Not to spoil anything, but they usually didn't have tape in the cameras for those Thursday rehearsals. So a lot of tape doesn't exist on them.

So there's a cost thing.

There truly just isn't that much to share. But I would have. I would have, like, watched this with so much excitement if I could have seen more behind the scenes stuff like that.

More outtakes, just.

Yes.

You know, I want bloopers. I love bloopers.

Yes.

So, okay, well, that's interesting to know. I did. I didn't know that. I was wondering if we were just like a space thing because it was only 40 minutes. Yeah, well.

And they spent 25 of it on the theme song, so there just really wasn't much room left.

Yeah. I, I had mentioned this earlier. I think for me, there was a part of me that would. On some of those social issues, I wanted them to go a little bit further, but I understand the decision point not to. Again, like, this is supposed to be a beautiful thing. It's supposed to be a positive thing. And there are other times and places to do that. And I think they wanted this to be a cheesecake moment for as much as of it as they could. I gather that they probably didn't even want to touch the Bea Arthur, Betty White thing. My guess is they felt like they couldn't not.

They had to. Maybe.

Yeah, that's my guess. as someone who literally knows nothing, I will say that for me too, just as a viewer this time, because we are in the thick of it on this show and because we're reading the legacy books and because we're all up in every trivia list and everything like that. It's just like, there I almost got nervous. I wasn't gonna have anything for biggest surprises. Oh, so you should have seen me, like, every nugget. I was like, oh, I didn't know that.

Shocked.

I didn't know.

Wonderful.

Yes. I just feel like we're pretty inundated with the Golden Girls facts right now, which I think, like, this would have been ideal for someone who grew up with it, but hasn't watched it in a long time or is new to it and is not slogging through facts right now.

Someone who really has only seen a few episodes and kind of likes it and is like, what is the deal with this show? How did I miss this?

Totally. Or that nostalgia factor.

Yeah.

well, that's all.

That's all, folks.

Golden Con was something that wasn't really on my radar

What else did you. Oh, you had some things.

I had a couple of things.

Yeah. Tell me.

I wanted to. Oh, okay. So you were talking about the Legacy, and there were several things they mentioned throughout the legacy piece of it that I was just, like, making notes to myself to look it up. And I feel like Golden Con has come up before among us. I know the Designing Women fan convention came up, but Golden Con was something that wasn't really on my radar. And I really want to know how we get press passes to that thing, because it looks like a real party. I did find a Facebook page, but the last post of substance said 2025 planning is underway. And then nothing since then. so I can't.

Well, it's been a hard year.

I. It has been a tough year. So I can't shed much light on what's coming next for that, except to say there is a Facebook group and you can go look it up. And it does look like Jim Colucci, who is the author of Golden Girls Forever, is involved in that in some way or another. I don't know if he's helping Planet or if he's just like, he is the Golden Girls person. It seems like.

Is it always in the same place?

I don't think so, because I think I saw a comment that said I'm ready for it to come back to Chicago, and I would have expected Miami. So, So that was one thing that I followed up on. Okay. you mentioned no leads. No leads, Sorry.

Okay.

You mentioned the, podcast piece, so I made a note to myself to look into the Golden Girls Deep Dive podcast. And they couldn't just. Oh, well, I mean, I didn't listen to it yet, but I just want to say, for people's reference, it does sound similar to the way we previously covered Designing Women before we pivoted to sort of, like, the six degrees of separation approach. So if folks want, like, the episode by episode, that seems like it could be a really good option. I was really upset about the Zero Waste Daniel, capsule collection that they showed. So he had the store and he showed us St. Olaf varsity jacket. That as soon as he mentioned it, I was like, that has my name all over it. It is sold out. I can't find it anywhere.

Do you think it sold out just because of this?

I don't know. I. I had this sense maybe it was limited. Also, some of these things felt like maybe this had been filmed a really long time ago. So I feel like this collection dropped a long time ago and it hasn't been in stock in a while. I could be wrong, but something about the way his website was sort of structured. It just looked like maybe it hadn't been there for a while. I will say the Disney Store website has some very cute Golden Girls merch right now.

Yes. And it's. It's 40th.

Yes.

Okay.

Hm.

I thought so. my aunt had told me that something like that was coming, but I haven't looked it up yet. But I've been meaning to.

Very cute. not cute enough for me to spend 40 or $50, but it was cute.

Designing Women 2020 is a drag show set in 2025

the last thing I was going to mention is Golden Girls. The laughs continue. So this was a drag show that finds the women in 2025 again. This is the second time I've mentioned Designing Women 2020, the Big Split. The Designing Women play. I mentioned it in our main episode this week too. This sounds very much like that, where they sort of bring the characters into current times. they did visit Georgia earlier this year in April. They were in Athens and Macon, so obviously we missed it. and they're going to be staying out in California area. Ish. From here on out. But they do have a trailer and some key scenes from the show on their website, goldengirlstore.com.

Do you want me to go out to California and just see that?

Sure.

I would advise. You know, you won't come.

Do you want me to fund it? Is that what this is all about?

I would love that. Yes. I want to take the trip and you can pay for it.

It. I'm not going to. but that was my running list of things I needed to follow up on.

Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, thank you.

I had to report back.

Always report back. Thank you. I want all your thoughts. That's why we have a podcast, you know. Well, that is. I think that's it. You know, I. So I'm so glad that we had this chance to talk about this special. I'm so glad that we. Yes. It was random, but in the universe, it's kismet that we are covering golden girls in its 40th year. And, it was just a real pleasure to watch this, show and celebrate these gals. And we've got a little bit more time left with the gals, and I'm so glad that we do. In the meantime, you know the drill. DM us, email us or contact us from the website, find us all over the socials. And that's this week's Extra Sugar.