Sensational Saturday

It's hard to believe it's been eighteen years since The Golden Girls went off the air. It's even harder to believe that three of the golden four have passed into legend. For seven years (1985-1992), Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty thrilled millions of viewers on a weekly basis as Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sofia. This spunky, feisty foursome could do no wrong. They were a top ten ratings hit for six of their seven years on the air and their appeal was so irresistible that White, McClanahan, and Getty continued their roles on the follow-up series The Golden Palace. Theirs was a magic that when combined was unbeatable. I miss them, both on screen and off.

In the series finale (One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest), Dorothy marries Blanche's uncle Lucas Hollingsworth and moves to Atlanta. The finale scene was so touching, so funny, so golden, that people still get teary amid the laughter every time they watch it. It truly was the end of an era.