Latest news with #TheGoldenGirls'
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Golden Girls' to mark 40th anniversary: Look back at iconic sitcom, how to rewatch
It's been four decades of being a friend to Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia. "The Golden Girls" marks its 40th anniversary in September, but the iconic sitcom that followed the lives of four single women is still resonating with viewers today. The show, which starred Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, debuted on Sept. 14, 1985 and ran for seven seasons on NBC. It was considered progressive for its time, in part for depicting four independent, sex-positive women over the ages of 50. Grab a slice of cheesecake and head to your nearest lanai — here's what to know about the milestone anniversary. How to watch 'The Golden Girls' All seasons of "The Golden Girls" are available to watch on Hulu or Disney+ with a Hulu subscription. Hulu offers two streaming plans, including one with ads and one without. The ad-supported plan costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. The ad-free plan is available for $18.99/month. There is also a bundle option for Hulu and Disney+, which includes access to both platforms starting at $10.99/month. Sign up for Hulu 'The Golden Girls' cast The ensemble cast of "The Golden Girls" featured Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy), Betty White (Rose), Rue McClanahan (Blanche) and Estelle Getty (Sophia). Arthur, who was also known for her work in "All in the Family" and "Maude," portrayed Dorothy, a substitute teacher and divorcee on the show. Getty appeared as Sophia, Dorothy's mother. White, who died in 2021 just shy of her 100th birthday, played a widow and mother of five, Rose, who was known for her naivety. McClanahan's character, Blanche, was the Southern belle of the group and also a widow. How old are 'The Golden Girls' in the show? Sophia was the oldest of the four main Golden Girls. In the season two episode "Piece of Cake," Sophia revealed that she turned 50 in April 1956, making her around 79 years old in season one. The youngest Golden Girl was Blanche. In the show's third season, Blanche said she was 17 years old in 1949, so when the series began in 1985, she was about 53 years old. Rose was 55 during the show's first season, as revealed in the episode "Job Hunting." In the season three episode "Nothing to Fear, But Fear Itself," Sophia said Dorothy was conceived in 1931, making her 54 years old at the start of the show. How many seasons are there of 'The Golden Girls'? "The Golden Girls" ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992. In addition to its 180-episode span, the show produced several spin-offs, including "The Golden Palace" and "Empty Nest." During its run, "The Golden Girls" won 11 Emmy awards and four Golden Globe Awards. All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their role on the show as well. How did 'Golden Girls' end? The series finale of "The Golden Girls" aired as a two-part episode on May 9, 1992. During the episodes, Blanche tries to set her Uncle Lucas up with Dorothy, but Dorothy and Lucas instead trick her into thinking the couple hit it off and decided to get married. By the end of the ruse, Dorothy and Lucas decide to wed for real. In the end, Dorothy moves out of the Miami home she shared with Blanche, Rose and Sophia to live with Lucas in Atlanta. The latter three women went on to star in "The Golden Palace" spin-off. Contributing: Olivia Munson, USA TODAY Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
New York Post
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Bea Arthur called Betty White a ‘c–t' often, ‘Golden Girls' producer claims — why'd they clash?
Not so golden. 'Golden Girls' co-producer Marsha Posner Williams opened up about Betty White and Bea Arthur's rumored feud during an event celebrating the hit sitcom's 40th anniversary in Los Angeles on Wednesday. 'When that red light was on [and the show was filming], there were no more professional people than those women, but when the red light was off, those two couldn't warm up to each other if they were cremated together,' she said, per The Hollywood Reporter. Williams recalled that Arthur 'used to call me at home and say, 'I just ran into that [C-word] at the grocery store. I'm gonna write her a letter,' and I said, 'Bea, just get over it for crying out loud. Just get past it.'' 11 Bea Arthur, left, and Betty White, right, in 'The Golden Girls.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images The producer continued, 'I remember, my husband and I went over to Bea's house a couple of times for dinner. Within 30 seconds of walking in the door, the c-word came out [to describe White].' 'The Golden Girls' aired aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992, following four older single women sharing a home in Florida while navigating their 'golden' years. There was Southern Belle widow Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Minnesota born widow, Rose (White), Brooklyn born divorcee Dorothy (Arthur), and Dorothy's Sicilian mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty). 11 Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Estelle Getty in 'The Golden Girls.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 11 Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White arrive at the 6th annual 'TV Land Awards' held at Barker Hangar on June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, California. Todd Williamson Getty died in 2008 at age 84, McClanahan died in 2010 at age 76, White died in 2021 at age 99, and Arthur died in 2009 at age 86. Producers speculated about the source of White and Arthur's animosity. Co-producer Jim Vallely said he thought it was because White got more applause during cast introductions. But, Williams, disagreed, and thought they clashed over their different backgrounds, since Arthur had a theater background while White came from TV. 11 Rye McClanahan, Betty White, and Bea Arthur in 'The Golden Girls.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 11 Betty White and Bea Arthur in 'The Golden Girls.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images It's also previously been speculated that the feud came from jealousy, as White was the show's first cast member to be nominated for a Best Actress Emmy in 1986. In the 2016-published 'Golden Girls Forever' biography, author Jim Colucci noted that Arthur remained in character during taping, while White relaxed between shots and joked around with the live studio audience. 'I think my mom didn't dig that,' Arthur's adopted son, Matthew Saks, told the Hollywood Reporter in 2016, seven years after she died of cancer at 86. 'It's more about being focused or conserving your energy. It's just not the right time to talk to fans between takes. Betty was able to do it and it didn't seem to affect her. But it rubbed my mom the wrong way.' 11 Betty White and Bea Arthur sign copies of 'The Golden Gilrs Season 3' DVD at Barnes & Noble on November 22, 2005 in New York City. Getty Images 11 Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty in 1992. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images White revealed her side of the story in 2011, saying in an interview, 'Bea had a reserve. She was not that fond of me. She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude — and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious!' This isn't the first time this allegation of Arthur using the c-word has surfaced. During a 2022 episode of The Originals podcast, the show's casting director, Joel Thurm, said, 'Literally Bea Arthur, who I cast in something else later on, just said, 'Oh, she's a f–king c–t,' using that word [about White].' 'Bea Arthur called Betty White a C-word?' podcast host Andrew Goldman asked in the interview. 11 Bea Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty during 48th Golden Apple Awards at Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California in 1988. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 11 Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in 'The Golden Girls.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 'Yeah, she called her the C-word. I mean, I heard that with my own ears,' Thurm said. 'And by the way, so did Rue McClanahan. Rue McClanahan said it to me in Joe Allen's [restaurant]; Bea Arthur [when she was] on the set of 'Beggars and Choosers.' ' Thrum recalled how Getty — who died in 2008 at 84 from Lewy body dementia — began having issues memorizing her lines on-set. 'And she would write the lines on her hand, and … Betty White would make fun of her in front of the live audience,' he said. 'That may seem like a minor transgression, but it really does get to you … I have no idea how Estelle Getty felt, but I know the other two did not like [White] at all.' 11 Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo; Bea Arthur as Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak; Betty White as Rose Nylund; Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in 'The Golden Girls.' NBCUniversal via Getty Images 11 Estelle Getty, Betty White, and Beatrice Arthur of the Golden Girls pictured in New York City in 1986. Corbis via Getty Images During Wednesday night's event, Williams recalled that tensions between White and Arthur were also present on set. 'Betty would break character in the middle of the show [and talk to the live audience], and Bea hated that,' she said. Williams also said that the rest of the cast was game to continue past seven seasons, but Arthur was the one who wanted to end it. 'The show would have continued after seven years. Their contracts were up and … the executives went to the ladies, and Estelle said, 'Yes, let's keep going,' and Rue said, 'Yes let's keep going,' and Betty said, 'Yes, let's keep going,'' she recalled. But, she added, 'And Bea said, 'No f—ing way,' and that's why that show didn't continue.'
Chicago Tribune
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
David Cerda put some of his own story into ‘Scary Town.' It's not an easy story.
Theater creator David Cerda's family history, a roller coaster of long-held secrets, explosive holiday gatherings and shocking revelations, could easily be the subject of a Lifetime movie. He admits that Lifetime's melodramatic style might be a funny way to tell his story, but for anyone familiar with Cerda's body of work as artistic director and resident playwright of Hell in a Handbag Productions, it's no surprise that he took a more unconventional approach with his new semi-autobiographical play, 'Scary Town.' Co-founded by Cerda in 2002, Handbag specializes in campy pop-culture parodies, from its series of so-called 'lost episodes' of 'The Golden Girls' to holiday perennial 'Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer' and recent Broadway send-up 'Poor People.' Typically featuring actors in drag, absurd plots, witty one-liners and cheeky innuendos, Handbag shows have drawn a loyal following among the LGBTQ+ community 'and cool straight people' over the years, as Cerda said in a recent interview. Written by Cerda and directed by Cheryl Snodgrass, 'Scary Town' parodies the style of Richard Scarry, a prolific 20th century children's author and illustrator best known for his cheery depictions of anthropomorphic animals. Colin Callahan plays the protagonist and Cerda stand-in Deven Bunny, a moody 13-year-old who feels out of place among the relentlessly optimistic residents of Merry Town, where he shares a burrow with his dysfunctional family of 368 bunnies and counting. When Deven discovers a secret about his parentage, he embarks on a quest to learn the truth about his past. This 'adult children's play,' as Handbag bills it, blends whimsy and dark humor to tell a heartfelt family story. In a recent interview at the theater's home base in the North Center neighborhood, Cerda recounted the real events that inspired the play. Born in 1961, he grew up as the oldest of four siblings in Hammond, Indiana, an industrial city that borders Lake Michigan and the Illinois state line. Childhood wasn't easy; his parents often fought, sometimes violently, and both struggled with substance abuse. Plus, he was bullied by schoolmates for being a 'really obviously gay kid.' While working on a school project at age 13, Cerda was surprised to find that his birth certificate listed his mother's maiden name, rather than his father's name, as his surname. When he asked his mother about it, she angrily dismissed the question. Although it continued to bother him, he didn't get any more information until he was an undergraduate at Purdue University Northwest and started going to gay bars in Calumet City, a southern suburb of Chicago then known for its lively nightlife. One evening, a stranger approached Cerda and said she recognized him from family photos; she turned out to be his half-sister. It took about another decade for his mother to admit to Cerda that he had a different father from the siblings he grew up with, a fact that finally came out in a confrontation that he described as 'a big 'August: Osage County' moment.' After many more years of twists and turns, including several connections made through Facebook, Cerda learned that his biological father was a Hispanic man whom his mother met while working at a nightclub in Calumet City. He was already married to someone else, and she didn't tell him when she became pregnant. 'My grandparents were horrified because he was a brown man. It was 1960, and there was no way they wanted her to have the baby,' he said. Some details are still hazy for him, but Cerda understands that he was taken from his mother and raised by Catholic nuns in an orphanage for the first six months of his life. 'My mom fought to get me back. She fought the Catholic church and fought the system, and she succeeded, and I was told that's not easy to do, but it was under the condition that I live with my grandparents while she went to beauty school.' This early period of separation left its mark on Cerda. He lived with his grandparents, whom he adored, until he was four, and he believes he's blocked out the memory of leaving their home to go live with his mother. 'It was really hard for me to accept love, and it kind of still is, but I'm a lot more open to it. And talking about it really helps because a lot of people feel that way.' After his mother passed away in 2016, Cerda finally met his biological father, a decision he made after his half-sister sent him a photo of his dad that was taken in his 20s. 'That moment just blew my mind because he looks so much like me, and I've never had that,' Cerda recalled. 'It was really profound for me, and that's when I decided I have to connect with this person.' The father who raised him is also still alive, and Cerda has maintained relationships with both men. 'Suddenly I have two dads, and my mom's gone. I just miss my mom because we argued a lot, but we were so much alike in the respect (that) she was a free spirit,' he said. 'It really kind of breaks my heart that she was kind of a dreamer, and she never got to fulfill any of those dreams.' Cerda has chased his own dreams and overcome many struggles since moving to Chicago in 1981. He spent his first decade in the city working in bars and nightclubs, where he learned about queer culture and classic movies from older gay men. 'I was part of the new wave, artsy punk scene, and I found great solace in that and with those people,' he recalled. 'I was able to express myself through my look because my self-esteem was just so low that I didn't entertain the idea of writing or performing.' Even after he changed jobs to work in telemarketing, 'I was drinking myself into oblivion,' he said. 'I came out in 1980, so I watched a lot of friends die (of AIDS).' He put off getting tested until the early 1990s, expecting to test positive 'and just party until I die.' With this nihilistic outlook, 'you just don't picture yourself past 40, let alone 60.' However, his test results were negative, and after sharing the good news, his doctor asked if he wanted to do something about his drinking. 'I just paused, and I said, 'Yes, I would,'' Cerda recalled. 'It was like a spiritual moment. I don't believe in organized religion, but I do believe in a higher power, something bigger than me, and I just thought at that moment, 'I'm here for a reason.'' This conversation prompted Cerda's journey into sobriety, and a few years later, he met Chris, his partner of nearly 29 years. Around the same time, he wrote his first play, a sobriety-themed take on 'The Stepford Wives,' and he also started acting and writing for Sweetback Productions, a company founded in 1994 by Kelly Anchors and Mike McKune. One of the things that attracted Cerda to Sweetback was its willingness to cast actors who were often overlooked by other theaters — people 'whose professors told them, 'You're too gay to be a leading man. You're just a character actress. You're too heavy to be a leading lady.'' Although he later had a messy split with Sweetback, Cerda instilled these shared values into Handbag's work from the company's inception. (He and Anchors have since reconciled, and she's an understudy in 'Scary Town.') 'We call the (Handbag) ensemble the Island of Misfit Toys,' said Cerda. 'Things have changed since we started, and now theater's open to different body shapes and different types and different gender expressions. … People are a lot more aware, but we were one of the first people to do that. We cast transgender people; it wasn't a statement when we did it, it was just they were great and they're our friends.' Long an itinerant company, Handbag moved into a new rehearsal space, fittingly dubbed 'The Clutch,' three years ago. 'Scary Town' is the first production to be staged there, and Cerda aims to make it a more permanent home for Handbag performances — though he says 'The Golden Girls: Lost Episodes' audiences are too large for the intimate space. He also hopes the Clutch can serve as 'a safe space to create queer art' during a time when the LGBTQ+ community is 'under attack.' He elaborated, 'I think a lot of young people are just terrified, and especially trans people. We need to make resources available to them. I know so many talented young people. I think they just need to know it's OK to be scared, but take that and create something with it. You can protest in the streets, but you can also protest on the stage with your art.' Beyond Handbag, Cerda continues to work with other local theaters on occasion. This spring, he stars opposite Esteban Andres Cruz in A Red Orchid Theatre's Chicago premiere of 'Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin.' In this dark comedy by Dianne Nora, Cerda's character is a strict, Stanislavski-style actor who's forced to train a younger performer to play Stalin's body double. As for his artistic home, Cerda acknowledges the challenges of operating a small theater (Handbag's annual budget is under $200,000). Production costs are rising, and audience habits have changed since the pandemic, but he's still dreaming up new possibilities for the company and remains committed to mentoring younger artists. 'In my old age, I want to give everybody else a hand up,' he said. 'I still have a lot of ideas and spark, and I think that helps keep me young.'
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Princess Diana's trip to gay bar with Freddie Mercury resurfaces as new book details late royal's night out in drag
Princess Diana's night out at a gay bar with Freddie Mercury is making headlines again as a new book recounts the late royal's escape from the palace dressed in male drag. The story is one of many enmeshed in Diana's mythology dissected in 'Dianaworld: An Obsession' (out Tuesday) by biographer Edward White, who cites actress Cleo Rocos' 2013 memoir for evidence of the princess' wild London night. In 'The Power of Positive Drinking,' Rocos claimed that the she, along with her friend Kenny Everett and Mercury, disguised the late Princess of Wales in drag so she could go to one of London's most popular gay bars, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. 10 Princess Diana's night out at a gay bar with Freddie Mercury is making headlines again as a new book recounts the late royal's escape from the palace dressed in male drag. UK Press via Getty Images 10 The story is one of many enmeshed in Diana's mythology dissected in 'Dianaworld: An Obsession' (out Tuesday) by biographer Edward White, who cites actress Cleo Rocos' 2013 memoir for evidence of the princess' wild London night. Getty Images The trip allegedly happened in 1988 after Rocos, the princess, the Queen frontman and Everett spent an afternoon 'drinking champagne in front of reruns of 'The Golden Girls' with the sound turned down' so they could improvise dialogue with 'a much naughtier storyline.' When Diana — 'in full mischief mode' — learned of her friends' plans to go to a gay bar that evening, she insisted on going. Rocos and Everett attempted to dissuade her, with Everett telling Di that the bar was 'not for you ' and 'full of hairy gay men.' The princess was intransigent. Mercury then supposedly chimed in with, 'Go on, let the girl have some fun,' and the matter was settled. 10 The trip allegedly happened in 1988 after Rocos, the princess, the Queen frontman and Everett spent an afternoon 'drinking champagne in front of reruns of 'The Golden Girls' with the sound turned down' so they could improvise dialogue with 'a much naughtier storyline.' Getty Images 10 When Diana — 'in full mischief mode' — learned of her friends' plans to go to a gay bar that evening, she insisted on going. Edward White Everett decided that, if the show must go on, he would disguise Di in drag: 'a camouflage army jacket, hair tucked up into a leather cap and dark aviator sunglasses.' 'Scrutinizing her in the half-light we decided that the most famous icon of the modern world might just . . . JUST, pass for a rather eccentrically dressed gay male model,' Rocos recalled. 'She did look like a beautiful young man.' As the group 'inched through the leather throngs and thongs' at the Royal Vauxhall, Diana's friends were terrified the ruse would collapse. 10 'Scrutinizing her in the half-light we decided that the most famous icon of the modern world might just . . . JUST, pass for a rather eccentrically dressed gay male model,' Rocos recalled. 'She did look like a beautiful young man.' Getty Images 10 As the group 'inched through the leather throngs and thongs' at the Royal Vauxhall, Diana's friends were terrified the ruse would collapse. Getty Images 'When we walked in…we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute. But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it,' Rocos remembered. 'We were nudging each other like naughty schoolchildren. Diana and Freddie were giggling… Once the transaction was completed, we looked at one another, united in our triumphant quest. We did it!' Per Rocos, the princess sent Everett's clothes back to him the following morning with a note: 'We must do it again!' 10 'When we walked in…we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute. But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it,' Rocos remembered. WireImage 10 'We were nudging each other like naughty schoolchildren. Diana and Freddie were giggling… Once the transaction was completed, we looked at one another, united in our triumphant quest. We did it!' Steve Jennings/ The story has been disputed by Mercury's former assistant and friend Peter Freestone, however. 'No, not at all,' Freestone replied when asked by Express Online in 2019 whether the night out ever took place. 'Maybe Diana went with Kenny but Freddie wasn't there. He never met her.' As White wrote in his new book, Diana's trip to a London gay bar with Freddie Mercury 'sounds far-fetched, like one of the many apocryphal yarns of royal transformation that litter folklore and fairytales.' Yet, it also fits with Diana's documented penchant for escaping royal life undercover so she could experience the wider world. 10 The story has been disputed by Mercury's former assistant and friend Peter Freestone, however. UK Press via Getty Images 10 'No, not at all,' Freestone replied when asked by Express Online in 2019 whether the night out ever took place. 'Maybe Diana went with Kenny but Freddie wasn't there. He never met her.' Redferns '[T]here are other, slightly less fantastical, tales about Diana disguising herself on nights out, such as when she accompanied Hasnat Khan to Ronnie Scott's jazz bar in Soho, the princess obscuring her true self beneath a wig and glasses,' White emphasized. Apocryphal or not, the story — which inspired the cabaret musical, 'Royal Vauxhall' — 'has been taken up as an illustration of her connection with the gay community and a metaphor for her own search for a family in which she felt truly accepted,' White added.
Epoch Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
‘Murder by Cheesecake': Return to a Golden Age of TV
Given the craze over cozy mystery novels and the enduring popularity of the TV show 'The Golden Girls,' it's hardly any wonder that a book like 'Murder by Cheesecake' would be far behind. I'm actually a little surprised that a book featuring these characters has taken this long to appear. But does the author, Rachel Ekstrom Courage, manage to recapture the magic? Premiering on NBC in 1985, 'The Golden Girls' was a smash hit sitcom beloved by millions of viewers. In an era of television centered around family stories like 'Family Ties,' 'Growing Pains,' and 'The Cosby Show,' 'Golden Girls' featured a family of a different sort. Spanning seven seasons, the show followed the lives of four mature women—Dorothy Zbornak (the incomparable Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (television legend Betty White), Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). They shared a home in the senior-living haven of Miami. Each character brought a unique charm: Dorothy's sardonic and razor-sharp wit, Rose's endearing naivety, Blanche's Southern belle allure, and Sophia's dry, candid humor. Golden Girls tackled topics like love, loss, and societal issues, typically through witty banter over coffee and cheesecake in the kitchen of the shared home. On a personal note, it was one of my late mother's favorite shows. We used to watch it together when I was a teenager. "The Golden Girls" played by (L–R) Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, and Betty White. Touchstone Pictures/MovieStillsDb Do the 'Girls' Work in Book Form? 'Murder by Cheesecake,' the first novelized version of the show, transports us right back to that famous yellow kitchen featured in the show, where Rose is having deep anxiety about a family wedding gone awry. Her cousin Nettie can no longer marry in their hometown of St. Olaf due to a fire at the only local hotel. The four women brainstorm solutions to the problem until Rose mentions that Nettie's fiancé, a nervous but charming man named Jason, has family from Miami. So, why not host the wedding in Miami instead? It'll be tricky, especially with the need to recreate every peculiar St. Olaf custom. That includes an ostrich ride and the traditional Welcome Tuna Tea, but Rose and the girls are willing to accept the challenge. Related Stories 11/16/2024 6/9/2014 Rose becomes a whirlwind wedding planner, assigning roles to her friends and baking an epic number of cheesecakes for the reception. Accommodations are problematic, but Jason's family offers to host the event at a family-owned hotel in Miami. Nettie and Jason are grateful but wary—afraid that the family's tendency to be overbearing and controlling might interfere with their special day. Dorothy and Blanche must also come up with dates for the big day. For Blanche, this likely won't be much of an issue (those who know the show will get why). Dorothy reluctantly resorts to a VHS dating service to try to locate a suitable beau. She might've hit the jackpot with a handsome man named Henry, who's into gourmet cooking and the saxophone. When the event kicks off, the girls meet Jason's glamorous sister, Patricia, who manages the hotel with an iron will and a cloud of perfume. Tensions between the Midwestern simplicity of St. Olaf and Miami's flashy luxury are evident, but Rose is determined to merge both worlds for a perfect wedding. 'What could go wrong?' quips Dorothy. As if fate hears her, Rose soon stumbles across a dead man in the hotel freezer with his face covered in one of her cheesecakes. Miami Magic The magic of the original series had much to do with how these characters play off one another in difficult situations. They're excellent foils, and I was pleased to see that Courage maintained the feel of the dialogue from the original show, including some great zingers. For example, Sophia's first reaction to the body is to helpfully offer the services of a shady cousin who 'knows how to make a situation like this disappear.' When Dorothy first mentions the dating service, Rose cautions to watch out for the Ted Bundersons out there. 'Don't you mean Ted Bundy?' asks Dorothy. Rose being Rose, she explains Bunderson was a man who wooed a friend in St. Olaf who only dated her to steal her cow figurines! Shocking! While the book drags a bit at the start to get the wedding details and the new characters in place, it thankfully begins to pick up pace once the body is discovered and the mystery begins. Courage wisely tells the story mainly from the point of view of Dorothy and Rose, thus avoiding some of the more awkward thoughts of sex-positive Blanche and the Sophia's blunt Sicilian attitudes. Fans will love the book. Non-fans? Even if you've never seen the show, there's a reason why these characters resonate with audiences so effectively—they're charming, relatable, and a joy to spend time with. Well-recommended. ' By Rachel Ekstrom Courage Hyperion Avenue, Apr 15, 2025 Paperback, 336 Pages What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
