The Golden Prank That Fooled Betty White
Let me tell you, folks, Betty White was the heart and soul of The Golden Girls, but she wasn’t immune to some good-natured teasing. Her castmates absolutely loved her passion for animals, and they decided to play a hilarious prank on her. Imagine this: one day on set, Betty thought she heard a stray cat stuck inside a wall. Her immediate reaction? She went into full-on rescue mode, telling the crew to call the fire department and even talking to the wall, comforting the “cat.” Of course, it turned out to be a cleverly placed tape recorder, and once the truth came out, Betty laughed it off like the trooper she always was. “We all had such fun together,” she fondly recalled. “It was such a special experience.”
Now, here we are more than 30 years after the debut of this groundbreaking series, where four feisty women showed the world that life doesn’t stop at 50. Betty, the last surviving star of the show, opens up with personal memories that remind us why The Golden Girls remains a timeless treasure.
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The Instant Connection That Made Magic Happen
Betty couldn’t believe she was the only one left from the cast. "I can’t believe I’m the only one left because I [was] the oldest!" she exclaimed, laughing at the irony. When she joined the show in 1985, she was already a seasoned sitcom veteran, just like Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan. But the chemistry between them and newcomer Estelle Getty, a Broadway pro, was electric from day one. Betty vividly remembers the first read-through: “It was like batting a tennis ball over the net. It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry — I’ll never forget that first read. It was like we had been working together forever! I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”
Friends, Frenemies, and Family
Betty and Rue were already friends from working together on Mama’s Family, so reconnecting on The Golden Girls set was a joy. "They would play little word games when the cameras weren’t rolling," a friend recalled. Rue's untimely passing in 2010 left Betty heartbroken. "It hurts more than I even thought it would," she admitted. "She was everything, as far as a friend is concerned." But not all relationships were so smooth. Betty’s dynamic with Bea was a bit more complicated. While they respected each other professionally, their personalities sometimes clashed. "You didn’t mess with Bea!" Betty joked. Bea, known for her strong personality, often found Betty’s positive attitude challenging. "Sometimes if I was happy, she’d be furious!" Betty shared with a chuckle.
Despite their differences, tragedy brought them closer. In the first season, both Betty and Bea were caring for their ailing mothers, who passed away within a month of each other. "There were a lot of hand-holding and condolences," remembered a friend. "They really pulled together whenever any of them were experiencing grief, and I think that carried over into their on-camera interactions."
