STRICTLY OBSERVING: Golden memories

By Zach Cooley

As a small child, I can remember watching The Golden Girls on television.  Even though I did not understand the dialogue of the show at that time, I still laughed out loud at the way it was delivered.  My favorite character was Sophia Petrillo, the show’s matriarch.  Played by Estelle Getty, I identified most with her character from even my earliest days, probably because I saw a lot of the older members of my family in her.  I continued watching this show during its original seven year run and beyond thanks to reruns.  By the time I was old enough to fully understand the show’s concept, my appreciation for The Golden Girls and especially Estelle Getty’s performance only increased.  She will always been my favorite character in the show, as I think is the consensus of most every fan of The Golden Girls worldwide.  Her other three cast mates have even admitted that Sophia was their favorite character. 
Getty made her character irresistible to millions of TV fans due to her impeccable delivery of classic one-line zingers.  Many times, a particular line may not be all that funny or clever, when delivered by Getty, proved to have audiences overcome by laughter.  I, for one, saw the humor in the brutal honesty of her character in the assessments she made of the other three ladies with whom she lived.  For instance, when the promiscuous Blanche (Rue McClanahan) compared her life to a romance novel, Sophia disagreed, saying a sports page was the more accurate comparison.  When she encountered the dimwitted Rose (Betty White) sending a bag of egg yolks to the homeless, she assessed, “Your heart is in right place, but I don’t know where your brain is.”
Finally, there was the bond between Sophia and her daughter Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur).  First of all, there was the fact Getty’s character was not afraid to set her daughter straight despite the massive differences in their height.  Secondly, there’s a constant love-hate exchange between the two characters.  While one scene could find Sophia heckling her daughter over her lack of a social life, their parent-child bond will be restored by the end of the episode.  Despite her wisecracks, Getty also made the loving, nurturing side of Sophia shine through as well.  Audiences could clearly detect how much she truly loved the other three ladies and enjoyed being their source of counsel and comfort.  The brilliance of Estelle Getty, who portrayed a woman almost 20 years her senior, earned her an Emmy, a Golden Globe and an iconic place in television history as one of the best of her time.  She certainly ranks among my all time favorites.  Second to I Love Lucy, I consider The Golden Girls to be the greatest sitcom of all time thanks mostly to the work of Estelle Getty. 
When The Golden Girls went off the air in 1992, Estelle Getty reprised her role of Sophia Petrillo in two spin-off series, The Golden Palace and Empty Nest.  I clearly remember her stints in both shows, which were brilliant, but too short-lived.  The Golden Palace was intended to be a new take on The Golden Girls cast, minus Arthur, after buying a hotel.  When this show was cancelled after one season, she joined the cast of the already successful Empty Nest for its final two seasons.  Her film career includes playing the mother of Sylvester Stallone in the 1992 film, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot and Cher in the 1982 movie, Mask. 
A major lifelong fan, I was saddened to learn in 2000 that my favorite “golden girl” had been diagnosed with advanced dementia, a progressive brain disorder, and was retiring from show business.  On July 22, just three days shy of her 85th birthday, she passed away.  While her death is sad, I find it even more unfortunate that she could not spend the last eight years of her life enjoying the fruits of her success in television, despite having worked nearly a half-century in obscure theater to achieve.  Unfortunately, failing health prevented her from being coherent in most cases during her final years. 
One of her two surviving sons, Carl, told Inside Edition that his mother had been unable to speak for some time.  However, he also added that her goal in life was to entertain people and through her timeless work on The Golden Girls, Estelle Getty will be able to continue her life’s ambition despite having left this world.  In a 2000 episode of the Lifetime documentary series, Intimate Portrait, which showcased her life, Getty stated, “If I have done something in my career that has made one person’s life a little brighter, then I’m glad.”
I can say for certain that Estelle Getty has fulfilled that accomplishment millions of times over.  Personally, she has provided me with a lifetime of laughter and entertainment since being immortalized in the world of television.  Not only can I watch her six times a day on the Lifetime network, I also own a copy of every episode on DVD, which makes her talents accessible to me around the clock.  I often watch these episodes with my family on DVD, which are uncut in most cases, and we never cease to laugh out loud despite having seen them all countless times.  That, in itself, is a testament to the legacy that Estelle Getty has left the world and it will exist as long as there is television.
A graduate of Wytheville Community College, Zach Cooley lives in Wytheville. Contact him at .