Did the late Bea Arthur

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Have any casting control in the series?In other words,was she involved in any way in deciding who was to be cast as Dorothy,Blanche,Sophia and Rose?I've heard that she did not want Betty White to play Blanche,as it was originally planned ,or Rue McClanahan to play Rose.Has anybody else heard this rumor?

[Bloem]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

Have any casting control in the series?In other words,was she involved in any way in deciding who was to be cast as Dorothy,Blanche,Sophia and Rose?I've heard that she did not want Betty White to play Blanche,as it was originally planned ,or Rue McClanahan to play Rose.Has anybody else heard this rumor?

I believe Bea did not want to be in the series if Betty White played Blanche and Rue played Rose because those roles were too similar to their previous portrayals as respectively Sue Ann Nivens (mary tyler moore show) and Vivian (Maude). But then the roles were switched and Bea jumped in

In later years she did have huge input on hiring directors for the show.

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Bloem

I believe Bea did not want to be in the series if Betty White played Blanche and Rue played Rose because those roles were too similar to their previous portrayals as respectively Sue Ann Nivens (mary tyler moore show) and Vivian (Maude). But then the roles were switched and Bea jumped in

In later years she did have huge input on hiring directors for the show.

Hey,Bloem.Who were some of the directors she wanted to have directing "The Golden Girls"?Hal Cooper?(I believe Cooper directed her on "Maude"),veteran director the late Alan Rafkin?,Jay Sandrich?

[ratherbwatchinGG]

Neither Betty nor Rue wanted to play those roles either. If you all recall Betty had just come from playing a Blanche type role and Rue had just come from playing a Rose type role. She too says in her interviews that she did not want to play Rose. All Bea said was oh not Sue Ann Nivens meets Aunt Fran. None of the women were keen with the way the roles were distributed not just Bea.

[sodalake]

I've always wish there was an episode or a pilot where we could see Betty playing Blanche and Rue playing Rose. I'd just like to see what it could've been like had the roles stayed how they were. It would have been strange if the series had turned out that way.

Seeing Betty play the uppity, rich daughter Ellen on Mama's Family and then as naive Rose on Golden Girls proves what a great actress she really is. The characters are so far apart and Betty plays both so naturally.