So Rue McClanahan Played Betty White's Aunt on this Show?

[LittleRickyII]

Isn't Fran (Rue McClanahan) supposed to be Thelma's sister? I know Ellen (Betty White) is Thelma's daughter. That's very strange casting. (A couple years later, White and McClanahan were playing contemporaries on The Golden Girls.) Betty White was twelve years older than Rue McClanahan. But then again, Vicki Lawrence is 27 years younger than Betty White, who was playing her Vicki's (Thelma's) daughter.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Isn't Fran (Rue McClanahan) supposed to be Thelma's sister? I know Ellen (Betty White) is Thelma's daughter. That's very strange casting. (A couple years later, White and McClanahan were playing contemporaries on The Golden Girls.) Betty White was twelve years older than Rue McClanahan. But then again, Vicki Lawrence is 27 years younger than Betty White, who was playing her Vicki's (Thelma's) daughter.

Yeah! Aunt Fran (Rue) was Mama's Old Maid sister and Ellen (Betty), Eunice and Vinton's Aunt !! It was funny, but real ages didn't matter! LOL! Mama (Vicky) was much younger than all three of her TV children!

[MikeLutton]

I miss rue blanche n aunt fran

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

Yeah! Aunt Fran (Rue) was Mama's Old Maid sister and Ellen (Betty), Eunice and Vinton's Aunt !! It was funny, but real ages didn't matter! LOL! Mama (Vicky) was much younger than all three of her TV children!

I also notice that Betty White showed up once in 1986, during the original syndication run of the series, and played Ellen one more time. That episode is about to come up on MeTV. At that point (fall of 1986), she was in her second season starring on The Golden Girls. It seems very unusual to me that an actor, with a current starring role on a hit series, would go back and play a previous role on a series where they had lesser billing. Usually actors want to move forward so viewers just identify with their current character; they don't go back and revive their old role. Like, for example, Larry Hagman's refusal to play Tony Nelson on those I Dream of Jeannie TV movies because he was, at that time, starring as J.R. Ewing on Dallas. I wonder why Betty White was willing (or wanting?) to revive that old role as Ellen when she was at her peak playing Rose on The Golden Girls? Are there examples of other actors doing this?

And I wonder what Betty White's conversation was like with Rue McClanahan back on the Golden Girls set? "Hey, Rue, I just went back and did a guest appearance on Mama's Family in an episode that revolved around your character, Fran, being dead! How was your week?"

[Bonniegirl]

It was really a strange way they had poor Aunt Fran killed off !!

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

It was really a strange way they had poor Aunt Fran killed off !!

Yes, that was the very first episode of the syndicated run. Mama didn't seem all that upset. Coming up in a few days is Betty White's final episode. Here's the description: "Ellen stops by with a gift for Mama and attempts to apologize for missing Aunt Fran's funeral; Mama refuses to forgive her and throws her out. Later, Mama learns that Ellen is in the hospital." So Ellen winds up in the hospital and never again appears on the show after. Did they kill her off, too? Because both White and McClanahan were on The Golden Girls at this point and could no longer be regulars on this show, it makes sense that they might have.

[Bonniegirl]

No. Ellen was supposed to still be alive, she still lived in the same town with them and all, but I guess didn't have too much to do with her family anymore. She was wealthier and had more class than the rest of her family, so maybe she just brushed them off and stuck with her high society friends!

And also Vinton's kids, Buzz and Sonja just disappeared too I'm guessing they were supposed to have gone to Las Vegas to live with their Mother the showgirl!

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

No. Ellen was supposed to still be alive, she still lived in the same town with them and all, but I guess didn't have too much to do with her family anymore. She was wealthier and had more class than the rest of her family, so maybe she just brushed them off and stuck with her high society friends!

And also Vinton's kids, Buzz and Sonja just disappeared too I'm guessing they were supposed to have gone to Las Vegas to live with their Mother the showgirl!

Eunice was performing in Las Vegas???

[Bonniegirl]

Eunice and Ed were in Florida, and left son Bubba with Mama. And suddenly the neighbor Iola started hanging around too! LOL!!!


That's good though. Iola and Bubba were really a good addition to the show!!!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Isn't Fran (Rue McClanahan) supposed to be Thelma's sister? I know Ellen (Betty White) is Thelma's daughter. That's very strange casting.

Well you have to understand that years earlier in the mid-1970s, Betty White had already been cast as Ellen in the "Family" sketches on Carol's show. It could be looked as strange I guess that they went with someone as young as Rue, but really, Rue was age-appropriate to be playing Mama's "baby sister"; at least, much more age-appropriate than Betty White was, since Ellen was about mid-40s, and Betty was over 60! lol

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

I also notice that Betty White showed up once in 1986, during the original syndication run of the series, and played Ellen one more time. That episode is about to come up on MeTV. At that point (fall of 1986), she was in her second season starring on The Golden Girls. It seems very unusual to me that an actor, with a current starring role on a hit series, would go back and play a previous role on a series where they had lesser billing. Usually actors want to move forward so viewers just identify with their current character; they don't go back and revive their old role. Like, for example, Larry Hagman's refusal to play Tony Nelson on those I Dream of Jeannie TV movies because he was, at that time, starring as J.R. Ewing on Dallas. I wonder why Betty White was willing (or wanting?) to revive that old role as Ellen when she was at her peak playing Rose on The Golden Girls? Are there examples of other actors doing this?

Well, Betty already had the experience of playing Ellen wherever the "Family" characters popped up: Carol's show, the Eunice TV movie, and Mama's Family, and maybe she liked the idea of some closure with her character; after all, Ellen and Mama have more of an understanding of each other and themselves at the end of the episode.

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

And I wonder what Betty White's conversation was like with Rue McClanahan back on the Golden Girls set? "Hey, Rue, I just went back and did a guest appearance on Mama's Family in an episode that revolved around your character, Fran, being dead! How was your week?"

lol, well, since unfortunately Rue was so unhappy playing Fran (which is ironic since she ended up playing her brilliantly), I'm sure she didn't care one way or the other that Betty did another MF (I'll start a new thread on this).

Originally Posted by BonnieGirl

And also Vinton's kids, Buzz and Sonja just disappeared too I'm guessing they were supposed to have gone to Las Vegas to live with their Mother the showgirl!

Many fans assume Buzz and Sonja went off to college. Anything is speculation though, as it is never revealed what happened to them...

Originally Posted by BonnieGirl

Eunice and Ed were in Florida, and left son Bubba with Mama. And suddenly the neighbor Iola started hanging around too! LOL!!!

Well, Eunice and Ed didn't "leave" Bubba with Mama; at least, not intentionally. Bubba was sentenced to Juvenile Hall (a reform school) for having stolen a car. He was not allowed to leave the state for one year, so Eunice and Ed just moved while he was still in Juvenile Hall. However, he got out early for good behavior; he then went home, saw Ed and Eunice were gone, and then went to "Grandma's", where we know how the rest plays out thanks to that first syndicated episode, "Farewell, Frannie".

Originally Posted by LittleRicky

Eunice was performing in Las Vegas???

Eunice is not Buzz and Sonja's mother. She is only the mother of Bubba, and his brother Billy Joe / Raymond, who is only mentioned in the "Family" sketches of Carol's show (neither of the boys are ever seen, and Bubba's brother is usually referred to as Billy Joe; I believe it is only one sketch where he is named "Raymond").

Buzz and Sonja's mother's was Vinton's first wife, Mitzi, who is mentioned by name in two episodes.