‘The Golden Girls’: Betty White Helped Snag This Celebrity Guest Star
The Golden Girls is a classic TV sitcom featuring Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty. The series remains as popular today as it did during its 1985 to 1992 run. At the height of its success, the show was a hit with viewers and celebrities. One of the show’s actors helped snag a few big-named stars for cameos.
‘The Golden Girls’ star Betty White helped get Burt Reynolds a guest spot
Nobody knew that in 1985, The Golden Girls would become a cultural phenomenon. The series became an instant hit for the NBC Network, with viewers tuning in each week to see the antics of the roommates. The show garnered a huge following, which included a few celebrity fans.
In Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai, executive producer Barry Fanaro revealed many Hollywood stars wanted to be on the show. “We would find out celebrities were watching. Betty would sometimes come in and say, ‘You know who loves the show?’ In one case, it was Burt Reynolds. So we asked Betty, ‘Do you think he would do an episode?’ And she agreed to find out,” Fanaro explained.
Burt Reynolds guest-starred in a Season 2 episode
Reynolds’ guest appearance came during the second season in the episode “Ladies of the Evening.” Blanche Devereaux (McClanahan) wins three tickets to meet Reynolds and decides to take Rose Nylund (White) and Dorothy Zbornak (Arthur). However, their plans to rub elbows with the stars hit a snag when they’re mistaken for prostitutes and arrested.
Sophia Petrillo (Getty) goes to the station to bail them out but instead steals their tickets and leaves the girls in jail. The next morning, the girls are at home and annoyed at Sophia talking about Burt’s party. They believe she’s making up the stories, but they’re surprised when Reynolds arrives to take Sophia to lunch. When Burt asks Sophia which of her roommates is the slut, the starstruck trio all answer, “I am.”
Notable guest stars throughout the years
The Golden Girls had numerous celebrities during its seven-year run. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino were two stars who appeared on the series early in their careers. Other memorable guest stars include Julio Iglesias as Sophia’s Valentine’s Day date and Leslie Nielsen as Uncle Lucas, who marries Dorothy in the finale.
TV legend Dick Van Dyke guest-starred at Dorothy’s boyfriend, who gives up law to be a clown. White and Van Dyke shared a connection with their friendship with Mary Tyler Moore, but this was the first time the two worked together. According to IMDB.com, White and Van Dyke would reunite for his show Diagnosis Murder, in which she played his sister.
