‘The Golden Girls’: Did Rue McClanahan Think Blanche Was a Slut?
The Golden Girls‘ Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) is an iconic TV character. The man-hungry Blanche entertained viewers for seven seasons on the NBC sitcom. Blanche’s active love life often earned her ridicule from her roommates. So how did McClanahan feel about her character’s promiscuousness?
‘The Golden Girls’ Rue McClanahan didn’t think Blanche Devereaux was a slut
Blanche’s love life was a central focus of The Golden Girls. In many episodes, Blanche was seen with her latest boyfriend or talking about a past lover. Her romantic adventures provided plenty of laughs for the audience but earned her ridicule from her roommates. Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) often called her a “slut puppy,” and Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) referred to her as a tramp.
While fans agree with the roommates’ sentiments about Blanche, McClanahan didn’t. In Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai, McClanahan discussed whether Blanche was a slut. “I actually don’t see Blanche as a slut at all. She actually had fewer dates than anybody if you go back and count. Sophia had more going on sexually than Blanche did. But Blanche talked a lot,” McClanahan explained.
Her memorable love interests
The Golden Girls writers had many love interests for Blanche during the show’s seven-year run. In the pilot episode, Blanche is engaged to Harry (Frank Aletter), but he’s arrested for bigamy on the day of their wedding. Later in Season 1, she becomes engaged to a wealthy businessman named Richard (Kevin McCarthy). But she ends the engagement after realizing he puts work ahead of everything else, including his two young children.
As the years went on, Blanche had plenty of memorable boyfriends. Who could forget the handsome caterer Jake Smollens (Donnelly Rhodes), whose heart she broke? Or her friend Mel Bushman (Alan King), who was always there for her?
While most of Blanche’s relationships didn’t work out, they provided plenty of humor and some tears along the way.
George Devereaux is considered the love of her life
Like her other roommates, Sophia and Rose Nylund (Betty White), Blanche is a widow. Throughout the series, Blanche talks lovingly about George Devereaux (George Grizzard) as she shares memories of him. In a Season 6 episode, viewers see George for the first time when he visits Blanche in a dream.
Although she dated other men after his death, McClanahan believes George was Blanche’s soulmate. “I think she was married to George for a long time, and she never got over him. She was always looking for a replacement; she was looking for love,” McClanahan explained.
