Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re featuring the year 1985, which is when The Golden Girls premiered on NBC! It starred Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, most of whom had worked together before. Arthur and McClanahan were on Maude together, while McClanahan and White worked together on Mama’s Family. Getty was the first of the four roles to be cast. She was actually a year younger than her on-screen daughter, Bea Arthur. It took 3 hours for Getty to transform into Sophia, wearing heavy makeup, thick glasses, and a white wig to look the part. Rue McClanahan had a special clause in her contract that allowed her to keep all of Blanche’s costumes, which were mostly custom made for her. She reportedly had 13 closets full of the designer outfits! The Golden Girls was an instant ratings hit and became an NBC staple on Saturday nights. It ended after 7 seasons when Bea Arthur decided to leave the series. Each of the 4 stars won an Emmy Award for their role, making it one of only 4 sitcoms in the award show’s history to achieve this. Learn more in the audio below.