Golden Girls

Taylor Cole Miller is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.Alfred L. Martin, Jr. is an associate professor and Department Chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts at the University of Miami. He is the author of Fandom for Us, By Us: The Pleasures and Practices of black Audiences and The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom, and editor of Rolling: Blackness and Mediated Comedy.

• Introduction: Thank You for Being a Fan: 40 Years of The Golden GirlsSection 1: Industry and Historical ContextChapter 1: “Picture it, U.S. 2020…”: Sitcom Nostalgia During the Pandemic, Kate FortmuellerInterview: What did you do on The Golden Girls?Chapter 2: Disney’s Renaissance Woman: Susan Harris, The Golden Girls, and Touchstone Television, Peter C. KunzeInterview: Creating the Golden GirlsChapter 3: Golden Girls Again: The Golden Girls in Rerun Syndication, Taylor Cole MillerInterview: Thank You For Being a FriendChapter 4: Golden Memories: Narrative Complexity and Flashback Episodes in The Golden Girls, Jessica HooverInterview: The Weekly Schedule – Taping Seasons 1-3Section 2: TextChapter 5: Enquiring Minds: The Golden Girls and Tabloid Culture, Claire SewellInterview The Weekly Schedule – Writing Seasons 5-7Chapter 6: I Need a Cheesecake: 1980s Diet Culture and The Golden Girls, AshleÉ ClarkInterview: Working with the GirlsChapter 7: “AIDS is not a Bad Person’s Disease, Rose”: Contagion and Comedy on The Golden Girls, Andrew J. OwensInterview: Photographing the GirlsChapter 8: Sex and the “Biddy”: An Examination of Age and Sexual Performance in The Golden Girls, Jared Clayton BrownInterview: Editing and LaughterChapter 9: Thank You for Being a Mom: Contradictory Lessons in Mothering from The Golden Girls, Beth L. BoserInterview: The Great Herring WarSection 3: Audiences & ReceptionChapter 10: Golden Girlfriends: Black Women’s Fandom and the Implicit Blackness of The Golden Girls, Alfred L. Martin, Jr.Interview: On Bea and BettyChapter 11: Smut Upon a Time in Miami: The Golden Girls' Camp Comedy, Ken FeilInterview: Why It’s Still PopularChapter 12: Thank You for Making Drag Safe: Mainstreaming Queerness Through Live Golden Girls Stage Productions, Eleanor PattersonInterview: From The Golden Girls to Golden PalaceNotes on ContributorsNotesIntroduction: Thank You for Being a Fan: Forty Years of The Golden Girls 1Taylor Cole Miller and Alfred L. Martin Jr.Part I. Industry and Historical Context1. “Picture It, U.S. 2020 . . .”: Sitcom Nostalgia During the Pandemic 19Kate FortmuellerInterview: Meet Our Special Guests and Their Little Slice ofThe Golden Girls 332. Disney’s Renaissance Woman: Susan Harris, The Golden Girls,and Touchstone Television 37Peter C. KunzeInterview: Creating The Golden Girls 533. Miami Thrice: The Golden Girls in Rerun Syndication 57Taylor Cole MillerInterview: “Thank You for Being a Friend” 754. Golden Memories: Narrative Complexity andFlashback Episodes in The Golden Girls 79Jessica HooverInterview: The Weekly Schedule: Taping Seasons 1–3 93Part II. Text5. Enquiring Minds: The Golden Girls and Tabloid Culture 99Claire SewellInterview: The Weekly Schedule: Writing Seasons 5–7 1136. I Need a Cheesecake: 1980s Diet Culture and The Golden Girls 119AshleÉ ClarkInterview: Memorable Moments with the Girls 1337. “AIDS Is Not a Bad Person’s Disease, Rose”:Contagion and Comedy on The Golden Girls 137Andrew J. OwensInterview: Photographing the Girls 1498. Sex and the “Biddy”: An Examination of Age andSexual Performance in The Golden Girls 153Jared Clayton BrownInterview: Editing and Laughter 1659. Thank You for Being a Mom: Contradictory Lessons inMothering from The Golden Girls 167Beth L. BoserInterview: The Myth of Ad-Libbing the Great Herring War 183Part III. Audiences and Reception10. Golden Girlfriends: Black Women’s Fandom and theImplicit Blackness of The Golden Girls 187Alfred L. Martin Jr.Interview: On Bea and Betty 20111. Smut upon a Time in Miami: The Golden Girls’ Camp Comedy 205Ken FeilInterview: Why The Golden Girls Is Still Popular 21912. Thank You for Making Drag Safe: Mainstreaming QueernessThrough Live Golden Girls Stage Productions 225Eleanor PattersonInterview: From The Golden Girls to Golden Palace 241Notes on Contributors 243Index 247

"These tales offer an amazingly detailed history of the Girls, full of in-depth analysis, revealing interviews, never-before-known facts, and sly references to our favorite funny moments and one-liners. Like Dorothy, it's super-smart. Like Sophia, it'll have you laughing out loud. And like Vanna White's memoir, it's just a helluva book!" - Jim Colucci (New York Times bestselling author of Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai) "Miller and Martin have expertly curated an impressive collection of essays that capture the wit and the heart of The Golden Girls while simultaneously offering an essential contribution to the field of television studies. This is the book that fans and scholars have been waiting for." - Racquel J. Gates (author of Double Negative: The Black Image and Popular Culture) "This book is a testament to both the emotional truth and sociological power this powerhouse television show created. It is a glorious and fascinating look into the writing, the performances, and most of all the many lines they crossed. I say this from the bottom of my heart to the humans involved in this book: thank you. For being a friend." - Alexandra Billings (actress and author of This Time for Me: A Memoir) "This book is more fun than a herring circus. Martin and Miller have put together a collection that deftly illustrates the depth, significance, and risk taking that define The Golden Girls. It's an important addition to work on eighties TV and a must-read for fans of the Girls. It made me feel like I just won Butter Queen." - Kelly Kessler (author of Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical) "Weaving together witty commentary, behind-the-scenes perspectives, and solid research, this book allows the reader—from casual fan to die-hard fanatic—to reflect upon The Golden Girls phenomenon in fresh and thought-provoking ways." - Maria Carpiac (professor and director of the Gerontology Program at California State University, Long Beach)