The Golden Girls Specials

This 90-minute special broadcasted on the Lifetime network in June 2003 served as a reunion show for 3 out of the 4 golden girls. Unfortunately, Estelle Getty could not attend because of her Parkinson's disease. Basically, this show has clips from the girls' favorite musical and show moments, as well as some never before seen (and unfortunately censored) bloopers and outtakes from the show. In addition to the aforementioned, the special contains the girls' favorite scenes and music numbers as well as interviews with the girls, executive producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, and creator and talented writer Susan Harris. The special earned Lifetime an all time high rating. After the special originally aired, Lifetimed broadcasted the pilot and finale episodes. Please be aware that syndication requires more commercial time, so you may notice that two or three minutes of dialogue and/or scenes may be missing. Other than that, the special was very interesting and very well done.

One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "Golden Girls," a comedy series about four older women -- two widows, a divorcee, and her mother -- who share a home in Miami and help each other to cope with growing older and being single again. Ron Simon (curator, The Museum of Television & Radio) offers opening remarks and introduces the panelists: creator Susan Harris; writers Marc Cherry, Mitchell Hurwitz, and James Vallely; director Terry Hughes; executive producer Paul Junger Witt; and cast members Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux) and Betty White (Rose Nylund). (Beatrice Arthur, who plays Dorothy Zbornak, was scheduled to appear, but could not attend).

DVD bonus: A look back and 15' of shared memories of Bea, Betty and Rue, post 2000.

Joan and Melissa Rivers provide their own unique brand of fashion critique in a hilarious featurette that pays tribute to the crazy, kitschy wardrobes of The Golden Girls.