Dorothy on ‘The Golden Girls’ Was Almost Played by This Emmy Winner

Much like the four ladies that the show follows, The Golden Girls is a series that never goes out of style. More than 30 years after its final episode aired, the show still airs daily in syndication and continues to be binge-worthy. Despite some plotholes, viewers continue to tune in for the iconic characters, and it’s not hard to see why with the show’s main cast composed of sitcom royalty. From the beloved Betty White as Rose Nyland, to the sensual Rue McClanahan as Blanche Deveraux, to the feisty Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, and finally, the witty leader of the group, Beatrice Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, the show had one of the greatest casts of all time. However, one of the girls was nearly played by another star, something nearly impossible to imagine.

Elaine Stritch Auditioned for the Role of Dorothy

Known for her quick wit and big stage presence, as evident in her one-woman show, Elaine Stritch: Live at Liberty, actress Elaine Stritch was no stranger to comedy. Though largely remembered for her iconic performances on the Broadway stage, Stritch started making television appearances as early as 1949 on The Growing Paynes and was even the original Trixie in Jackie Gleason‘s The Honeymooners, during the show’s sketch comedy days. She led the English comedy, Two’s Company, from 1975 to 1979 and followed it up with a 1980 English television adaptation of Maude, called Nobody’s Perfect. Stritch’s version of Arthur’s Maude character, named Bill Hooper, was not the last time their careers would intersect. When casting began on Golden Girls, Stritch was an early contender for Dorothy Zbornak.

Initially, Bea Arthur, coming off her run in another successful sitcom, Maude, was not interested in the part, and the role of Dorothy was almost given to the Emmy-winner and Broadway legend. As fate would have it though, an old friend and soon to be a continued costar convinced Arthur otherwise, and a particularly brazen improvisation during Stritch’s audition left the role of Dorothy wide open for Arthur.

Though the character had been written for Arthur, producers thought Stritch would be great in the role. She was brought in to audition for the producers and creator Susan Harris. In her one woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, Stritch admitted to being nervous before the audition, and sensed that Harris wasn’t her biggest fan. She claimed that she tried to win the writer over by asking if she could play around with the dialogue. She was met with the answer “Punctuation only.” Stritch continued to joke, asking Harris if she could change the line reading “Ying, don’t forget the hors d’oeuvres” to “Ying, don’t forget the fucking hors d’oeurvres.” As Stritch put it: “I blew it.” In an interview with Variety, Golden Girls producers confirmed Stritch’s story in a sense, saying: “We had always wanted Bea Arthur for the part. Stritch came in for a reading–and didn’t read.” Convincing Arthur to take on the role, however, wasn’t an easy task.

Bea Arthur Wasn’t Interested in ‘The Golden Girls’

After the successful Norman Lear sitcom, Maude, wrapped production, Arthur wasn’t keen on taking the role of Dorothy. Her former Maude co-star Rue McClanahan had already been cast, along with The Mary Tyler Moore Show alum, Betty White. On Maude, McClanahan played Vivian Harmon, Maude’s dull-minded best friend, while White played the promiscuous Sue Ann Nivens on Moore. When McClanahan approached Arthur about the project, the reluctant actress told her “Rue, I don’t want to do Maude and Vivian meet Sue Ann Nivens,” according to E! News. Arthur was unaware that, though McClanahan had originally been tapped to be simple-minded Rose, and White to be the man-hungry Blanche, the actresses had switched parts. When McClanahan explained the switch to Arthur, she thought it was “brilliant.” Arthur read the script and recalled, “It’s funny, it’s adult, and I will get off my ass again and go to work.” While the actress did still have some reservations about getting involved in another potential, multi-year sitcom, the quality of the script was enough to convince her.

Once Arthur joined the already cast McClanahan and White, producers added Estelle Getty from Harvey Fierstein‘s stage-hit, Torch Song Trilogy to play Arthur’s mother, Sophia Petrillo (despite Arthur being one year her senior). From E! News, McClanahan said that the “chemistry was as plain as a preacher’s daughter. Our set was a happy place.” Arthur would go on to play Dorothy on The Golden Girls for seven seasons and guest starred as the character on Golden Girls-universe set series, Empty Nest, and in a two-part reunion of the sequel series, The Golden Palace.

Stritch continued to have a successful career on stage, in film, and on television. She won the first of four Emmys in 1991 for an appearance on Law & Order, as well as two for the filmed version of Elaine Stritch at Liberty and the last for her beloved role of Colleen Donaghy on 30 Rock. Despite Elaine Stritch’s success on stage and on television, the role of Dorothy Zbornak was not destined for the comedic actress. Everything indeed worked out for the best, however. Audiences were treated to seven years of Bea Arthur’s beloved performance on The Golden Girls and Elaine Stritch found continued success in projects she might’ve miss out on if she had been cast as Dorothy Zbornak.

The Golden Girls is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.