Elaine Stritch on her audition for the lead in The Golden Girls

The legendary Tony and Emmy winner Elaine Stritch talks about her audition for the role of Dorothy in a classic hit CBS show The Golden Girls. The role, of course, went to Bea Arthur.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Elaine
• Stritch
• audition
• sitcom
• the
• golden
• girls
• Broadway
• stage
• live

[PeterFormaini]

1. The Golden Girls was never a CBS project. It was always an NBC project.

2. Stritch was NEVER offered the role. That is a flat-put lie.

[picturefan2009]

@PeterFormaini She never really said that she was offered the part. She simply auditioned for it. There is a difference.

[Richiesutherland]

One must always remember that this is scripted, and the emotion is "acted" every night. People get fooled into thinking that these tell-all ladies are feeling their pain 8 times a week. This is brilliantly delivered, nobody is better at it. I just object to Stritch and others "baring their soul" night after night.

[escarlit]

thank god she blew it. i cant see liking this woman as dorothy.

[ttiiyy]

@picturefan2009 But what about the part where she mentioned CBS? Wasn't that a lie?

[cmcb09]

Granted Bea Arthur was amazing and the best choice they could have made for Dorothy, but would have been kind of funny if Elaine had done a sketch of the Golden Girls or something. She would have been a hoot to watch as Dorothy.

[ryanludens]

LOOK AT THOSE LEGS



[Ramubay]

Put your pants back on old lady. Yuck. 

[FCignelli]

@PeterFormaini She never said that she was offered the part. She simply spoke about the time she auditioned for the role. That's all. I repeat she is not claiming that she was offered the part.

[picturefan2009]

@PeterFormaini When did she say she was offered the role? From what I understand she only said she auditioned for it which is a big difference.

[PeterFormaini]

@FCignelli Quite probably - but she was never ;offered the role' as she claims. That never happened. : Not that she would not have been perfect in it. :D She would have been.

[FCignelli]

@PeterFormaini The script called that the Dorothy character be a "Bea Arthur type" but the real Bea Arthur continued to turn down the role after repeated offers. They then auditioned several actresses, including Elaine for the role. Rue, who was already cast as Blanche, called Bea (whom she had worked with in Maude) and convinced her to at least read the script. She did, and the rest is history.