Marc Sotkin Movies

Defying the TV-industry "rules" that A) no viewer is interested in watching a situation comedy with an all-female cast and B) no viewer wants to see anybody over the age of 34, The Golden Girls was one of the few sitcoms in which all of the regulars were women, and none was under the age of 50 -- and it turned out be NBC's biggest hit of the 1985-1986 season. Set in a small Miami neighborhood, the series starred Bea Arthur as divorced substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak; Betty White as naïve, impressionable, ingenuous widowed grief counselor Rose Nylund; Rue McClanahan as museum worker Blanche Devereaux, another widow, but hardly naïve -- in fact, sex was the foremost thought in her mind at all times; and Estelle Getty as Dorothy's octogenarian mother, Sophia Petrillo, who had lost all her "tact cells" after a stroke and thus spoke her mind at all times, much to everyone's embarrassment. Blanche owned the house that she shared with Rose and Dorothy, with Sophia moving in on the trio after her retirement home burned down (a conflagration which, it was revealed late in the series, she had a hand in!). From time to time, the four roommates were visited by various relatives and offspring, none of whom could be called regulars (in fact, few of these peripheral characters were ever played by the same actors more than once). Seen on a more frequent basis were Dorothy's ne'er-do-well former husband, Stan (Herb Edelman), who, even though he'd dumped her for a much younger woman, constantly appeared on Dorothy's doorstep to cry on her shoulder or try to get her involved in his latest get-rich-quick scheme; and Rose's erstwhile boyfriend Miles Webber (Harold Gould), a well-meaning nebbish who turned out to be a former Mob accountant living in the Witness Relocation Program! The series ended with a hour-long episode in which Dorothy married Blanche's uncle Lucas (Leslie Nielsen), obliging the roommates to seek out new domiciles. Created by Susan Harris of Soap fame, The Golden Girls debuted September 14, 1985, and ended its NBC run on May 9, 1992; the Emmy-winning series ranked among America's ten most popular programs in every season but its last. Golden Girls also spawned two spin-offs: Empty Nest and The Golden Palace. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Inspired by the example of neighbor Rhonda (Leslie Easterbrook, Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) head to a ski resort in hopes of attracting new boyfriends. What follows is a veritable symphony of slapstick mayhem, culminating with the girls being stranded on a high ski lift. Then there's the climactic rescue scene, which ranks as one of the series' funniest moments (who knew that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation could be so much fun?) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hoping to enliven her moribund social life, Laverne goes out on a date with a tough guy named Jake (Larry Bishop), who as the leader of the Purple Fiends motorcycle gang enjoys a "dangerous" reputation. Unfortunately, Jake lives up to that reputation by staging a robbery in the middle of the date. Will Laverne be able to escape, or is she doomed to a bleak future as Jake's "old lady"? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode is set in "the future"--not only the future as it relates to the year the episode was filmed (1978), but also in relation to the year in which it takes place (1960). In a dream, Laverne (Penny Marshall) sees herself and Shirley (Cindy Williams) when they're in their eighties--still unmarried, still roommates. Desperate to march down the marital aisle before it's too late, our octogenarian heroines accept the proposals of the equally decrepit Lenny (Michael McKean and Squiggy (David L. Lander). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season Four of Laverne and Shirley gets under way with the first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single hour-long special). Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) bid a temporary farewell to Milwaukee so they can accompany Frank (Phil Foster) and Edna (Betty Garrett) on a bus trip to New York. The purpose of the trip is twofold: to attend a lavish Italian festival, and to spend time with Frank's old-world mother (Penny Santon). While Grandma DeFazio is happy to see Frank, she is even happier to see tag-along Squiggy (David L. Lander), who adores Grandma's home-cooked spaghetti. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As the last minutes of 1959 tick away and Milwaukee prepares to ring in 1960, it looks as though New Year's Eve will hardly be an occasion for celebration in the household of Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams). Not only is Shirley suffering from a miserable cold, but Laverne has been stood up by her date. But things liven up a bit thanks to the efforts by Lenny (Michael McKean) to acknowledge the New Year by performing a "human fly" act--and he's just the insect who can do it! This episode is also known as "New Years Eve 1959". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi