"It's like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy."
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Love Me Tender is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of The Golden Girls and the ninetieth episode overall. Directed by Steve Zuckerman and written by Kevin Abbott, it premiered on NBC-TV on February 4th, 1989.
Sophia objects to Dorothy's "completely physical" relationship with a nondescript new lover, Eddie (John Fiedler). Blanche and Rose become pals to two motherless girls, who also happen to be juvenile delinquents.
In one scene, Rose demonstrates that she can keep a secret by asking Dorothy, "Do you know what the name 'Nylund' means in Norwegian?" When Dorothy replies that she doesn't, Rose says, "Well I'm not telling." The words "ny lund" in Norwegian mean "new grove."
This episode marks the only time Dorothy goes out with someone Sophia fixes her up with. Ironically even Sophia had second thoughts about her choice of suitor for Dorothy.
Production[]
Bea Arthur was dissatisfied with this episode. She didn't like having to be paired with John Fielder, as she believed that Dorothy should be dating more attractive men. Producers, however, explained to Arthur that the point of this particular episode was that Dorothy was having the best physical relationship of her life with this very meek, ordinary man. Arthur relented, but was still unhappy with the story. Nevertheless, the show ended up being a hit and ironically became one of the funniest episodes of the series.
Episode writers Richard Vaczy and Tracy Gamble named the two teen characters "Marla" and "Jackie" as a nod to Marla Gibbs and Jackee Harry, stars of NBC's comedy 227, which Vaczy and Gamble worked for three years before joining The Golden Girls in 1988.
Goofs[]
When Dorothy makes her crack about the cappuccino machine, her right hand rests on the sofa cushion. In the next shot, it is behind her head.
Blanche and Rose enter the kitchen in the morning after spending all night at the police station. Dorothy enters and Rose goes to the fridge to get a glass of orange juice. When she pulls the pitcher of juice out of the fridge, you can see the juice slosh on her sweater and on the floor. She then fusses with closing her cardigan and awkwardly turns her body away from the camera to hide the stain.
When Blanche invites Jackie and Marla to her room to do their makeup, the girls go down the hall ahead of Blanche, passing Sophia's, Dorothy's and Rose's bedrooms and go straight to Blanche's room and open the door, even though they have no idea which room is hers.