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Betty White as Rose Nylund
"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 Under the Big Top is the fifth episode of the fifth season of The Golden Girls and the one-hundred and seventh episode overall. Directed by Terry Hughes and written by Richard Vaczy and Tracy Gamble, it premiered on NBC-TV on October 28th, 1989.

Summary[]

Dorothy is dating a lawyer and believes he is on the verge of proposing. However, he tells her he is leaving law to become a circus clown. Meanwhile, Rose and Blanche put together a protest to save dolphins from tuna fishermen.

Plot[]

The episode begins with Blanche and Rose returning from a boat trip expressing their opposing opinions on the experience. Blanche loved the trip, while Rose couldn't get over the treatment she had seen towards the dolphins. Rose then gets involved with a protest named "Friends of the Sea Mammals" and convinces Blanche to get involved, too. Hesitantly, she agrees.

Dorothy, meanwhile, was getting ready for a date with her top Miami lawyer boyfriend, Ken. Dorothy talked fondly of Ken with the girls until he arrived and they left for their date. The next day, Dorothy tells the girls that Ken said he wants to talk with her. The girls are convinced he's gonna ask her to marry him, but instead, he reveals to Dorothy that he was quitting his job as a lawyer to become a full-time clown. He says that being lawyer had made him miserable, but being a clown had brought him joy. Ken then invites her to go to dinner with him and his circus group. Dorothy, though shocked, extends her support to Ken and accepts his invitation to dinner with him and his clown friends.

After dinner, Dorothy talks about how uncomfortable she felt in the situation. Rose offers an invitation to Dorothy to get involved with the protest in order to take her mind off of Ken and she accepts.

Later, Dorothy tells Blanche that Ken asked her to travel with him and the circus and that she may have to call off their relationship. At the protest, a small confrontation ensues and one of the fisherman pulls on Rose and Blanche retaliates by punching him in the face.

Now in court with Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and all the protestors, Sophia comes in and tells Dorothy that Ken is on the way to help them. Dorothy lets everyone know that they should be in good hands. Embarrisingly, Ken arrives in full clown attire to the court, however, he does an excellent job giving their case and everyone is fine.

Back at home, Rose is upset that the protest wasn't able to save all of the dolphins, but Blanche cheers her up by saying that at least they did something even it was small. They then plan to go back out and protest again, but this was just a ploy for Blanche to check out the attractive workers at the dock.

Meanwhile, Dorothy reveals to Ken that she doesn't really love him, not because of the clown thing, but because she wasn't willing to give up her life at home to spend it with him. Ken says the same and that he wouldn't be able to give up being a clown to be with her. The two mutually agree to split up.[1]

Tall Tales[]

Picture It...[]

To be added.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

  • Dick Van Dyke as Ken Whittingham
  • Mell Stewart as Judge
  • John DiSanti as the Fisherman

Notes[]

  • While defending the protestors, Ken mentions that dolphins have rescued men lost at sea. Dick Van Dyke himself was once rescued by porpoises after falling asleep on a surfboard and drifting out to sea.
  • This episode aired on show creator Susan Harris's 49th birthday.

Production[]

  • Betty White and Dick Van Dyke would work together again a few years later on Dick's TV show Diagnosis Murder, where Betty White played his sister Dora Sloan.

Cultural references[]

  • Blanche cites an episode of the 1960s television series Flipper as her sudden inspiration for saving the dolphins.

Continuity[]

  • It's revealed that Blanche refers to herself as "Water Lily" when talking to herself.

Goofs[]

  • At the end of the show when Dorothy has just broken up with Ken, she pulls a handkerchief that is connected to several other solid colored handkerchiefs out of his pocket and walks away. The handkerchief in the two shot she is touching is white. But, when the camera switches to the wide shot, the handkerchief she is touching is light blue.

Site Navigation[]

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List of The Golden Girls episodes

Season 1 The EngagementGuess Who's Coming to the WeddingRose the PrudeTransplantThe TriangleOn Golden GirlsThe CompetitionBreak-InBlanche and the Younger ManThe Heart AttackThe Return of Dorothy's ExThe Custody BattleA Little RomanceThat Was No LadyIn a Bed of Rose'sThe Truth Will OutNice and EasyThe OperationSecond MotherhoodAdult EducationThe FluJob HuntingBlind AmbitionsBig DaddyThe Way We Met
Season 2 End of the CurseLadies of the EveningTake Him, He's MineIt's a Miserable LifeIsn't It RomanticBig Daddy's Little LadyFamily AffairVacationJoust Between FriendsLove, Rose'Twas The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe SistersThe Stan Who Came to DinnerThe ActorBefore and AfterAnd Then There Was OneBedtime StoryForgive Me, FatherLong Day's Journey into MarinaraWhose Face is This, Anyway?Dorothy's Prized PupilDiamond in the RoughSon-in-Law DearestTo Catch a NeighborA Piece of CakeEmpty Nests
Season 3 Old FriendsOne for the MoneyBringing Up BabyThe HousekeeperNothing to Fear But Fear ItselfLetter to GorbachevStrange BedfellowsBrotherly LoveA Visit from Little SvenThe AuditThree on a CouchCharlie's BuddyThe ArtistBlanche's Little GirlDorothy's New FriendGrab That DoughMy Brother, My FatherGolden Moments, Part 1Golden Moments, Part 2And Ma Makes ThreeLarceny and Old LaceRose's Big AdventureMixed BlessingsMister TerrificMother's Day
Season 4 Yes, We Have No HavanasThe Days and Nights of Sophia PetrilloThe One That Got AwayYokel HeroBang the Drum, StanleySophia's Wedding, Part 1Sophia's Wedding, Part 2Brother, Can You Spare That JacketScared StraightStan Takes a WifeThe AuctionBlind DateThe Impotence of Being ErnestLove Me TenderValentine's DayTwo Rode TogetherYou Gotta Have HopeFiddler On the RopesTill Death Do We VolleyHigh AnxietyLittle SisterSophia's ChoiceRites of SpringForeign ExchangeWe're Outta Here, Part 1We're Outta Here, Part 2
Season 5 Sick and Tired, Part 1Sick and Tired, Part 2The Accurate ConceptionRose Fights BackLove Under the Big TopDancing in the DarkNot Another MondayThat Old FeelingComedy of ErrorsAll That JazzEbb TideHave Yourself a Very Little ChristmasMary Has a Little LambTriple PlayClinton Avenue MemoirsLike the Beep Beep Beep of the Tom-TomAn Illegitimate Concern72 HoursTwice In a LifetimeSisters and Other StrangersCheatersThe Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding PresentAll Bets Are OffThe President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 1The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 2
Season 6 Blanche DeliversOnce, In St. OlafIf At Last You Do SucceedSnap Out Of ItWham, Bam, Thank You MammyFeelingsZborn AgainHow Do You Solve a Problem Like Sophia?Mrs. George DevereauxGirls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They DieStand By Your ManEbbtide's RevengeThe Bloom Is Off the RoseSisters of the BrideMiles to GoThere Goes the Bride, Part 1There Goes the Bride, Part 2Older and WiserMelodramaEven Grandmas Get the BluesWitnessWhat a Difference a Date MakesLove for SaleNever Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 1Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 2Henny Penny — Straight, No Chaser
Season 7 Hey, Look Me OverThe Case of the Libertine BelleBeauty and the BeastThat's For Me to KnowWhere's Charlie?Mother LoadDateline: MiamiThe Monkey Show, Part 1The Monkey Show, Part 2Ro$e Love$ Mile$Room SevenFrom Here to the PharmacyThe Pope's RingOld BoyfriendsGoodbye, Mr. GordonThe CommitmentsQuestions and AnswersEbbtide VI: The Wrath of StanJourney to the Center of AttentionA Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 1A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 2Rose: Portrait of a WomanHome Again, Rose, Part 1Home Again, Rose, Part 2One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 1One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 2

References[]

  1. The Golden Girls, Season 5, Episode 5, “Love Under The Big Top”. Vaczy, Richard and Gamble, Tracy (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (October 28th, 1989)
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