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"It's like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy." This article is incomplete. You can help the Golden Girls Wiki by expanding it. |
Mister Terrific is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season of The Golden Girls and the seventy-fifth episode overall. Directed by Terry Hughes and written by Terry Grossman and Kathy Speer, it premiered on NBC-TV on April 30th, 1988.
Summary[]
Rose starts dating television superhero "Mr. Terrific." He gets Dorothy a job on his show, but Dorothy's recommendations to the producer get Mr. Terrific fired. This causes Rose to become upset at Dorothy, who feels terrible for putting herself first. She tries to get Mr. Terrific back on the show, but ends up as his replacement. Meanwhile, Blanche orders a new bed, and despite receiving the wrong one, she likes it so much she doesn't say anything, causing her to fear the police are coming after her.
Plot[]
Dorothy is optimistic that a recent summer-job interview at a day camp will work out; Blanche returns home exhausted after spending hours shopping for a new bed. While recounting the story to Sophia and Dorothy, Rose arrives and informs the ladies that she met television superhero "Mr. Terrific" during an autograph signing at a local mall. Her excitement leads to a date with Mr. Terrific that evening.
The department store delivers the wrong bed to Blanche, while only charging her for a far less expensive model. She decides to keep it, against Rose's advice. "Mr. Terrific" arrives to pick up Rose for a date and ultimately offers Dorothy a better job opportunity: a consultant on his show. Mr. Terrific's show goes on as usual, but Dorothy provides some suggestions for improvements to "Mr. Producer," who was once a child guest on the Mr. Terrific Show. We also meet some of the zany characters on the Mr. Terrific Show. Meanwhile, Blanche begins to feel remorse for not being honest and returning the bed that was mistakenly delivered, but feels too much time has passed to return it.
Dorothy's suggestions ultimately lead to Mr. Terrific being fired. He arrives at the house, still in costume and agitated about the situation. Dorothy offers to set things right with the producer the next morning, and Mr. Terrific gives her a phone number to contact him as soon as the situation changes. Returning to the studio the next morning, Dorothy tries to convince the producer to bring back Mr. Terrific, to no avail. The show must go on, the producer makes a last-minute casting decision for a replacement host.
We then find Mr. Terrific at a bar staring at a phone, awaiting Dorothy's call. Rose finds Mr. Terrific there, assuring him that Dorothy is doing all she can to correct the situation. After reminiscing about the humble beginnings and creative vision for his children's program, Mr. Terrific looks up to the television to see Dorothy hosting his show.
Dorothy and the cast of the Mr. Terrific show trade barbs as the cast feels Dorothy intentionally got Mr. Terrific fired. Rose arrives to convince Dorothy to stop the show, but a staff member interrupts, shouting that Mr. Terrific is on a ledge of the building, perhaps to jump. Convinced that he can fly, and even as Dorothy and Rose try to persuade him to come back inside to safety, Mr. Terrific insists he must prove himself to his fans. Rose does make her way to the ledge, and Mr. Terrific proves he can fly, with Rose in his arms.
After the ordeal, back at the house, Mr. Terrific recounts that he knew he could fly, particularly in a double harness, suspended by steel cables. Blanche returns to find the the group, and is determined to wait for the police to arrest her for her dishonesty about the bed purchase. Mr. Policeman, a cast member from the Mr. Terrific show, arrives in costume to unintentionally make Blanche's fears a reality.[1]
Tall Tales[]
Picture It...[]
Sophia recounts one of the most beloved comic books in her village, Benito the Hood. Benito lived in the woods with his band of merry thugs, and often stole money from the rich people which he then kept to himself. Sophia mentions that Benito was the idol of many a Sicilian youngster.
Back in St. Olaf...[]
Though there is no "real" St. Olaf story told, Dorothy mentions that people in St. Olaf believe that "Freud" is a way to cook chicken.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak
- Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux
- Betty White as Rose Nylund
- Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
Guest Stars[]
- Bob Dishy as Mr. Terrific
- Lonny Price as Hastings
- Jody Price as Jody
- Don Woodard as Kolak
- John Wheeler as Bar Patron
- Jim Hudson as Freddy
- Raf Mauro as Bartender
- Ron Kapra as Stage Manager
Notes[]
- The ledge scene is reminiscent of a similar scene in the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy and Superman."
- Other than "Empty Nests", which was a backdoor pilot episode, this is generally considered the worst episode of The Golden Girls.
- Mr. Terrific's real name is never spoken in the episode.
- Rose mentions a boyfriend of Blanche's named Roger. In the previous episode, Dorothy says that her son and his new wife's child should be named Roger.[2]
Production[]
- Though he is seen for less than five seconds, Don Woodard plays the actor who voices Kolak. Woodard also played the crooked contractor in the beginning of "Rose's Big Adventure".[3]
- Bob Dishy, who guest stars as Mister Terrific, originally worked with Bea Arthur in a 1972 episode of All in the Family, which served as the pilot for Maude.
Cultural references[]
- When speaking about Mr. Terrific, Dorothy says that "right now Squeaky Fromme has a better grasp on reality." Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was a member of the infamous Manson Family, and attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975.
Goofs[]
- When Mister Terrific talks about being called "the next Captain Kangaroo," his arm is raised. In the next shot, it is not.
- When Blanche comes back out of her bedroom and says the wrong bed was delivered to her, the camera zooms out and a boom mic is visible over Rose and Sophia.
- There is an obvious stunt double when Mister Terrific "flies" with Rose. There is even a close-up of a face of someone older than Bob Dishy.
[]
References[]
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 24, “Mister Terrific”. Speer, Kathy and Grossman, Terry (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (April 30th, 1988)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 23, “Mixed Blessings”. Lloyd, Christopher (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (March 19th, 1988)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 22, “Rose’s Big Adventure”. Abugov, Jeff (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (March 12th, 1988)