Salvadore Petrillo

Synopsis

Relationships

Gallery

"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.

Salvadore Petrillo
Portrayed by	Sid Melton Kyle T. Heffner (young)
Character Information
Nicknames	Sal Sally Pop Miserable Bagigaloop
Gender	Male
Age	70-80
Birthday	1880s-1890s
Death	1963-1974
Occupation(s)	Meat grinder
Family Members
Parents Mr. Petrillo (father) † Mrs. Petrillo (mother) † Spouses Sophia Petrillo (wife, widow) † Children Dorothy Zbornak Gloria Harker (daughters) Phillip Petrillo (son) † Grandchildren Michael Zbornak Jim Harker Harvey Petrillo Phil Petrillo's five sons (grandsons) Kate Zbornak-Griffiths Katherine Harker Phil Petrillo's four daughters (granddaughters) Descendants Robby Zbornak (great-grandson) Other Relatives Frederico (nephew) Apollonia Graziella (nieces) Don Angelo Grisanti, Sr. (father-in-law) † Eleanor (mother-in-law) † Angelo Grisanti Vito Grisanti Carmine Vecchio † (brothers in-law) Angela Vecchio Regina Grisanti Philomena Grisanti (sisters in-law) † Lucas Hollingsworth Mr. Harker (sons in-law) Angela Petrillo (daughter in-law) Dennis Griffiths (grandson in-law)
Production Information
Appears In	The Golden Girls
Debuts in	A Piece of Cake (The Golden Girls, 1987)
Final Appearance	Room Seven (The Golden Girls, 1991)

Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo is a major character in The Golden Girls. He is the late husband of Sophia Petrillo, and the father of Dorothy Zbornak, Gloria Harker, and Phil Petrillo.

Sal was seen only in flashback sequences or as apparitions. He was portrayed by the late Sid Melton, and by Kyle T. Heffner in "Clinton Avenue Memoirs".

Personality and Characteristics

Sal was a average man, but he could be sharp-tongued like Sophia and they did argue over things; other times he could be romantic. In a flashback, the couple's car is being repaired and Sophia's father complains about Sal; when Sophia's father goes to the restroom, Sal reveals that he has Sophia's favorite chocolates. In another, after Sal reveals Sophia's true age and they fight, Sal ends it by telling her that she is always beautiful to him.

It's clear that Sal and Sophia had a healthy sex life; when Dorothy and Sophia share a bed, Dorothy's elbow reminds Sophia of Sal. When Sophia got annoyed at the time dinner guests took, she reveals that in half the time Sal could eat, read the paper, make love, and do his nails without leaving the table. Sophia admitted that Sal did things without telling her -- for example, she couldn't remember conceiving their son Phil. While she was carrying him Sal nearly cheated on her, but he found the woman birdlike and annoying and decided he preferred his wife. According to "One For The Money", he eagerly looked forward to visits from his grandchildren, Michael and Kate.

Sal had a bad gambling habit, something he appears to have passed down to his daughter Dorothy. He regularly visited the racetracks and even took Dorothy with him, pretending that they were going to the zoo.

Biography

Early Life

Sal's early life is unknown, but he was born in Sicily sometime in between 1880 and 1890. Before moving to America, Sal married Sophia Grisanti, though the exact nature of how they met and married varies based on the episode. In "Adult Education", Sophia states that she met him when she bargained with someone in a dark alley. In "Diamond in The Rough", she says she won him in a contest, when she stood on a rock so they were the same height.

Life in America

In the 1920s, Sal and Sophia moved to Brooklyn, New York, and bought an apartment on Clinton Avenue, where they lived for thirty years. During that time, Sal carved "Sal Loves Sophia" into the door of their bedroom closet. When they first got married, Sal's mother came to stay with them for two months and slept between them the entire time.

In 1929, Sophia, Sal, and Sophia's father were driving to Chicago on Valentine's Day, when their car broke down. They were able to get to a small mechanic's garage to fix it, with Sophia's father badmouthing Sal every chance he could. While Sophia's father went to use the bathroom, Sal surprised her with a box of chocolates and revealed he'd had the car break down on purpose. Unfortunately, their romantic moment was shattered by Sophia's father running away from men with machine guns -- as he had accidentally walked into the Valentine's Day Massacre. In order to get them out of the garage as fast as possible, Sal pushed the car out into the street.

In 1931, Sal and Sophia got into a fight and Sal tried to leave her, but when he couldn't find a cab, Sophia treated him to veal parmesan. Her meal moved Sal to tears, and said the meal was like their relationship -- "The veal is like (Sal), tough and stubborn. The tomato sauce is like (Sophia), hot and spicy. And the mozzarella is like (their) love: it stretches but it never breaks." and they stayed together. That night, they made love atop a pinochle table at McSoley's Bar, and conceived their first child, Dorothy. Nine months later, Sophia gave birth to Dorothy after twenty-three hours or several days of labor. They later had another daughter, Gloria, and a son named Phil.

While Sophia was pregnant with Phil, Sal almost cheated on her with another woman -- however, he decided that he preferred Sophia and abandoned the notion of having an affair. While Sophia never met the woman, she heard that she was "a short, scrawny, birdlike thing who never shut up". The day Sophia went into labor with Phil, Sal was called away for work and he missed the birth of his son. After Phil was brought home from the hospital Dorothy began to act out more. Sal let her sit on his knee as he reassured her that he and Sophia didn't love her any less.

A younger Sal in a heartfelt scene with a young Dorothy; "Clinton Avenue Memoirs" (1990)

During The Great Depression, both Sal and Sophia held down multiple jobs and always managed to feed their children, though their son Phil had to wear hand-me-downs from their daughters for a while after he was born. Sal was even unable to attend Dorothy's tonsillectomy, as he had to work overtime to pay for the operation. They were good friends with Max and Esther Weinstock, and at some point during the 1940s, Sal and Max opened a pizza-knish stand together and enjoyed quite a bit of profit. In 1949, Sal revealed to Max during a night of gin rummy that he'd gambled away the profits from the stand. In order to save Sal and Sophia's marriage, Max told Sophia that he had gambled away the profits, and the enraged Sophia swore that she would never speak to Max again.

At some point after this, Sophia and Sal learned that Dorothy had become pregnant out of wedlock, and they insisted that Dorothy marry Stanley Zbornak, the boy responsible.

On Christmas Eve 1955, Sal, Sophia, Sophia's sister Angela and Angela's husband Carmine went. Although Sal wasn't a part of the events that led to Sophia and Angela splitting up, he did join the rest of the men in pitching coins into Maria Fenestru's breasts for entertainment. That night, Maria walked off with $19 of Sal's money.

In 1957, Sophia brought her mother Eleanor over to their apartment with intentions of convincing her to live with them in her final years. Eleanor then arrives with a younger Dorothy, but Eleanor is irate at the thought of coming to Sal's home because she suspects that Sal hates her. Sophia counters that it can’t be true, as they both want her to move in with them. Sal then confronts Eleanor about his sincerity, and the two come to an agreement despite Eleanor's reluctance to show affection. Eleanor lived with Sal and Sophia until she passed away.

Death and Legacy

Some time after Sophia's mother passed, Sal passed away as well. His exact date of and age at death are unknown, but he may have died from an illness as Sophia mentioned he was in a hospital the night he died. The night he died, Sophia went looking for Dorothy and found her in the maternity ward looking at the babies. Sophia saw a newborn that looked exactly like Sal, and thought that the baby had been born just as Sal died. Much to her surprise, the baby's last name was Rheingold -- which was the name of Sal's favorite beer. According to Sophia, Sal's last words were, "Ten bucks says I don't need this oxygen tank."

Sophia imagines Sal in their old apartment; "Clinton Avenue Memoirs" (1990)

When Sophia went on an eating binge and thought she was having a heart attack, she fell asleep and dreamed about seeing Sal in Heaven. She mentioned that Sal was definitely in Heaven, as he was surrounded by women.

In 1990, Sophia's memory began to worsen, so she decided to take a trip back to Brooklyn to jog her memory. She believed that Sal had carved "Sal Loves Sophia" in the kitchen closet, but it was revealed that Sal had put their children's height chart on the kitchen door. While up in her old bedroom, the despondent Sophia imagined Sal coming down from Heaven to talk to her. Sal was disappointed that Sophia had been losing her fire, and admitted that he may not have found her attractive anymore. This caused Sophia to snap at him, promising that she would make him regret looking at another ghost. Sal applauded Sophia for finding her spunk again, and made her promise to keep her spirit -- not for his memory, but for her own life. As Sophia and Dorothy prepared to leave, Sophia found the love message that Sal had carved in the closet.

Family

Mr. Petrillo †

Mrs. Petrillo †

Don Angelo Grisanti, Sr. †

Eleanor †

Uncle Nunzio †

Aunt Teresa †

Aunt Renata

Uncle Bruno †

Uncle Vito

Uncle Gino †

Salvadore Petrillo †

Sophia Petrillo

Regina Grisanti

Angela Vecchio

Carmine Vecchio †

Angelo Grisanti, Jr.

Philomena Grisanti †

Uncle Mario †

Stanley Zbornak

Dorothy Zbornak

Gloria Harker

Mr. Harker

Phillip Petrillo †

Angela Petrillo

Cousin Apollonia

Cousin Graziella

Dennis Griffiths

Kate Griffiths

Michael Zbornak

Lorraine Wagner

Katherine Harker

Jim Harker

Harvey Petrillo

Five sons

Four daughters

										Robby Zbornak

Career

To be added.

Appearances

The Golden Girls (1985-1992)

Season 1
1. "The Engagement":	Absent	14. "That Was No Lady":	Absent
2. "Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding":	Absent	15. "In a Bed of Rose's":	Absent
3. "Rose the Prude":	Absent	16."The Truth Will Out":	Absent
4. "Transplant":	Absent	17. "Nice and Easy":	Absent
5. "The Triangle":	Absent	18. "The Operation":	Mentioned
6. "On Golden Girls":	Absent	19. "Second Motherhood":	Absent
7. "The Competition":	Absent	20. "Adult Education":	Mentioned
8. "Break-In":	Absent	21. "The Flu":	Absent
9. "Blanche and the Younger Man":	Absent	22. "Job Hunting":	Absent
10. "The Heart Attack":	Mentioned	23. "Blind Ambitions":	Absent
11. "The Return of Dorothy's Ex":	Absent	24. "Big Daddy":	Mentioned
12. "The Custody Battle":	Absent	25. "The Way We Met":	Absent
13. "A Little Romance":	Absent

Season 2
1. "End of the Curse":	Absent	14. "The Actor":	Absent
2. "Ladies of the Evening":	Absent	15. "Before and After":	Absent
3. "Take Him, He's Mine":	Absent	16."And Then There Was One":	Absent
4. "It's a Miserable Life":	Absent	17. "Bedtime Story":	Absent
5. "Isn't It Romantic":	Absent	18. "Forgive Me, Father":	Absent
6. "Big Daddy's Little Lady":	Absent	19. "Long Day's Journey into Marinara":	Absent
7. "Family Affair":	Absent	20. "Whose Face is This, Anyway?":	Absent
8. "Vacation":	Absent	21. "Dorothy's Prized Pupil":	Absent
9. "Joust Between Friends":	Absent	22. "Diamond in the Rough":	Mentioned
10. "Love, Rose":	Absent	23. "Son-in-Law Dearest":	Absent
11. "'Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas":	Absent	24. "To Catch a Neighbor":	Absent
12. "The Sisters":	Mentioned	25. "A Piece of Cake":	Cameo
13. "The Stan Who Came to Dinner":	Absent	26. "Empty Nests":	Absent

Season 3
1. "Old Friends":	Absent	14. "Blanche's Little Girl":	Absent
2. "One for the Money":	Flashback	15. "Dorothy's New Friend":	Absent
3. "Bringing Up Baby":	Absent	16."Grab That Dough":	Absent
4. "The Housekeeper":	Absent	17. "My Brother, My Father":	Absent
5. "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself":	Absent	18. "Golden Moments, Part 1":	Absent
6. "Letter to Gorbachev":	Absent	19. "Golden Moments, Part 2":	Absent
7. "Strange Bedfellows":	Absent	20. "And Ma Makes Three":	Absent
8. "Brotherly Love":	Absent	21. "Larceny and Old Lace":	Absent
9. "A Visit from Little Sven":	Absent	22. "Rose's Big Adventure":	Absent
10. "The Audit":	Mentioned	23. "Mixed Blessings":	Absent
11. "Three on a Couch":	Absent	24. "Mister Terrific":	Absent
12. "Charlie's Buddy":	Absent	25. "Mother's Day":	Flashback
13. "The Artist":	Absent

Season 4
1. "Yes, We Have No Havanas":	Absent	14. "Love Me Tender":	Absent
2. "The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo":	Absent	15. "Valentine's Day":	Flashback
3. "The One That Got Away":	Absent	16."Two Rode Together":	Absent
4. "Yokel Hero":	Absent	17. "You Gotta Have Hope":	Absent
5. "Bang the Drum, Stanley":	Absent	18. "Fiddler On the Ropes":	Absent
6. "Sophia's Wedding, Part 1":	Flashback	19. "Till Death Do We Volley":	Absent
7. "Sophia's Wedding, Part 2":	Mentioned	20. "High Anxiety":	Absent
8. "Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket":	Absent	21. "Little Sister":	Absent
9. "Scared Straight":	Absent	22. "Sophia's Choice":	Absent
10. "Stan Takes a Wife":	Absent	23. "Rites of Spring":	Absent
11. "The Auction":	Absent	24. "Foreign Exchange":	Mentioned
12. "Blind Date":	Absent	25. "We're Outta Here, Part 1":	Absent
13. "The Impotence of Being Ernest":	Absent	26. "We're Outta Here, Part 2":	Absent

Season 5
1. "Sick and Tired, Part 1":	Absent	14. "Mary Has a Little Lamb":	Absent
2. "Sick and Tired, Part 2":	Absent	15. "Triple Play":	Absent
3. "The Accurate Conception":	Absent	16."Clinton Avenue Memoirs":	Imagined
4. "Rose Fights Back":	Absent	17. "Like the Beep Beep Beep of the Tom-Tom":	Absent
5. "Love Under the Big Top":	Absent	18. "An Illegitimate Concern":	Mentioned
6. "Dancing in the Dark":	Absent	19. "72 Hours":	Absent
7. "Not Another Monday":	Absent	20. "Twice In a Lifetime":	Absent
8. "That Old Feeling":	Absent	21. "Sisters and Other Strangers":	Absent
9. "Comedy of Errors":	Absent	22. "Cheaters":	Absent
10. "All That Jazz":	Absent	23. "The Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding Present":	Absent
11. "Ebb Tide":	Absent	24. "All Bets Are Off":	Absent
12. "Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas":	Absent	25/26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 1":	Absent
13. "Blind Date":	Absent	26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 2":	Absent

Season 6
1. "Blanche Delivers":	Mentioned	14. "Sister of the Bride":	Absent
2. "Once, In St. Olaf":	Mentioned	15. "Miles to Go":	Absent
3. "If At Last You Do Succeed":	Absent	16. "There Goes the Bride, Part 1":	Absent
4. "Snap Out Of It":	Absent	17. "There Goes the Bride, Part 2":	Absent
5. "Wham, Bam, Thank You Mammy":	Absent	18. "Older and Wiser":	Absent
6. "Feelings":	Absent	19. "Melodrama":	Absent
7. "Zborn Again":	Absent	20. "Even Grandmas Get the Blues":	Absent
8. "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Sophia?":	Absent	21. "Witness":	Absent
9. "Mrs. George Devereaux":	Absent	22. "What a Difference a Date Makes":	Flashback
10. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They Die":	Mentioned	23. "Love for Sale":	Absent
11. "Stand By Your Man":	Absent	24. "Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 1":	Absent
12. "Ebbtide's Revenge":	Mentioned	25. "Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 2":	Absent
13. "The Bloom Is Off the Rose":	Absent	26. "Henny Penny — Straight, No Chaser":	Absent

Season 7
1. "Hey, Look Me Over":	Absent	14. "Old Boyfriends":	Absent
2. "The Case of the Libertine Belle":	Absent	15. "Goodbye, Mr. Gordon":	Mentioned
3. "Beauty and the Beast":	Absent	16. "The Commitments":	Absent
4. "That's For Me To Know":	Absent	17. "Questions and Answers":	Absent
5. "Where's Charlie?":	Absent	18. "Ebbtide VI: The Wrath of Stan]":	Absent
6. "Mother Load":	Mentioned	19. "Journey to the Center of Attention":	Absent
7. "Dateline: Miami":	Absent	20. "A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 1":	Absent
8. "The Monkey Show, Part 1":	Absent	21. "A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 2":	Absent
9. "The Monkey Show, Part 2":	Mentioned	22. "Rose: Portrait of a Woman":	Absent
10. "Ro$e Love$ Mile$":	Absent	23. "Home Again, Rose, Part 1":	Absent
11. "Room 7":	Flashback	24. "Home Again, Rose, Part 2":	Mentioned
12. "From Here to the Pharmacy":	Mentioned	25. "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 1":	Absent
13. "The Pope's Ring":	Absent	26. "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 2":	Absent

Trivia

• According to Sophia, Sal's pet name for his penis was "Uncle Milty".
• Sal's favorite beer was Rheingold Beer, and he used to walk around the apartment singing the Rheingold jingle.
• According to Sophia, Sal fought in World War II and didn't come home until 1951 as he was stationed in the Arctic. While it is undoubtedly true that Sal was made to fight in World War II due to the draft being in effect in the United States, him returning in 1951 directly conflicts the events of "Sophia's Wedding".