The third season of The Golden Girls premiered on NBC-TV on September 19th, 1987, and concluded on May 7th, 1988. The season consisted of twenty-five episodes.
Cast
Main Cast
- Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak
- Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux
- Betty White as Rose Nylund
- Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
Recurring Cast
- Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak
- Sid Melton as Salvadore Petrillo
- Lynnie Greene as Young Dorothy
- Meg Wylie as Candi; Edna
Episodes
Picture | Title | Original Airdate | Episode # | No. in Series | Prod. code | Directed by | Written by |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Old Friends | September 19th, 1987 | 1 | 52 | 3.1 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman | |
At a beach, Sophia meets an elderly widower named Alvin. The two become friends and enjoy spending time together on a bench at the beach. However, as the friendship deepens, the old fellow's behavior becomes erratic, and she learns he has Alzheimer's disease. At home, Blanche accidentally gives away Rose's cherished teddy bear to a little girl named Daisy, who is a Sunshine Cadet. When Blanche tries to get the bear back for Rose, the girl holds the teddy for ransom. Guest Stars: Joe Seneca as Alvin Newcastle; Jenny Lewis as Daisy. Notes: Estelle Getty won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outsanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for this episode. This episode also won an Emmy Award: Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series. | |||||||
One for the Money | September 26, 1987 | 2 | 53 | 3.2 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman Barry Fanaro. Mort Nathan & Winifred Hervey Stallworth | |
The ladies recall their attempts to earn extra money, including starting a catering business. Guest Stars: Sid Melton as Salvadore Petrillo; Lynnie Greene as Young Dorothy; Roy Stuart as Marty; Conrad Janis as Dance Announcer. | |||||||
Bringing Up Baby | October 3rd, 1987 | 3 | 54 | 3.3 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | |
When Rose's uncle dies, she learns that she will be inheriting a baby that she must raise. A man, on behalf of Rose’s uncle, brings the baby to the ladies' house. They are surprised to learn that Baby is actually the name of an elderly male pig that used to roam on the uncle's farm. Blanche and Dorothy initially decline to let the pig live in their house and to take care of it, until they learn that they will earn $100,000 upon Baby's death, which they can then split among themselves. Baby becomes ill, and Rose eventually learns from a veterinarian that Baby is homesick for the farm. Dorothy and Blanche persuade Rose to keep Baby with them, stating that the plane ride back home could kill him. Dorothy begins feeling guilty about keeping Baby away from the farm, and Blanche eventually realizes that the pig really is homesick. Baby is sent home, and Rose later receives a letter informing her of Baby's death on the farm shortly after arriving. Meanwhile, Sophia drops her eyeglasses at the mall and they break, leaving her to stumble around blind and almost get hit by a car. Guest Star:Parley Baer as Chester T. Raney. | |||||||
The Housekeeper | October 17, 1987 | 4 | 55 | 3.4 | Terry Hughes | Winifred Hervey Stallworth | |
While Sophia is away on vacation, the ladies hire a housekeeper, Marguerite, who charms them but is lousy at keeping the house clean. When they fire her, she storms out, telling the ladies they have made a big mistake. At first, the ladies think nothing of it until they all receive terrible luck and become convinced that Marguerite has placed a voodoo curse on them. They rehire Marguerite and behave very nicely towards her, giving her champagne, flowers, and a tiara. Sophia returns home and Dorothy explains to her why Marguerite is receiving such special treatment. Sophia questions Marguerite about the alleged curse, despite Dorothy's pleas not to do so. Marguerite denies placing a curse on the ladies, and although she appreciates being rehired, she declines the offer. Guest Stars:Paula Kelly as Marguerite Brown. | |||||||
Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself | October 24th, 1987 | 5 | 56 | 3.5 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd | |
When Rose's great-aunt dies, she must fly to the Bahamas to deliver the eulogy — and speaking in public is her greatest fear. She persuades Blanche and Dorothy to come along, where they end up facing their own fears onboard the plane. Dorothy has a fear of flying, while Blanche faces a nightmare that seems to be coming true: being on an airplane, full of bald men, that ultimately crashes. After encountering a storm, the plane is forced to turn around, unlike in Blanche's dream. Dorothy and Blanche convince Rose to deliver the eulogy to the plane occupants. At home, Sophia enters a cook-off for the Daughters of Sicily, Italy. Guest Stars: Meg Wyllie as Candy; Paul Ross as Captain Lord (voice). Notes: This was the first of four appearances by Meg Wylie. | |||||||
Letter to Gorbachev | October 31, 1987 | 6 | 57 | 3.6 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | |
When Rose learns that the young girls on her cadet troop are worried about nuclear war, she takes it upon herself to write to President Reagan and Premier Gorbachev expressing her concerns. Mikhail Gorbachev's U.S. representatives report that their leader was touched by Rose's letter pleading for nuclear disarmament and that he is eager to meet Rose — who, they all assume, must be a little girl, given her letter's naïveté. As Blanche and Dorothy ponder how to break the news to Rose, Sophia tries to devise the perfect act for a talent show. Guest Stars: Allan Rich as Alexi. | |||||||
Strange Bedfellows | November 7, 1987 | 7 | 58 | 3.7 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd | |
Gil Kessler, a political candidate for whom the ladies are campaigning, tries to beef up his image by publicly claiming to have had an affair with Blanche. Blanche protests her innocence, but Rose and Dorothy do not believe her and end up not speaking to her. During a press conference, Gil finally comes clean, while also informing the public that he used to be a woman, which Sophia claims she always knew. At home, Dorothy and Rose apologize to Blanche and the women reconcile. Guest Stars: John Schuck as Gil Kessler. | |||||||
Brotherly Love | November 14, 1987 | 8 | 59 | 3.8 | Terry Hughes | Jeffrey Ferro & Fredric Weiss | |
Stan's younger brother Ted, an attractive doctor, comes to town, and after dating Blanche, he ends up sleeping with Dorothy. Stan becomes convinced that Ted is going to ask Dorothy to marry him and tries to talk him out of it. However, it turns out that Ted has met a much younger woman and considers Dorothy a one-night stand. Dorothy gets revenge by informing everyone that Ted is in fact impotent. Meanwhile, Rose is dealing with a severe run of insomnia, which it turns out is caused by drinking caffeine-loaded tea. McLean Stevenson as Ted Zbornak. | |||||||
A Visit from Little Sven | November 21, 1987 | 9 | 60 | 3.9 | Terry Hughes | David Nichols | |
Rose's young, clueless cousin Sven arrives from Sweden on his way to St. Olaf, Minnesota, USA to meet his bride-to-be. Blanche uses him to make her cheating boyfriend jealous, causing Sven to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, Sophia is taking driving lessons from Dorothy in order to renew her license, but after one trip, Dorothy refuses to get into a car with her again. At Rose's insistence, Blanche tries to defuse Sven's crush on her, but on meeting his bride, the young and beautiful Olga, he quickly ditches Blanche. Guest Stars: Casey Sander as Sven; Chuck Walling as Floyd McCallum; Yvette Heyden as Olga | |||||||
The Audit | November 28, 1987 | 10 | 61 | 3.10 | Terry Hughes | Winifred Hervey Stallworth | |
Dorothy and Stan are audited by the IRS, and they may be in deep trouble due to Stan's extravagant spending. Meanwhile, Rose takes a Spanish class at night school to qualify for a promotion at work, and Blanche tags along because she figures that it will be a good way to meet smart men. Stan and Dorothy are told they have to pay up $2,500 each, which makes Dorothy furious. She cannot raise the money, so sells her diamond ring. Stan sells his Corvette and buys back the ring for her and they settle their bill, with Dorothy seeing a different (and better) side of Stan she never knew before. Guest Stars:Tony Perez as Mr. Escobar; Richard Penn as Mr. Murray. | |||||||
Three on a Couch | December 5, 1987 | 11 | 62 | 3.11 | Terry Hughes | Jeffrey Ferro & Fredric Weiss | |
Constant bickering leads the ladies to seek professional counseling from a psychiatrist. Guest Stars: Philip Sterling as Dr. Ashley; Terry Wills as Carl; John C. Moskoff as Jerry. Notes: Philip Sterling appeared in a season 2 episode also as a therapist, Dr. Barensfeld. | |||||||
Charlie's Buddy | December 12, 1987 | 12 | 63 | 3.12 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman | |
A visitor announces he is an army buddy of Charlie, Rose's late husband. The two hit it off, to the point that Rose considers moving away with him, but Dorothy is suspicious. Meanwhile, Dorothy finds the perfect dress for an upcoming banquet, only to clash with Blanche when they end up buying the exact same dress. Guest Stars: Milo O'Shea as Buddy Rourke. | |||||||
The Artist | December 19th, 1987 | 13 | 64 | 3.13 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd | |
Suave, sexy artist Lazlo chooses Blanche as his nude model for a sculpture. When Blanche sneaks a peek at Lazlo's sketches, she is indignant: the pictures resemble Rose. Dorothy soon reveals that Lazlo asked her to pose, too, and the three bicker over which of them will be immortalized in stone. Guest Stars: Tony Jay as Laszlo Glagorian; Monte Landis as Victor. | |||||||
Blanche's Little Girl | January 2, 1988 | 14 | 65 | 2.14 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman | |
Blanche wants to defend her overweight daughter, whose boyfriend speaks to her abusively, but she is afraid that if she does, her daughter will resent her interference and they will again be estranged. Meanwhile, Sophia, now working at a fast-food restaurant, organizes a strike against her tyrannical boss: a preteen boy. Guest Stars: Shawn Schepps as Rebecca Devereaux; Joe Regalbuto as Jeremy; Scott Menville as McCracken; Meg Wylie as Edna. Notes: Rebecca would reappear in Seasons 5 and 6 portrayed by Debra Engle. This is the second of four appearances by Meg Wylie. | |||||||
Dorothy's New Friend | January 16th, 1988 | 15 | 66 | 3.15 | Terry Hughes | Robert Bruce & Martin Weiss | |
Dorothy enjoys the intellectual stimulation of her friendship with new pal Barbara Thorndike, a novelist, but Barbara's superior air and snobby ways rub Blanche and Rose the wrong way. Guest Stars: Bonnie Bartlett as Barbara Thorndike. | |||||||
Grab That Dough | January 23, 1988 | 16 | 67 | 3.16 | Terry Hughes | Winifred Hervey Stallworth | |
The girls visit Hollywood, California, to be on the game show Grab that Dough. They are forced to travel cross-country the day before the show, and from there, everything goes wrong: the airline loses their luggage; their hotel has no vacant rooms and they're forced to sleep in the lobby; their purses are stolen; and when they finally get to the television station for the taping, Dorothy and Blanche end up pitting themselves against Rose and Sophia. *Guest Stars:Jim McKrell as Guy Corbin; Lee Flippin as Nancy. | |||||||
My Brother, My Father | February 6th, 1988 | 17 | 68 | 3.17 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | |
While Rose and Blanche rehearse for their roles in The Sound of Music, Sophia has a request for Dorothy: pretend to be married to Stan for Angelo, her priest brother, who will be visiting. Guest Stars: Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak; Bill Dana as Uncle Angelo. 'Notes: Bea Arthur won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for this episode. | |||||||
File:69.jpg | Golden Moments (Parts 1 and 2) | February 13th, 1988 | 18/19 | 69/70 | 3.18/3.19 | Terry Hughes | Teleplay by: Mort Nathan & Barry Fanaro Story by: Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman |
Sophia intends to move to New Jersey to live with her eccentric son, Phil, after his wife leaves him. This prompts the girls to recall the years that they have spent together. In the end, though, Phil's wife returns and they reconcile, so Sophia stays with the girls. Notes: This episode is a one-hour clip show derived from flashbacks from previous episodes. | |||||||
And Ma Makes Three | February 20th, 1988 | 20 | 71 | 3.20 | Terry Hughes | Winifred Hervey Stallworth | |
With all her friends either dying or moving away, Sophia becomes the "third wheel" in Dorothy's latest relationship, and acts as a chaperone on their dates. Guest Stars: James Karen as Raymond; Steven M. Porter as Waiter; Marte Boyle Slout as Charlotte; Frank Smith as Duncan. | |||||||
Larceny and Old Lace | February 27th, 1988 | 21 | 72 | 3.21 | Terry Hughes | Teleplay by: Robert Bruce & Martin Weiss Story by: Jeffrey Ferro & Fredric Weiss | |
Sophia's latest boyfriend, Rocco, claims to have been a mobster, so when the girls discover a bag of Rocco's with thousands of dollars in it, they assume he robbed a bank. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Blanche sneak a peak at Rose's diary, and discover what appear to be insulting things Rose has written about them.
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Rose's Big Adventure | March 12, 1988 | 22 | 73 | 3.22 | Terry Hughes | Jeff Abugov | |
Rose's newly retired beau plans a cruise around the world — with Rose as his first mate. Meanwhile, the girls deal with remodeling the garage into a guest room. Guest Stars: George Coe as Al; Vito Scotti as Vincenzo; Don Woodard as Ernie. | |||||||
Mixed Blessings | March 19th, 1988 | 23 | 74 | 3.23 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd | |
Dorothy's son Michael plans to wed his older, African-American bandmate, Lorraine. Dorothy complains of the age difference; Lorraine's mother and aunts also disapprove, but mainly because Michael is white. The families agree to try to stop the wedding, only to learn the couple have eloped; upon the revelation that Lorraine is pregnant, the mothers agree they must pretend to be happy. Rose and Blanche try to beautify themselves for a romantic cruise with twin brothers. Guest Stars: Scott Jacoby as Michael Zbornak; Rosalind Cash as Lorraine; Virginia Capers as Greta; Lynn Hamilton as Trudy; Montrose Hagins as Libby; Hartley Silver as Justice of the Peace. | |||||||
Mister Terrific | April 30th, 1988 | 24 | 75 | 3.24 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman | |
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. Guest Stars: Bob Dishy as Mr. Terrific; Lonny Price as Hastings; Jody Price as Jody; Don Woodard as Kolak; John Wheeler as patron; Jim Hudson as Freddy; Raf Mauro as bartender; Ron Kapra as stage manager. | |||||||
Mother's Day | May 7, 1988 | 25 | 76 | 3.25 | Terry Hughes | Teleplay by: Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan Story by: Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman | |
Waiting for their children to call, the girls reminisce about previous Mother's Days: Dorothy remembers asking Stan's mother for money; Sophia remembers an incident involving her mother, played by Bea Arthur; Rose reminisces about a motherly lady she once met at a bus station, whose biological daughter died many years earlier; and Blanche remembers the last Mother's Day she spent with her mother. Guest Stars: Geraldine Fitzgerald as Anna Egerman; Alice Ghostley as Mrs. Zbornak; Sid Melton as Salvadore Petrillo, Lynnie Greene as Young Dorothy; Helen Kleeb as Elizabeth Hollingsworth; Wesley Mann as Jacob; Terrence Evans as Police Officer. Note: Geraldine Fitzgerald later appears in the Season 5 episode "Not Another Monday" as Sophia's friend Martha Lamont. | |||||||
Reception
Awards and Nominations
44th Golden Globe Awards
- Nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series
- Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Beatrice Arthur) (Episode: "My Brother, My Father")
- Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Rue McClanahan) (Episode: "Strange Bedfellows")
- Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Betty White) (Episode: "Bringing Up Baby")
- Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Estelle Getty) (Episode: "Old Friends")
- Nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series (Herb Edelman) (Episode: "The Audit")
- Nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series (Geraldine Fitzgerald) (Episode: "Mother's Day")
- Nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Terry Hughes) (Episode: "Old Friends")
45th Golden Globe Awards
- Award for Best Comedy Series
- Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (Beatrice Arthur)
- Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (Rue McClanahan)
- Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (Betty White)
Writers Guild of America Awards
- Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman) (Episode: "Old Friends")
Directors Guild of America Awards
- Nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Terry Hughes) (Episode: "Old Friends")
Releases
Broadcasts
The Region 1 DVD was released on November 22, 2005. The Region 2 and 4 DVD were respectively released on January 9 and January 11, 2006.
DVD release
The season originally aired Saturdays at 9:00-9:30 pm (EST) from September 19, 1987 to May 7, 1988.[1][2]
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