The fourth season of The Golden Girls premiered on NBC-TV on October 8th, 1988, and concluded on May 13th, 1989. The season consisted of twenty-six episodes.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Eleanor Grisanti
- Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux
- Betty White as Rose Nylund
- Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
Recurring Cast[]
- Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak
- Andre Rosey Brown as Bodyguard, Bodybuilder
- Cynthia Lea Clark
Episodes[]
Picture | Title | Original Airdate | Episode # | No. in Series | Prod. code | Directed by | Written by |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes, We Have No Havanas | October 8th, 1988 | 1 | 77 | 4.1 | Terry Hughes | Mort Nathan, Barry Fanaro | |
Blanche dates an older man named Fidel Santiago (Henry Darrow), but gets a surprise when he starts seeing Sophia as well, starting a feud between the two women—only to get a surprise when Fidel unexpectedly dies. Dorothy teaches a history class for GED candidates…including Rose. Guest Stars: Henry Darrow as Fidel Santiago; Ralph Ahn as Jim Shu; Magda Harout as Woman; John Ahcorn as Priest. | |||||||
File:78.jpg | The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo | October 22nd, 1988 | 2 | 78 | 4.2 | Terry Hughes | Terry Grossman, Kathy Speer |
Sophia plans to go to the market and buy a nectarine, which she does every day. The other girls worry that she is too old and frail to enjoy life. However, the tables are turned: Sophia has a full, active day of rallying fellow seniors to fight return policies at a supermarket, leading a charity band on the boardwalk, and volunteering at a hospital, while the other girls sit around the kitchen table talking about how to pass the time. | |||||||
File:79.jpg | The One That Got Away | October 29th, 1988 | 3 | 79 | 4.3 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd |
Blanche is expecting a visit from a high-school friend who, she claims, is the only man that ever rejected her. She becomes determined to seduce him to "perfect" her record—even when it turns out that he has grown fat and bald. However, it turns out Blanche's sister Virginia posed as her and slept with the man first, which was a less than memorable night. Meanwhile, Rose claims to have seen a UFO and gets the Air Force involved. Guest Stars: John Harkins as Ham Lushbough. | |||||||
File:80.jpg | Yokel Hero | November 5th, 1988 | 4 | 80 | 4.4 | Terry Hughes | Martin Weiss & Robert Bruce |
Rose is nominated to be St. Olaf, Minnesota's "Woman of the Year," but feels that her list of accomplishments is too bland to merit the prize. Blanche and Dorothy secretly change the list to make Rose sound more impressive, which wins her the award—and sends all four Girls on a lengthy trip to St. Olaf itself. Guest Stars: Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston; Valente Rodriguez as Fred; Jim Doughan as Ben; Doug Cox as Sven; James Lashly as Driver. Notes: This episode begins a crossover with Empty Nest that concludes on "Fatal Attraction". | |||||||
Bang the Drum, Stanley | November 12th, 1988 | 5 | 81 | 4.5 | Terry Hughes | Robert Bruce, Martin Weiss | |
Stan, hard-pressed for money, asks Dorothy and Sophia to a baseball game to butter up his ex-wife and get a loan. When Sophia is hit on the head by a fly ball at the game, Stan hatches a scheme to sue the ballpark, while Blanche and Rose prepare to be in a local musical production of Cats. Guest Stars: Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak; Ben Rawnsley as Dr. Jerry; William Denis as Dr. Cauley; Helen Duffy as Woman in Wheelchair; Matthew Brooks as Timmy. | |||||||
Sophia's Wedding, Part 1 | November 19th, 1988 | 6 | 82 | 4.6 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan | |
Sophia's dearest friend, Esther Weinstock, has died, and Sophia must confront her friend’s widower, Max, whom she has always blamed for causing the pizza-knish stand owned by Max and Sophia’s husband, Salvadore, to go out of business by betting a day's profits on a horse race. But at the repast, the truth comes out: Salvadore gambled the money away, and Max lied to save his marriage. This leads to Sophia to see Max in a new, romantic light, and the two eventually marry, much to Dorothy's frustration. Meanwhile, Rose and Blanche start an unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Club. Guest Stars: Jack Gilford as Max Weinstock; Sid Melton as Salvadore Petrillo. Notes: Minor appearance by then-unknown Quentin Tarantino as an Elvis impersonator. | |||||||
File:83.jpg | Sophia's Wedding, Part 2 | November 26th, 1988 | 7 | 83 | 4.7 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan |
A stressed-out Dorothy starts smoking cigarettes again, fifteen years after quitting. Sophia and Max return from their honeymoon, and they try to resurrect Max and Salvadore's old pizza-and-knish stand at the beach which unfortunately burns down due to an electrical fault. Realizing that they're not as destined to be together as they were with their previous spouses, Sophia and Max have their marriage annulled, leading to Dorothy successfully quitting smoking again. | |||||||
File:84.jpg | Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket? | December 3rd, 1988 | 8 | 84 | 4.8 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman |
Sophia accidentally donates Blanche's jacket to a thrift shop, with a winning lottery ticket worth $10,000 in the pocket. The jacket is purchased for Michael Jackson, who donates it to a charity auction after wearing it during a performance; a congressman buys it and donates it to a homeless shelter. Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia spend the night at the shelter, where each has a meaningful conversation with someone who sleeps there by necessity. Rose connects with former hotel porter Ben Wheaton, a fellow Minnesotan who found himself without marketable skills in middle age. Blanche feels maternal towards Kenny, a young alcoholic who holds a doctorate. Sophia and Dorothy learn that Sophia's friend Ida Perkins, formerly of Shady Pines, became unable to pay her bills after outliving her entire family. Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy search among the diverse homeless population; Blanche finds the ticket, and the women donate the money to the shelter. | |||||||
File:85.jpg | Scared Straight | December 10th, 1988 | 9 | 85 | 4.9 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd |
When Blanche's newly-divorced brother, Clayton, comes to town, he confides to Rose that he is gay; scared to tell Blanche the truth, though, he pretends to have bedded Rose. With Blanche furious at her roommate, Clayton is eventually forced to reveal the truth, sending Blanche into a tailspin of confusion and anger. Guest Stars: Monte Markham as Clayton Hollingsworth. | |||||||
File:86.jpg | Stan Takes a Wife | January 7th, 1989 | 10 | 86 | 4.10 | Terry Hughes | Winifred Hervey Stallworth |
Stan breaks the news that he is engaged to be married for the third time. At first, Dorothy is thrilled at the prospect of getting him out of her life -- but after Stan stays by her side when Sophia is hospitalized with a virus, old feelings start stirring. Rose and Blanche team up to keep Dorothy from interrupting the wedding, but a chance encounter with Stan's new bride Katherine eventually convinces Dorothy to do the right thing. Guest Stars: Elinor Donahue as Katherine Zbornak. | |||||||
File:87.jpg | The Auction | January 14th, 1989 | 11 | 87 | 4.11 | Terry Hughes | Eric Cohen |
The girls face a badly-leaking roof, but cannot afford to replace it. To get their minds off their troubles, they head to a gallery opening at Blanche's museum, where the obnoxious and rude Jasper DeKimmel is being feted. When hospital-volunteer Sophia reveals that DeKimmel is dying of a rare blood disease, Blanche hatches a scheme to purchase one of his paintings on the cheap and then sell it for a big profit after he passes away. Guest Stars: Tony Steedman as Jasper DeKimmel. | |||||||
File:88.jpg | Blind Date | January 28th, 1989 | 12 | 88 | 4.12 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd |
After being dumped by her boyfriend, Blanche befriends a man at a bar and makes a date with him, not realizing that he is blind. Dorothy and Rose try their hands at coaching a children's football team. Guest Stars: Edward Winter as John Quinn. | |||||||
File:89.jpg | The Impotence of Being Ernest | February 4th, 1989 | 13 | 89 | 4.13 | Steve Zuckerman | Teleplay by: Rick Copp & David A. Goodman Story by: Kevin Abbott |
Rose hits it off with new beau Ernest, but the two hit a snag when their relationship never quite gets physical. Meanwhile, Sophia fears a vendetta when she receives a black feather in the mail. Guest Stars: Richard Herd as Ernest. | |||||||
File:90.jpg | Love Me Tender | February 6th, 1989 | 14 | 90 | 4.14 | Terry Hughes | Richard Vaczy & Tracy Gamble |
Sophia objects to Dorothy's "completely physical" relationship with a nondescript new lover, Eddie. Blanche and Rose become pals to two motherless girls, who also happen to be juvenile delinquents. Guest Stars: John Fiedler as Eddie; Stephanie Ridel. | |||||||
File:91.jpg | Valentine's Day | February 11th, 1989 | 15 | 91 | 4.15 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman, Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan |
The ladies' Valentine's Day dates all stand them up, so they sit around, eat cheesecake, and look back at memorable Valentine's Days past. | |||||||
File:92.jpg | Two Rode Together | February 18th, 1989 | 16 | 92 | 4.16 | Terry Hughes | Robert Bruce, Martin Weiss |
Dorothy hopes to spend "quality time" with Sophia, while Sophia just wants to ride Space Mountain at Walt Disney World. Rose and Blanche collaborate to write a children's book. Guest Stars: Freddie Jackson. | |||||||
File:93.jpg | You Gotta Have Hope | February 25th, 1989 | 17 | 93 | 4.17 | Terry Hughes | Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan |
A childhood fantasy leads Rose to believe that Bob Hope is her father, and she's convinced that he will perform as the Master of Ceremonies at an upcoming charity benefit. Meanwhile, Dorothy is in charge of a variety show that seems to fail miserably because of an obvious lack of qualified talent. Guest Stars: Bob Hope, Douglas Seale, the Del Rubio triplets, Daniel Rosen. | |||||||
Fiddler On the Ropes | March 4th, 1989 | 18 | 94 | 4.18 | Terry Hughes | Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman | |
Sophia is given money that is intended to be put into a Certificate of Deposit, but she buys a Cuban prizefighter instead. While hosting the prizefighter in the days before his fight, the ladies are surprised to discover that he is an aspiring violinist.
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File:95.jpg | Till Death Do We Volley | March 18th, 1989 | 19 | 95 | 4.19 | Terry Hughes | Richard Vaczy, Tracy Gamble |
Dorothy is visited by high school friend Trudy, whose friendship with her is based on competition and practical jokes. The competition gets out of hand when Trudy collapses and apparently dies during a game of tennis and Dorothy must break the news to their assembled classmates. Fortunately, it turns out to be another prank. Guest Stars: Anne Francis as Trudy. | |||||||
File:96.jpg | High Anxiety | March 25th, 1989 | 20 | 96 | 4.20 | Terry Hughes | Martin Weiss, Robert Bruce |
After Sophia accidentally knocks a bottle of Rose's pills down the sink, the girls learn that Rose is addicted to painkillers. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Sophia are hired to be in a pizza commercial. Guest Stars: Jay Thomas as Sy Ferber. | |||||||
File:97.jpg | Little Sister | April 1, 1989 | 21 | 97 | 4.21 | Terry Hughes | Christopher Lloyd |
Rose catches her visiting sister Holly with Blanche's boyfriend and tries to tell Blanche and Dorothy, who have been charmed by Holly and refuse to believe Rose. Meanwhile, Dorothy trusts Sophia to watch a dog. Guest Stars: Inga Swenson as Holly Lindstrom. | |||||||
File:98.jpg | Sophia's Choice | April 15th, 1989 | 22 | 98 | 4.22 | Terry Hughes | Richard Vaczy & Tracy Gamble |
Sophia's friend Lillian moves from Shady Pines to Sunny Pastures, a terrible facility. Sophia brings Lillian to stay at the house, where the women quickly realize Lillian requires full-time care they are unable to provide. Dorothy and Sophia try to force Sunny Pastures to provide better care, only to find that there is no malfeasance they can address; the facility operates at a loss with insufficient government funding, and the overworked administrator is genuinely open to ideas, though Sophia and Dorothy have none. Rose identifies a better place for Lillian to stay, but the monthly cost exceeds Lillian's benefits by $150. Blanche had been planning to use a work bonus for breast augmentation but decides to use it to pay for two years of Lillian's care. The women, realizing this solves only one person's problems, vow to stay together as they age. Guest Stars: Ellen Albertini Dow as Lillian. | |||||||
File:99.jpg | Rites of Spring | April 29th, 1989 | 23 | 99 | 4.23 | Terry Hughes | Eric Cohen |
Sophia obsesses over regaining a lost pound, while the other women decide to lose weight before a friend's pool party. They recall previous self-improvement attempts: Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy joined a gym, where enthusiastic trainer Yvonne convinced Blanche and Dorothy to buy expensive workout accessories and then injured herself leading an aerobics class; Sophia convinced the other women to visit hair stylist Eduardo, an attractive man who passionately described wildly different concepts for each woman's makeover but then styled their hair identically to Sophia's; and the women rejected Stanley's invitation to join a guru's encounter group and ended up arguing over Dorothy identifying Sophia as her best friend. Sophia accepts her lower weight after Dorothy determines Sophia's height has shrunk. After learning the party is a day later than expected, the women devour Sophia's decadent cake. Guest Stars: Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak; Hilary Shepard as Yvonne; Lloyd Bochner as Eduardo. | |||||||
125px | Foreign Exchange | May 6th, 1989 | 24 | 100 | 4.24 | Terry Hughes | Harriet B. Helberg, Sandy Helberg |
Sophia's old friends come to Miami from Sicily, Italy for a visit and have shocking news for Dorothy: they believe she is theirs, switched at birth with the daughter they raised. Meanwhile, Blanche and Rose take "dirty dancing" lessons; uncharacteristically, Blanche is not any good at it, while Rose is a quick study. Guest Stars: Vito Scotti as Dominic Bosco; Nan Martin as Philomena Bosco. | |||||||
File:101.jpg | We're Outta Here (Parts 1 and 2) | May 13, 1989 | 25/26 | 101/102 | 4.25/4.26 | Terry Hughes | Part 1: Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan Part 2: Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman |
Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose return home from a play to discover Sophia in the midst of selling the house. A "For Sale" sign was accidentally placed on the front lawn, but Blanche considers going through with the sale after learning the amount that she has been offered. | |||||||
Reception[]
To be added.
Releases[]
Broadcasts[]
The season originally aired Saturdays at 9:00-9:30 pm (EST) on NBC from October 8, 1988 to May 13, 1989.[1][2]
DVD release[]
The Region 1 DVD was released on February 14, 2006. The Region 2 and 4 DVD were released on December 6 and December 5, 2007 respectively.
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