Golden Girls Sports

For the final episode of Golden Girls Sports, we'll finish our section on dog racing by highlighting many of the moral and legal issues that threaten the sport's future. But we'll also take a deep dive into The Golden Palace, the show's largely forgotten final spin-off, and look at its genesis, its one season on the air and its lasting impact on those involved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To begin our two-part discussion about dog racing - a Florida favorite and one of the sports mentioned the most by the Golden Girls - we have to take a look at Coco, the ill-fated houseboy who appeared on the show's first episode and then never again. We'll also cover actors Charles Levin and Bridgette Andersen, dog racing's beginnings and rise in popularity, and the time Betty White tortured one of the show's crew members with talcum powder. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yes, the sports jokes I missed were enough to fill two episodes. I am ashamed. Here, we finally get a chance to talk about a horse racing legend, a couple of Olympic favorites and one endearing goofball that was a staple of 80's comedies. But first, we'll have to see what Joe has to say about it... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Despite 29 episodes examining dozens of Golden Girls sports references, a whole bunch still got missed. So over the next two shows, we'll go through all of those, which include gags about mud wrestling, boxing and handball. We'll also talk about one-time Golden Girls guest star McLean Stevenson and a forgotten but prescient news program from TV's golden era. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Volleyball, soccer and jai alai are Florida favorites, and all came up frequently as jokes on The Golden Girls. We'll examine the international origins of one and why nudists love another. Topics also include actor Robert Culp and two radically different politicians, who may or may not have played volleyball together. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Possibly our most packed episode! A single line by Sophia leads us to remember the forgotten scandal of baseball legend Steve Garvey, who went from "Mr. Clean" to "Mr. Multiple Love Children" in the span of a few months. We'll also talk about the wild post-playing life of former Yankee Joe Pepitone, the brilliance of Johnny Bench and that time George Clooney appeared on The Golden Girls because he needed health insurance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Golden Girls didn't make a lot of jokes about auto racing, but the few they did make give a chance to dive into the racing exploits of Paul Newman and the career of Harold Gould, who played Rose's longtime boyfriend Miles Webber. We'll also take a minute to gaze with jealousy at people who can experience the Monaco Grand Prix in person. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Everybody loves The Harlem Globetrotters, and Peanuts comics and halftime treats - all of which were mentioned in jokes on The Golden Girls. We'll also look at the history of little league baseball and co-stars Kevin McCarthy and Lloyd Bochner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The shocking downfall of CBS NFL analyst Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder was a big story in the late 1980's and it became one of the most topical jokes the Golden Girls ever made. We look at that, as well as the careers of important sports broadcasters Phyllis George and Bob Costas, who were also named-checked on the show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Golden Girls was known for great writing, including some hilarious sports metaphors and savage sports-related put-downs. We'll examine them all, as well as topics such as rodeo, gymnastics scoring and American Gladiators. We'll also look at the careers of Golden Girls guest stars Eddie Bracken and Cesar Romero. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Golden Girls Season 4 is here, and our first subject is a New York baseball icon. Not only was Phil Rizzuto a World Series-winning Hall of Famer, but he was a one-of-a-kind broadcaster and longtime pitchman for a weird sub prime mortgage outfit. We'll also talk about Rizzuto's old team, the New York Yankees, and their classic, Tiffany-designed logo, as well as Golden Girls guest stars Bob Dishy and Vito Scotti. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Golden Girls Sports Season Four premieres on Monday, July 16th. Topics this season include baseball, race driving, Jimmy the Greek, American Gladiators, naked volleyball and much, much more. Here's a short clip of an upcoming episode (which also might make a nice entry point for new listeners). Thanks for listening and we'll see you on July 16th. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Golden Girls Sports Season 4 is still a little while away but our second minisode looks at the show's first spin-off, Empty Nest. From a backdoor pilot, to a hit of its own, and to a second home for Sophia, Empty Nest had an interesting history worth reviewing. And Sophia's first appearance on the show has a sports joke worth revisiting. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Season 4 of Golden Girls Sports is still in the works, but here's a short bonus episode. When the Golden Girls premiered, Florida only had two pro teams. By the time the show ended, things had changed in a big way. We also cover a joke about baseball in which The Girls predicted the future (sort of) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Golden Girls had a lot of relationships over their seven seasons, and sports figured into a few of them, mostly as random jokes or stories. This episode, our Season Three finale, also examines a few of the show's most famous and notable guest stars, including Ruby Dee, Alan King and Peter Graves. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For sports fans, places like the Miami Orange Bowl, the Astrodome, Caesar's Palace and Shea Stadium are hallowed halls of history. For The Golden Girls, they're punchlines and putdowns, as well as places. We'll also discuss a few of the show's most memorable guest stars like Paula Kelly, Terry Kiser and Inga Swenson. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It took a while, but we finally get to take a look at the basketball-centric jokes made by The Golden Girls. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar make appearances, as do jokes about the NBA's rampant drug problem in the 80's. We'll also spend time with Bill Dana, who played Uncle Angelo on the show, as well as a couple other notable Girls guest stars. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The title of Fifth Golden Girl could be held by a few different people. But for viewers at home, it was Stan Zbornak, who could only have been embodied by New York stage actor and TV veteran Herb Edelman. We'll talk about the actor's origins in Brooklyn, his breakthrough roles for Neil Simon and the many shows to which he brought his schlubby brilliance. We'll also take a brief detour to recount the history of the venerable magazine Sports Illustrated. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bowling pops up a number of times on The Golden Girls as one of their favorite pastimes. And bocce pops up a few times as well, as a punchline for any old Italian folks. We'll look at the history of both sports as well as the careers of Golden Girls guest stars Ralph Manza, Alex Rocco, Monte Markham and Nancy Walker. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a twist even I didn't see coming, I managed to make a Golden Girls Sports podcast that's topical to a current sports event. As the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea continue, we look at when Rose was compared to Mary Lou Retton, Blanche was compared to a human luge and one of the Girls caused an Olympic torch to be delayed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Time to serve up Season Three of Golden Girls Sports. We'll start with tennis, and all of the times The Girls played or mentioned it, including an episode where Dorothy kills an old friend while playing a match. We'll also run through the history of the sport, the careers of guest stars Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen and the crazy life of the inimitable John McEnroe. And we'll throw in some arm wrestling, too. Just for fun. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From joining an expensive ladies gym to shaping up to date a younger man, the Golden Girls were no strangers to sweat and leotards. We'll also uncover Estelle Getty's own exercise video, the long history of Jazzercise and the show's connection to the Power Rangers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"All Bets Are Off" wasn't the only time The Golden Girls talked about horse racing. The ponies were one of Sophia's late husband Salvidore's favorite pastimes and we'll look at all the other times it came up on the show and the centuries long history of the sport. We'll also discuss the career of Jack Gilford, who played Sophia's second husband Max Weinstock, and venerable Miami horse racing institution, Hialeah Park. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Golden Girls episode in which Dorothy's horse racing addiction returns gives us a chance to feature the life and career of the one-and-only Beatrice Arthur. From her upbringing in Maryland to the discovery of her gift for comedy, from her two hit shows to her spotty movie career, from her formidable perfectionism to her charitable works, she was a complex person and an artist the likes of which we won't see again. We'll also finally look at Terry Hughes, the director of over 100 Golden Girls episodes who helped make the show what it is. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Blanche Devereaux is many things to many people, and a big part of her persona is having been a cheerleader in high school. We'll discuss all of the times Blanche mentioned being a cheerleader on The Golden Girls, as well as exploring the history and possible future of the sport. We'll also take a look at Dorothy's time as a mascot and Rose's skills at writing school fight songs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After discussing Sophia's walkathon adventure in Episode 10, we continue that theme by looking at jokes about running, jogging and biking from The Golden Girls. Along the way, we'll cover the history of the exercise bike, from our founding fathers to today's spin instructors, the rise of the running shoe and the birth of the Tour de France. We'll also take a detour into the career of actor Mickey Rooney, who as Sophia's boyfriend Rocco, said he "ran Detroit." So to speak... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For our third feature episode, we'll highlight the unusual career of Estelle Getty, who went from part time actor and housewife to Broadway phenom to instant TV legend. While she delighted millions as Sophia Petrillo, Getty secretly suffered with anxiety and memory issues throughout her years on The Golden Girls. And when she wasn't acting, she was tirelessly raising money and awareness for AIDS charities during the disease's crisis years. We'll also talk about Sophia's star performance in a walkathon and her somewhat antiquated ideas about ladies tennis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The New York Jets' victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III is one of the most legendary and important upsets in sports history. And in an early episode of The Golden Girls, Sophia reveals that she used a Sicilian curse that may have helped make that win happen. We'll also talk about the career of Joe Namath, his brief time with the LA Rams, and venerable football coaches John Madden and Don Shula, all of which were also used as punchlines on The Golden Girls. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rose's stories about her hometown are a staple of The Golden Girls, whether you love them or not. To open our second season, Golden Girls Sports will spotlight the games of St. Olaf, like ice skating, ice fishing and logrolling, which wasn't just athletic competition, but also a means of legal mediation and a bellwether of personal beauty. We'll also talk about Olympians that were referenced on the show including Sonja Henie, Jesse Owens and Jim Thorpe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Golden Girls Sports finishes its first season by looking at "Feelings," the episode in which Dorothy is under pressure to pass a lazy football player, played by a future Spider-Man. We'll also discuss Golden Girls jokes about Dick Butkus, Marcus Allen and Merlin Olsen, all of which had Hall of Fame careers in the NFL. Thanks so much for listening, and please take a moment to leave us a review. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rue McClanahan was an accomplished stage actress and supporting player on several classic TV shows. Then the role of Blanche Devereaux came along, and although she wasn't the first choice for it, she made the part of the sexy Southern widow her everlasting legacy. Starting with the Golden Girls episode in which Blanche and a ball player satirize Bull Durham, we'll look at McClanahan's long career, complex love life and natural zest for performance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Like most Floridians, golf was a frequent pastime of The Golden Girls. Beyond just the golf dates they went on during the course of the show, there was also the time they dressed in drag to sneak into a country club to meet Mr. Bob Hope, a legend of the game himself. We'll also talk about the golf career of the great Sam Snead, whose name was referenced during the Bob Hope episode. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There weren't a lot of hockey references on The Golden Girls (hell, Florida didn't even have any NHL teams while the show was on the air). But the one bit it did have is complex and distressing. At a garage sale, Dorothy doesn't want to part with a hockey stick once used by Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, leading us to examine some of the spectacular feats he accomplished on the ice, as well as the numerous dishonorable things he's done off of it. As a bonus, we'll look at actress Polly Holliday's cameo as Rose's sister Lily, a one-time track star now stricken blind in her advancing age. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our first feature episode is dedicated to the one-and-only Betty White, whose career in show business mirrors the evolution of the entire medium of television. We'll talk about her beginnings in the heart of Hollywood, her TV and game show stardom, and her marriage to Allen Ludden and how his death affected her. And, of course, we'll marvel at her mind-boggling longevity and consistent work well into her 90's. But first, hyper-competitive Rose and straight-arrow Dorothy agree to coach a ragtag kids football team... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As native Brooklynites, the Dodgers were a big part of Sophia and Dorothy's lives thanks to Salvidore, the late Petrillo family patriarch who lived and breathed the team. In this episode, we'll talk about the historic baseball franchise and why they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. We'll also spotlight actor Sid Melton, himself a son of Brooklyn, who played Sal in flashbacks and dream sequences throughout the show's run, as well as Nan Martin, a veteran actress with hundreds of credits beyond just The Golden Girls. Finally, we'll cover former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who was used as a punchline on the show before he slimmed down on Slim-Fast dietary shakes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first official episode of Golden Girls Sports, we'll look at the boxing jokes in the show's history. First it's "Fiddler on the Ropes," the season four episode in which the Girls aid a Cuban fighter in his quest to go to Julliard. Then we'll talk about the lives and careers of Don King, Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier, who were also used as "punch" lines on show. The jokes get better than that, I swear. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are A LOT of references to and jokes about sports in the Golden Girls, and host Dan Saraceni explains why he's decided to examine them in a podcast. He also explains his methodology for the series and lists other podcasts that have had an influence on it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.