Photo:Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank
Indigo River Publishing
Zimmerman and his writing partner James Berg penned a list of memorable episodes forThe Golden Girls, including “Blanche & the Younger Man” and “Adult Education.” In the latter episode, Blanche (Rue McClanahan) takes classes at the community college and experiences sexual harassment from her professor.“The producers of the show told us very early on, ‘Don’t write it like aFacts of Life‘Very Special Episode,’” Zimmerman tells PEOPLE. “With [The Golden Girls], be honest, be real, be really funny, but just make it a part of their lives so that it wasn’t something that stood out, like we were standing on a soapbox and shaking our finger at people.”
The cast of ‘The Golden Girls’.Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank
Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank
Zimmerman also admits that he originally didn’t think he was “a very funny writer” while on the show. Over the course ofThe Golden Girls’ first season, however, he and Berg ended up writing some iconic show moments, including Dorothy’s famous glare.“We wrote [the phrase] ‘Dorothy shoots her a look. And that’s become a thing in writing now, ‘shooting a look,’” he says. “But that’s something very few actors could do. Bea Arthur could nail a look, and you knew exactly what she meant.”
The cast of ‘The Golden Girls’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“All she had to do [was] look at Betty White and you knew what she was thinking," he continues. “It saved us a lot of time because we didn’t have to think of words.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The author also found a friend in Estelle Getty. Zimmerman, who is gay, recalls that he had to hide his sexuality on set, but Getty knew and was supportive.“Only Estelle Getty figured it out rather quickly and said that she would have our back and keep our secret,” Zimmerman says of the actress, who was also “an early ally for the LGBTQ community.”“I will always be a Sophia,” he adds.The Girls: From Golden to Gilmoreis now available.
source: people.com
