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Everyone knows and loves The Golden Girls. With seven seasons and 180 total episodes, the decade-spanning show quickly won hearts and minds. Now, over thirty years after its end, new viewers are still finding and enjoying this classic American sitcom. Naturally, this longevity also gave rise to numerous cameos.
Throughout its run, The Golden Girls played host to names like Burt Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke. These names joined the series’ talented regulars and amplified its seemingly natural appeal. Among these many cameos is one by George Clooney, who appears in Season 2’s “To Catch a Neighbor”.
George Clooney Stars in a Classic Sitcom Fiasco
- After The Golden Girls ended, an attempt was made to revive its success. The Golden Palace was a short-lived show about the remaining characters attempting to run a hotel.
As with any great Golden Girls episode, “To Catch a Neighbor” revolves around an otherwise mundane scenario going horribly awry. At first, it seems to be about Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) welcoming their newest neighbors. The newcomer, Martha McDowell (Barbara Tarbuck), appears to be the bog-standard Floridian. Of course, the twist comes quickly. Officers Al Mullins (Joe Campanella) and Bobby Hopkins (George Clooney) arrive to inform the girls that McDowell is more than she seems.
In fact, she is suspected of being a master jewel thief. With this information, the girls agree to allow Hopkins and Mullins to use their home for a stakeout. A peculiar friendship eventually forms between the cops and the home’s residents. It is, after all, hard to resist The Golden Girls. Blanche and Bobby develop a heartwarming mother-son dynamic, while Dorothy and Al briefly consider a romantic relationship. These plots are naturally sandwiched between a bevy of gags and hijinks. Yet, thanks to the cast’s stellar performances, these heartfelt moments never seem out of place in the otherwise zany sitcom.
George Clooney’s On-Screen Friendship With Rue McClanahan Steals the Show
- Producers of the show consistently praised the leading ladies’ ability to grasp their characters. Marc Cherry noted the dynamic group often perfected a joke’s delivery on their first try during preliminary read-throughs.
Arthur, McClanahan, Tarbuck, and White certainly control a considerable amount of attention in “To Catch a Neighbor”. Their jokes and bits are, as always, laugh-out-loud hilarious. Blanche’s flirting is top-of-the-line comedy, and guest star Joe Campanella adds plenty of charm. Some fans have even hailed the entry as Season 2’s best episode. But Clooney’s presence is more than set dressing. Yes, he’s a pretty face complementing an “unconventional” leading cast. But he serves a purpose within the show. His presence is essential to the episode’s quirky plot, and his personality quickly wins him a new mother figure. Some of the episode’s most touching moments come from the maternal dynamic between Blanche and Bobby.
There is, of course, the additional layer of meta comedy in Blanche’s refusal to flirt with her guest star. During his appearance in “To Catch a Neighbor”, Clooney was just 26 years old. His “big break” was still decades away, but he was the dictionary definition of a conventionally attractive male. To position the ever-flirty Blanche against such a figure and have her see him as a son remains a knee-slapping inversion of audience expectations. As with most on-screen successes, part of the inherent appeal is natural chemistry.
Decades later, on The Drew Barrymore Show, Clooney fondly reminisced about his time on The Golden Girls, saying the experience “was so much fun.” He directed particular praise towards Betty White, whom he branded as “a godsend.” While all of The Golden Girls’ stars have since passed, the show’s enduring appeal has earned them virtual immortality. Their final episode aired on May 9, 1992. Yet, over 30 years later, audiences are still learning to love their quirky dynamic. Clooney’s cameo is just one of many shining examples of the comedic brilliance that makes the show a perennial favorite.
The Golden Girls
Sitcom 1
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