Customer Reviews

The Golden Girls - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(274)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For over three years, now, many Golden Girls fans (including myself) have been requesting this. Now, that dream has finally come to fruition. All twenty-five original episodes are on this set. Below are the listings of the episode summaries and special features for this DVD.

01: "The Engagement (Pilot Episode)"
The debut of the series entails Sophia, Dorothy's mother, moving in with the girls after the retirement home she had stayed at burned down. Blanche's latest boyfriend, Harry, proposes marriage, but it gives the girls a bad feeling.

02: "Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding?"
Dorothy's daughter, Kate, comes to Miami with an announcement. She's engaged to a podiatrist named Dennis. Dorothy is thrilled but her happiness quickly turns to anger when she realizes that ex-husband, Stan, is going to be invited.

03: "Rose the Prude"
Having not dated since her husband died, Rose reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date. This date turns into a serious relationship when she is invited on a cruise which would involve sharing a stateroom.

04: "Transplant"
Blanche's sister, Virginia, comes to Miami for a visit and Blanche is convinced she's after something. Later, while out to dinner, she learns just what Virginia is after: Blanche's kidney.

05: "The Triangle"
Dorothy is dating Dr. Elliot Clayton. Dr. Clayton makes a pass at Blanche, but Dorothy doesn't believe her when Blanche tells her about it. After a fight over the subject, Blanche orders Dorothy to leave the house.

06: "On Golden Girls"
Blanche's 14-year old grandson comes to Miami for a visit and brings a new meaning to the term "generation gap", by doing more than his share of provocation.

07: "The Competition"
In a bowling competition, it's Dorothy and Blanche verses Rose and Sophia. If Sophia and Rose win, Dorothy will allow Sophia to go back to Sicily for a visit with an old beau and if Dorothy and Blanche win Sophia will give her a pair of antique earrings.

08: "Break-In"
After a concert, the girls arrive home, one evening, to discover their house has been broken into. This leads the girls to seek out means to heavily protect themselves, including Rose buying a handgun.

09: "Blanche and the Younger Man"
Blanche goes all out to try to look good for her latest boyfriend, her aerobics instructor, half her age.

10: "Heart Attack"
After a dinner party, Sophia suffers an apparent heart attack with a heavy storm delaying the paramedics.

11: "The Return of Dorothy's Ex"
Dorothy's ex-husband, Stan shows up to settle a piece of land they bought on their honeymoon. This leads to Dorothy and Stan spending the night together.

12: "The Custody Battle"
Dorothy's sister, Gloria, comes to Miami for a visit and asks Sophia to come live with her in California.

13: "A Little Romance"
Rose has been dating Dr. Jonathan Newman and begins to think their relationship is leading to the altar. However, she begins to have second thoughts especially since he's a midget.
(Nominated and won an Emmy)

14: "That Was No Lady"
Dorothy latest boyfriend Glen gives her a shock when he tells he he's married. She surprises herself when she finds herself sneaking around to be with him.

15: "In a Bed of Rose's"
Late one evening, Rose brings a man home and they spend the night together. However, in the morning she finds that he has passed away in his sleep.

16: "The Truth Will Hold Out"
Rose is apprehensive about a visit from her daughter and granddaughter, since their reason for coming is to settle Rose's late-husband's will.

17: "Nice and Easy"
Blanche's visiting niece is a chip right off the old block, when she three different men in the three nights she has been there.

18: "The Operation"
Dorothy is hesitant about having foot surgery just as she was scheduled to tap dance with Blanche and Rose at a dance recital.

19: "Second Motherhood"
Blanche is romanced by a wealthy suitor who she learns has several small children. This fact dampens his proposal of marriage.

20: "Adult Education"
Blanche's psychology professor sexually harasses her when she goes to him for help on a difficult test. He offers her extra credit in a sexual way.

21: "Flu Attack"
A week before an awards ceremony, Blanche, Dorothy and Rose each come down with a nasty flu, which compounds their arguing over who will win a prestigious award.

22: "Job Hunting"
When Rose looses her job at the grief center, she begins searching for other sources of work, but realizes the world doesn't need an older employee.

23: "Blind Ambitions"
Rose's sister, Lily must deal with life as a blind person after recently losing her sight.

24: "Big Daddy"
Blanche's father, Big Daddy, comes to Miami for a visit, with an announcement, he's sold the family plantation and is setting out to become a country singer.

25: "The Way We Met"
One night after watching Psycho, the girls find it hard to sleep so they stay up and reminisce about how they all came to live with one another.

Extras:
Fashion Commentary - Joan and Melissa Rivers provide their own unique brand of fashion critique in a hilarious featurette that pays tribute to the crazy, kitschy wardrobes of The Golden Girls.

After reading other reviews i see that i'm not the only Golden Girls freak! I, like many others have been waiting a looooong time for this DVD to be released. (Gee, now if we could only see Mary Tyler Moore season two come to fruition). What a wonderful Christmas gift this would be for a friend who loves The Golden Girls or as a present for yourself! This show is is an all time classic, winning Emmys for each Golden Girl and best comedy! Shows of this caliber don't come along that often. Golden Girls fans REJOICE!!!!! *******And the new gets better!!! I just read on the Ultimate Disney website that SEASON TWO of The Golden Girls is to be released in the spring of 2005!!!!!*******

What Episodes Are Included in this DVD Release:
1st Season 1985

"Pilot"
Blanche has been dating a wonderful man named Harry, whom the others suspect is about to propose to her.

"Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding?"
Another planned marriage gives Dorothy a rare opportunity for revenge. When daughter Kate decides to marry a podiatrist, Dorothy is forced to invite her despised ex-husband Stan.

"Rose the Prude"
Rose has qualms about sharing her stateroom on an upcoming cruise to the Bahamas with a man she likes.

"Transplant"
Blanche is dreading a visit from her hated sister Virginia, who always took everything that meant anything to Blanche.

"The Triangle"
The doctor who comes to treat Sophia's high blood pressure captivates both Dorothy and Blanche.

"On Golden Girls"
A visit from Blanche's undisciplined 14-year-old grandson David, whose parents are on a second honeymoon in an attempt to patch up their shaky marriage, gives new meaning to the term "generation gap."

"The Competition"
It's Sophia and Rose vs. Dorothy and Blanche in a bowling tournament.

"Break-in"
Terrified by a burglary, the girls explore means to protect themselves, including a dog, an alarm system, Mace and a gun.

"Blanche and the Younger Man"
Blanche dates her very much younger aerobics instructor and gets a new lease on youth.

"Heart Attack"
After a party Sophia suffers an apparent heart attack, complaining of "Pavarotti sitting on my chest," and the girls nervously await paramedics who are delayed by a storm.

"The Return of Dorothy's Ex"
Sophia is upset to hear that Dorothy, Blanche and Rose are planning a vacation together without her. Meanwhile, Dorothy's ex Stan appears unexpectedly to ask her to sign papers regarding the land they bought together on their honeymoon.

"The Custody Battle"
Dorothy's wealthy kid sister Gloria arrives with a proposal that's hard to refuse: she wants Sophia to live with her in California.

"A Little Romance"
Rose's large interest in a very small man is completely reciprocated, so her only hang-up is more a difference in altitude than attitude.

"That Was No Lady"
Dorothy falls for Glen, a handsome gym teacher at her school, then discovers he is married.

"In a Bed of Rose's"
Rose's bed is no bed of roses for Al, the man she spends the night with: he's dead of an apparent heart attack when she wakes up in the morning. Since her late husband also died after sex, this convinces her that she has the "kiss of death" and must remain celibate forever.

"The Truth Will Out (a.k.a. The Will)"
Rose is strangely apprehensive about a visit from her daughter Kirsten and granddaughter Charley to discuss her will -- which turns out to be strangely modest, given that Kirsten believes her father left her a wealthy widow.

"Nice and Easy"
When it comes to dating, Blanche runs a poor second to her visiting niece Lucy, who's out with a new man all night every night: a doctor she met on the plane, a college interviewer who flies her to the Bahamas, and a trendy vice squad cop.

"The Operation"
Dorothy is having trouble facing minor surgery to her foot after a tap-dancing injury trying to do a "six-count Cincinnati riff with a double pull-back.".

"Second Motherhood"
Blanche is romanced by millionaire suitor Richard, but is uncertain about becoming a second mother to his young children. Meanwhile, Rose and Dorothy do battle with the bathroom plumbing -- and with chauvinistic plumbers.


"Adult Education"
Blanche fails her psychology midterm and asks her professor for help, and is shocked when he offers her an unorthodox way of passing his course; Dorothy tries everything to get tickets to a sold-out Sinatra concert.

"Flu Attack (a.k.a. The Flu)"
Dorothy, Blanche and Rose vie to receive an award at the annual charity banquet for "best Friends of the Friends of Good Health," but all except Sophia come down with influenza just before the big night -- at which there is a big surprise.

"Job Hunting"
Rose loses her job when the grief counseling center closes -- but not her clients, who drive the others crazy by calling at all hours while Rose searches for new employment, Blanche diets, and Dorothy prepares to meet her old high school crush Barry Glick.

"Blind Ambitions"
Rose's visiting sister Lilly, having been independent all her life, can't accept the fact that now she's blind and needs help -- until a kitchen fire shows her that there are limits to anyone's independence.

"Big Daddy"
Blanche is thunderstruck to learn that her father has sold everything he owns to launch a career as a country singer at a local cantina.

"The Way We Met"
Blanche recalls how Rose and Dorothy came to be her housemates after she posted a notice in the local supermarket, and how they came to be friends despite their disparate personalities and initial difficulties, mainly through a mutual love of cheesecake.

It has been a long time coming. We have been waiting for this DVD to come out for what seems like a lifetime. Although one can watch the Golden Girls various times of the day, how nice it will be to own my favorite program on DVD. This is the best thing since Sperheuven Krispies!

Well, I'm back with my follow up of this release. Having all the original NBC episodes on tape, I watched all the episodes on these DVDs and thankfully, their all intact, match word for word, scene for scene and camera angle for camera angle! Even the opening credits are accurate. The first season, which most people don't know, the Golden Girls title was displayed over the Miami skyscrapers, not the water/river scene in seasons 2-7. I'm so grateful to Buena Vista and Disney for bringing this one of a kind wonder to DVD for my generation and every future generation to relish. As for the commentary with Joan and Melissa, it was funny and they admit that it was Florida in the 80's and pastels were in...yet some of the comments I thought were a tad over the top. So I give this five stars plus two thumbs up, any Golden Girl fan should add this to their collection!

Golden Girls, The - Look for the 2nd DVD release within 6 Months! Info & Box Art Inside!



Yes, indeedy!...the 26 episodes from the 2nd season of Golden Girls are being advertised as coming out in the Spring 2005 timeframe. The Complete 1st Season arrives on DVD during Thanksgiving week (11/23), and review copies of it and two other Buena Vista TV-DVD releases are starting to arrive at reviewers for various web sites. Inside the new box sets are advertisements that show the next wave of season set compilations, and Golden Girls - The Complete 2nd Season is among them!

There is no specific release date yet, nor other info available at this time, but the brochure DID include cover art. Below is a small scan of that; we'll bring you a larger version of the package when we can. Our thanks to regular corresponden Pavan Badal of SitcomsOnline, and to UltimateDisney.com and reader Walt Davis as well. Stay tuned for more!

[...]

I almost cried when I found out that the best show that has ever aired on tv is now finally coming to DVD . I have watched each and every episode ever made of this show and with it being on Lifetime 3 times a day I am in heaven !!!! I can not believe it took this long to get released . I mean it's The Golden Girls and this is THE show to watch , it is wholesome , funny and the best comedy ever made for tv . I just don't know which girl is my favorite because I love and adore them all so much !!! Dorothy , Blanche , Rose and Ma !!!! There is no better watching of any kind . Amen to this release !!! I can now die a happy man ( well , after all Seasons get released and I watch them like a million times ) then I can die a happy man =-) Ed Kary

....with all apologies to Stephen Sondheim.

Having always heard that confession is good for the soul ( though I'm not quite sure why! ) I too am here along with other countless " Golden Girls " fanatics to proclaim my admiration for this truly top-quality program. God knows with television currently focusing on little other then 'reality-based' programs or silly domestic comedies ( i.e. "Yes, Dear " or " Still Standing " ) its more then just a little delightful to see this classic ( yes, classic! ) show arriving in glorious DVD.

Watching the " Golden Girls " is rather like visiting old friends whose company you constantly crave. Watching Dorothy, Bea Arthur, do her 'stop you in your tracks' double-take after suffering thru another St. Olaf story still brings laughter to this viewer and perhaps always will. Perhaps one of this shows greatest assests is simply that each character, be it Rose, Blance, Dorothy or even 'Ma' is so well defined and fleshed out by their respective actress that you truly feel as though you know these wonderful women and care about them deeply as well. The episode where Rose and Blanche start an " Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Club " must be considered some of the finest comedy writing ever to grace the airwaves. Oddly enough though I truly do not watch the show simply for 'laugh out loud' jokes but for the sense of family that this show creates with such believability and finesse that sometimes it has me wondering if, in some strange way, this isn't some type of reality show that I am indeed enjoying!

All in all, its simply impossible in many ways to explain to others why some things tickle your 'funny bone' and why some others may not. Trying to put into words why this show is so utterly charming is perhaps beyond words other then to say that it is simply wonderful to watch a television program that doesn't beg the viewer to watch and almost plead to enjoy. One in which the characters are not only humorous but also very real, alive and four women who enjoy life so very, very much. Take the " Golden Girls ' on your own terms ( which is all its ever asked! ) and take comfort that for many of us Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Ma will always be golden. Thanks!

Throngs of fans rejoice, dance and cheer as the most highly anticipated show about the friendships of 4 South Florida, mismatched seniors makes its debut on DVD. Yes, finally "The Golden Girls" have made it to our at-home libraries. No longer a slave to Lifetime TV, fans can now enjoy long-lost, original episodes of the 1st season of this brilliantly-written sitcom more times than Blanche can reminisce upon her days as a young girl on Twin Oaks Plantaion with a treehouse and a town full of adolescent boys (G'LORY!!!!).
Amazed and delighted, I watched the set in 2 days. It felt so good to see uncut, commercial-free, episodes. It was also my first time seeing the original opening instead of the one shown in syndication.
This 3 disc set includes the classic episodes "The Engagement (Pilot)" with the never-seen-again Chef, CoCo, "The Break In", "The Heart Attack", which turned out to be a bad case of indigestion (edit: a gallbladder attack) for Sophia, and "The Way We Met" reflection episode, to name a few. The set also features a commentary by Joan and Melissa Rivers that I passed on watching (for 2 obvious reasons---Joan & Melissa). I (and, I'm sure other fans) would be more delighted if the following sets included trivia or little-known-facts .::like Dorothy always wore flats::. about the show.
You will surely not regret such a purchase as you stroll down memory lane (I was 9 when the show debuted and a fan even then). The jokes are timeless and sometimes funnier than today's programming. The only disappointment is that the other 6 seasons are not included with this one ::pout:: but, thankfully, Spring '05 is not far away.

One of the best sitcoms on TV - ever. After having seen the list of first season episodes, I'm surprised to see that after watching the re-runs for so many years, I had forgotten how many first-season shows were as fantastic and as hilarious as the other seasons. And I had watched this show from season 1 to season 7 during its original airing (was 1985 really that long ago???).

It is a testament to how exquisite these four actresses were during their run. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan, veteran TV actresses (except for Estelle Getty who was a veteran of the stage) who were able to establish the feel of the show and the identity of these four hilarious characters in a very short period of time. Something that rarely happens in today's sitcoms. Plus these women had amazing TALENT, and fantastic comic timing and delivery. That is sadly lacking nowadays, where young 20-something actors with zero talent now just reel off their lines in a snarky, sarcastic fashion in most sitcoms. How boring!

"The Golden Girls" was a show that always made me genuinely laugh out loud each and every time. Rarely was there ever a dud episode during its 7 year run.

It will be great to have this on DVD, finally. Shame about the upcoming cover design though. It's horrible. What happened to the show's original logo? A design that would reflect their colourful set and the colourful humour? Well, aesthetics aside, welcome to DVD ladies!