Club Notes

The SASNAK Study Club met on October 9, 2019, at Ann Severance's home with Ann and Martha Souchek as co-hostesses. Ann served delicious ice cream treats with nuts and candy.
President Marilyn Walsh called the meeting to order. Roll call was answered with the club members favorite television shows. After a short business meeting, Martha presented her program.
Martha and three other girls found friendship early in high school. Martha is the only one left of the foursome. They kept in touch with round robin letters. In 1989, Karleen asked them to come to Chicago to visit. They could fly for $43 and thought that was too cheap to stay home. In 1999, Karleen moved to Salina, so they started going to Branson and on cruises to Hawaii and the Caribbean. When they had started going to Chicago it was the time that the “Golden Girls” were on every Saturday night and Martha had to tape it so they could watch it. Thus, the name, “The Golden Girls” started and the name stuck!
“The Golden Girls” was and is a hugely popular show that debuted on NBC in the 80's. Four women shared a retirement home in Florida. But the adorable senior ladies had a bond that was truly unique. No matter what they were facing they could overcome any obstacle—usually over cheesecake.
In the first episode there was a live-in chef and a housekeeper. The creators decided to drop the characters and they were never seen again. Betty was originally cast as Blanche and Rue as Rose. Bea was tough to work with, but in her personal life she devoted her free time to advocation for the rights of women, the homeless, and the LGBTQ community. She also advocated for animals. Betty was also a big advocate for animals. Estelle Getty got deeply involved for gay rights after she lost both a nephew and multiple friends with AIDS. Estelle had a facelift the first season, causing the makeup artists more trouble in making her look like an older lady. Betty White's acting career lasted nearly seven decades. This landed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth was one of their biggest fans and absolutely adored the show. At one point she even invited the girls to England to perform for her and the rest of the family. Betty White's character, Rose Nyland,  was the youngest of the four women in the household. However, Betty was actually a senior to the rest of the actresses in real life and has outlived all of her co-stars.
Mom was younger than Dorothy. Rue made a deal at the time she was hired that she would get to keep her clothing that she wore on the show. Dorothy couldn't walk in heels to save her life. Cheese cake to solve problems, that's what they did, but Blanche didn't like cheesecake! Now that's acting.
Thank you for this lovely presentation from our very own “Golden Girl”, Martha Souchek.
The next meeting will be November 13, 2019, at Verna Ferguson's home.