Estelle Getty’s legacy of laughter

SHADY PINES, MA! – Before Sex and the City’s Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda there was Rose,  Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia. Nudity and profanity aside, The Golden Girls covered similar ground dishing on sex (or lack there of), relationships (or lack there of), gays (!!!), and anxieties about getting older. Estelle Getty was an instant favorite as cantankerous, octogenarian Sophia Petrillo. She was bitchy, but smart, oldest, but often the most lively. Getty died earlier this week at the age of 84. An active supporter of gay rights and AIDS research, Estelle Getty will be sorely missed by men like me who grew up dreaming to one day move to Miami and grow old amidst a crew of unforgettable friends. Sophia Petrillo left us many memorable quotes, we’ve compiled our favorites here. It may be cliche, but it’s the most fitting send of:

Thanks Estelle, for being a friend.
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Sophia: All you ever do is talk about your sexual problems! Well, what
about my sexual problem?
Dorothy: Ma, what is your sexual problem?
Sophia: I’m not getting any!

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Sophia: If I met a man who was over seventy but still looked half-way
decent, I’d be on my back faster than you could say, “I’ve fallen and
I can’t get up!”

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[Blanche commenting on her brother's lifestyle]
Blanche: I don’t really mind Clayton being homosexual, I just don’t like him dating men.
Dorothy: You really haven’t grasped the concept of this “gay thing” yet, have you, Blanche?
Blanche: Well there must be homosexuals who date women.
Sophia: Yeah. They’re called lesbians.

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Sophia: Why do blessings wear disguises? If I were a blessing, I’d run around naked.

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Sophia: Make way for the victors.
Rose: You won the big game?
Sophia: No, Rose. We lost and we all changed our names to Victor.

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Stan: Hello Sophia, you’re looking younger every day.
Sophia: Hi Stan, and that’s a beautiful toupee you’re wearing. Great, now we’re both liars.

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[Sophia enters kitchen]
Dorothy: You couldn’t sleep either, huh?
Sophia: No, I’m sleeping so good I thought I’d come try it in the sink.

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Dorothy: Hi, ma. Where are you going?
Sophia: To the boardwalk. I like to watch the old guys rearrange themselves when they come out of the water.

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Sophia: Look, you didn’t ask me for my opinion, but I’m old, so I’m giving it anyway.

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• The gals over at Jezebel put together this amazing clip. It’s a gut buster, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.