Shocking Things You Never Knew About The Golden Girls

The Southern Accent That Almost Didn’t Exist

Blanche was not supposed to have a southern accent. Rue McClanahan had the idea of bringing that aspect and she decided to run with it. The show’s producers ended up liking the southern charm her accent brought to the show and it was allowed to remain as a part of her character.

A real southern belle?

Read on to learn why Blanche had a different accent in the pilot episode than in the rest of the series.

Not only did Rue McClanahan ham up Blanche Devereaux’s southern belle accent, but the inflection was her idea to begin with. In a later interview, McClanahan talked to the Archive of American Television about the creation of Blanche’s character. According to McClanahan, when she started reading lines for the pilot episode, director Jay Sandrich stopped her in her tracks, saying “’No, no, no. I don’t want to hear a Southern accent.’” He wanted her to use her native Oklahoma accent instead. Once the pilot was approved, replacement directors went along with the stronger accent McClanahan had suggested.

A southern holiday exclamation