Matt Browning - The Definitive Golden Girls Cultural Reference Guide

Directed by Paul Bogart. Written by Susan Harris. Original airdate: September 21, 1985.

Dorothys daughter, Kate, arrives with news that shes off to the Bahamas to get married. The girls talk her into having the wedding in Miami, prompting a reunion between Dorothy and her cheating ex-husband, Stan.

Reference: Rand McNally

Dorothy: My daughter is lost. Oh, Im just terrible at giving directions.

Blanche: Dorothy, I gave Kate the directions over the phone.

Dorothy: And who are you, Rand McNally?

Rand McNally is a company founded in 1856 that has long been known for making maps.

Reference: Paul McCartney

Rose: Do you think its serious?

Dorothy: Well, theyve been together now for six months. Its the longest shes been interested in any man since Paul McCartney.

Paul McCartney is a British singer, songwriter, and musician known for being a member of The Beatles and for a long, successful solo career.

Reference: Harry Belafonte

Dorothy: You are not getting married on an island by a priest wearing clamdiggers and a Harry Belafonte shirt. You are going to get married right here in Miami.

Harry Belafonte is a Jamaican American singer and actor known for such hits as The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) and Jump in the Line, both of which bring to mind images from the film Beetlejuice for most of us. Belafonte has enjoyed a long, successful career, including multiple records as well as Grammys, an Emmy, and a Tony. Hes also long been a humanitarian and activist.

Reference: Easter in Rotterdam

Dorothy: Your father used to bring me tulips every time we had a fight. Toward the end our place looked like Easter in Rotterdam.

Easter marks the beginning of the tourist season in Rotterdam, a port city in the Dutch province of South Holland. The celebration draws thousands of touristsand thousands of flowers.

Reference: Dr. Scholl

Rose, to Kates podiatrist fianc: Have you ever met Dr. Scholl?

Dr. William Mathias Scholl (18821968) was a podiatrist who launched his famous brand of orthopedic foot-care products and shoes in 1906.

Reference: Abraham Lincoln

Dorothy: She was the best Abraham Lincoln the third grade ever saw. When she freed the second grade, there was not a dry eye in the house.

Abraham Lincoln (18091865) was the sixteenth president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He served in the role during the American Civil War and the abolishment of slavery.

Reference: Donny Osmond

Sophia, upon seeing Stans toupee: Who invited Donny Osmond?

Donny Osmond is a singer, actor, TV host, and former teen idol, known as a member of the Osmond Brothers, for a successful solo career, and for his years performing and hosting a variety showand later, a daytime talk showwith his sister, Marie. In recent years, hes had successful runs on Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer.

Reference: Lent

Priest, after eating one of Roses cheese balls: Now I know what Im giving up for Lent.

Lent is the forty-day period before Easter during which many Christians reflect on and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Reference: Neil Diamond

Sophia: You want poetry, you listen to Neil Diamond. You want good advice, you listen to your mother.

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond has sold more than one hundred million albums worldwide. Among his biggest hits are You Dont Bring Me Flowers, America, and Sweet Caroline. Diamonds decades-long career has led to such achievements as being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being a Kennedy Center Honors honoree, and receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.