Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “The Golden Girls”

But Bea and Rue got along just fine

Thankfully, all the rest of the cast members got along famously. Rue McClanahan had a particularly special relationship with Bea Arthur as she showed her great kindness during an incredibly difficult time. In an interview with William Keck for TV Guide, she explained.

Keck: What is your favorite memory of Bea?

Rue: She took care of me the Thanksgiving my mother died the first year of Maude. It was unexpected. My mother was young, and I was young. I went back to Oklahoma for the funeral and I was devastated. When I came back to California, I was grieving so. I heard from Bea and she said, ‘I’m having Thanksgiving dinner and you come over here immediately.’ I went over to her home in Santa Monica and she put me to bed, and tucked me in and brought me dinner. She calmed me down and I felt safe for the first time. You don’t forget things like that.

Interestingly enough, when Blanche lost her father, Big Daddy, it was Dorothy who was there to comfort her before, during and after the funeral.