Are The Rumors True? Bea Arthur Thought Betty White Was ‘Two-Faced,’ New Book Claims

Not everything was golden for Bea Arthur and Betty White. According to a new book by TV writer Stan Zimmerman, the two Golden girls The costars had some conflicts while filming the NBC sitcom. “During our time on set, I never felt any tension between the two of them,” Zimmerman writes in Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. “I’ve only heard stories and I found out recently, from producer Marsha Posner Williams on the podcast, that Bea thinks Betty is two-faced.”

‘Girls: From Golden to Gilmore’ by Stan Zimmerman.

Indigo River Publishing

“Bea loved real people,” he continues. “I felt that Betty was more like Sue Ann Nivens, the character she played The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but she was like Rose. More obedient than an innocent airhead from St. Olaf.” This was just one item Zimmerman came across while working. Girls, his new book about his long career in Hollywood, out today. Zimmerman has been a writer on many fan-favorite TV shows, including Golden girls, Gilmore Girls and Roseanne.

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Zimmerman and his screenwriter James Berg wrote a list of memorable episodes for Golden girls, including “Blanche & the Younger Man” and “Adult Education”. In the final episode, Blanche (Rue McClanahan) takes a class at a community college and is sexually harassed by her professor. Facts of life “A very special episode,” Zimmerman tells PEOPLE. “WITH [The Golden Girls]be honest, be real, be really funny, but just make it a part of their lives so it’s not something that stands out, like we’re standing on a soap box and wagging at people.”

The cast of “The Golden Girls”.

Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank

The episode dealt with sexual harassment in a way that was “unheard of” on television at the time, Zimmerman says. “I learned early from Golden girls that people are much more open to accepting new ideas while laughing,” he adds.

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Zimmerman also admits that at first he didn’t think he was a “very funny writer” while on the show. During Golden girls‘ in the first season, however, he and Berg ended up writing some iconic moments from the show, including Dorothy’s famous look. [the phrase] »Dorothy shoots her a look. And now it has become a thing in written form, ‘shooting by sight,’” he says. “But that’s something very few actors could do. Bea Arthur could catch the eye, and you knew exactly what she was thinking.”

The cast of “The Golden Girls”.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

“Everything she had to do [was] look at Betty White and you knew what she was thinking,” he continues. “It saved us a lot of time because we didn’t have to come up with words.”

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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The author also found a friend in Estelle Getty. Zimmerman, who is gay, recalls having to hide his sexuality on set, but Getty knew and supported him. “Only Estelle Getty picked up on that pretty quickly and said she’s going to have our backs and keep our secret,” Zimmerman says of the actress, who was also “an early ally of the LGBTQ community.” “I will always be Sophia,” she adds.Girls: From Golden to Gilmore is now available.

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Source: HIS Education