Hey everyone, PushingUpRoses here, and today I will be discussing one of my favorite episodes
of The Golden Girls YAAAY.
I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house growing up. I probably didn’t even need
to tell you that considering the things I love the most and discuss on this channel
are things everyone’s grandparents love. Murder, She Wrote, Agatha Christie, Perry
Mason, Roger Whitakker - things of that nature. Unrelated but Roger Whittaker looks strangely
similar to my Dad; they were both really in tune with their love of oversized aviator
glasses.
I loved watching television with my grandparents so much that my Aunt, who lived with them
at the time, recorded a few things for me; this beautiful tape from the early 90s holds
two episode; one from Carol and Company, a comedy sketch show by hilarious icon Carol
Burnett, and an episode of The Golden Girls called “Henny Penny, Straight No Chaser.”
Admittedly I was a little young to be watching this show, but it started a lifelong love
for it and all of its actresses.
This is what I would call a shenanigans episode, meaning it doesn’t really have a moral or
a deeper message; that is something I always liked about The Golden Girls though, they
have a great number of episodes that are based around pure humor, and many that cover heavier
subject matter, especially around the topics of age and relationships. The writers never
really went into “very special episodes”, which are more so one offs that are in my
opinion, poorly written with a flimsy message that comes across as desperate instead of
earnest. The Golden Girls interspersed heavy topics among the light hearted ones, giving
the characters depth and personality. ...but ANYWAY I don’t know why I’m going into
that because this IS one of the goofier episodes, but hey; you gotta have some wacky things
so the serious moments are all the more. Also, the ladies dress up as birds! Birds!!
It is Spring Vacation in Miami and Blanche is explaining to Sofia and Dorothy that she
needs to buy new T-Shirts for the upcoming wet T-Shirt contest, as she has run out - I’m
sure we’ve all been there. Dorothy happily exclaims that she’s looking forward to Spring
break because the school she teaches at is putting on a play, and she will be producing
the 1st grade production. She then says the kids will be performing the folk tale Henny
Penny, more commonly known as Chicken Little in the US, which she refers to has a childhood
favorite. Okay, who the hell’s favorite fairy tale is HENNY PENNY? Blanche exhibits
a microscopic amount of enthusiasm. Blanche: “This is all ya have Dorothy so I’m gonna
be happy for ya.”
So if you’re not familiar with this story, it’s about a chicken who believes the sky
is falling and will end civilization as we know it. She invites her friends, a goose
and a turkey, to accompany her while they journey to warn the king. But they do not
make it because they are tricked and promptly eaten by a fox. There are happier endings
of course, but most of the time they just end up fox chow. The phrase “The sky is
falling” from the tale has been used in many things throughout history, including
that beloved classic… King’s Quest 7. Hen: “The sky is falling, the Sky is Falling!”
(hysterical squawking) Ahhh... where IS a fox when you need one…
Blanche doesn’t really enjoy Henny Penny as she has an affinity for princes. Princes
with big, hard… codpieces. Blanche: “Handsome men with deep dark eyes and powerful thighs
and muscles and big ol’ codpieces..” There’s a bit of a mini plot as is the norm for a
lot of sitcoms, where a jilted lover of Blanche writes an obituary about her in the paper,
claiming that not only did she die, but she was 68. Blanche: “Blanche Devereaux, age
68. 68!?” She of course is more concerned about the incorrect age over the being dead
thing and gets pretty salty. I mean, I don’t mind being dead as long as I’m young. ….Wait.
Speaking of death, the show as a whole was pretty light-hearted about it, Sofia especially
as she is the oldest and most aware of her mortality. She’s seen her reading the obituaries
and celebrating everyone she’s outlived. It’s strangely funny, if not a little morbid.
Sofia: “83...close one!” The next day, the director of the play stops by and informs
Dorothy that the cast of the play has been quarantined because one of the students came
down with the measles. (Vaccinate your kids, people.) He says they might have to cancel,
but Dorothy insists on recasting it with adults instead. The director is like, now where are
we going to find an adult with the naivety and child like nature of Henny Penny? Rose:
“You’re not gonna believe it, I just saw a cloud that looked exactly like a cotton
ball!” Director: “My god, she IS Henny Penny!” Rose agrees to play the lead, alongside
Blanche who is cast as Goosey Loosey, how appropriate, and Dorothy who will be playing
Turkey Lurkey. Rose is hesitant at first because she doesn’t like the violent ending of the
play; this is the ONLY conflict in the plot and it gets revolved almost immediately; Dorothy
manages to talk her into it for the sake of the children. I do like the non-violent fairy
tales Rose suggests that were apparently told in St. Olaf, her zany hometown. Rose: “We
had fairy tales in St. Olaf that weren’t violence, and they had positive role models!
Like Gus and the Recliner.” Okay, but I really do want to hear what happened in Gus
and the Recliner. I hope he’s able to achieve lumbar support. Normally, the conflict would
play out over the course of the episode, but not in this one. In this one half of it is
SINGING ANTHROPOMORPHIC FEATHERED BEASTS. Rose: “After all, a chicken once saved my
life!” Blanche: “They are the stupidest birds.” Excuse me. We’re gonna pause here
because I feel compelled to inform you that chickens are very intelligent. Rose is always
ridiculed for being brought up on a farm and expressing affection for her chickens, but
she’s right about their intelligence and personalities. CHICKEN FACT: Chickens can
learn basic math, have object permanence, and they are manipulative little shits that
know how to get things. Thank you for coming to my Ted Squawk. Meanwhile, we get an update
on Blanche’s death situation. After a small retraction is published in the paper, she
is sent flowers by one of her many male suitors, Mel Bushman. Delivery Man: “Flowers for
Blanche Dever-ucks?” Dorothy: “No, that’s Devereaux, it’s only pronounced Dever-ucks
in limericks.” I didn’t understand this joke when I was young, but now that I do I
think it’s utterly brilliant. Takes a tiny bit of extra thought, but it’s so on point.
Okay! Time for the play: When I was young I would rewind this part over and over because
I loved it SO much; I even remember the song to this day because of how many times I repeated
it. I don’t know why I am stating this so proudly but surely it will impress at least
one of you. A piece of blue sky, just fell on my head! The where, for and why, are best
left unsaid! But I have a hunch, and it’s appalling, that like it or not, the sky is
faaaaaalliiiiing. These actresses are all total stage pros, especially Bea Arthur who
had a prominent career in theater. I love hearing her sing, and seeing the other women
perform as well, and there are several episodes that feature this. Not QUITE to the degree
of this one, but every now and then The Golden Girls really showcases the talent of these
legends. I can even recall an episode from an earlier season where all the girls are
in a play and the plot centered around that, but the play wasn’t really shown. You can
tell everyone involved in this Henny Penny production had a REALLY fun time. Betty white
is freakishly good at portraying a chicken, and Blanche’s costume… I mean. What can
I say. It’s Sexy Wexy. Bea’s turkey is definitely the best; I love her lil colorful
vest, the fact that she’s reading a book, and this shuffle is masterful. This is quality
bird walking. Even when the ladies are in bulky, feathered outfits, they are still amazing
and are clearly giving this performance 110%.
My favorite part is how Dorothy delivers this specific lyric. Rose: “Help! Disaster is
near.” Blanche: “Help! We’re trembling with fear.” Dorothy: “Help, the outlook
is drear” that deep little “help”, it gives me life. As Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy
perform on stage, Sofia is actually on the sidelines, narrating. It looks like she came
straight out of a King’s Quest game.
The play goes really well; if I were a 1st grader I would’ve LOVED this performance.
The characters of course all get eaten by Foxy Loxy, but at the least minute Rose comes
out and makes a plea to the children, telling them to clap their hands if they want to save
them, as though this was frickin Peter Pan or something. Rose: “Go on. Put your little
hands together. Eh heh.” Not a single peep is heard from the young audience; they are
just kind of like “Yeah. The birds get eaten. We’re cool with this, we accept this.”
Rose: “CLAP YOU MISERABLE…” Dorothy: “Come on Henny let’s get it done and over
with!”
Despite Rose’s brief lapse of sanity, the play brought in great reviews. Blanche, who
is still considered dead by most, decides that life is too short so why not go to the
bar wearing a slutty goose costume. Blanche: “Spring but comes but once a year.”
This was a mostly silly episode, but as I said earlier it really highlights the talents
of these three women. There wasn’t a lot of Sofia in this one, as she wasn’t really
in the play but there is a tiny little side plot that shows her in an overseas chess game
with someone back in Sicily. It doesn’t bring a lot to the episode, but it does give
me this quote, which I use ANY time someone asks me why I am doing something that makes
me angry. Dorothy: “Ma why do you keep playing this game if you hate her so much?” Sofia:
“To relax.” This was also the finale for season 6; I suppose if you’re gonna go out,
go out with a cluck. The whole “Blanche is dead” thing was kind of weak if I am
honest, it didn’t really pose much of a conflict and it was resolved rather quickly,
and Rose’s issue with the downer ending to Henny Penny was also not much of a problem,
but I am okay with that. It’s really not very common you see mature women in situations
like this: Dressing up as weird bird beasts and singing and dancing in a spritely manner.
Not only do the women in the Golden Girls have an active sex life, jobs, and long term
friendships, as I talked about more in depth in my previous video, they also make time
to do extra curricular activites, and not only do they do them, they SLAY at them. I
think that’s a message in itself, even if the episode wasn’t meant to be very deep.
Older women don’t always have to be wise matriarch, or portrayed as meek women who
sit around knitting and being grandmotherly and sweet - sometimes they can just go out
and have fun. Kind of reminds me of my grandma, though her idea of fun was swearing and gambling.
Much like Sofia, now that I think about it.
Even though there are a lot of episodes that showcase the women performing in some way,
as in singing, dancing, or acting, I still think this one is a stand out. The other episodes
usually have a longer conflict, but in this one, about a third of the episode is JUST
performing - I mean they show the whole play from beginning to end. I think the writers
were very much aware of the actresses they were working with, and definitely played to
their strengths. I also don’t think you need to see many episodes of the show in order
to enjoy this one; it’s just a fun time for all, so I definitely recommend it. Season
6, episode 26. Henny Penny - Straight No Chaser
Singing: “And though he may refuse the news we bring, we must fly and try to warn the
kiiiiiing!”
Hey everyone, thank you so much for watching my review of Henny Penny - Straight no Chaser.
If you are interested in my last video on the Golden Girls, I will link it at the end