JENNIE: Stan Zimmerman’s new book is packed with fun stories of some of the most famous women of TV
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)– Stan Zimmerman is a creative writer and director in many mediums, from TV to film to stage. He’s been recognized for his comedy writing on The Golden Girls, The Lifetime sitcom Rita Rocks, and writing for both Brady Bunch movies and so much more.
Stan’s literary debut, The Girls: from Golden to Gilmore, details his time working with some of the most famous women in television, including Lily Tomlin, Roseanne Barr, Lauren Graham and all four Golden Girls.
Here’s a brief portion of his interview with Jennie:
JENNIE: Tell me how a random idea led to your first writing credit on The Golden Girls.
Stan Zimmerman: “Well, my writing partner, Jim Berg, and I got offered a chance to go in and pitch to this new show starring four older women living in Miami. It hadn’t been on the air yet, but they had just picked it up and NBC was very excited about it. (Conventional wisdom back then was that there would never be a hit show with four older women, but people seemed to really like it.) And we went and we pitched a bunch of ideas. They hated every single idea. I didn’t know what to do. So we’re walking out the door and in the door. Jim, I don’t know what came over me. I spun around and I said, What if Rose’s mother came to visit? … They said, ‘Come back in and sit down. There’s something here.'”
JENNIE: I love the Golden Girls and I am such a fan of Bea Arthur. I loved her when she was Maude. You call her the mother of shade?
Stan Zimmerman: “Yes. Well, it was very intimidating because I had grown up on Maude, too, and suddenly here we were having to write for this television icon. And she has a very imposing presence. But she really was a pussycat. She was kind of shy and not very talkative. But then we were around her. But we also learned a very valuable lesson… when we had to come up with a joke for Bea Arthur, and we realized she didn’t need words. All Bea Arthur had to do was shoot someone to look, and the audience would roll with laughter.”
JENNIE: Now I have to talk Gilmore Girls for just a minute, because as I said, my girls love that show. Oh, my gosh, Stan, it’s so hard for me to listen to. There’s so much dialog. It is exhausting.
Stan Zimmerman: “Try writing it! So normally our show’s about 60 pages, but because they talk so fast we had to write 90 pages. But what’s so interesting is that Gilmore Girls in 2023, The New York Times reported it was the six most watched show. It’s been off the air for, what, almost 15, 20 years? But it’s people love it. And I’ve been lucky to be on one show, but actually three shows that are still feel very relevant between Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls and Roseanne.”
JENNIE: Now, before we leave, how can they get your book?
Stan Zimmerman: “Amazon, Good Reads, it’s all over the place. It’s been so beautifully received. And if you do get it, take a picture. Find me on Instagram. Really exciting to be able to reach people.”
See the video clip above for the full interview!
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