Growing up without cable, Golden Girls was one of the sitcoms that re-ran constantly on Oklahoma's UHF channels, and was therefore one of the shows I watched relentlessly. It wasn't until I got to college, though, that I realized it was quite possibly the dirtiest show on television during my formative years, and that can be attributed directly to Oklahoma native Rue McClanahan's portrayal of Blanche Devereaux.
When I learned that Blanche, I mean Rue, had died today at the age of 76, I began looking into her background. Unlike many of the "Oklahomans" who made our list of Top-100 Oklahoma Embarrassments, McClanahan was a true Okie. For instance, Brad Pitt was born here and moved to Kansas before he was a month old. Rue, however, was born in Healdton, grew up in Ardmore, and attended Tulsa University before trying to make it as an actress.