Rue McClanahan was famous for playing Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls. Blanche is a Southern belle who never met a mirror, a compliment, or a handsome man she didn't like.

Her character became a fan favorite because of her humor, honesty, and friendship with the other women in the house. McClanahan loved her character just as much as viewers did, but she also had a few notes about how Blanche was portrayed.

According to a 1990 interview with The Evening Sun, The Golden Girls was five years into its run and continuing to attract viewers of all ages.

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When asked what made the show work, McClanahan replied: "Three reasons: scripts, scripts, scripts."

While the scripts were certainly a major reason for the show's success, one could argue there was actually four reasons for the series' success: Blanche, Rose, Sophia, and Dorothy.

"The teamwork is wonderful on every level," McClanahan said. "We have one of the most wonderful creative machines in town, from writing to directing and, yes, acting. We have the reputation of being one of the best sets to work on."

As the series went on, McClanahan hoped Blanche would become less concerned with men and more confident in her own choices.

"I've asked for so many things, and I've gotten just about all of them," McClanahan said. "Every now and then, Blanche gets to be a little less shallow. This season she marched to save dolphins and swore off tuna. After the second year, I asked them not to make her so promiscuous."

Despite playing Blanche so naturally, McClanahan said she wasn't much like the character in real life.

"Blanche is a glamorous, gorgeous, middle-aged man chaser from Atlanta ... and I'm not from Atlanta," McClanahan said.

In the end, Blanche never stopped chasing compliments or handsome men, but thanks to McClanahan's influence, she did grow and mature over the course of the series.