Photo:Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank
Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank
Zimmerman chronicles his Hollywood writing career in his new book,The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, out now from Indigo River Publishing. After graduating from New York University, Zimmerman and his writing partner, James Berg, moved west in 1982, where they went on to write for one beloved series after another.“You’re lucky in a career if you’re involved in one popular show, but I was lucky enough to be involved in three popular shows, and not just popular at the time,” Zimmerman says, adding that “something in those shows still speaks to this new generation.”
Zimmerman and Berg helped bring many well-known television moments to light, including the famous same-sex kiss in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” episode ofRoseanne, and the memorable “Norman Mailer, I’m Pregnant!” episode onGilmore Girls.As forThe Golden Girls, Zimmerman shares his standout behind-the-scenes moments in his memoir, including Bea Arthur’s hesitances about how young the show’s writers were.
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“I have a feeling she was referring to [Berg and I] since we looked like high school students,” Zimmerman writes. “But we heard she changed her tune when she saw the quality of the scripts week after week.” The writing team even coined the phrase “Dorothy shoots her a look,’ which became a mainstay in many of the show’s episodes.“All she had to do [was] look at Betty White and you knew what she was thinking," Zimmerman says. “It saved us a lot of time because we didn’t have to think of words.”
Zimmerman, who has kept a journal throughout his life, says that looking at old entries to writeThe Girlsbrought back many feelings.
Indigo River Publishing
“The intensity of the feelings was surprising and the fact that we had to live so much of our careers [hiding] who we were,” he says. Zimmerman recalls that he had to hide his sexuality onThe Golden Girlsset, but found support from Estelle Getty. She was an ally to LGBTQ people on the show and said “she would have our back and keep our secret.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.All in all, Zimmerman agrees thatThe Golden Girlsremains beloved through the decades for good reason.“Those four women were the best of the best and there was just something special about them,” he says. “I’m so glad the producers saw that’s where the heart of the show was.”The Girls: From Golden to Gilmoreis now available.
source: people.com
