User Reviews

This is a birthday themed episode. When getting ready for Angela's birthday they remember the birthdays from the past. The one when Rose organized Dorothy's birthday in a children's place, when Rose had her first birthday without Charlie, when Sophia had her 50th birthday and the first good surprise party Blanche ever had.

Great episode. Dorothy's birthday is my favorite! Her going on stage was too funny, or leading the birthday parade! And that sweet kid who thew a cake into the clowns face to wish her happy birthday. Rose's birthday was so sad....In Sophia's they made a great thing to make her look younger. And while it would have been better if they made Dorothy younger as well, they did a great casting for young Dorothy. Blanche's birthday was too funny. Just like the ending when she is surprised again.

Each flashback story is done so well. From Dorothy's gut busting kiddie party to Rose's poignant goodbye in her Minnesota kitchen to Charlie when she decides to sell the house and move to Miami.

Then there's Sophia's 50th birthday back in Brooklyn with an actress who plays a young Dorothy to perfection right down to her mannerisms. It's eerie how much she resembles a young Bea Arthur and is totally believable as Dorothy in her 30's. I'm in awe each time I watch her and think that was some really great casting.

It's been a long while since i've seen this episode (or the series for that matter) and I was just as surprised as Blanche at the end when the party the girls were preparing turned out to be for her. This one is a perfect 10 and one of my absolute favorite GG episodes.

This episode will always be a favorite for the revenge that is gotten on the obnoxious Mr. Ha Ha (Alan Blumenfeld), the clown host of a Chuck-E-Cheese like children's restaurant where Dorothy is publicly humiliated by being made a part of the birthday parade. Bea Arthur could say so much without even opening her mouth, and once again, she is hysterical, especially when she shoots an evil glare at the well meaning Rose who set it all up. A cute little fellow birthday boy proves that he has sympathy for Dorothy as he gets the laughs after Dorothy makes a similar threat. The scene with Rose in St. Olaf as a new widow celebrating her birthday alone is sad. Lynne Greene once again proves what a perfect casting choice she was as a younger Dorothy, and getting to see what Estelle Getty really looked like as a younger middle aged woman shows that they made the right casting choice of putting a younger woman into the role of an 80 year old lady. Blanche's vanity concerning birthday surprise parties is right in keeping with her personality, especially when they try unsuccessfully to find out her real age. Episodes like this are enjoyable in the sense that they give each of the cast members a moment to shine, but as always, some segments are better than others, and a few focus more on warmth and character than humor.