Explore Ryu McClanahan’s Pet Grooming in These 1990 Tutorial Videos.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked renewed interest in classic hobbies like handicrafts, knitting and gardening, as well as other activities that help us feel better during these difficult times. The two most popular pastime / coping strategies were adopting or raising pets and watching Golden Girls.
What if we told you that there is a way to combine the two (other than reading Betty White’s books on animals )? It’s true: there is. It comes in a series of educational videos released in 1990 featuring Rue McClanahan (best known for its portrayal of Blanche Devereaux in the iconic sitcom) on caring for pets . Here’s how to watch them and what to expect.
The Truth About Cats and Dogs and McClanahan Street
Imagine: 1990. You just got a dog and / or cat, but you don’t know how to care for them. For some reason, the advice of veterinarians, the Society for the Protection of Animals and other pet adoption agencies just doesn’t help. What are you doing? You are of course buying copies of Ryu McClanahan’s instructional videos!
In 1990, two separate videos were released: Rue McClanahan: The Dog Care Video Guide and Rue McClanahan: The Cat Care Video Guide. In both sentences, McLanahan talks to Dr. David Griffiths, a funny British veterinarian who looks more like a Monty Python character than a real person.
Each video not only provides many helpful tips for choosing and caring for cats and dogs, but is also a flirting workshop. It’s not entirely clear whether McClanahan will actually be into him, or play along as a hint of her on-screen persona of Blanche Devereaux, although she does refer to him as “devilishly charming” and “cute.” On the other hand, Griffiths can barely contain himself. One can only imagine how he called his fellow veterinarians in the UK when he was filming the film.
For example, when McClanahan talks about exploring “the mysterious internal mechanisms of the feline mind,” Griffiths replies, “I would be happy if such an adorable woman chose my brain.” She later asks him why the cats arch their backs, and then she demonstrates the maneuver (sitting). He tells her that she is “very good at it,” and she replies, “Well, I have a lot of experience.”
It’s tempting to list more examples of their hottest exchanges and smoldering looks, but it’s best to reveal them yourself.
How to watch the video
The cat videos are much more accessible: the full 48-minute version courtesy of the Internet Archive, andpart 1 , part 2 andpart 5 on YouTube. Sadly, not much is available from the dog video, but luckily someone (probably Griffiths) made a supercard out of his most greedy moments:
If some kind soul had access to the complete dog grooming video and would like to upload it somewhere, we wouldn’t be angry. Until then, look carefully for one wherever videotapes are sold. And thank you Ryu for being pet friendly.