Bea Author from The Golden girls died Saturday at 86. I'll never quite understand how the show was able to captivate young children...I know I watched the show as a very young girl, and I know many others who did as well. If I catch an epidsode now I laugh at how much of the show I know I didn't understand then. Anyhow, just a sad passing...
Yes, I first knew her as Maude, an occasional guest on All in the Family, then on her own show. And I enjoyed The Golden Girls, though Peter can't stand the show.
I loved both Maude and Golden Girls.... Right now, the Maude theme is playing in my head.... Lady Godiva was a freedom rider She didnt' care if the whole world looked. Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her She was a sister who really cooked. Isadora was the first bra burner And you're glad she showed up. (Oh yeah) And when the country was falling apart Betsy Ross got it all sewed up. And then there's Maude.
I am to young I think to know Maude. But I loved her in the Golden Girls. Estelle passed away last summer.
I never saw Maude but I my mom said it was a very funny show. I wish they would show the reruns on TV Land instead of some of the other shows that are on over and over. I love the Golden Girls. Bea was great in Mame too.
Those who are too young to remember Maude really did miss out. They don't rerun Maude often because it is so "dated" -- both in terms of culture, clothing, and situation. A liberal, twice-divorced pill-popping, heavy drinking, outspoken woman with an unmarried adult daughter who "dates around" just wouldn't seem so "significant" in today's society. But back then, WOW! it was groundbreaking! It ran from 1972 until 1978,. Maude had been twice divorced, and Walter was her 4th husband. Her adult daughter Carol was a divorcee with a child. Carol spent most weekends away on "business trips" with gentlemen friends. (You always had to wonder if some of these gentleman friends were married.) Maude spun off from All in the Family after the character of Maude Findlay appeared on two episodes of the first program, the first of which aired in December 1971. Maude was Edith Bunker's cousin, and she represented everything Archie Bunker did not: she was a liberal, a feminist, and upper-middle class whereas Archie was conservative, misogynist and in the working class. Although Maude's political beliefs certainly mirrored those of the series creators more than did those of Archie Bunker (the character of Maude was in fact said to be loosely based on creator Norman Lear's then-wife Frances), episodes of Maude often lampooned Maude as a naive "limousine liberal" and did not show her beliefs and attitudes in an entirely complimentary light. Just before the show's premiere in September 1972, TV Guide described the character of Maude as "a caricature of the knee-jerk liberal." While the show was written as very funny in nature, scripts also incorporated much darker humor and even drama, to the point where the show, in some episodes, could be seen as depressing rather than humorous. Maude took Miltown, a mild tranquilizer, and also Valium; she and her husband Walter Findlay began drinking in the evening, every evening. Maude had an abortion in November 1972, two months before the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal nationwide, and the episodes which dealt with the situation are probably the series' most famous and most controversial. Maude, at age 47, was crushed when she found herself pregnant, and everyone agreed with her that having a baby at her age was very risky and not a wise thing to happen. Her daughter, Carol, brought to her attention that abortion was now legal in New York state. After some soul-searching (and discussions with Walter, who agreed that raising a baby at their ages was not very wise), Maude tearfully decided at the end of the two-parter that abortion was probably the best choice. Noticing the wide controversy around the episode, CBS decided to rerun the episodes in August 1973, and members of the country's clergy reacted strongly to the decision. At least 30 stations dropped the show. The producers and the writers of the show tackled other controversies. In the 1973-74 season, Walter came to grips with his alcoholism and subsequently had a nervous breakdown. They both tried to swear off alcohol, but Walter could not do it and became so aggravated during his attempts to stop that he struck Maude. Afterward, he suffered a breakdown as a result of his alcoholism and the domestic violence incident. In the later seasons, Maude went through menopause, and many episodes showed Maude, sitting on a couch in a psychiatrist's office, talking through her insecurities about getting old as well as life in general. During the fifth season, Walter suffered another nervous breakdown, this time even attempting suicide, when he saw his business go bankrupt. If you have every watched Good Times (you know, JJ Walker and Dyn-o-mite!) it was a spin off from Maude. For the entire run of the show, Maude had a housekeeper, a fact that sometimes contradicted her earnest, liberal intentions. When the series began, the Findlays' maid was Florida Evans, a no-nonsense black woman who often had the last laugh at Maude's expense. Maude would often make a point of conspicuously and awkwardly demonstrating how open-minded and liberal she was (Florida almost quit working for Maude because of this). Despite Florida's status as a maid, Maude emphasized to Florida she felt that they were "equals," and insisted she enter and exit the Findlay house via the front door (even though the back door was more convenient). As portrayed by Esther Rolle, the character of Florida proved so popular that, in 1974, she became the star of her own spin-off series entitled Good Times. In the storyline of Maude, Florida's husband, Henry (later James), received a raise at his job, and she quit to be a full-time housewife and mother. Good Times is based on the childhood of its creator, Mike Evans, who starred as Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons. And those of us who are old enough to remember, will never forget Maude's catch-phrase.... "God'll get you for that!"
I think I remember seeing a boxed set DVDs of some Maude episodes at the library. Maybe I'll check it out. I can't believe I've never even seen it ONCE!
This was 1 of 2 shows (this & Love Connection) that I actuallty watched together w/ BOTH of my parents when I was a child/teen, which is something I NEVER do, esp w/ my dad. It was funny & although Estelle Getty made the show, I like Bea's character. Since the show didn't last that long, I've seen every episode & I'll occasionally watch it these days, but probably not enough to buy the DVD set.
If you've never seen Maude, you can watch an episode on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edalC5Ei830
I was sorry to hear she died. I loved Maude and the Golden Girls. I didn't watch All in the Family that much so I don't remember her on that. She was controversial back then. Loved her!
I love Golden Girls, I watched with my grandma all the time growing up. Thank you for being a friend . . .
I LOVE the Golden Girls!!! Still watch it as well!!! The chemistry of all those women on that show is still just so fabulous!!! I was saddened this morning when I read that she passed!!! How sad for the 2 remaining "Girls"!!!
isn't that so true?! I loved watching her show as a young kid...would I have let my kids watch her? Not on your life! LOL Ignorance is bliss I guess! Anyhow; who can forget her line, "God'll get you for that"! Bless her heart.
I watched The Golden Girls, too, when I was a kid! I think it was because of the resemblance to my own grandmother, though. Cross Betty White with Estelle Getty on that show and you pretty much have my maternal grandmother, who, by the way, turned 90 last November and is still as feisty as ever. :thumb: Maude was before my time, not surprisingly. MathManTim
I never saw her on Broadway. What was she in? (For some reason, I can imagine her in Gypsy, but have no idea whether or not she was ever in it.)
Alice, She was the orginial "Yente" in Fiddler on the Roof, and she played the best friend, Vera, in the stage version of Mame. There were others, but those are the two I most remember.
OK, Mame is close enough to Gypsy-- I can see her in that part. I'm embarassed to say that it's been something like 25 years since I've seen Fiddler, so I forget the story line.
Yente is the matchmaker... and none of Tevye's daughters actually end up marrying the men she finds for them. In the musical, she would ask "Right?" and before the character could answer, she would answer "Right!"
MathManTim! Do anything special? Regarding Bea Arthur...she was quite an actress; loved her in Maude & Golden Girls...just a no-frills lady.
Bea played "Vera Charles, Mame's friend, in the Broadway version (opposite Angela Landsbury) and in the film version (opposite Lucille Ball). I saw the movie but I have heard the Broadway version on XM/Sirius radio and always love to sing along to the song "Bosom Buddies" (yes, I'm a showtune fanatic)!
I've never seen M_de but I love the Golden Girls! What a sad day. The theme to the GG is one that I ALWAYS belt out every time. This is from memory, hope I didn't miss a line! Thank you for being a friend, Travel down the road and back again. You heart is true, You're a pal and a confidant. And if you threw a party, Invited everyone you knew, You would see the biggest gift would be from me, And the card attached would say- Thank you for being a friend!
Oh, you missed out! I shouldn't have been watching, cause I was 7 or 8! Maude was just very outspoken and straightforward, as I remember.
I cried when I read about it in the paper. The Golden Girls was on as Kevin grew up, so maybe that's one reason I liked it so much. All the ladies on there really did have a chemistry. I used to sit there- 20 something at the time- and wonder if I'd get that fortunate to have such good friends in my senior years. On a strange note, a night or so before I read about Bea passing, I watched the episode where Sophia thought she was having a heart attack. Sophia was one of the names I was considering for Jeannie, and it was because of the Golden Girls. Jeannie was nearly Sophia Rose.
I am so forgetful!! Check this out- The year Kevin was going to be 13, I wrote to all his favorite celebrities to request autographed pictures. I wrote to all 4 Golden Girls, and in each letter I tried to come up with something unique to say to each lady. To Bea Arthur, I explained how Kevin sat beside his grandma each Saturday night to watch the show. I told her how he and his grandma have a special relationship, since my working third shift has him spending the majority of his time with her. I explained that he even called her 'Mom', not grandma or any kind of variation of grandma. When Bea sent her picture- they ALL sent pictures, btw!- She signed it 'To Kevin and Mom With Affection. Bea Arthur' I'm getting teary thinking about it. If someone can tell me how, I'll try to post the picture she sent.
I never liked Maude, although I am a big All in the Family fan. But the loss of Dorothy Zbornak was sad. On the "Which Golden Girl are you?" quiz, I'm Dorothy! (I really wanted to have the wisdom of Dorothy, the innocence of Rose, the sex appeal--is it OK to say that--of Blanche, and the sauciness of Sophia!) That show will never die.
