When you hear about the late Bea Arthur, what character first jumps to mind? Maude or Dorothy from the 'Golden Girls?'

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For me, definitely Dorothy... I've never watched Maude, but I love The Golden Girls. :)

I think anybody who was born from the 30s-Mid 70s will remember Bea more as Maude, But anybody who was born after the mid 70s(1976 and on) will rememberer Bea more as Dorothy from The Golden Girls

For me it's both but I think probably the younger generation thinks of her more as Dorothy since Maude has rarely been syndicated.

For me it's both but I think probably the younger generation thinks of her more as Dorothy since Maude has rarely been syndicated.

:yeahthat Exactly - Golden Girls is on DVD in its entirety (unless you count the Golden Palace, which has yet to be released) and still in reruns every day (I think on the Hallmark Channel). There's only one season of Maude on DVD and who knows how long its been since its been rerun. So my vote definitely goes to Dorothy.

Yeah, for me personally, I associate her more with Maude, because I'm in my mid forties...but the Dorothy character really seems to be the one that is a bit more popular in terms of fandom and recognition. The funny thing is that in their hearts, Dorothy and Maude are really quite similar. :)

Maude by a hair (I say Maude because she first got recognition for Maude on All In The Family - and imo, gave such an amazing performance in that ep - it's my fav AITF ep)

I thought that it would be "Dorothy" but from observation such as Bea Arthur references on others TV shows, she is referred to as "Maude". So, I guess it would be Maude, after all.

For those of us who saw the show in the 1970's definitely "Maude" but it was so maddeningly topical that it proved virtually impossible to sydicate even a few years after the show's run. :(
Hence, it was no wonder Miss Arthur evidently battled the writers to make made "Golden Girls" would be as timeless as possible and so generations later it [and Dorothy] is better remembered and more viewed. Yeah, even though it set in a pre-'Net age!

probably dorothy zbornak because

1. golden girls is in syndication more

2. golden is complete on dvd

Like I said, The Older Generation probably knows her better as Maude more then the younger. But the more younger generation most likely/probably know her as Dorothy more or better then Maude.

Yeah, I've never seen Maude. I'd be interested, I've just never seen it on TV. So, Dorothy.

It's so funny - we have Antenna TV now, and Maude is one of the shows on its schedule. My brother, who is 27, has gotten hooked on the weeknight reruns. I never would've thought that would be his kind of show, but he really enjoys it - along with Three's Company and Sanford & Son. :cool: :D

Like I said, The Older Generation probably knows her better as Maude more then the younger. But the more younger generation most likely/probably know her as Dorothy more or better then Maude.


Yup that's me. I guess mid 50s qualifies as The Older Generation. Since I first saw her (when I was a teen) in All In The Family as Maude she's more Maudie to me than Bea.

(Although her performance as Dorothy was equally awesome.)

I'd say Dorthy for sure.

For those of us who saw the show in the 1970's definitely "Maude" but it was so maddeningly topical that it proved virtually impossible to sydicate even a few years after the show's run. :(
Hence, it was no wonder Miss Arthur evidently battled the writers to make made "Golden Girls" would be as timeless as possible and so generations later it [and Dorothy] is better remembered and more viewed. Yeah, even though it set in a pre-'Net age!
It was that topicality that made the Norman Lear sitcoms so groundbreaking back in the day, but that also makes them my least favorite shows of that era to watch today. To me, The Golden Girls ranks right up there with I Love Lucy as an example of timeless TV, and for that reason, future generations will remember GG long after Maude becomes a dim memory.

Maude! But yes, I'm in that age group where Maude is supposed to be the right answer to this question. :) The show truly was groundbreaking in its day, and there had never been a character before on TV quite like Maude. She was quite a presence! She was someone who couldn't NOT be noticed, and couldn't be forgotten.

Maude! But yes, I'm in that age group where Maude is supposed to be the right answer to this question. :) The show truly was groundbreaking in its day, and there had never been a character before on TV quite like Maude. She was quite a presence! She was someone who couldn't NOT be noticed, and couldn't be forgotten.



She definitely was a piece of work

For me it is Dorthy.But i have never seen a episode of Maude.I assume she was great on that show too.Because as Dorthy they don't get no better.

For me it's Maude, because I love all the politics and curent events, and the relationsip she has w/ Aurthur. To be honest, it's also because I share Maude's views and wish she was my congreswoman, but I love how Aurthur always got to speak his mind too!

Although at the time, Maude was quite the overwhelming phenom while Dorothy seemed [slightly] more humble, I have to say Miss Arthur is better remembered as Dorothy for the reason that so many of Maude's issues and conflicts were extremely topical to the 1970's but would seem redundant or even irrevalent to folks in the following decades. Whereas Dorothy may not have been a mover and shaker of her era but her issues and conflicts could apply to any age and even any society. Also, in retrospect, Dorothy seemed far more like someone folks would randomly know either as a friend or family member while Maude seemed like someone few folks have any real association with. IMO

Both for me Maude being first since it came out first which I watched during its original run.

I'd say Maude but that's b/c I've watched more episodes of that show than of the Golden Girls

How about this: The Golden Girls was the more memorable show; Maude was the more memorable character. Bea Arthur totally carried the Maude series. There was a certain "wow!" factor with that character. Dorothy, on the other hand, was a good character, but didn't have that same "wow" factor. But The Golden Girls itself was a solid, funny show, whether or not Dorothy was in the scene. But Maude often dragged when the Maude character wasn't in the scene. But as soon as she appeared, it was like a much-needed adrenaline rush.

How about this: The Golden Girls was the more memorable show; Maude was the more memorable character. Bea Arthur totally carried the Maude series. There was a certain "wow!" factor with that character. Dorothy, on the other hand, was a good character, but didn't have that same "wow" factor. But The Golden Girls itself was a solid, funny show, whether or not Dorothy was in the scene. But Maude often dragged when the Maude character wasn't in the scene. But as soon as she appeared, it was like a much-needed adrenaline rush.


You may have a point because a lot of people under 25 like the Golden Girls

For me, it's actually Maude, and I'm only 21. I never had cable, so I only occasionally watched the Golden Girls, but I had heard of Maude before I heard of the Golden Girls, and I've watched Maude a lot on Antenna TV.

For me, it's actually Maude, and I'm only 21. I never had cable, so I only occasionally watched the Golden Girls, but I had heard of Maude before I heard of the Golden Girls, and I've watched Maude a lot on Antenna TV.
I'm a 21 year old ld fan of sitcoms too!

For me it's both, in the same way I associate Betty White with both Mary Tyler Moore and The Golden Girls. I think I'm a special case though because from the time I was a child I was extremely interested in classic TV/television history. I would say that most people my age (I'm almost 21) associate her with Dorothy and probably don't even know about Maude. Many of my college friends (especially the men, for some reason) absolutely LOVE The Golden Girls and watch it every day in syndication.

For me it's both, in the same way I associate Betty White with both Mary Tyler Moore and The Golden Girls. I think I'm a special case though because from the time I was a child I was extremely interested in classic TV/television history. I would say that most people my age (I'm almost 21) associate her with Dorothy and probably don't even know about Maude. Many of my college friends (especially the men, for some reason) absolutely LOVE The Golden Girls and watch it every day in syndication.
As I said before I'm 21 and I love classic tv. It does seem like Golden Girls is the only classic sitcoms that college students have heard of!

As I said before I'm 21 and I love classic tv. It does seem like Golden Girls is the only classic sitcoms that college students have heard of!


Because up until 2012, Golden Girls was seen more in syndication

Because up until 2012, Golden Girls was seen more in syndication
Than other classic sitcoms too, even Gilligan's Island?

My vote is for Dorothy but she was amazing in both roles!

Both, I believe Maude Findlay was more beautiful

I'm going have to go with Dorthy because I saw Maude only once was she made a guest appearance on All in the Family.

Dorothy - I never saw Maude.

Maude was my favorite sitcom in the 70s when I had just graduated from college and out on my own. Golden Girls is a better show, but whenever I see Bea as Dorothy, Most of the time I notice she’s holding back compared to the Maude character.

The Golden Girls is more heavily tied to pop culture, so most people will remember her more for being Dorothy. Betty White is also heavy in the pop culture universe, and her being tied to the show helps. Plus as others have said, Maude was groundbreaking, but is considered by most to be horribly dated, and Golden Girls was more "timeless".

I grew up with my mom watching Maude faithfully, so when GG first came out, we both said "Hey, it's Maude and Vivian (Rue McClanahan)!". Personally, I prefer Maude. I never "got" the attraction of the Golden Girls. I was a teen when it came out, and couldn't really relate to the struggles of older women (my mom felt the same, but my Grandma loved it). Even as I'm older, I still prefer Maude. I never understood how so many 20-somethings were in to GG, but more power to them. Just not my preference.