Maude Boned the Fish When... [Archive] - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC

02-26-2014, 07:47 PM

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141752/http://jumptheshark.com/

Other Thoughts:

...and then there's Maude!
This has nothing to do with shark jumping, but I have to tell this to somebody. Bill Macy is in the cast on the video version of the play, "Oh, Calcutta." Full frontal nudity. Even writing it freaks me out.
Too old & cold.
Maude wasn't the same after Florida got her own show, "Good Times" and was replaced by Mrs. Naugahyde.
When Maude got an abortion. Pretty daring for TV back then, even now it wouldn't slip by the pro-life activists.
The day Nixon resigned the Presidency on August 9, 1974. With Nixon gone, Maude's liberalism just doesn't have the bite it did with "Tricky" Dick.
I always loved this show but, when Mrs. Naugatuck married Bert Beasley, it sorta jumped the shark for me. I always loved the character of Mrs. Naugatuck. When they wrote her off, some of the fun was gone for me.
This show's problems span numerous categories. One could argue its premise was flawed. It was conceived as a satire of a hypocritical but ultimately good-hearted rich liberal. But Norman Lear and just about everyone who created it fits that description. It's hard to do a satire when the subject is so close to yourself. It also had probably the coolest opening theme in TV history. No subsequent episode could live up to it. This show was also the king of Very Special Episodes -- they did abortion, alcoholism, manic-depression, divorce, you name it. But ultimately, a show is only a good as its characters. And when Florida left, a lot of the show's humor went with her.
Now since "Maude" is on reruns on various stations, I tried watching it a couple of times and could not get through more than fifteen minutes of it. It has no relevancy for somebody in my age group. I was young when it was first on and everybody seemed so old to me. Now the cast members are close to being eighty (most of them) and now they seem even older! It is going to be a brand new century soon, is it really necessary to journey down the liberal ideas of the 1970s. Most of the political jokes go way over my head because I was not at awareness at the time. I just find it all very boring. And I think that Conrad Bain and Bill Macy always seemed to act like children towards one another. It always came of as being annoying and unrealistic. And how many of you wondered if Bea Arthur was really a man in drag?
MAUDE never jumped the shark. Had the show continued another season as planned, with Maude and Walter moving to Washington D.C. and the entire supporting cast being changed, THEN it would have JTS. As for the person who said they couldnt get thru 15 mins of a MAUDE episode, I too, was a kid when the show originally aired, but came to love the weekday reruns as a young teenager. It is the annoying, boring contemporary sitcoms like FRIENDS, DARMA & GREG, DREW CAREY etc. that I cant sit through. Just because the MAUDE cast were not all 20-something Aaron Spelling-assembly-line hunks and babes doesnt mean the show was without its merits. These ACTORS were true seasoned pros, not stand-up comics like most of today's crop. As for the topicality that dates the series MAUDE, the same can be said for ALL IN THE FAMILY, ALICE, FAMILY TIES etc. And Maude has many episodes that are centered not around an issue of the day, such as Women's Lib, but everyday funny human issues of the heart that still apply today. And let's face it--NOBODY can deliver a put-down line like Bea Arthur. Hell, nobody can bring down the house with just a LOOK like Bea Arthur. The woman is piss-your-pants hilarious, and she's even more funny here than she was in the GOLDEN GIRLS. I would highly recommend this series from beginning to end. It's a time trip to perhaps the tackiest decade of the century, but its still worth watching, even if just to hear Bea Arthur growl "God'll get ya for that Walter!" The sitcoms of today can only WISH they had writing this strong and actors this solid. MAUDE puts every current sitcom on TV to shame!
This show jumped the shark in the episode where Maude and her next door neighbor used Walter's Preparation H to remove eye wrinkles.
Maude always seemed like a more perfect counterpoint to Archie. It was only natural she'd get her own show. It probably shouldn't have made it (in the same way that a show revolved around Mike probably wouldn't have made it), as it would seem that all the conflict is gone. But, what can I say? It just worked. Good show.
When the production budget could no longer cover those 6-foot long polyester vests Maude was so fond of wearing.
The idea of Bill Macy getting it on with Maude and conceiving, without the benefit of some medical miracle is ridiculous. Adrienne Barbeau was pushing 35 (Yeah i know she had kids at 50 in real life), there was no way Maudie hadn't hit her menopause yet. Yes, the theme song was pretty slick. Maude was always killing her husbands though..I didn't think she divorced any. Florida leaving for the projects on Good Times mad for a pretty decent spin off as well. John Wayne's guest appearance very close to his death from lung cancer (Nice Toupee, Duke!!) was also a special guest star mention. Final comment, "She's a Man, Baby!!!! (Austin Powers #1)
Good show. I was a kid the first time around and have just been catching up with it in reruns. Groundbreaking television--I found the abortion episode especially powerful. Yes, older women do have sex. Deal with it. Bea Arthur is one of the funniest women who ever lived, and Conrad Bain is better in this role than he was in ones afterward. The theme song rocks, too!
BEFORE IT STARTED, THE FIRST THAT UGLY MAN IN DRAG WAS ON ALL IN THE FAMILY!!! THERE WERE ONLY TWO GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS SHOW AND THEY WERE BOTH ON ADRIENNE BARBEAU.
It Never jumped. I am a 16 y/o, and I LOVE to watch this show. Bea Arthur is one of my most favorite actresses, everyone says I have witty remarks, as well as she does. She is actually a VERY nice person. My friend and I wrote her a letter, she sent my friend an AUTOGRAPHED photo, and she sent me a sweet little letter, which is ALSO Autographed. All Props to Bea Arthur!!
What were the producers thinking about? The reason males under 40 watched this show was to watch Adrienne Barbeau. Adrienne was gorgeous and she was fun. So the genius producers decided to downplay her character and instead increase the use of the elderly British maid Mrs Naugatuck. What were these producers thinking about? How did any of them ever get a job with a television network? Is it any wonder that Maude soon saw its' ratings drop and the show was canceled? If Adrienne Barbeau had remained one of the primary characters the program would of remained fun and it would not have lost all of its' male viewers.
wow, talk about trying to be too many things to too many people! maude was trying to be socially relevant by mentoring an, (ahem) "urban" teenaged girl. the plot lines were so stupid! when tvland shows this era of maude i immediately change the channel!
Right on, Maude! People are so nasty to Bea Arthur but I think this show was very well done.
I don't even care about the abortion-- Maude threw meatloaf at Walter!
This show bit from the first day it started. That horrible woman who played Maude...yeek...after all these years it still messes me up thinking about her. Personality, face, acting skill, co-stars, all ZEROS (or worse). The only show that compares to it in sheer horror is Julia Child or whatever the heck her name is with that screeching voice (about as bad as that nightmare sound that came from Maude's putrid lips). If I could remember who they were, I'd STILL boycott the sponsors of Maude. Ye Gods, what a horrible show. I'll have nightmares now, just from thinking about it.
When Adrienne Barbeau upstages Bill Macy at a town hall meeting by appearing behind him as he's making some lame point to a bored audience, she strips her clothes away to reveal a perfect body, sports a great skimpy belly-dancing outfit, and performs a raunchy bump & grind to the tune of "Hard Hearted Hannah, the Vamp of Savannah G-A!!" This ONE SCENE delivered more substance to the jiggle than in all of Charlie's Angels, Three's Company and other contemporaneous T&A shows combined. As a young lad, in the pre-VCR days, believe me this segment played over and over in my mind like a pleasant JOLT !!
Maude had lots of the JTS moments: special episodes up the ying yang, same character different actor (Phillip), major characters leaving, etc. I'm surprised Ted McGinley never moved in next door. And yet, it managed to be one of the best of Lear's '70s social sitcoms. I was a teen when it was on, and like most teenage boys, I was there mainly for Adrienne Barbeau's spectacular cans. But the show was so well written, I was usually laughing out loud. I remember one particular episode in which someone rings the doorbell. Maude answers it and standing at the door are a couple of squeaky clean, Osmond-like New Christy Minstrel types holding pamphlets. The guy smiles and says to Maude, "Have you taken unto yourself a savior?" And without missing a beat, Maude says, "Why? Is there one missing?" and slams the door in their faces. Damn that was funny. Ever since, I've been waiting for a Jehovah's Witness to come to my door and feed me that straight line, but no luck yet.
So what if Maude didn't attract male viewers under 40? What's your point? As far as advertisers are concerned, female viewers are more important because they make the majority of household purchasing decisions. Sorry if this fact bruises your macho inflated ego!
Bravo to the above poster: I've never understood the nastiness toward Bea Arthur, a very accomplished T.V. actress. Maude never jts, and was second only to All in the Family as one of the best Lear shows at the time it aired. Some of you posters need to grow up.
this show started out so promisingly but became simply awful. with the departure of esther rolle, bea arthur lost her most ready foil & they started manufacturing wacky situations before descending into Very Special Episode hell. And for those who only tuned in to catch sight of Adrienne Barbeau (who my father used to drool over), how many of you caught the "pilot," aired as an episode of all in the family? maude's daughter is marrying a jewish man & edith & archie are invited. the carol character was this thin, short, braying type who wasnt particularly attractive. i guess the producers thought someone with more obvious attributes would offset Bea Arthur's "she's a man, baby!" looks (thanks to the above poster for that one). Although Very Special Episodes are common enough as (dubious) ratings ploys, the sheer number and variety of them on Maude is schizophrenic. How could one family undergo bankruptcy, nervous breakdowns, near-adultery on both sides, alcoholism, manic-depression, and a separation-- on a SITUATION COMEDY???? this would make fans of a soap opera sheepish, but a sitcom-- albeit an issues oriented one? Norman Lear blew it with this one. also: those six foot vests were to hide ms. arthurs womanly hips & ass. aren't you grateful for them now?
The final season, where Maude got yet another housekeeper, was about the beginning of the end. Everyone remembers Florida and Mrs. Naugatuck. Can you even remember anything about the third one other than that she was black? And personally, when the show started de-emphasizing Adrienne Barbeau's massive chest, that didn't help matters either.
Maude started as a promising spin-off from All in the Family. I always thought it was a shame that she and Archie Bunker only met during this pilot. At its best, this show could be clever and incredibly funny. However, there is a line between entertaining disfunction and disfunction that is unpleasant to be around no matter how much funny material may be in the script. Cheers mastered the first type of disfunction. Every main character in Cheers was some kind of disfunctional loser that I enjoyed watching and their disfunction created hilarious situations. Maude, on the other hand, crossed the line from funny disfunction to unfunny (even unpleasant) disfunction. Although there were a lot of funny shows during this show's run, there seemed to be a disproportionately high number of shows that were painful to watch - Walter becomes an alcoholic, Maude and Walter separate, bankruptcy, and so on. The shows were made even more painful by Maude and Walter's endless droning on and whining. Norman Lear seemed to have forgotten how to make family arguments fun the way he could make them in All in the Family. Perhaps the root problem was that, unlike Archie and Edith, Maude and Walter became people I didn't enjoy spending time with anymore. There is enough unpleasantness in even the best lives without needlessly introducing more via this alleged sitcom. The first set of episodes where this line was crossed (and thus the shark jumped) was the two-parter on Maude's abortion. The only thing more unpleasant than the endless whining, was the horrible, selfish rationalization at the end for Maude to go ahead and get the abortion. Shark jumped, more prolonged, excruciating episodes to come.
Did not jump until the last season--which is pretty good. Oddly, the last episode had everyone "moving out of town" and Maude was going to Washington to work as a Senator, or something. This was actually supposed to continue but Bea Arthur called it quits. The proposed series was revamped (and kept poor Bill Macy as part of the cast !) same scenery and storyline. I think it was a pilot and bombed? SINGLE FAVORITE MAUDE MOMENT : Alice Ghostly guests as a snooty society columnist that Maude tries to impress at a dinner party. By the climax, Maude looses her cool. Alice: "By the way Mrs. Findley, the cheese puffs were terrible". Maude : (in an exact "Alice Ghostly" mimic voice: "Well, I got the recipe from your column!".
To the poster who regretted Maude meeting Archie only once: There was another episode of All in the Family which featured Maude- where everyone gets sick and Edith calls Maude to help out.
When the character of Mrs. Naugatuck, Maude's English maid, was given her name. The producers, with the brilliance typical of Broadcast Row, evidently figured that since Naugatuck is the name of a borough in Connecticut, it must have originally been an English name, right? Wrong -- the name is American Indian (Algonkin for "one tree"). What a self-defeating attempt at multiculturalism that was.
To this day I've never seen this show, but I really want to. I loved Bea Arthur and Rue Maclanahan in the Golden Girls. And I've also seen Bea on All In The Family playing Edith's cousin Maude, and she was very funny. I always hear mixed reviews about this show. My mom says it was a funny show back in the 70's. Hopefully Nick at Nite will start playing it again.
Yeah, it JTSed for me when Florida left. Granted, "Good Times" started off strong--and it was good that the Florida character had room to develop situations of her own apart from the Findlays--but I suppose part of the Maude dynamic was that sunshine liberalism on which many posts have already commented. This of course came through strong in her exchanges with Florida... One of the other posters had commented on the high whining quotient towards the end of the series. I quite agree. Somehow, "Maude" seemed to lose its way as the writers attempted to top themselves after every episode--a surefire sign of a sitcom's terminal illness... Yes, very cool theme song! To this day, every time I hear a riff from some juicy-sounding synthesizer, part of me imagines an episode starting somewhere in the world... Does anybody remember that hilarious "Carol Burnett Show" parody of "Maude"? I think it was called "Broad". It begins with Carol Burnett-as-Broad entering the house by kicking down the front door, fists on her hips, and declaring to Harvey Korman's 'Waltuh': "Waltuh, before you say anything, I just got one thing to tell you: Shut up!" Great stuff!
I thought this show didn't jump until the final season, when Mrs. Naugatuck left. After that, there was a notable limpness to the writing and acting, as though even the cast knew this was the end. Until then, I thought it was a wonderful show, with crackerjack timing and writing, Bea Arthur's flawless delivery, and (let's face it) Adrienne Barbeau's boobs!
The last season when Vivian, Arthur, Carol, and her son all left the show. Maude and Walter moved to Washington D.C. when Maude becomes either a Senator or a Congresswoman. There were too many new characters, and the new premise just didn't work.
In an interview, Bill Macy admitted that this show had "jumped the shark" (not his words) when they did an episode about Arthur and Vivian's dog dying. At one point Walter burst into the kitchen with a new puppy and the entire studio audience went "aaaaawwwwww . . ." It was disgusting to see the writers of "Maude" resort to such a cheap ploy for audience sympathy when they were capable of much better ploys for audience sympathy. (Walter's a drunk, Walter's bankrupt, Walter attempts suicide, Walter was three seasons of "Party of Five" unto himself!) Still, even the last season of this show, when they were scraping the bottom of the barrel with a Jamaican maid (Victoria Butterfield, whom they met on the subway -- when was the last time a rich, middle-aged suburban woman took public transportation?)and Phillip's long-delayed puberty (the only kid in TV history to grow up too slowly! Maude threw a birthday party for him and a bunch of teenagers showed up, set up a band in the living room and were tossing around cans of beer, Maude tried to be cool and failed) was funnier than most of the crap that followed in the 1980s. Adrienne Barbeau couldn't act her way out of a paper bra, but who cared? The rest of the cast was excellent. Don't worry, Bea Arthur.
I don't know if Maude actually Jumped the Shark, but the show was in trouble beginning with the 1976-77 season, when it had a horrible lead-in from Phyllis and an even worse companion series in a crappy Norman Lear show called All's Fair which NEVER hit its stride (that marks Lear's personal JTS moment). Then the following year the ratings were so bad that at midseason they shoved it off into a Saturday night ghetto (opposite The Love Boat!) and I think it went straight into the bottom 10. But CBS decided to renew The Jeffersons (which was Maude's time slot mate), and, as a bone to throw, they offered to renew Maude. The three-parter where Maude goes to Washington was actually the opener for the NEXT season (I checked the episode guides; production on 1977-78 had already wrapped). Beatrice Arthur and Carol Burnett must have gotten together (The Carol Burnett Show had also been renewed, but there wasn't any real reason to continue it) and both decided to throw in the towel after each did a special finale. BTW, CBS, having thrown a lot of money into the Maude Goes to Washington extravaganza, tried to revive it THREE SEPARATE TIMES the next season. First they did it as Onward and Upward with John Amos. He walked away from it. Then they changed the title (several times) and wound up with Mr. Dugan with Cleavon Little. After filming four episodes, they showed the pilot to black members of Congress -- who blasted it as racially insensitive. Norman Lear's company ate all four episodes and refunded the network $1.2 million. Then they decided to reuse the scripts and set the show in a college president's office. That's the version, Hanging In, that Bill Macy did. The supporting actors did the same episodes over and over (I guess they got paid for each one -- they could have socked away a pretty good chunk of money by the time all was said and done). Hanging In ran as the replacement for the canceled Good Times and lasted just the scheduled four weeks.
When Phillip threw a party and Maude's house is overrun with teens it was hilarious, cause that is what happens with the HS "party network". Maude was trying to throw them all out, not "act cool".
IT DIDN'T. NEVER/ Not even 25 years or so later when I saw it as a mature adult. When Maude was first on the air I was younger than Carol. And a flaming hippy turned liberal. Loved the political stuff. And understood the liberals it was making fun of, like my folks. I guess you really had to be there. Then, a few years ago, TV Land re-ran the series and, now the same age as Maude was then -- and married for more than the first time -- I found myself relating to the episodes about Maude and Walter and making it through just about anything together. I guess you never know. And, although I'm only 5' tall, I'll deck the next person that says Bea Arthur's a man. She's a woman. Tall, deep voice, but a woman. GET OVER IT. You all sound like those backward-thinking men the women's lib movement started over. GET A GRIP. Great show, great actress. And Bill Macy was totally underappreciated. He was a terrific actor (although I should say is...) He should do more TV, despite his age. So should Bea Arthur.
Maude became a dinosaur when the Carter Administration began, and went off soon after. I agree that the show Jumped the Shark when Nixon resigned, because about that time, the lost its edge. Bill Macy naked on stage? Yuck! I used to have respect for him, now I have none. And yes, Adrienne Barbeau's boobs are spectacular. Those boobies supported the show all those years, and her beauty was a counter to the not so good looking and abrasive Maude. I must admit, I thought I would never watch this show, but it was on a few years ago in rerun, and I checked it out. It actually is quite entertaining and funny. Mr. Drummond makes a great neighbor, but he is such an idiot. Mrs. Naugahyde is so out of place, and I didn't really care for her.
This show was too incredibly liberal to be believed. One episode Walter was hosting a Christmas Party for all his employees. They are all talking to each other about what a great boss he is, so generous, etc. Then as he is handing out generous bonus checks, they tell him they took a vote and want to unionize. Keep in mind there are only about 5-10 employees. At first he is pissed, and rightfully so, and decides to fire all of the ungrateful bastards. But them Maude helps him to see the light. He says "wow, I was just going to fire all of them, I guess they really do need protection from me." and then he supports them forming a union. We are to believe a bleeding heart liberal thinks he will treat his own employees so poorly that they need to be protected from him? WHAT? Blatant left wing, union-supporting propaganda, masquerading as entertainment.
To correct an earlier posting: when the high school kids invaded the Findlay home and set up a rock-and-roll show, Maude tried twice to be, in her words, a "laid-back lady" and gently admonish the kids to be careful, but finally got fed up and threatened to sandpaper the airbrush art off the side of all their vans. Kind of cheesy, and the songs the band played bore no resemblance to any sort of popular music played in the 1970s, but I have to agree it was refreshing to see teenagers on TV acting like teenagers -- dumb-ass party animals tossing around cans of cheap beer (and not one of them tried to stage an intervention for their troubled friend who was drinking too much!). And I must agree with the earlier posting about Maude's pro-unionism: what a pernicious influence it had! Because of "Maude," Reagan caved in to the air traffic controllers and Caterpillar crumbled after meeting its striking workers demands. Oh, wait, the exact opposite happened and the labor movement went into sharp decline throughout the 1980's, "Maude" or no "Maude". Anyone who really believes that a sitcom can affect politics should put down their copy of the National Review and actually study popular culture -- after Stormin' Norman Lear clogged the airwaves with barely disguised leftist propoganda like "Maude" and "All in the Family" throughout the 1970s, America elected Ronald Reagan and a Republican congress in 1980, and after Friends of Bill foisted pro-Clinton crap like "Hearts Afire" on us in 1993-1994, Newt Gingrich took over the House. So you arch conservatives should actually hope for more liberal bias in the media.
Okay, with the mentoring you could see the fin in the distance, but Maude never jumped. Bea Arthur could do more and better subtle physical comedy than all the networks' current line-ups put together! For those of you complaining that it's no longer 'relevant,' well doesn't that show you how much attitudes have changed since then? And yes, the show was best with Florida, but the character was too strong not to be spun off. And the theme song kicked ass!
Maude gets pregnant.......like buying a Yoko Ono album.....unthinkable.....
This show jumped the first time I heard Conrad Bain say "Maudie". He has to be the worst sitcom actor of all time!
I remember an episode where John Wayne, playing himself, was coming to visit the Findleys. Okay, a preposterous enough premise as it is, but for some reason all the neighborhood children donned their cowboy hats and boots, grabbed their autograph books and flocked to Maude's house to see their hero, The Duke. HUH? I was a young teenager at the time and I barely knew who John Wayne was. How out of touch with reality were those writers anyway? This was the '70s. Even Elvis was passe at this point. Elton John might have been cool, but John Wayne? Total desperation to find a celebrity republican who wasn't ducking for cover after Watergate so they could set up a liberal/conservative showdown for Maude. A lame contrivance that chummed the waters at Maude's house.
When Maude was first aired, I thought it was a good show about how society didn't like women who were breaking out of the "50's" mold of what a woman should be. However, as I got older and have seen it on reruns, Maude is nothing but a loud mouth bully, and Walter was a PW husband.
For me, Maude did not jump the shark until its final season. They finally got one housekeeper too many (a black lady--I can't remember her real or character's name), and they had obviously run out of inspiration. Until then, I think it was one of the best-written sitcoms ever. Walter and Arthur were like an erudite Laurel & Hardy. (Walter, pleading for help when he's realized he didn't notice Maude's facelift): "Arthur, if I ever had a friend in the world..." Arthur: "...better call him!") Then there was Adrienne Barbeau bouncing her way across the set every week. The show noticed it, too, with everyone from Maude to guest stars constantly riffing about Adrienne's chest. She was jiggle before jiggle was cool!!
Actually I'm not sure the show ever jumped; it probably ended right on time. When Esther Rolle left, however, the rest of the series lacked something. I loved Hermione Baddeley but it just wasn't the same. Still, Bea Arthur is one of our great comedic actresses; to those who mock her, I only hope one day you're trapped in a dark alley with her.
One of the great shows of the 70's. Sure there were episodes that were dogs but overall this show was a riot. Adrienne Barbeau's great boobs didn't hurt. She must of had a boob reduction because her cans were pretty small the last time I saw her on TV a few years ago.
Even though I already made this complaint about All In The Family, the characters couldn't seem to put a point across without shouting it("liberals" and "conservatives" pretty equally). I thought the early ones (' 72- ' 73) were mainly the best, like one where Maude and her friends try to get arrested for possession, to protest marijuana laws, which had a pretty downbeat ending (unlike some things on the show, it would be hard to claim that THAT subject isn't still relevant). One of the best episodes was about her high school friend (played by Nanette Fabray) who has a stroke, which was practically a blueprint for the way medical subjects could be handled in sitcoms, but aren't all that often (including some episodes of that show ). It might be comparing apples and oranges, but I can't help comparing it with that Seinfeld episode where Elaine's much older boyfriend has a stroke. The last scene wasn't so much offensive as just completely unfunny and unimaginative. Prople have complained about the dramatic sub-plots, which I didn't always like either, but they did lead to atleast one very funny scene. Maude had had a UFO sighting, and she called a UFO group (which in TV shows are usually full of stereotyped kooks-- which, whether or not it's funny at first, wears pretty thin). Anyway, somehow, during this short phone call, she told them she was a manic-depressive (which doesn't mean crazy, of course, but it does put people on guard), and that her husband, who could back up her story, was an alcoholic, and other suspicious things. So at the end of the call, the UFO group, which WASN'T full of kooks, was nervous about HER instead. Someone mentioned the actress who played Carol in the pilot. It was Marcia Rodd. Oddly enough, in a late episode, she played an employee of Walter's who tried to seduce him. Not that many "Carol" scenes were about Adrienne Barbeau's obvious feature, but there was one great one. Phil Leeds played a man from a funeral home who came to the door. Carol, who answered it, said, "There must be some mistake, everyone here is perfectly healthy." With his usual serious look, he said, "Yes, I see that." She didn't get that many funny lines, but there was one that really worked. The actress Judith Lowry played an ill-tempered 80 year old woman named Polly, who had been dragged to one of their parties. Carol, who was holding a tray, said in a completely deadpan way, "Polly- want a pretzel?" Which caused Polly to blow up at her.
I can't believe nobody else got this one! This is without a doubt the moment this very funny show lost its edge for good...John Wayne inexplicably arrives in Maude's house, complete with his John Birch Society conservatism and sexist crap and Maude is asked to bite her tongue the entire episode. We (the audience) wait for thirty minutes, secure in the belief that Maude will soon unleash a diatribe unlike any we've seen so far and instead she says, "Oh, what the hell...KISS ME!!" and they kiss...
It jumped when they got the last housekeeper. Maude, like All In The Family is extremely dated. It is very funny for those who lived during those times. I doubt it will hold up though. Maude preaching about things women now take for granted seems odd. To the poster that said the Christmas episode was left wing garbage it was nothing like that, it was true to life. Does anyone recall the time Maude's Aunt bought life insurance for a flight and the flight crashed. Then Maude debates the ethics of taking "blood money." Of course the Aunt decided to take a bus...
Maude getting pregnant is too much to handle for the viewer - because nobody really wants to ever think about her having sex. Think about your grandparents doin' it and you'll know what I mean.
It was the episode with Henry Fonda, she heads up a dying campaign to get him to run for president. She's completely obsessed and driven, and then Henry turns up and we discover Maude is behaving this way due to her manic depression.
Adrienne Barbeau doing a go-go dance during Conrad Bains lame attempt to sing "Well hang out our washing on the Siegfried Line" during a talent show. (I STILL get chills over that one.)
The previous poster mangled one of the best jokes ever on Maude! Mother Dexter (from Phyllis) played an old lady named Polly and showed up at one of Maude's parties. Deadpan, Carol handed her a tray and said "Polly, wanna cracker?". I fell off my seat laughing! Other episodes nobody mentioned: Maude, Vivian and Carol recount how Maude's heirloom punch bowl got broken in 3 different scenes. The arrival of despised Aunt Tinky, who's plane goes down, with one survivor--Aunt Tinky (who shows up at the end). The episode with the congresswoman who drops dead in Maude's living room, The College reunion episode with Nannette Fabray in the wheel chair, etc. Maude was one of my favorites that got me through Junior High School. Briefly, the CBS Monday Night line up was AWESOME. Rhoda, Phyllis, Maude & All in the Family.
The formula wasn't the problem. Edith's cousin, Maude, was introduced after "All In the Family" had established its following. Therefore, a spin-off for her could work. Archie Bunker may have been uneducated and prejudiced, but he was not nearly so reviled as Norman Lear would have us believe. Archie had a heart of gold-he was vulnerable, well-meaning, and likeable. Maude was far more outspoken, intolerant, and abrasive than Archie ever thought about being. Yet Lear never revealed HER education or credentials to lecture the rest of us on every subject known to man! When "Maude" got the ax after deciding the her unborn child was too inconvenient for her lifestyle, her own words came to fruition-God got her for that! It was no mere coincidence. Good riddance! In Lear's haste to make Archie Bunker look bad, Maude looked much worse.
One cannot overstate the importance this show has had on the development of an April/October romance fantasy. I'm not sure of the episode, but I still recall being captivated by the sight of Maude's neighbor, played Rue McClanahan, dressed in her finest '70's polyester hobbling in a full leg cast in Maude's living room. As I recall, she was playing the "passed her prime" nymph she often does, but in this scene was using the leg cast and particularly her difficulty walking in it to seduce a male character. Since then, the mere mention of a plump woman wearing tight fitting clothing with one of her legs in a plaster walking cast just makes this young man's heart skip a beat. I would like to thank Norman Lear and CBS for raising my consciousness to the seductive nature of a middle aged woman's toes wiggling out the end of cast.
A Very Special...when Maude had an abortion. Nothing against that personally (pro-choice here) but gave me the willies just thinking of that old crank getting some. And I have to concur with the comments on Adrienne Barbeau, she was HOT! Also one of the reason I tuned in for so long as well... Of course, who could forget Maude's trademark one-liner: "God'll get you for that!"
Lady Godiva was a freedom rider, she didn't 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 And then there's Maude And then there's Maude And then there's Maude And then there's Maude And then there's Maude And then there's that old compromisin', enterprisin', anything but traqulizin' Right on Maude!!! >From one who grew up in the 70s and generally liked this show......Ridiculously strong theme song, luscious rack on Adrienne Barbeau, a very funny and slightly masculine Bea Arthur, an outstanding (if short-lived) role played by Esther Rolle (who told Maude in one episode that she was born in an orange grove, and her mom almost named her Sunkist, but the orange she picked up said Florida instead)...this show had enough going for it that even when it was bad towards the end, it was usually still funny. Not in the same league as All in the Family, but still a quality Norman Lear show for most of its run, and infinitely better than most TV sitcoms that have come along in the last 20-25 years (the dark ages of the sitcom). Right on, Maude.
I loved MAUDE from the first moment she visited the Bunkers on ALL IN THE FAMILY. That one appearance earned her a spinoff and deservedly so. The show was well-written and took some chances. Bill Macy was a perfect counterpoint for the bombastic Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan and Conrad Bain were wonderful as Arthur and Vivian. The show jumped when Maude got pregnant and had an abortion. I'm sorry, but that's a storyline for a character who's between 16 and 20 years old, not a mature woman like Maude with a grown daughter, a grandson ("Phillip is nor dumb!")and in the midst of her fourth marriage. I could never buy that a woman of Maude's maturity could even allow such a thing to happen.
Jumped the last two seasons but it was great show. The positives. This was a great show with a very strong, if unconventional for its era, main character. I loved her wisecracks, though the best moments, in my opinion, were when she let down her guard. For example, the episode where she visited the psychiatrist and showed a very self reflective side or the bittersweet episode where Florida leaves. By the way, why don't we see more strong, middle-aged characters (that actually look and act middle-aged) on tv? Am so tired of seeing only 20 and 30 somethings on tv. (And I'm in my early 30s). And who can forget the theme song? The negatives. Okay, it's definitely of its era and shows with heavy topical humor never seem to age well but it's sort of fascinating to look at it as a time capsule. Sometimes the wisecracking was a little overdone and why was Conrad Bain's character, a doctor, such a moron.
My all-time favorite show. Bea Arthur rocks and she really is the Tuckahoe terror in this series. Maude was hilarious with her put down lines, but especially the way she delivered them, with that tone of voice and condescending look only Bea Arthur has. Maude fascinated me by how witty, strong and domineering a woman she was (Bea's looks helped too lol!), but the funniest moments were when she let her guard down (as someone posted) and someone would return her spit! At times it went political or had serious dramatic tones, but that was something to expect from a 70's Norman Lear sitcom. Although I would watch those episodes less often, they were very well acted by Bea and Bill Macy...very believable characters and they told it like it was! The departure of Florida did affect the show a little, but Esther Rolle was indeed strong enough to carry her own series. Soon Mrs. Naugatuck came and was hilarious confronting opinions with the lady of the house. I liked Carol, especially when she had to put up with Maude's constant meddling in the early seasons. She wasn't a very funny character, but I missed her when she wasn't as present later on. I thought she was by far the most lovable character. Adrienne Barbeau was a pleasure to watch too lol! Rue McClanahan as Vivian Harmond was a great addition, loved it when she became a regular. She was so funny, oversexed and air-headed (loved that Mr.Glad and Mrs Saranwrap episode), it gave room for Maude to give her the Bea look lots of times...that face cracks me up just thinking about it. It came close to jump in the last season though. Hubie Binder, how boring was he!!!! Maude sees a UFO...and they used to have such good writers! Philip (a new polite, older and bigger Philip) had lots of importance. 1st date, birthday party, dates a more mature girl, etc. Those episodes I found boring and unfunny. I liked the previous brat Philip who rarely showed up much better; this wasn't a show about kids and teenagers. I didn't care for Victoria the maid either. She was barely seen and wasn't funny. Carol only showed up in a handful of episodes during that season as well. And then Maude had the final episode she deserved, becoming a congresswoman in the three-parter ending. Should Bea Arthur had decided to continue a new series based on that new set of characters in Washington... That would've been shark bait!
When the "liberal" Maude puts her Grandson Phillip over her knee and spanks him, after telling Walter that she doesn't believe in spanking.
I don't think Maude ever really jumped. It always was what it claimed to be. Thanks to Bea Arthur the show delivered some wonderful lines. I recall one episode around Christmas where the baby was named Jesus (pronounced Hey-Soos). Not many people used that Jesus yet. Of course the parents were Mary and Joseph and Maude says something along the lines of "Don't bother Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus." (pronouncing it as Jee-zus). The episode where Maude deals with blood money is the best one. I think one of the most touching episodes is when Florida quits. She and Maude hug and Maude assures Florida that they'll visit each other. And Florida looks at her and says "you know that is never gonna happen." That was so touching. Two people that love each other yet know they'll never see each other again. Seeing how dated the show it I understand why it's not in reruns, but it was a classic.
Grumpy and embittered liberals aren't funny. This show will never have a huge rerun following because it is so dated. Cool opening them song though. Adrienne Barbeau added some positive attributes: two to be precise.