And Then There was Maude

[Zoneboy]

Before becoming a “Golden Girl,” Bea Arthur was all brass as “Maude.”

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Sure, Marlo Thomas and Mary Tyler Moore broke silly TV gender-role barriers playing variations of spunky career gals. But Arthur’s Maude Findlay was an unapologetic, real woman: a thrice-divorced, 40-something grandmother, who proudly wore her feminism on the hem of her pantsuit.

“Maude" debuted in 1972, after spinning off from another ground-breaking sitcom, “All in the Family” (Arthur guest starred as Edith Bunker’s liberal cousin who verbally sparred with reactionary Archie).

While blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker pushed back at the changing world closing in on him, upper middle class liberal Maude constantly rammed the graying head atop her 5-feet-91/2 frame into a glass ceiling of convention.

Both unabashedly outspoken and opinionated characters were the brainchild of producer Norman Lear, who convinced CBS – once known as the home for tame fun fare like “The Beverly Hillbillies” -- to let him air sitcoms that reflected the turbulent times. “The Jeffersons” (another “All in the Family” spinoff) and “Good Times” (a “Maude” spinoff) extended the Lear legacy.

“Maude” tackled a TV taboo it’s first season: Arthur’s character decided to get an abortion in a show that aired as the U.S. Supreme Court weighed Roe v. Wade. From 1972 to 1978, viewers saw Maude go through menopause, pour out her soul on a shrink’s couch and even sacrifice her marriage to seek political office.

But “Maude” was anything but just an issue-of-the-week meditation: the show could be damn funny, thanks to the writers, the ensemble cast – and Arthur.

Arthur’s imposing physical presence and husky voice, along with comic timing honed on the stage (“Mame”), gave thrust to the sharp-tongued jibes written for Maude, who always enjoyed the last word: “God will get you for that.”

The show never shied away from the contradictions between Maude’s relatively lush life and her liberalism, with her professed beliefs often clashing with her reality. Like Carroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, Arthur’s character proved far more than a caricature – Maude was always real, even if you didn’t always like her.

The headlines and obituaries for Arthur, who died Saturday at 86, predictably have centered on the “The Golden Girls,” which is understandable. The show, in which Arthur played a quick-witted divorcee of a different age and type, was a fresher hit with a more timeless, intergenerational appeal that’s made syndication a kinder trip.

It’s worth noting that “The Golden Girls” was created by Susan Harris, the writer behind some memorable “All in the Family” and “Maude” episodes – including the two-part abortion story arc, which some affiliates wouldn’t air.

Though Arthur probably will be remembered best as “Golden Girl” Dorothy Zbornak, as her first show's theme song reminds us, "and then there's Maude."

[Mr. Television]

It's too bad more of today's younger viewers don't know her as Maude. The show was a classic and deserves to live on forever in reruns just as The Golden Girls have.

[catlover79]

I thought one of Maude's husbands had died, leaving her a widow, and she'd divorced the other two before marrying Walter, but whatever. I've only seen the first season via DVD...it never aired in my area in syndication. (It originally aired before I was born.)

[MickeyMac]

I have a friend who has always liked the theme song but until today when I told her Donny Hathaway did the theme song, she had no idea he sung it.


That surprised me because this girl used to work at a record store and she knows her stuff(she was one of my music mentors, her and her husband).


Amazing

[catlover79]

^ I LOVE Donny Hathaway!!

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by catlover79

^ I LOVE Donny Hathaway!!

You're not alone

[JAlanRuss72]

Very interesting article on "Maude", thanks for posting. No one could stand quietly with a look while the audience cracked up (for a good 30-60 seconds without saying a word) like Bea Arthur. Only Carroll O'Conner, Jackie Gleason and maybe John Larroquette (on Night Court) had it mastered as she had. Quick wit, biting sarcasm and, underneath it all- a sense of childlike insecurity that made her very lovable, even when she was unlikeable. She will be missed.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

You're not alone

My favorite is still "For All We Know". I'd still love to hear the full-length version of "And Then There's Maude".