Bill Macy (Walter Findlay) Was Cut Off By The Rest of The Cast Once 'Maude' Ended - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 11-20-2010, 10:13 PM

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ill+macy&hl=en

After Maude was cancelled the article talks about how Bea Arthur & the rest of the cast stopped talking to Bill Macy and he never could understand it considering for 6 years he spent more time with the cast than he did his own family. Interesting little article.

catlover79 · 11-21-2010, 04:56 PM

Wow!!!

For what it's worth, I read an article in Soap Opera Digest just a couple of weeks ago that Adrienne Barbeau (Carol), who is now appearing on General Hospital, said she keeps in touch with both Mr. Macy and Conrad Bain. So whatever happened, I guess he patched things up with at least one former castmate.

I still have the issue of that magazine around. As soon as I get a chance, I'll dig it out and let you all know what the exact quotes were.

Rezny@gmail.com · 11-21-2010, 05:38 PM

Was he even at Bea Arthur's funeral?Probably was(or was he?),but I'll bet he was shocked to hear of her death.By the way.did he and Bea Arthur get along on "Maude"?Anyway,that's interesting.

rcbrad · 11-29-2010, 09:59 PM

Just because he has not spoken with Bea and the other cast members does not mean that something went wrong? Have all of the other cast members phoned each other/kept in touch during the time mentioned, but chose not to speak to Bill?

It sounds like it was just a casual comment or an observation. Of course it is possible that there may have been issues, but the article never gave me the feeling that there were any problems with Bea or the other cast members.

To the OP: Thanks for posting these old articles they are interesting to read when they are about classic tv sitcoms.

OOliver · 11-30-2010, 03:23 PM

Was he even at Bea Arthur's funeral?Probably was(or was he?),

I don't think she had a funeral. She had a public memorial on Broadway in the Fall hosted by Angela Lansbury (and I think Rosie O'Donnell), but not a funeral when she died. As for the memorial, I don't recall if any of her former castmates from either 'Maude' or 'Golden Girls' attended.

ThomasE · 12-24-2010, 05:54 PM

I got to read that article. We have to remember this article is from 1979. A lot could've happened since then. That came from the St. Pete Times.

O.T.: I also saw the ad for "Eckerd Drugs" Store. LOL. I grew up outside of St. Petersburg so I remember Eckerds. It then became CVS in the early 2000's.

SamanthaB · 03-05-2011, 02:39 PM

In the interview Bea did for the Archive of American Television in 2000 or 2001 she mentions watching some Maude reruns and that she phoned Bill Macy to tell him they were on and how good they were together when she looked back 30 or so years on, so they must have been friends or at least on speaking terms.

catlover79 · 03-05-2011, 02:57 PM

Interesting!!

LittleRickyII · 03-07-2011, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamanthaB

In the interview Bea did for the Archive of American Television in 2000 or 2001 she mentions watching some Maude reruns and that she phoned Bill Macy to tell him they were on and how good they were together when she looked back 30 or so years on, so they must have been friends or at least on speaking terms.

Not surprising! The first thing that struck me when I read that article is that it was from 1979 and only a year after Maude ended. I know when I've left jobs before and immediately gotten busy with other things, months, and sometimes years, have passed by without touching base with some folks. You move into a new job and all of a sudden there are a bunch of new people in your life, and you only have so much time left in the day. So being out of touch with people after your life takes a sharp detour doesn't mean there's anything personal between anybody, just that life happens. Bea Arthur was was a mother and a wife in addition to having a career. I'm sure she was super busy and time flew by before she realized it. I just got together with an old friend Saturday night. It felt like we had just seen one another, but we got to thinking that it was at least three years ago that we last saw one another. So I can relate!

catlover79 · 03-08-2011, 03:33 AM

Yup! Just like in regular jobs - people move away or go into a different line of work or just stay home with their families. Then they reconnect later.

attorney10 · 01-16-2013, 05:02 PM

Bill is now almost 91. He plays poker with me weekly, and is sharp as a tack. I know he spoke with Bea about 1 week before she passed. He suffered a loss when she passed, as they had remained friends. Bill and I speak of the good ol days, but he never mentioned any discontent with co-stars on Maude. I think the story was probably baseless. I don't want to ask him about it because it's so old. I know he's still married to his loving wife Sam, of many years.

McGillicuddy · 01-16-2013, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OOliver

Was he even at Bea Arthur's funeral?Probably was(or was he?),

I don't think she had a funeral. She had a public memorial on Broadway in the Fall hosted by Angela Lansbury (and I think Rosie O'Donnell), but not a funeral when she died. As for the memorial, I don't recall if any of her former castmates from either 'Maude' or 'Golden Girls' attended.

I thought Rue McClanahan attended Bea's memorial. And I'm surprised Adrianne Barbeau wasn't there.

SamanthaB · 01-17-2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attorney10

Bill is now almost 91. He plays poker with me weekly, and is sharp as a tack. I know he spoke with Bea about 1 week before she passed. He suffered a loss when she passed, as they had remained friends. Bill and I speak of the good ol days, but he never mentioned any discontent with co-stars on Maude. I think the story was probably baseless. I don't want to ask him about it because it's so old. I know he's still married to his loving wife Sam, of many years.

Thanks for letting us know. You should tell Bill there's a lot of people old and new out there loving his work on Maude

WalterTheDrinker · 02-17-2013, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attorney10

Bill is now almost 91. He plays poker with me weekly, and is sharp as a tack. I know he spoke with Bea about 1 week before she passed. He suffered a loss when she passed, as they had remained friends. Bill and I speak of the good ol days, but he never mentioned any discontent with co-stars on Maude. I think the story was probably baseless. I don't want to ask him about it because it's so old. I know he's still married to his loving wife Sam, of many years.

You play poker with Bill Macy? You are so lucky!

attorney10 · 02-17-2013, 10:51 PM

Saw him today....

11-20-2010, 10:13 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Bill Macy (Walter Findlay) Was Cut Off By The Rest of The Cast Once 'Maude' Ended http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ill+macy&hl=en After Maude was cancelled the article talks about how Bea Arthur & the rest of the cast stopped talking to Bill Macy and he never could understand it considering for 6 years he spent more time with the cast than he did his own family. Interesting little article.
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11-21-2010, 04:56 PM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Wow!!! For what it's worth, I read an article in Soap Opera Digest just a couple of weeks ago that Adrienne Barbeau (Carol), who is now appearing on General Hospital, said she keeps in touch with both Mr. Macy and Conrad Bain. So whatever happened, I guess he patched things up with at least one former castmate. I still have the issue of that magazine around. As soon as I get a chance, I'll dig it out and let you all know what the exact quotes were.
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12-24-2010, 05:54 PM	#6
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	I got to read that article. We have to remember this article is from 1979. A lot could've happened since then. That came from the St. Pete Times. O.T.: I also saw the ad for "Eckerd Drugs" Store. LOL. I grew up outside of St. Petersburg so I remember Eckerds. It then became CVS in the early 2000's.
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11-21-2010, 05:38 PM	#3
Rezny@gmail.com Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 20, 2007 Location: Nebraska Posts: 2,675	Was he even at Bea Arthur's funeral?Probably was(or was he?),but I'll bet he was shocked to hear of her death.By the way.did he and Bea Arthur get along on "Maude"?Anyway,that's interesting.

11-29-2010, 09:59 PM	#4
rcbrad Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Posts: 479	Just because he has not spoken with Bea and the other cast members does not mean that something went wrong? Have all of the other cast members phoned each other/kept in touch during the time mentioned, but chose not to speak to Bill? It sounds like it was just a casual comment or an observation. Of course it is possible that there may have been issues, but the article never gave me the feeling that there were any problems with Bea or the other cast members. To the OP: Thanks for posting these old articles they are interesting to read when they are about classic tv sitcoms.

11-30-2010, 03:23 PM	#5
OOliver Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 28, 2009 Location: Providence RI Posts: 569	Was he even at Bea Arthur's funeral?Probably was(or was he?), I don't think she had a funeral. She had a public memorial on Broadway in the Fall hosted by Angela Lansbury (and I think Rosie O'Donnell), but not a funeral when she died. As for the memorial, I don't recall if any of her former castmates from either 'Maude' or 'Golden Girls' attended.

03-05-2011, 02:39 PM	#7
SamanthaB Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 09, 2007 Posts: 14	In the interview Bea did for the Archive of American Television in 2000 or 2001 she mentions watching some Maude reruns and that she phoned Bill Macy to tell him they were on and how good they were together when she looked back 30 or so years on, so they must have been friends or at least on speaking terms.

03-05-2011, 02:57 PM	#8
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Interesting!!

03-08-2011, 03:33 AM	#10
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Yup! Just like in regular jobs - people move away or go into a different line of work or just stay home with their families. Then they reconnect later.

01-16-2013, 05:02 PM	#11
attorney10 Member Forum Cub Join Date: Jan 16, 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2	Bill is now almost 91. He plays poker with me weekly, and is sharp as a tack. I know he spoke with Bea about 1 week before she passed. He suffered a loss when she passed, as they had remained friends. Bill and I speak of the good ol days, but he never mentioned any discontent with co-stars on Maude. I think the story was probably baseless. I don't want to ask him about it because it's so old. I know he's still married to his loving wife Sam, of many years.

02-17-2013, 10:51 PM	#15
attorney10 Member Forum Cub Join Date: Jan 16, 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2	Saw him today....