Beatrice Arthur could get a huge laugh with just a long, hard, silent stare. When she opened her mouth, her ringingly authoritative voice brought forth another wave of laughter. To defy her as Maude Findlay in Maude, or as Dorothy Zbornak in Golden Girls, was foolish: she’d crush you. No one upstaged Bea Arthur, yet no one, performer or TV viewer, resented her for that. Indeed, this was the source of her thunderbolt comic power. Other women may rival her as TV icons (Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore), but no woman ever made so many people so happy by being so imperious, so decisive, so just plain bossy.
Look at Maude, which premiered in 1972 as a spin-off from All In The Family. Its best episodes play out in front of the studio audience like complete little plays; the laughter is frequently so explosive, Arthur has to do that stage-freeze thing, standing motionless until her next line can be heard. A force of intimidation, Arthur made upper-middle-class liberal Maude brayingly noisy. She towered over her TV husband Walter (Bill Macy) and daughter Carol (Adrienne Barbeau). The show’s humor was often rooted in seriousness (the revolutionary 1972 Maude-gets-an-abortion episode) and anger (countless tantrums directed at anyone Maude thought stupid), and Arthur’s innate gravity was her greatest comic weapon: she was fearless about being unlikable, and we liked her all the more for exactly that quality.
Arthur and the writers knew how to play up her mighty strengths. Just look at this superb clip, in which she answers the phone and corrects the caller (“This is Mrs. Findlay; Mr. Findlay has a much higher voice”) and her first meeting with the housekeeper Florida (the extraordinary Esther Rolle) plays out like a clash of the titans:
On Golden Girls, as Dorothy, Arthur ruled the aging hen house with caustic slashes of sarcasm. For Arthur, Golden Girls was a further refinement of everything she did in Maude. The second series demonstrated how she could modulate her talent to fit into an ensemble of equals… even though she made you know that Dorothy considered herself superior to all she surveyed.
Because we live in a pop culture that thrives on parody and irreverence, Bea Arthur existed in the popular imagination during her final years as the punchline to jokes about her deep voice and her Amazonian stature (try Googling her name and “mannish” and you’ll see what I mean). She had a huge gay following, yet never became a figure of camp ridicule. Whether playing a character or being herself — she was a delightfully clever, articulate, self-deprecating guest on talk and variety shows — Arthur allowed you to both identify with her and to admire her. There was a lot to admire.
More on Beatrice Arthur:
Beatrice Arthur dies at age 86
Beatrice Arthur: A ‘Golden Girls’ 20th anniversary oral history
Roundtable Q&A with TV’s Golden Girls
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I LOVE Bea Arthur. This breaks my heart. Breaks it wide open into bits.
this really hurts me…she was tremendous, a one-of-a-kind…and I don’t think we’ll see her likes again…
A world without Bea Arthur is just a much sadder place.
I’m so very sad to hear this news.
She was one of a kind.
Amazing woman, great gal. Check out her wiki with all her credits, amazing.
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/04/25/ratings-report-fox-fails-on-friday-nights/
John is right. “A world without Bea Arthur is just a much sadder place.”
Thank you so much for all the laughs over the years and….thank you for being a friend.
She was one-of-a-kind. Thanks for all the laughs, Bea.
I’m so sad at the passing of Dorothy. I have nearly all the Golden Girls DVD’S and watch them everynight. I just love them all. They make me laugh know matter how bad I feel. Dorothy will be missed along with “MA”. May they both rest in peace.
May the heavens roar with laughter this day… Estelle and Bea are making God and the angels roll!!!!
Like Arthur, I have a very deep voice. I’ve used that line about my husband having a much higher voice *many* times on the phone. (it’s true) (I’ve *never* smoked – but sure sound like I do) So, from a fellow deep-voiced chick, I salute you, Bea!
This is one celebrity I always wanted to meet one day — you just knew she would be a complete hoot and the most fun, and at the same time, she always came across as someone who cared and felt deeply.
I was born in 1971. You’ve been there all my life. Thanks for all the memories.
This is so sad. To this day “The Golden Girls” is probably my favorite sitcom of all time. I still pop in a DVD (even though I’ve seen each episode so many times I can literally repeat dialogue before it is said) when I’m in a bad mood.
Only 2 left! sad how her and estelle passed this year.
The GG is my all-time favorite show, and I still watch it 3 times a day…I nearly had a fit when it was moved from Lifetime, but was relieved when Hallmark picked it up. And the GG was only one of many accomplishments by Bea Arthur. She’ll be missed, but I’m glad she’s no longer in pain.
I didn’t think I would be this sad, but I am really upset right now. Its like a favorite aunt or a friend of your grandmother’s dying.
“CONDOMS, Rose!! CONDOMS, CONDOMS, CONDOMS!!!” In Memoriam. :~D
To meet Bea Arthur or see her in person was on my “bucket list”. It is hard to think of crossing this off. How very sad and what a huge loss to all of us.
I love this woman and I will miss her. As a teenager when Maude was on, I appreciated her series’ contributions to women. And then she did it again for older women in the Golden Girls and always while providing a great laugh. One of a kind.
She was indeed a hoot to know. I met her several times as a small child (my mom understudied her in 3 different unsuccessful plays), but after my mom’s death she had me to her home, got me drunk on Fuzzy Navels (she was in a great mood following the first rehearsal for what became her one-woman Bway show) and gave me a tour of her home–especially a wall-size sepia photo of a 1940s production of Lysistrata with herself, Tony Curtis and Walter Matthau.
Bye, Bea!
She was my absolute favorite on “Golden Girls”! Thanks for the laughs, Mz. Zbornak, you will be missed!
A lovely tribute to a fine comedic talent who will sorely be missed. Whether it was Maude, Mame or Dorothy, she always entertained and we always appreciate that.
I’m so sad to here that shes dead.., she is among my favorite actress from the Golden girls Which I watch for 3 consecutive years everyday…, I like her lines, very inspiring.. We will miss her.. May she rest in peace..
Oh how sad to hear of her death. The Golden Girls was one of my favorites i still like to watch it! im sure there was a happy reunion with Estelle
Thanks Bea, Dorothy for making my days and making me laugh .. Hope you are happy where you are now… Good bye..
R.I.P. Bea. You were the greatest friend.
Thank heavens both Hallmark AND the WE channel picked up the GG’s. It’s on like 6 hours a day total between the two channels.
rest in peace sweetie… you’ve left behind a legacy…
Miss Bea Arthur, you will be missed. What a wonderful contribution to all of our lives. You spread unbelievable joy. Thank you.
Bea Arthur was one of my favourite actresses. She will always be Dorothy to me. RIP.