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Actress and comedienne, Beatrice Arthur died Saturday of cancer at the age of 86. She was the Emmy award winning star of two hit TV series, "Maude" and "The Golden Girls," and in her early career was a Tony award winning theatre actress.
Arthur first came on the television scene as Edith Bunker's (Jean Stapleton) ultra-liberal cousin on the show "All in the Family." She made such an impression as a guest star, her character Maude Findlay was spun off into her own series, "Maude" in 1972.
People.com wrote about Arthur's NYC background:
Born Bernice Frankel in New York City but raised in Maryland, where her parents ran a women's clothing store, Arthur debuted on the Off Broadway stage in New York in the 1940s, with her Broadway musical triumphs - though her singing voice was deep and scratchy - in the mid-'60s.
Of her powerful stage and TV persona, which often found her cast in the same sort of role, Arthur once said, "Look - I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line. What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting."
With her bold and brassy persona and that distinctive voice, on "Maude," Arthur came to represent much of the feminist movement that was taking place off screen.
Women's activist Gloria Feldt had this to say on her blog, Powered Women:
Arthur's character continued taking on the significant social and political issues of the day-speaking up about all those subjects we were warned against bringing up in polite company, from sex and infidelity to politics and activism to death and depression.
It was the mid-1970's at the height of second wave
feminism, and if ever there were proof that feminists have a sense of humor, it was in Maude's way of playing even the most serious of
subjects for laughs.
The post goes on to explore the groundbreaking two part episode, "Maude's Dilemma," where Maude discovers she's pregnant and decides to have an abortion.
In 1985, Bea Arthur struck TV gold once more with the hit show, "The Golden Girls." It was a sitcom about four ladies in their golden years living together in Miami. Arthur played Dorothy Zbornak and here's a clip where the ladies go to a drugstore to buy condoms. I dare you not to laugh.
"The Golden Girls" ran for seven years and remains a classic sitcom favorite.
A theatre veteran before her TV career began, Arthur won a Tony Award in 1966 as featured actress in a musical for her role as Vera Charles in the Broadway production of "Mame." She reprised the role in the movie version starring Lucille Ball.
I watched "Maude" as a young teenager and can recall laughing at jokes I often didn't totally get until years later. Here's a little sample of the show, including the catchy opening theme song:
The blogosphere is full of tributes. At Hoyden About Town Tigtog said:
I only just caught her fabulous turn as Vera Charles a couple of days ago in the movie Mame! and thought to myself "what a great hoyden", and today I found out that she has died.
Sadly, she is the second Golden Girl to pass away after Estelle Getty passed away last year. I am terribly upset at this news, she will be sorely missed. Rest well, Bea.
J.P. at Life Is Such A Sweet Insanity:
One of the true greats, Beatrice Arthur was a strong woman and a phenomenal actress. Earl and I had the opportunity to see her show, "Bea Arthur On Broadway: Between Friends" back in 2002. We waited by the back stage door after the show to see her; she was unable to meet the fans waiting but she was cordial as she passed by, being escorted by friends.
CaliJ at CaliJamaican:
She along with the others brought an empowered female cast to television and showed that women could
