As a longtime Golden Girls enthusiast, it was with sadness and surprise yesterday that I learned Bea Arthur aka Dorothy Zbornak had peaced outta here. The news came down as I was enjoying several delicious Ceasars on a rooftop patio. You know you're at a table with a bunch of girls and gays when the news of Dorothy Zbornak dying is met with gasps, screams of "NO!" and talk of an emergency Golden Girls marathon. Bea Arthur died at home at the age of 86, many people (myself included) didn't realize she had been battling cancer.
As a child of the 80s, to me Bea Arthur will always and forever be the quick-witted, no-nonsense tough old broad, Dorothy Zbornak, but her career began long before the ladies set up house in Miami. Bea got her start in theatre, appearing in many Broadway and off Broadway productions, even winning a Tony award in 1966 for her role in a production of Mame. Bea had guest starred and appeared on several television shows when, in 1971 she landed the role of Maude, Edith Bunker's cousin on All in the Family. The appearance was to be nothing more than a short stint but when the dynamic between the liberal Maude and the ultra conservative Archie Bunker proved to be so popular, Bea, and Maude, got their own show which hit the airwaves in 1972.
Maude would be the first of two All in the Family spinoffs, the second being of course, The Jeffersons. But before George and Weezie were movin' on up to the east side and their deluxe apartment in the sky, Maude was making groundbreaking television. First, after losing one husband and divorcing two others, Maude was on her fourth husband, a rarity in the early '70s. But even more ahead of its time, in the show's first season, when confronted with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy at the age of 47, Maude made the controversial decision to have an abortion. She was the first television character to do so and the episode aired months before the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling gave U.S. women nationwide the right to choose. The storyline earned the show a mountain of hate mail and two CBS affiliates pussied out and refused to air the episode. But in true Maude-style, Bea never backed down and continued to defend her character's decision until her dying days. Whatever your stance on abortion, Bea's commitment to her principals should be admired, especially in today's climate where fear of offending a middle American fan base or jeopardizing corporate sponsorships keeps many public figures from taking any stance at all. Perhaps not a bad thing when you take a look at the no-talent dumbassedness passing for celebrity these days, it's unlikely they have anything to offer in form of interesting opinions.
In 1978, after several years on the air, Maude took a dive in the ratings. An overhaul of the show was in the works until Bea Arthur said fuck this shit and bailed. She thought the show had run its course and wasn't interested in taking desperate measures to keep fans and the network happy. This of course was not the last television audiences saw of this feisty old broad. 1985 marked the premiere of Golden Girls, created by Susan Harris who had written the controversial abortion episode of Maude.
Golden Girls was original in that its main characters were all previously married, single again through either death or divorce and all passed their 'prime.' The show won many accolades and awards for its accurate portrayal of older women and the way it dealt with many issues including aging, sexuality, homosexuality and interracial couples. It was also a really funny show. I could fill an entire novel with the many things I loved and continue to love about Golden Girls but tops on my long list is the unwavering friendship between the women. Long before the ladies of Sex and the City bonded over cosmos and Manolo Blahniks, Golden Girls explored the dynamics of female friendship. The ladies didn't always get along, didn't always see eye to eye but always managed to work that shit out and no problem was too big that it couldn't be solved over a late night plate of cheesecake. We should all be so lucky to have such kick ass friends. Thankfully, I do. I remember three years ago when my friend Susan was getting married, she gave us bridesmaids a photo album she had made featuring pictures of us throughout the years. On each page was a lyric from the Golden Girls theme song, "Thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again, your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidante..." I died when I received it. SO awesome.
One has to wonder whether, in today's glossy and youth-obsessed culture, if a show like Golden Girls would even make it to air, never mind be the success that it was. Methinks no. But we'll always have the DVDs. In our current world, where having rich parents and sucking cock on camera (and poorly yet) is enough to get your stupid ass not one, but several television shows, bitches like Bea Arthur and her funny, tough, smart and take-no-shit characters will be sorely missed.
We can only hope that wherever this fierce broad is now, it's as pleasant as a sunny Miami day and there's an endless supply of cheesecake. Somewhere in heaven, Ma aka Sophia Petrillo aka the equally hilarious Estelle Getty has been reunited with her Pussycat (Ma's pet name for Dorothy) Dorothy's death means only two of our Golden Girls remain, Rose Nylund and Blanche Hollingsworth Deveraux aka Betty White and Rue McClanahan. Betty White released a statement yesterday saying "I knew it would hurt, I just didn't know it would hurt this much. I'm so happy that she received her Lifetime Achievement Award while she was still with us, so she could appreciate that. She was such a big part of my life." Mine too Rose, mine too.
Below is one of my many favourite moments from Golden Girls. The ladies are shopping, picking up some last minute items in preparation for a cruise with their gentleman suitors when they decide to purchase condoms and hilarity ensues. CONDOMS Rose! CONDOMS! CONDOMS! CONDOMS! Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kOewRGhtx8
RIP Bea Arthur
1922 - 2009
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