by Jack Ryan
Not just here, but elsewhere, it is becoming apparent that the 30-minute
sitcom as we have
come to know and despise it in the past 20 years is coming to an end.
And, in the case of "Maude," it isn't coming too soon. As it says
on the cover, the show is anything but tranquilizing.
"Maude" has her followers. But I suspect they are the
same people who slow their cars down as they pass a highway accident
to gawk or who get some joy in hearing about a neighbor losing his
or her job. They thrive on the unhappiness of others.
A bit of research determined for me, at least, that
Bea Arthur is more a real life "Maude" than even producer Norman Lear
could have conceived. But, with all the problems CBS has had this
past season, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ms. Arthur as "Maude"
going another 26 weeks shrieking and shrilling to the amusement of
the laugh track.
Five years ago, Ms. Arthur told an interviewer the time
was ripe for a sitcom "that points out some of the ridiculous failures
of liberals. I grew up loving Roosevelt-- a liberal of the 40s caught
up trying to be a liberal of the 70s. There is a vast difference."
There is a corner of this earth called the Eastern Shore
of Maryland. It is a delightful place, flanked by the Chesapeake Bay
and the State of Delaware. Its people and politics are as conservative
as crabs and as hard as an oyster shell. Bea Arthur was born and raised
in Cambridge, Md., in the heartland (if there is such a description)
of the Eastern Shore.
But she describes herself as a liberal. "Maude" describes
herself as a liberal. Neither comes off as liberal.
The parallel between the actress and the role doesn't
end there.
Ms. Arthur recalled once recalled how she took a landlord
to Small Claims court and readily admitted she had acted "dishonorably."
"I had paid my rent to the end of the month when I was
giving up my apartment, but the landlord rented it to another tenant
and collected the rent for that same two weeks. It cost me a lot of
money, but I had to do it. It cost me $250 to get $74 returned, but
it involved a matter of principle." That sounds more like "Maude"
than Ms. Arthur, but it was an incident from the life of the actress
and not the role.
Bill Macy, who plays Maude's long-suffering husband,
admits the comparison between the two is more than accurate.
"There is a lot of Bea Arthur in 'Maude'. She has the
same strength that 'Maude' has and, I'm sure, could be just as tough
a fighter in defense of her beliefs or in protecting her family."
There is a difference in the two ladies, however. As
Macy put it:
"There is a lot more to Bea Arthur than has come out
so far in the series. For one thing, Bea is a lot more lovable." I
wonder what the landlord would say about that.
Even Ms. Arthur admits to the similarity between herself
and the role. "I think 'Maude' is capabable of getting more involved
in causes than I would. I'm more of a believer than a crusader and
more of a thinker than a doer.
"I'll tell you one thing--I think 'Maude' is growing
on me."
Ms. Arthur said than in 1973.
I believe 'Maude' has grown enough. The show isn't
tranquilizing. It isn't even funny. It is grating like fingernails
on a blackboard. I, for one, will not attend "Maude's" funeral.
*from the San Antonio Light TV Channels magazine, May 1,
1977
