Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her, she was a sister who really cooked. Lady Godiva was a freedom rider, she didn't care if the whole world looked. THEN THERE'S MAUDE: For those of you old enough to remember, can you sing along with these theme-song lyrics? What's troubling is the thought that there are other actors and actresses out there, other producers with ideas for shows about "older" characters, and we'll never get to see those shows and the actors who might have starred in them. I met her once, and - while I was a bit intimidated - she was absolutely charming Which flies in the face of research showing that "The Golden Girls" had a big following with teens and twentysomethings during its 1985-92 run.įor that matter, I have very fond memories of watching "Maude" when it ran on CBS - and I was 12 when it started and 18 when it ended.Īrthur brought two indelible, unforgettable TV characters to life. The second problem is that advertisers and network programmers are under the impression that nobody in their 20s, 30s or even 40s would be interested in watching a show about people over the age of 49. (These people have obviously never met my father, who not only had more disposable income in his 60s and 70s than I did in my 20s and 30s - he'd try all sorts of new gadgets and products.) First, advertisers are under the impression that once you age out of the 18-to-49 demographic, you're so old and stuck in your ways that you couldn't possibly be convinced to try anything new. And it's not just the network programmers who are to blame, it's the advertisers. There are a lot of things about television that are, well, stupid, but the focus on age is right at the top of the list. You'd need a cast of eight to divide up those 239 years. When "The Golden Girls" premiered in September of 1985, Arthur was 63, Betty White was 63, Rue McClanahan was 51 and Estelle Getty was 62. Today, the only way you could get a network to put a comedy on the air was if you spread those 149 years among at least five actors. So was Bill Macey, who played Maude's husband, Walter.Ĭonrad Bain, who played next-door-neighbor Dr. When "Maude" debuted in September 1972, Arthur was 50 years old. That's the TV definition of "older," by the way. What's sad is that the chances of either of Arthur's hits - "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" - getting on the air today is about as close to zero as it could possibly be.Īnd not because the content of either show is so outrageous, daring or bold by 2009 standards, but because television executives wouldn't dare put a show on the air that was headlined by "older" actors. Which put her in a pretty select club that includes Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart and Carroll O'Connor. The Emmy- and Tony-winning actress, who passed away Saturday at the age of 86, starred in two highly successful series. Beatrice Arthur did what very few people have done in the history of television.
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