Everyone called my mom "Maude" I wasn't old enough to have seen the show originally, but I have since in reruns. Yes, My mom was just like Maude. I miss her so much too.
Bea felt the same about the Golden Girls at the end of the day. They covered so much. I love this woman and all the Golden girls but there’s only so much a show can do especially in that era.
It was supposed to be funny but if you look at it seriously it gives the wrong impression of God,that He'd get you if you are naughty or get out of line.
There were many catchphrases in the 70s. Up your nose with a rubber hose (Welcome Back Kotter) Sit On It (Happy Days) Kiss My Grits ( Alice) to name a few.
She was such a great person! Cared about others, animals, and most struggling moments of everyday life! She was also a veteran, she served in the war as a US MARINE!
There's a really interesting interview of Bill Macy that's about 8 years old with Scott Spears here on RU-vid that addresses this subject. We all know the reason Bea gave, but he says that the show ended because her husband Gene Saks met a younger woman and asked her for a divorce and it shattered her and she couldn't go on. This makes sense because there's an interview with Bea for the Television Academy where she mentions VERY briefly that the show and the fame destroyed her marriage. If this is the case, that's extremely heartbreaking. I encourage anybody who wants to hear this from Bill himself to just search for "Bill Macy interview Maude" and it should come right up.
Then, you like men, cuz Bea ARTHUR was a biological man. It's why "she" had a husky voice, wore clothing that covered the adams apple, & why her back was ramrod straight on a tall frame. Real women have curves in our backs. We don't have adams apples, & we don't have bass in our voices.
That's one of many mistakes in this video, like when the narrator can't decide if he's talking, Maude is talking, Bea Arthur is talking, or Norman Lear is talking.
Various Christian groups blasted producer -writer Norman Lear for the insensitive ways he dealt with sensitive issues in his sitcoms in the 1970s.But did we ever thank him for reviving the ailing sitcom as a vehicle for social satire and cultural criticism?His characters and stories were far more realistic and far less moralistic than those of earlier comedies
@@robertqld Thanks Robert. Amanda's by the Sea in 1983 was an excellent show, unlike the stupid, lowest common denominator The Golden Girls was. The ONLY redeemable thing about it was Bea Arthur. I loved Rue McClanahan on Maude and Betty White on Carol Burnett but both of these women were reduced to one-dimensional degrading stereotypes. CBS came out with a much. much better "competitor" the following year with The Designing Women starring Dixie Carter. Very well written, intelligent show. Basically the opposite of The Golden Girls, AND funnier!!
Once at a McDonalds restaurant when i was a kid, my mother was told by the girl taking her order that she looked just like Maude 😀 ... i will never forget that. My mom is now 85 years old.
Jay Satyr The first thing i saw Beatrice in was meme with Lucy and i knew of her from a musical seen her appear on shows briefly and never really cared for her trying to survive show but Dorothy will forever be one of my top actresses for comedy and sarcasm
@@sirlewis8234 My Mom happened to be in NY and saw "MAME!" Probably still have the Playbill somewhere in the attic! I'm a compulsive saver when it comes to stuff like that! ;-)
Jay Satyr Wow that’s amazing money is good but that is priceless given the sentiment value i could not imagine the excitement your mom was face to face with.
Maude was where it was at on a Friday night TV 10:00 pm. Couldn’t wait for it. My Dad and I. Mom going to bed we would watch it. As a teen It felt so great spending time with my Dad watching Maude. God Bless them All. Cheers 🇨🇦
I was too young to remember when this show originally aired, but I wish television could "push the envelope" today. Now everything offends people when they shouldn't be.
As "liberal" as conservatives love to portray the country, we still can't listen and talk about some things in mixed company! Norman Lear's shows can't be produced saying the things Archie, George Jefferson, and James Evans said in hateful terms about other races on Nat'l Prime Time TV! In my day, the boogie man show to be embarrassed by was "Amos 'n' Andy!" It portrayed Blacks in a bad light and it was run off the air even though ratings ok! ;-(
@@Fiero425 Well thank goodness for that! I would hate to turn on the TV (TV's dying, so I'll say RU-vid or TikTok) and hear the 'N' word or the word that starts with a 'D' that is a derogatory term for Italian people or the 'P' word that is a descriptor for people of Polish heritage. Thank goodness A&A is off the air! Thank goodness blackface is reviled. Thank goodness women have the right to vote . . . . . slavery is illegal . . . the age of consent is no longer 10 . . . and spousal rape is now a crime. Thank goodness the old ways died off and we're in a new world!
@@Fiero425 yeah but it's not really about sides. back then it was conservs now it's liberals. there's just whack ppl on both sides that are nanny Nancies that need to impose their religion/political views on everyone
@#1 person, I hear the “N” word all the time, by people who are black. It’s a stupid world that makes no sense. If something is offensive to me, I’m not going to say it about my friends, family, or even myself. We still have a long way to go.
I was just thinking of that scene! I wondered if I could come to some kind of break thru with my dead dad when she recalled his act of acquiring a coat for her at the last moment to attend a dance! I taped most of the show on Beta format of my VCRs when repeated in syndication; that and "SOAP!" ;-)
@@danielroberts6212 That may have been because of something in the records. She was punished for picking up a veneral disease. She married the man who gave it to her.
@Berry Harbour During World War II, Arthur enlisted as one of the first members of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve in 1943. After basic training, Arthur served as a typist at Marine headquarters in Washington, D.C. In June 1943, the Marine Corps accepted her transfer request to the Motor Transport School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Arthur then worked as a truck driver and dispatcher in Cherry Point, North Carolina, between 1944 and 1945. She was honorably discharged at the rank of staff sergeant in September 1945. Her Marines ID card photo: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bea_Arthur#/media/File:U.S._Marine_Corps_portrait_of_Beatrice_Arthur.jpg
Very likely... unless the segment "Running Out Of Gas" @ 6:28 is supposed to be that big reveal? That's where he says the words, "Bea Arthur reveals why Maude was canceled"...
There's been many a show that I adored and in the end when it was over was very sad. But the one thing that is sadder is when a show doesn't know when to call it quits. It can take away from the legacy of a brilliant TV show whatever it maybe
@tlw1950 Very late to the party, but I just wanted to volunteer Charmed as a show that definitely stayed on waaaay too long. Charmed had 8 seasons in all, but honestly they should have stopped after season 5, since the show went WAY downhill after that point. Don't get me wrong, I love Charmed and always will, but by the end of its run it was a shell of its former self. In the beginning, it was all about the bonds of sisterhood, overcoming personal struggles to save their loved ones and/or innocent people, and finding a way to balance their witch lives with their personal lives. But by the end, the show was all about the guy or costume of the week, and just so.. vapid. To compare; an episode of season one saw Prue overcome her fear of drowning (since that's how their mother died) to save her sister. In season seven? There was literally an episode that was promoted as "the ugliest demon(?) the sisters have ever faced," and the plotline was just this unfortunate looking chick trying to steal one of the sister's identities because the sister was so pretty and the chick wanted to be her. And.. that's pretty much the show post season 5. Anywho.. really love Charmed, but hate the way it got butchered. Thanks for reading if you did! Have a good one!
I always enjoyed anything Bea was involved in, she was a great actress!! Dip back and watch her in "Mame " thanks for sharing and as always "Howdy from Texas "!!
I'm usually a cold fish, but when my 2 fave TV Moms died a little over 10 years ago, I was quite verklempt! Bea and Elizabeth Montgomery could do no wrong IMB! ;-)
I think Maude ended as it should have but we now have a chance to relive Maude with todays issues. Bring it back but use her daughter to continue the show.
Six years is a good run. MTM went for a great 7 seasons. All In the Family went for 9 (not counting the inferior Archie Bunker’s Place) but those last 2 seasons with Stephi really didn’t live up to the first few seasons. Maude had a good life and, even with Washington DC, did not overstay her welcome.
(scoff) I hated Archie Bunker's Place. Archie's character was cool at first because he was a bellowing blowhard. but in later seasons he whined and cringed a lot, which wasn't as funny as when he commanded the floor, if you will.
The people who were supposed to be in the new series appeared in the last episode when she went to Washington. They would have been an okay back up cast. I think the show had potential, as it would have been interesting to see how Maude fit in as a member of Congress.
Maude.....For sure stood her ground of what was on her mind. The show was made at the beginning of the 70ts when every thing was breaking loose... Ride on Maude!!!
After watching all six seasons (thank you, shelter in place), I was surprised to learn that the ending wasn’t planned. It felt like more of farewell to everyone, including Maude and Walter. I don’t think “Maude” ever jumped the shark, but I agree it should not have gone on with a new cast in Washington. I think it ended perfectly.
@@farrellmcnulty909 Like a lot of shows that end abruptly, the scenario for the ending was simply not natural. All of a sudden, the Harmons decide to move to Idaho? And Carol gets a job in Denver? And the incumbent Congresswoman dies so Maude can take her place? All these major developments happened simultaneously? That is not how life works.
Oh, "Maude" definitely jumped the shark. At least Bea Arthur decided to get off the shark while it was still in mid-air before it crash-landed back into the abyss of over-extended-sitcom-run hell. But those last 3 episodes came way too close--esp. that last one, which could be called nothing less than preposterous.
I've known this since 2009. Rue McClanahan stated the reason in her autobiography released that year. It was the same reason why Bea chose not to do the 8th season of the Golden Girls, which forced producers to change that final season into Golden Palace.
I think it's good that she pulled the plug there was no way it could have gone further than that but it was an awesome show and I'm glad she did the Golden Girls those were golden
Society in the culture had totally changed. Just looked at the three presidents during the time Maude was on the air. It was totally different. And the Vietnam war had finally ended. So we went from a time of civil rights movements and massive social change in an era of questioning the United States during the war two in bicentennial, where everybody was celebrating the country, and Vietnam had almost been forgotten by that point. I mean that from a social perspective. It was an extraordinary change in the show had to change. There were plenty of topics to cover, and controversies. But the writers were still in the past. And they should never have gotten rid of Conrad Bain and Rue McClanahan.
I just enjoyed both Maude and the Golden Girls. In the early 70's, I was a young child. It was not until much later watching reruns of the show that understood the stories. She was a wonderful actress and I miss her.
‘Maude’ was the best sitcom of all time, at least for the first 3-4 seasons. For me, it wasn’t because of the subject matter as much as because of the hysterically funny and witty character portrayed by Bea Arthur. The supporting cast portraying Vivian, Arthur, Carol, Walter, Florida and Mrs. Naugatuck was strong and blended well. Bea Arthur had the best timing of any actor, and some the funniest episodes, like “The Broche” where Maude and Vivian attend a funeral on a mission were not political. Maude and Walter “roughing it” at a cottage, at a motel, or just returning from a vacation with the Harmons were hilarious explorations of relationships with unmatched dialogue and performances for a sitcom.
I get teased by this video saying Bea Arthur will tell us why she left Maude! I never heard one word out of her!! The show was never the same after Florida left!!!
I loved the show at the time, but I understand from this vid why it had to end. I don’t remember the move to Washington DC, I may have stopped watching by this time, but I respect Ms. Arthur’s decision to leave the show. After being so ground breaking, there’s no where else for the show to go. The character of Maude is still inspirational today. You never lose respect for a strong, independent, person struggling to do what is ethically and morally correct. She taught people to think before acting and of the consequences of all actions, good and bad, probably for the first time in many people’s lives.
I LOVED MAUDE and yes, I AGREE with Bea, it's best that a show end while it's still good, rather than drag on past It's prime! BTW All In The Family should have ended when Mike and Gloria left! The final episode of MAUDE showed my then young eyes how cynical life in Congress can make a person, hopefully, not Maude!
She didn't want to do the show anymore because she was heartbroken that her husband gene saks divorced her for a younger woman. Her co star Bill Macy said that in an interview.
I have the "Maude" box set. When this show was on in prime-time, Maude reminded me of my mother, never seeming satisfied. I have started re-watching this series from the beginning and it was rarely ever knee-slappingly funny but it was entertaining. Watching it now, I am struck with how LOUD the series was. Lots of yelling...lots of arguing...just like my home life used to be when I was a kid. I can see why "Maude" never fared well in syndication; it hasn't really aged well and the plethora of serious topics covered would not be what people who are looking to relax and turn their brains off for a little while would be after. But if you're a big Bea Arthur fan, "Maude" is a must see.
I always think of Bea Arthur as one of those insightful people who always knew when it was time to walk away. She did it for both Maude and the Golden Girls, and while I’m not as familiar with Maude as I am GGs, I can see how the latter had also run it’s course by the time Bea chose to walk away When you binge watch them, or when they’re on every day on reruns, it’s really easy to notice the difference of the characters from the beginning of the series to the end. In the beginning, they were brilliant...by the end, each of the golden girls had almost become caricatures of who they were in the early seasons.
@Logia dude Absolutely. The jokes were always funny, but that doesn’t make my statement untrue. They had become caricatures of who they were in season 1. Blanche represented the sexually independent woman who simultaneously couldn’t be without a man, but the end she was practically this famous Marilyn Monroe-esque sex-super hero (Flying Finelli Brothers - proper dismounts - having her age redacted by order of the governor). Sofia was the crotchety old lady who always said what she thought, but by the end, she was the plucky model old-lady tripping Rabbis for one-liners while running around in Chow Wagon costumes.....and the costumes for all...Cats, Nuns, skating dresses, ye olde town slut..... Season 1 dealt with the aspects of life in that age group from first time widow-dating to being broken in to, dealing with Ex’s....the end was all “must find the cheese....must find the cheese....”. And Blanch Devereaux always referring to herself in the third person while. The jokes were always funny. Which is why I still watch GG almost ever day - but by the end, they were reaching for material, sometimes pretty far outside the bounds of reality, is all I’m saying.
@Logia dude That’s ok. I didn’t require your agreement. My original statement was that, for Bea, she decided it was time to leave because, regardless of how much we, the audience, still loved the show, there were only so many jokes which could be told and subjects which could be tackled, before a show jumps the shark. My point was, I can see it happening, even while I’m still laughing at how funny it is, it’s still visible.
She was the reason Maude ended, and she was also the reason the Golden girls ended because she chose to walk away. She left everybody hi and dry. Twice.
John McMillin still it was an interesting premise, Maude as a US congresswoman representing the State of New York. I wonder how ArchieBunker would have reacted to that?
It was time for the show to be over. Honestly, I love that show, have the complete boxed set, but, it had run its course, just like the GG and they had enough sense to know when to wind it up. What I personally loved about the show was Vivian, the 2 characters played so well off of each other, and I love seeing the 70's fashion displayed in real time, and they gave the Vivian character great outfits, also a different hairstyle each and every show, must have been a pain to be in the salon every week!
I just saw the first ever episode of Maude. I was born in the late 60's, so i watched All In The Family, and Good Times. I just never gave Maude, nor Phyllis, which was another AITF spinoff, a chance. I guess i coulda. I watched the episode when Florida Evans, the matriarch of Good Times, was being told to quit being a maid to white Maude by her husband, Henry Evans, who became James Evans in Good Times. John Amos played such a great role in this episode. There was a lot of racist, or seemingly racist, dialogue in the episode. The reason for the episode was probably because it touched on controversial subject matter such as race. I never watched Maude, but if i ever saw another episode on cable TV, or here on RU-vid, i would give it a gander. Wishing i woulda watched the show back in it's hey day. Like i said, i watched All In The Family, and Good Times. No reason why i never watched Maude. Bea Arthur is up in Heaven with all her fellow Golden Girls, now that Betty White has passed on.
I didn't get to see it until I picked up the DVD of Season One. I was 9 when it was first aired and my parents refused to let me watch it. We only had the one tv set back then, so it was difficult to sneak.
I adore the show, though no one else I know does lol. The Mrs. Naugatuck episodes were my faves because she was the mother of David Tennant, my favorite Doctor Who.
She was already breaking down barriers for people to understand situations there were so much more like racism homosexuality adoption being a surrogate A couple falling out of love with each other
Young women of today listen up. I don't think young people really understand the impact Maude had on women's liberation. Black women have always socked it to em but when a white woman on a sitcom told em like it was Babyeeee it was a game changer. June Cleaver, Carol Brady, Donnie Reed, etc....could NEVA. They would clutch their pearls and collapse. When Maude came along, the game changed. She said what was on her mind, she stood her ground, she fought for her rights, she admitted her mistakes, and she didn't apologize for who she was. Right on Maude!!!! Thank you Bea Arthur for for bringing this character to life ❤️
Things come to an end she was a novelty act in all in the family she had her own sitcom for 6 whole years hey presto some sitcoms don't even last 6 whole weeks.
Just finished watching this video.I agree with Bea Arthur that the show had run it's course by Season 6!The show by then had run out of topics to tackle, if it had stayed on, it would have been a different show and the leagacy would have been tarnished!I agree with Ms.Arthur, to end the show at Season 6!"Maude", great as it was, was a topic driven show, and when you have no more topics to cover, it's time to hang it up!Just like I agree with Norman Lear that"All in the Family" should have ended at Season 8 or 9, one of those seasons he stated should have been the last season of the show!He wasn't fully keen on"Archie Bunker's Place" , but he reluctantly gave Carroll O'Connor his blessing!It was a fun show, but hated that they wrote off Edith like they did!I liked Martin Balsam's role and acting on the show, and how Archie evolved and became a better person, but it wasn't the same as "All in the Family"!Good but not genius!Plus, Conrad Bain went on to do his legendary role as Phillip Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes"!, that's one good thing that came out of "Maude's" cancellation! Anyways, great show. Well made video!
Well done you, that’s some feat to agree with Bea after watching this video when she said absolutely nothing in it. You took the bait and still haven’t realised you were reeled in and pan roasted...
Like the liberal wave now... it lost humor, it became lecture - like and holier than thou. I loved it the early days, but it lost the gloss... It just because a lecture in liberalism as how life SHOULD be. I still love Bea Arthur as a great natural actress. and Bill Macy was amazing and powerful also.
I never liked Maude because she treated her husband like garbage. The only reason I watched was because of Adrienne Barbeau. I never saw anyone wearing a Maude T shirt or buying a Maude poster to hang on their wall.
It was wise of her to quit when she did otherwise she would have lived a miserable 😩 life probably for the rest of her life .You have to enjoy what you are doing and be happy doing it otherwise the audience would start noticing something was wrong and she would have been fired . I still enjoy the reruns .The expressions that she gives are priceless on Maude
The conservative revolution of Reagan was right around the corner. The message of the show was just overwhelmed by the the efforts of the night wing to pull the nation in a different direction.
Nice presentation! It’s a lot of material to cram into a short time, but the quality of the commentary is worth the rush. And yes, they made the right decision to end the series-going on after that would’ve tarnished the legacy.
Clickbait not one word from Beatrice Arthur...... as judge judy say I don't belive hear say .... most sitcoms run for 5 Seasons unless they're really popular this ran for six and it ended because what more could they do. The same with The Brady Bunch in there little bubble. Where as Mary Tyler Moore had Lou Grant Ted Rhoda Phyllis all who had spin-off shows because the characters were so strong. Where as in Maude it had well Maude And the other characters played off her. Whereas when you think about Mary Tyler Moore if she missed an episode which she didn't of course but if she did there was easily enough good characters to fill in because they were all just as big as Mary.
Maude ran probably one or two seasons longer than it should have. Also All In The Family did too. The first 5 seasons of AITF were comedy genius gold. Once the Stivics moved out of the Bunkers house, that ruined the show. Even though they lived right next door, it just was never the same. It stayed on far longer than it should have.
I loved the Holiday themed episodes. That's true of all 50s/60s/70s/80s tv shows. Especially the short lived lesser known shows that barely made it past its pilot.
I find it Quite amazing that Bea Arthur looked much younger in Golden girls when compared to her stint in Maude. The dressing and salt and pepper hair aged her in Maude.
Fonzi didn't even have to jump a shark for that moment to be the beginning of the end for Happy Days. All he had to do was waterski wearing a leather jacket and shorts, and we could've called that out for what it is.