Saturday, April 25, 2009

RIP Bea Arthur


Maude was one of those Norman Lear shows that revolutionized TV in 70s, and her 80s hit, The Golden Girls, continues to win new fans. I saw her on Broadway in 2002 in her one-woman show, Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. To have seen her in Fiddler on the Roof or Mame, her legendary Tony winner, would have really been something. No question about it, though: she didn't need the help of canned laughter to land her best zingers on TV, and I liked her appearances in the occasional film (Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part I) and TV show (her last role was as Larry David's mother on the hilarious fifth-season ender of Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2005). And her immortality certainly got a boost from her appearance in 1978's infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.

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