Apr 25 2009
Dorothy Z. Joins Ma in Comedy Heaven
Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan (sans Estelle Getty, who passed away the following month just three days prior to her 85th birthday) accepted the TV Land Pop Culture Award in June 2008. Arthur, who died today, leaves behind a bevy of golden television moments. (picture courtesy of Reuters/Fred Prouser)
One of television’s greatest comic actresses has passed on to the other side.
Beatrice Arthur, who would have turned 87 next month, died peacefully Saturday morning at her Los Angeles home. A family spokesman said the star had cancer, but did not elaborate with additional details.
Enjoying a lengthy stage career (winning a 1966 Tony for Mame) long before landing a major role on the small screen, Arthur probably is best known for two roles in her 60-year entertainment career: her Emmy-winning role as Edith Bunker’s liberal cousin Maude Findlay (first seen on CBS’ All in the Family in 1972, and then the spin-off Maude) and Dorothy Zbornak on NBC’s The Golden Girls. The latter role has kept the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Famer relevant among new and younger audiences over the last decade-plus, with the series airing several times a day on Lifetime Television.
Created by Susan Harris (Soap), The Golden Girls premiered in 1985, offering a revolutionary concept- a sitcom centering on four 50-plus women and their “golden-years” experiences while living in Miami. Like Maude before it, Girls often tackled sensitive and topical issues, including (but not limited to) sex, visual impairment, divorce, cross-dressing, menopause, homosexuality, the Empty Nest Syndrome, Alzheimer’s Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Over the years, Arthur has been the butt of jokes about her deep voice and “manly” appearance, but she had a sense of humor about it. Had she not, it’s doubtful she would have done The Golden Girls, with co-stars Betty White, Rue McClanahan and the late Estelle Getty often (in character as Rose Nylund, Blanche Deveraux and Sophia Petrillo) taking shots at her appearance on a regular basis.
The Golden Girls finished among Nielsen’s top 10 most-watched programs for its first six seasons, in addition to winning the Oustanding Comedy Series Emmy for its first two seasons. At the heart of the show was Arthur’s sarcastic, tough-as-nails Dorothy- whether it was her masterful way with a line or her impeccable way of delivering “the stare,” she was the center of one of TV’s most beloved ensemble casts. Each of the four formidably talented ladies was essential to the show’s success (each won an Emmy Award for their efforts), but it was Arthur and Dorothy who often held it all together.
In fact, viewers saw just how much the comedy suffered once Arthur left and the remaining cast moved on to The Golden Palace; as White often stated, it was like taking a leg off a table- it just doesn’t work (Golden Palace lasted just one season on CBS).
Ever since The Golden Girls left the air, both White and McClanahan have expressed interest in getting together for a Girls reunion, but Arthur remained adamant about doing no such thing. She felt they could never top what they did on the series, and she probably was spot on.
Thankfully, with cable reruns and home video, fans have the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy every golden Dorothy Zbornak moment again and again. Like Lifetime had done, The Hallmark Channel and Womens’s Entertainment (WE tv) now air multiple episodes on a daily basis. Also like Lifetime, there’s some editing, left for viewers to decide whether the edits are better or worse than Lifetime; whole scenes are chopped on Hallmark and WE tv, whereas Lifetime cut bits within a scene.
While it’s a treat watching The Golden Girls in any capacity, for the complete experience, turn to DVD, where all seven seasons are available, for the most part, in all their unedited glory. Bea/Dorothy would not have it any other way; after all, if you miss one sarcastic, witty remark, that stare, forever ingrained in our consciousness, will never let you forget it.
Through the years, I have turned to The Golden Girls on many occasions to seek a guaranteed laugh, to distract me- if just for half an hour- from an everyday challenge/trouble. And I will continue to do so, especially since losing someone very dear to me (my mom), with whom I spent many a time watching the series.
Rest in peace, Bea- and I know you’ve heard it before- but on behalf of the millions of worldwide fans, thank you for being our friend.
