This past Saturday the world lost Bea Arthur, 86, star of the groundbreaking 70’s sitcom Maude and the 80’s sitcom The Golden Girls. Arthur’s characters in both shows were much different than the traditional roles provided for women until Arthur’s time, with the titular Maude representing a Democrat-voting, abortion-rights-approving, fourth-husband-having force in the women’s-lib movement and Dorothy Zbornak of TGG filling the role of head of the household, surrounded by stereotypes of women (the dumb one, the slut, the mother) and grounding them in reality.
Arthur’s success with these two award-winning and long-running shows proves that there is work to be had for older women who may not seem conventionally attractive. Her work also proves that women can indeed be funny, they can be snide and subtle and say more with one cynical eyebrow raise and knowingly monotonous delivery than any cursing, flailing, crass male stand-up out there. Rue McClanahan has said that Arthur had “impeccable timing,” and taught her “to be outrageously courageous as a comedienne, to go out on a limb, to go farther than I’ve ever dreamed of going.” When McClannahan would hesitate to say some of her promiscuous character Blanche’s lines, she claims Arthur gave her this advice: “‘Say it. It’s funny'”
Arthur seemed to have a knack for what was funny; she exuded comedy, proving once and for all that this scumbag is utterly wrong and should never ever be paid to write again. Arthur’s brand of comedy was subtle, but that’s not to say Bea wouldn’t drop an F-bomb or two, but only when appropriate and only when quoting someone else. In her later cereer, she starrd as Larry David’s mother in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and also appeared on the dais in Comedy Central’s The Roast of Pamela Anderson last year.
In this clip she does both. At The Roast of Pamela Anderson, Arthur decided not to write her own material with which to eviscerate Pam, but instead to read passages from Anderson’s own novel. Arthur’s final performance was hilarious, and she never cracked a smile, proving her sharp professionalism as well as the fact that she was better than every guy there at making fun of this hot chick:
