Another one of my beloved Golden Girls has passed away. Bea Arthur died yesterday here in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. We now only have Betty White and Rue McClanahan as the surviving members of the foursome who were such a part of my life during the 1980s and have remained a favorite thanks to reruns on various channels since then.
I never missed an episode of The Golden Girls when the show was airing on NBC, and a friend and I would call each other each week to talk about what had happened. I still recall vividly the show where the Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche have been arrested in a sweep of a hotel frequented by prostitutes. Rose starts talking about a possum, and Dorothy says something to the effect of how many "exploding possum stories" Rose has told lately, only to be reminded that it was a pig, not a possum, that exploded. My friend called me during the commercial, said two words, "exploding possum," collapsed into giggles, and hung up. We had to wait almost half an hour after the episode before we could talk without laughing.
You know how people like to watch shows with four female characters (Sex and the City, Designing Women, etc.) and try to determine which one they and their friends most closely resemble? Everyone thinks he/she is a Carrie, and everyone wishes they could be a Suzanne. Well, play that game with The Golden Girls, and you'll find me as a Dorothy. Ironic, isn't it, that I'm a Dorothy and a Friend of Dorothy's?
Arthur was a master of the put-down and the withering look. She could silence anyone with one glare from those intense eyes of hers. Just two words--"Shady Pines"--would be enough to freeze her mother on the show, Sophia, played by the dearly missed Estelle Getty. Arthur also had the ability to sing and dance, talents that were at times put to good use on the show, perhaps most effectively in the episode where Dorothy and Blanche are competing for the attention of the men at the Rusty Anchor. Dorothy's rendition of "What'll I Do" silences the room, and she starts to bring sheet music to the bar to sing on a regular basis. Her version of "Hard-Hearted Hannah" is a treat.
Arthur also created the memorable title character on Maude. She was best known for her line, "God'll get you for that, Walter," but my favorite episode was built around a telethon where she promised that "Mark Spitz will drink a glass of milk on this very stage." Maude was a strong feminist icon of the early 1970s, but Dorothy Zbornak from The Golden Girls was a fitting companion, a symbol of what women could do for each other and on their own.
I have to mention Arthur's most famous role on the stage and in the movies, Vera Charles from Mame. The movie version cast Lucille Ball as Mame, a horrible decision given her age and inability to carry a tune any longer. She sounded like Michigan J. Frog, and the cameraman had to shoot her through so many layers of cheesecloth you could barely recognize her. Arthur, though, was perfectly cast. Her duet with Ball (and, earlier, with Angela Lansbury, in the stage production) on "Bosom Buddies" is note-perfect. One of my favorite songs in the show, though, is her rendition of "The Man in the Moon Is a Lady." Her delivery of it is incomparable. The video clip is from a Jerry Herman tribute. Unsurprisingly, Arthur stole the show just as she often did.
One of my prized possessions--including all of the seasons of The Golden Girls on DVD--is the CD of her one-woman show, Just Between Friends. She tells stories of her career, she tells jokes, she sings, she does it all. I listened to it again this morning after reading in the newspaper about her death. I will miss you, Bea. We don't see your kind much these days, and the world is a sadder place as a result.
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Last night Rufus Wainwright told his story about how the Golden Girls became his surrogate grandmothers when he moved out to Los Angeles on his own to record one of his early albums. He said the show really helped him to grieve his own grandmother's death, and that he never missed an episode, as he was "watching a lot of Lifetime back then." He finally got the opportunity to meet her at an AIDS benefit he was participating in, for Arthur happened to be the MC for the evening. "I simply had to meet her and tell her how much I loved her. I went up to her and told her the whole story, about moving to Los Angeles, losing my grandma, watching every episode, and I told her that I just wanted to thank her so much for being my surrogate grandmother. She looked at me and said,'I'm not your f--king grandmother, kid.' And she walked away."
I roared with laughter. He told us this story before he sang an acoustic "California," with the very appropriate line, "...and my new grandma Bea Arthur." Everyone sang the line. Priceless.
I so envy you for getting to see him. I know it was a wonderful show (even though T wouldn't share any details about it). It was a "school night," and I get up so early in the morning to come to work. I just hope he returns to L.A. after he's finished the opera and recorded a new album.
You know, it was the first time I've seen him, and I'm really only a big fan of his first two albums. The venue was PACKED, and I was more than a little freaked out about trampling and getting sick. He was wearing a short beard and longish floppy hair, and a sort of hippie denim shirt with some bedazzling on it, and sandals. Of course he's still cute, but I suppose I was a little disappointed. He played alone, when he wasn't singing with his sister. Everything was very slow, and I felt like the energy in the crowd was far too high for sooo many slow paced songs. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been at a venue with seats. He was also admitting to self-censoring a bit because his dad was there. In other words, I think if you've seen him before, and plan on seeing him again, a different night/venue will prove the better choice.
I have completely given up on concerts where I have to stand. I don't know if I'm just too old or too "set in my ways" (as my grandmother would say), but I really would prefer a seat for a concert nowadays. I'm sure he'll be back to our area sometime. He says he performs nowadays when he needs some money, and I'm sure his concerts here tend to be pretty profitable for him.
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