In our tenth season's third episode, we went back to the Learverse, and there was Maude! Specifically, we focused on the "put on a show" episode "Maude's Musical," but we had a wide-ranging about the show's politics and even some of the issues it explored in its controversial 6-year-run.
Anonymous Batty Insider says: "Episode selection can really have an impact on Batty contention. Look at Happy Days and think how it might have been different had they not gone with a musical episode from the later years. In this case, Maude should be a strong contender in several categories--theme song for sure--but covering 'Maude's Musical' rather than a more conventional example might have an effect in others."
I recently got the last TV Guide Fall Preview I needed to complete my collection of the BOTNS era! That is the 1972 issue, and it has some interesting new series, including one we talked about earlier this season: Maude.
Remember that the Emmy Awards broadcast was not just a way to celebrate The Mary Tyler Moore Show each year. It was supposed to be an entertaining television production in its own right. Many times, one way or another, it succeeded. There was a time when the Emmys weren't afraid to be brassier, bolder, and campier than the average piece of network programming. Case in point: This jaw-dropping presentation from the 1985 ceremony:
Mike and I could do an entire bonus episode on this segment (don't think we will rule it out), but for today, here are some of my favorite parts:
*There's Maude! She's just walking across the stage and barely singing, but she's there!
*Who is your favorite non-singer? Is it Ed Asner, who just seems to want to get it over with?
*Or is it Gabe Kaplan, who looks stuck in the ambiguous region between "this is a bit" and "I really don't know what I'm doing here." I can't decide if his expression is supposed to say he's in on some joke (He IS the first non-singer in the medley) or if he has genuine discomfort.
*How about Redd Foxx, who I can't help but think is struggling against every fiber of his being in an effort to keep himself from blurting out a dirty joke.
*Then you have the "really into it" brigade headed by the likes of Linda Lavin and Loretta Swit!
*I think maybe my personal favorite is the charming appearance of Dick Van Dyke.
The whole thing is a glorious piece of TV history climaxing in a bunch of stars standing on stage despite not being part of the medley. What are they all doing there? I would love to see Tony Danza, for example, singing the theme from Taxi. Maybe they saved that moment for the 1986 Emmys.
You might be surprised at the famous names who did appear on Maude. Sound like a funny idea to have Maude Findlay "confront" a so-called conservative Hollywood icon? Well, John Wayne showed up in season 3. Maybe you think another tall-ish, strong, sardonic actress would make a good foil? Well, Eve Arden appeared as Maude's aunt in season 5. Want to see a comedian with roots in burlesque who made dubious claims about inventing various tried-and-true comedy routines show up as little more than background? Well, may we tell you about "Maude's Musical?"
Here are 5 celebs that did not appear on Maude yet should have and could have, at least in the sense that they were active in the series' 1972-1978 run.
1) Richard Nixon: Talk about an icon! OK, he may have been a little busy during the Seventies, but this Lear sitcom would have made a nice follow-up to capitalize on the career momentum he squandered after his comedy acting debut on Laugh-In.
2) Marjoe Gortner: Fresh off exposing the business of evangelism (his part of it, anyway) in 1972 documentary Marjoe, he could have played a man of the cloth tangling with our heroine. We're lucky to have his appearances in the likes of Medical Center and Pray for the Wildcats, but seeing him and Bea Arthur today would have been a treat.
3) Katharine Hepburn: Something about Hepburn doing this sitcom, let alone her acting alongside Arthur, makes me smile. Maybe she could be a stuffy teacher of Phillip (remember him?) who Grandma Maude crosses swords with, or a stuffy community leader Maude tangles with or a stuffy--well, some kind of stuffy patrician that lets Maude show off her "salt of the earth" credentials.
4) Anita Bryant: One of the series' later episodes does feature several references to Bryant's famous anti-gay-rights campaigning of the 1970s, but she wasn't actually on the show. Imagine her and Maude arguing about--eh, you know, actually that might not be a fun watch after all.
5) Sammy Davis Jr.: All it took was one listen to this to make me want to see this happen:
We know Sammy loved TV. We know Maude loved to do "put on a show" shows. Why not combine these factors and have Davis as the celeb get for a big benefit, climaxing in his singing the show's theme song (the characters wouldn't know it was the theme song) TO Maude. Just a few minutes of him scatting, "Maude, Maude, Maude," right to Bea Arthur would make it worthwhile.
*The video playlist is now active! You will see promos, commercials, and clips (including a few from the episode we discuss), but more importantly, you will see an anti-drug PSA with Adrienne Barbeau, awards show moments you won't forget, and Lawrence Welk (it makes sense if you listened to the podcast...sort of)! And if you only watch one clip, go right to the end and make sure you catch the last one! Or start the whole thing by clicking below:
*Maude aired 6 seasons (1972-1978) on CBS and lasted 141 episodes (Tuesdays 8:00, Mondays 9:00). The series earned multiple Emmy nominations but just one win: Bea Arthur as Best Actress in 1977.
*The Maude character debuted on All in the Family in December 1971 (Season 2's "Cousin Maude's Visit") and made one more appearance before getting her own series.
*What is YOUR definition of the Learverse? Does it have infinite boundaries? Is it more self-contained? There may be no one correct answer.
*In the early days of the show, Bea Arthur seemed to downplay some of the similarities between her liberalism and that of the character. However, note that in this 1972 piece, when the show is just beginning, she clearly aligns herself with Maude. In this NY Times story coinciding with the series' departure, it's indicated that she became more like Maude as the show progressed.
*This article discusses the abortion episode and how it played out while also pointing out the first character to get a procedure on TV was on a 1964 installment of Another World.
*As of this writing, IMDB-TV, now FreeVee, still has seasons 1 and 2 of Maude, while Tubi has seasons 3 and 4. The complete series is available on DVD from Shout! Factory.
*"Maude the Musical" premiered November 13, 1973 at 8:00 on CBS, followed by Hawaii Five-0 and Hawkins. ABC countered with Temperatures Rising and John Wayne's The Cowboys, while NBC offered Snoopy Directs the Ice Follies, a Bob Hope special, and The Blue Knight (part 1). You can see clips of some of these in the playlist this week!
*Florida Evans was replaced by Englishwoman Mrs. Naugatuck, who got married and moved to Ireland. She in turn was replaced by Victoria Butterfield from the West Indies, who was seldom used compared to the previous two housekeepers.
*Arthur and Vivian announced their engagement several episodes after this one, and the episode before this one is when Maude set the two of them up.
*Some of the other episodes we mention include: "Arthur Moves In" (Season 1 Episode 17) ""Florida's Problem" (Season 1 Episode 18)
In the past, we've visited a wide array of locations in the Normal Lear Universe: the Park Avenue penthouse of the Drummond-Jackson family on "Diff'rent Strokes"; the Jeffersons' de-luxe apartment in the sky; the Eastland School on "Facts of Life"; the Chicago projects on "Good Times." Then there's Maude! This week, we head to Tuckahoe as Maude (the great Bea Arthur) directs a charity salute to burlesque only to butt heads with Arthur (the great Conrad Bain) over the content! Songs, jokes, arguments, questionable pairings--this one has it all! #podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #maude #normanlear #beaarthur #billmacy #conradbain #ruemclanahan #estherrolle
