Women’s rights were a huge deal in the 1970s and it was among the many topics providing a lot of jokes, wisecracks, and arguments on Maude. Maude Findlay didn’t care for anyone who had different societal views than her.
Why is Maude still memorable more than 50 years after it debuted on CBS? Because of Bea Arthur, who breathlessly and verbosely portrayed Maude Findlay. TV viewers first got a glance at her when she showed up on All in the Family. She made life miserable for Archie Bunker, Carroll O’Connor‘s iconic character, on Cousin Maude’s Visit.
This sitcom, coming from the world of Norman Lear, was full of political and social commentary. The sitcom focused on controversial topics. She was a vocal liberal. On All in the Family, she went toe-to-toe with the conservative Archie.
Arthur was a Broadway-trained actress who portrayed the main character with energy and commitment. Maude was married to her fourth husband, Walter Findlay (Bill Macy). They often had back-and-forths about marriage, children, life, and politics. She uttered the line when duking it out with Walter, “God’ll get you for this, Walter.” No one could change her mind about her liberal politics.
Liberal, Conservative Characters Butted Heads
Maude often butted heads with Dr. Arthur Harmon, a conservative played by Conrad Bain (pre-Diff’rent Strokes). Arthur’s wife Vivian (Rue McClanahan, pre-The Golden Girls) was scatterbrained and had trouble keeping her thoughts in order. Maude’s daughter Carol Traynor (Adrienne Barbeau) lived with her mother and Walter. She was there as a single mother with her son Phillip (Brian Morrison and Kraig Metzinger). Carol had a busy dating life, though, eventually going steady with Chris (Fred Grandy, pre-The Love Boat).
She joined her mother’s side often when talking about women’s rights. They stood firm on female empowerment, always taking the Democratic-leaning side. Women’s liberation, racial equality, gender equality, and civil rights also were among the big topics.
One thing that might lead present-day viewers to scratch their heads is that there were three housekeepers. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) stuck around for the first two seasons. She was known to get into arguments. When her husband Henry (John Amos) got a better job, she quit working for the Findlays. Rolle’s character was so popular that she went on to her own spinoff, Good Times. Amos joined the show’s cast but was known as James Evans.
After she left, Nell Naugatuck (Hermoine Baddeley) was hired. Mrs. Naugatuck didn’t back down from verbal sparring, much like Florida didn’t. She lived with the Findlays while Florida took public transportation. Mrs. Naugatuck fell in love with Bert Beasley (J. Pat O’Malley), eventually marrying him and moving away. For a third housekeeper, Victoria Butterfield (Marlene Warfield) was hired.
‘Maude’ Tackled Serious Subjects All The Time
While today’s viewers might get squeamish over the different subjects tackled, the cast did it in a powerful way. Putting on a storyline where a main character decides to have an abortion, in the 1970s, was a big deal. Maude had an abortion in November 1972, just two months ahead of the decision on Roe v. Wade. Episodes also had her taking two types of tranquilizers, Miltown and Valium. Those abortion-centric episodes brought quite an uproar from TV viewers.
Walter was prone to having a few too many drinks, eventually ending up drunk. This pattern led him to deal with his alcoholism. In one scene, Walter is so out of it that he slaps Maude. The domestic violence aspect of the storyline wasn’t tossed aside. Walter also wound up suffering two nervous breakdowns. Putting these situations on TV gave viewers more reason to tune in and watch.
How did the show do in the ratings? Pretty good for most of its run. In its early seasons, the show ended up among the Top 10 shows. During this time, Lear’s style of sitcoms with serious social subjects was quite popular. Yet audience interest started fading a little bit.
The show’s fifth season suffered a big drop in the Nielsen ratings. In Season 6, Lear switched things around to help the show survive. He moved the main characters out of their Tuckahoe, New York, home. Maude and Walter went to live in Washington, D.C., after the “governor of New York” (a character here) appointed Maude as a congresswoman.
But the show lost its popularity by 1978. CBS canceled the sitcom even after Arthur made it known she was leaving. Maude helped Lear change the television scene. Viewers wanted to laugh at their sitcoms, though. They grew tired of being hit over the head with real-life topics and subjects.
Arthur won one Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1977. She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two other Emmys.
During her time on this sitcom, Arthur developed quite a following. She joined another sitcom, The Golden Girls, a few years later. Arthur teamed up again with McClanahan there while Betty White and Estelle Getty also were in the cast. Arthur put up with her fair share of criticism about Maude. Still, she was quite proud of her work.
Where can today’s television viewers find Maude? It’s been running at times on PlutoTV. The show is available for viewing on Amazon Freevee.
For its time, the show delivered a lot of heavy-hitting commentary. Watching Bea Arthur in her iconic role remains a treat. This sitcom might look dated to new generations of viewers. Yet it addresses many issues that are still alive today.
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