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SPEAKER_04: Hello. From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Wamanica. Today we're talking about a comedian who used her height and unusually deep voice to reimagine what an American leading lady could look and sound like. Her characters on hit shows Maude and the Golden Girls became icons during the women's movement of the 1970s and 80s and offered refreshing and exciting portrayals of strong women who didn't conform to gender norms. Let's talk about Bea Arthur. Bernice Frankel was born on May 13, 1922, in New York City. She was the second of Philip and Rebecca Frankel's three daughters. When Bea was 11, her father moved the family to Cambridge, Maryland, to run a clothing store. Bea was the tallest girl in her class, resulting in typical middle school awkwardness. In addition to the run-of-the-mill challenges of adolescence, Bea's family was also one of the only Jewish families in town, and they were subject to anti-Semitism. To overcome her insecurities, Bea developed a cutting sense of humor, even winning the title of Whittiest Girl in Her Class at Cambridge High. At the age of 20, Bea became one of the first women to enroll in the US Marine Corps Women's Reserve. Paperwork from the interview process notes that she came off as argumentative and overly aggressive. One reviewer went so far as to write, a ficious, but probably a good worker if she has her own way. After basic training, Bea worked first as a typist in the Marine headquarters in Washington, DC, before transferring to the Motor Transport School, where she served as a truck driver and dispatcher in Cherry Point, Maryland. She was honorably discharged in 1945 at the rank of staff sergeant. In 1947, Bea married fellow Marine Robert Allen Arthur. After leaving the Marines, Bea attended the Franklin Institute of Science and Arts and worked as a lab technician for a year before moving to New York City to pursue show business. She joined the new school's dramatic workshop to study under Irwin P. H. King, who with classmates including Harry Belafonte, Rod Steiger, and Walter Matthau. While Piscator took to Bea's height and naturally deep voice, casting her as leads in classic plays such as Taming of the Shrew and Clytemnestra, Bea found that the rest of the professional theater world was less open-minded to such an unconventional leading lady. Finding little success in classical theater, Bea began a career singing in nightclubs. During this time, she and Robert Arthur divorced and Bea remarried a fellow Piscator student, the actor and director Jean Saxe. Together, they adopted two sons, Matthew and Daniel. Bea landed her first big break in 1954 when she was cast in the long-running off-Broadway hit The Three Penny Opera. I used to believe in the days I was pure,
SPEAKER_06: and I was pure like you used to be. My wonderful someone will come to me someday, and then it will all depend on me. Following rave reviews of her comedic timing and satire,
SPEAKER_04: Bea became an in-demand character actor on and off Broadway. Bea originated the role of Yente the Matchman in the Broadway production of The Fiddler on the Roof. Rifkin! Rifkin! I have such news for you!
SPEAKER_05: Remember Perchick, that crazy student? Remember at the wedding? Went sightal married model, and Perchick started dancing with Tevye's daughter Huddle. She received a Tony Award in 1966
SPEAKER_04: for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Vera Charles in Mame. She would later reprise the role in the 1974 film adaptation We'll always be bosom buddies, friends, sisters, and pals.
SPEAKER_05: Bea's Broadway success translated to the silver screen
SPEAKER_04: when All in the Family's creator Norman Lear persuaded Bea to make a guest appearance on the show in 1971. Bea played Maude, Edith's liberal cousin, who delights in skewering conservative-minded Archie. Bea's performance was a little more than a little more Bea's performance won the attention of CBS executives, and Lear worked with Bea to create a spinoff series, Maude, which premiered in 1972. In its six seasons, Maude explored a variety of controversial topics, from alcoholism to psychoanalysis and the Vietnam War. It was Maude's decision to have an abortion that truly broke television taboos.
SPEAKER_06: Just tell me, Walter, that I'm doing the right thing, not having the baby.
SPEAKER_00: For you, Maude, for me. In the privacy of our own lives, you're doing the right thing.
SPEAKER_04: The episode brought both protests and popularity as Maude became an icon of the growing women's movement in the early 1970s. Bea won an Emmy Award for her performance on the show in 1977. The success of Maude and Bea's ensuing celebrity caused tension within the gender dynamics of Bea's own marriage. Bea and Jean divorced in 1978. A few years later, in 1985, Bea said, I don't think I ever truly believed in marriage anyway. I guess marriage means that you're a woman and not a person. Bea continued to break convention in her on-screen portrayals of Dorothy Zbornak, a divorced schoolteacher in the hit show, The Golden Girls. Thank you for being a friend. From 1985 to 1992, Bea starred opposite Betty White, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan in a bold and comedic portrayal of four senior women navigating female friendship, romance, and aging in Florida. Bea won a second Emmy Award for the role in 1988. In 2002, she returned to Broadway with a one-woman show, Bea Arthur on Broadway, Just Between Friends. Outside of acting, Bea was a strong supporter and activist for animal rights, AIDS-related causes, and LGBTQ youth. Bea passed away on April 25, 2009. She was 86 years old. In 2016, thanks to her generosity and activism, an 18-bed home for homeless LGBTQ youth was opened in New York City and was named in her honor, the Bea Arthur residence. Bea's distinctive portrayals of both Maude and Dorothy broadened the idea of what womanhood could look and sound like on American television. Both women were sharp-tongued and did not conform to traditional standards of beauty or wifely duty. Instead, they held themselves tall and spoke their minds, a portrayal of women that is still, in many ways, a rarity in pop culture today. All month, we're talking about leading ladies. For more on why we're doing what we're doing, check out our Encyclopedia Womanica newsletter, Womanica Weekly. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Encyclopedia Womanica, and you can follow me directly on Twitter, at Jenny M. Kaplan. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. I wanna tell you about another show I think you might like. Are you exhausted from trying to do everything perfectly? Do you hold yourself back because you're scared of failure? Break away from the cult of perfection by subscribing and listening to Brave Not Perfect. It's hosted by Reshma Sajjani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and author of the international bestseller, Brave Not Perfect. Join Reshma as she shares her secrets about bravery and success, because she wants to help you fear less, fail more, and live bolder. She'll even answer your questions and give you tips about how to get a little braver every day. Subscribe to Brave Not Perfect wherever you listen to podcasts.
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