Bea Arthur Movies

That Kind of Woman stars Sophia Loren as an Italian girl, Kay, who enjoys a brief wartime romance with American paratrooper Red (Tab Hunter). But Kay is already the property of a suave millionaire (George Sanders) known only as "The Man." When next we see her, Kay is living Hollywood's concept of the life of a kept woman: luxurious apartment, limitless wardrobe, and an ever-so-slightly repentant facial expression. When Red reenters her life, she forsakes her wanton lifestyle -- only to lose her newfound love to enemy bullets. Essentially a remake of the World War I war-horse The Shopworn Angel, That Kind of Woman relies solely on Sophia Loren for its emotional punch; Tab Hunter is, after all, Tab Hunter. Watch for fleeting appearances by John Fiedler as a GI and Bea Arthur as a WAC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bea Arthur makes her first-ever appearance as Maude Findlay, ultra-conservative Archie's ultra-liberal cousin. Described by Archie as "the original creeping socialist," Maude has steered clear of the Bunker household for years. But when the entire family comes down with the flu, "Maudie" arrives to take care of the household -- and, of course, to cross ideological swords with Archie. Written by Philip Mishkin, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Cousin Maude's Visit" was originally network-cast on December 11, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lucille Ball stars in this film version of the hit Jerry Herman Broadway musical, which featured an electrifying performance by Angela Lansbury. As Patrick Dennis' plucky and resilient Auntie Mame, Ball's low-pitched, growling moan of a voice (a spine-chilling reminder of the sound of Linda Blair's demon-possession in The Exorcist) and her gaudy and lumbering fashion-horse gait turns Mame into an elderly cross-dresser. In this guise, Mame rehashes the plot from Dennis's novel and the previous non-musical Rosalind Russell film. During the Depression era 1930s, she enrolls her nephew into a liberal private school, tries a turn in show business (with the help of her friend Vera [Beatrice Arthur]), and marries a well-to-do Southern planter (Robert Preston). After her husband's death, Mame concerns herself with her now grown-up nephew, his girlfriend, and the girlfriend's intolerant parents. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

This 1979 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Bea Arthur and features musical guest The Roaches. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide

Legend has it that The Golden Girls, created by Susan Harris of Soap fame, was introduced to NBC's Saturday-evening lineup in the fall of 1986 to counter criticism that the network was ignoring its older viewers (that is, those over the age of 34) in favor of younger fans. Whatever the case, not one of the leading characters in The Golden Girls was under the age of 50 -- and none of them ever acted as if they were any older than 30. Sharing the same home in a placid Miami neighborhood were outspoken divorcée and substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), timid, naïve widow Rose Nylund (Betty White), and another widow, the earthy, man-chasing Southern belle Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), who owned the house. (The series waited until the last episode of season one to explain how these three extremely disparate personalities ended up under the same roof; without revealing too much, the key to the girls' strong bond was as simple as cheesecake.) In the opening episode, Blanche's eightysomething mother, Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), moved in with the "girls" when her retirement home burned down. Having suffered a stroke which destroyed the "tact cells" in her brain, Sophia blithely said anything and everything that came into her mind, much to the embarrassment of her daughter, but to the great amusement of the viewers. During season one, several recurring characters were introduced. The most prominent of these was Dorothy's ex-husband, Stanley (Herb Edelman), who, despite having ditched Dorothy for a much younger woman, never tired of his efforts to worm his way back into her life. Also making their earliest appearances were Dorothy and Stanley's daughter, Kate (Lisa Jane Persky), and son-in-law, Dennis (Dennis Drake); Blanche's bombastic father, "Big Daddy" (Murray Hamilton), and her selfish younger sister, Virginia (Sheree North); Dorothy's wealthy kid sister, Gloria (Doris Belack); and Rose's fiercely independent (and recently blinded) sibling, Lily (Polly Holliday). Some of these characters would make repeat visits in future seasons, though not always played by the same actors. An unqualified hit from its first appearance onward (the series was tied for seventh place in the ratings with Dynasty during its inaugural season), The Golden Girls also garnered enthusiastic praise from the critics and earned four Emmys, for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Technical Direction, and Best Lead Actress (Betty White). ~ All Movie Guide

The third season of The Golden Girls continues to chronicle the adventures of four over-50 ladies who lived under the same Miami roof: widows Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and Rose Nylund (Betty White), divorcée Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), and Dorothy's shamelessly outspoken mother, Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). Season three opens with one of the series' many flashback episodes, "One for the Money," featuring Lynnie Greene in her recurring role as young Dorothy. The later episode "Blanche's Little Girl" marks the first series appearance of Blanche's daughter Rebecca, played this season by Shawn Schepps; "My Father, My Brother" finds comedian Bill Dana in the role of Sophia's brother Angelo, a priest; in "Mixed Blessing," Dorothy's son Michael (Scott Jacoby) announces his engagement to a black woman -- which wouldn't bother Dorothy so much were it not for the fact that the woman is 20 years Michael's senior; and in another flashback show, "Mother's Day," viewers are given their one and only glimpse at Blanche's late mother, Margaret, played by Helen Kleeb. In other episodes, Rose does her part for world peace by writing letters to Reagan and Gorbachev (and guess which one of the two world leaders responds!); and McLean Stevenson guest stars as Ted Zbornak, brother of Dorothy's redoubtable ex-husband, Stan (Herb Edelman). Rated the fourth most popular TV series in America during its third season, The Golden Girls also did all right by itself at Emmy award time, with Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty both winning statuettes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roommates Dorothy (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) continue to prove that there is still plenty of life (among other pleasurable things!) after age 50 in the fourth season of the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls. The opening episode, "Yokel Hero," marks the first of several crossover appearances by Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston, the character he played on the Golden Girls spin-off series Empty Nest. Jack Gilford, who previous co-starred with Rue McClanahan on the very short-lived sitcom Apple Pie, is cast as Max Weinstock, the fiancé of Dorothy's octogenarian mother, Sophia, in the two-part "Sophia's Wedding" (the marriage comes off, but the couple separates -- and even though there's no talk of a divorce, Max is never seen again). "Scared Straight" marks the first of two appearances by Monte Markham as Blanche's gay brother Clayton. In "The Little Sister," Inga Swenson makes her one and only appearance as Rose's younger sister Holly. And in "You Gotta Have Hope," Bob Hope guest stars as -- who else? -- Bob Hope. The season ends with the two-parter "We're Outta Here," in which the girls face the possibility of breaking up when Blanche considers selling their house -- thus sparking a flow of reminiscences via excerpts from previous episodes of Golden Girls, which in its fourth season on the air was America's sixth most popular TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

America's four favorite senior citizens, Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia (Estelle Getty), are still residing in the same cozy Miami household as The Golden Girls launches its sixth season. This year's opener is "Blanche Delivers," as Blanche nervously prepares for the birth of her daughter Rebecca's baby -- and wonders if the fact that the kid was conceived by artificial insemination will be the source of public embarrassment. In the next episode, "Once, in St. Olaf," Don Ameche guest stars as a kindly priest -- who turns out to be Rose's long-lost father! "Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mammy" spotlights Ruby Dee as Blanche's childhood nanny. The two-part "There Goes the Bride" finds Dorothy considering remarriage to her no-good former hubby, Stan (Herb Edelman), thereby allowing Debbie Reynolds to contribute a hilarious performance as the girls' temporary roommate Judy. And in "Mrs. George Devereaux," George Grizzard appears as Blanche's husband, George -- much to her astonishment, since George is supposed to be dead! Harold Gould continues to make sporadic appearances as Rose's mild-mannered boyfriend Miles Webber, whose "secret life" as a Mob accountant catches up to him big-time in the episodes "Miles to Go" and "Witness," the latter episode also featuring Kristy McNichol in a crossover appearance from the Golden Girls spin-off series Empty Nest. And near the end of the season, the two-part "Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Room" revolves around a deathbed confession that gets Dorothy's octogenarian mother, Sophia, thrown in jail on an arson rap! While ratings for The Golden Girls faltered a bit during season six, the series still finished at a respectable tenth place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable comedy centers on the romantic travails of Michael Makeshift (Jason Alexander), a schnook who just can't get over the fact that his girlfriend dumped him. To make matters worse, his gross and sloppy landlord is bugging him for long-overdue rent. Things for Michael's brother Reggie (James Woods) are much better. He is planning to rob the credit union where his own mother (Beau Arthur) works. His new wife Valerie (Lolita Davidovitch) has no idea what Reggie is planning and so is puzzled when Michael comes to stay with her. She also does not know that Reggie has paid Michael for the favor. Despite his well-laid plans, things go badly for Reggie when his henchmen mutiny and force him to reveal that the clueless Valerie carries the security codes they need to pull off the job in her suitcase. Thus begins a merry chase. While Michael helps Valerie escape, he reveals the truth about Reggie. At the same time, she become increasingly attracted to her new protector. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

In what may be the series finale, Louis Lewis (Bill Saluga) awakens from his coma, and refuses to give Richard (Richard Lewis) one of his kidneys, leaving Larry (Larry David) as Richard's best hope for survival. Omar Jones (Mekhi Phifer) calls Larry to tell him that he was, in fact, adopted. Larry goes to Arizona to visit his birth parents, the Cones (Hansford Rowe and June Squibb) and is shocked to learn that he is not actually Jewish. After an inspirational visit to the Cones' church, Larry has a change of heart, and races back to Los Angeles to donate his kidney to Richard. On the way into the operating room, he learns that there's been a terrible mistake. Larry also pays a brief but illuminating visit to the afterlife, where he gets into an argument with his guardian angels (Dustin Hoffman and Sacha Baron Cohen of Da Ali G Show) over his system for making sure he doesn't misplace his DVD cases. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide