Search - Maude - The Complete First Season on DVD

The 70s Feminist As Suburban Godzilla

J. E. Barnes | Bayridge, Brooklyn, New York | 07/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Norman Lear's seminal television series 'Maude' (1972-1978) harks back to a time when American adults were still adults, people freely and fearlessly spoke their minds, and the modern scourge of political correctness did not exist.

Lear revolutionized American television with 'All In The Family' (1971-1979), which introduced audiences to bigoted conservative Queens resident Archie Bunker in an era when most viewers where still tuning in for pleasant rural fantasies like 'Mayberry R.F.D.' and established series with magical premises like 'Bewitched' (1964-1972).

Where television comedies of the previous decade, from 'Mr. Ed' (1961-1966) to 'Hazel' (1961-1966), had emphasized genteel good manners and upper middle class respectability, All In The Family, with its coarse blue collar protagonist and his 'dingbat' wife, Edith, hit the ground running by boldly tackling themes of racism, anti-Semitism, rape, homosexuality, women's liberation, breast cancer, and impotence.

Rumored to have been based on Lear's wife Frances, Maude Findlay originally debuted on All In The Family in a passing role as Edith Bunker's cousin. Maude was the diametric opposite of Archie Bunker: upper middle class, feminist, educated, intelligent, and, above all, liberal.

Brilliantly portrayed by Beatrice Arthur, Lear wisely realized that he had television gold on his hands, and 'Maude' soared into primetime, as instant and controversial a success as All In The Family had been a year earlier. Arthur's commanding presence, impeccable comic timing, and blatant intellect cast an instant shadow across the entertainment landscape of the country, making 'Maude' one the decade's most recognizable icons.

Dressed in her slightly eccentric trademark ensemble of a kneelength open vest over a blouse, a neckerchief, and a pair of loose trousers, the tall, confrontational, never less-than-assertive Maude, with her unruly steel-gray hair, hilariously roars through each episode, bellowing, hollering, and reducing her antagonists to rubble like a prototypical Japanese monster.

Like All In The Family, 'Maude' would embrace mature themes like racism, abortion, spousal abuse, alcoholism, and mental illness (in a later season, Maude is revealed to suffer from manic-depression after becoming obsessed with the idea that screen legend Henry Fonda should become America's next president) head-on in a responsible but consistently entertaining manner. 'Maude' was a program created largely for adults and watched largely by adults; children and teenagers were unlikely to find it interesting.

As the characters in Woody Allen's later films 'Annie Hall' (1977) and 'Manhattan' (1979) would, Maude, her husband Walter (Bill Macy), and other adult cast members blithely take subscription pills to stabilize their moods, while the ritual of evening cocktails is an essential component of the Findlay's daily lives. There are very few episodes in the first season in which Maude, Walter, or physician-neighbor Arthur (Conrad Bain) don't reach for a drink as soon as tempers begin to flare.

Perhaps these habits explain the continually worn-out, beaten-down look of the cast, the repulsive clothing worn by everyone, the women's taste-free hairstyles, and the relatively tacky interior of the Findlay manse.

Or perhaps Lear was partially attempting to underscore the 'realism' of his program: the grooming, dress, and decor found in 'Maude' are leagues away from the polished standard established by earlier Fifties and Sixties television series from 'Leave It To Beaver' (1957-1963) and 'My Favorite Martian' (1963-1966) to 'That Girl' and 'Family Affair' (both 1966-1971).

This is particularly unlikely to be the case, however, since most of the show's production values are equally poor, a trend which would unfortunately sweep Seventies television and not be rectified until the late Eighties and early-to-mid Nineties with dramas like 'Thirtysomething' (1987-1991), 'Twin Peaks' (1990-1991), 'Northern Exposure' (1990-1195), and 'Picket Fences' (1992-1996).

But 'Maude' was always about intellectual substance rather than visual style, and if he couldn't reflect both qualities equally, Lear certainly made the right choice, as 'Maude,' via the complexity of the writing, characterization, and superb acting by Arthur, remains the never-bettered situation comedy of its kind.






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So Where is Season Two?

R. Unger | 09/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was my favorite sitcom when I was a kid. The early 70s was such a Golden Era in Television with classics like Maude, All In The Family, Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H*, The Odd Couple, Bob Newhart. These programs were not only funny and entertaining, they were well-written and acted. They also made you think. It was such a great time to grow up. Not like most of the trendy, superficial junk that passes for entertainment on TV today.

Bea is my favorite actress of all time. Bigger than life, she could say more with just a look than most actresses today could in their entire career. There are so many classic episodes, so many wonderful performances that I look forward to seeing again. Maude and Vivian were the Lucy & Ethel of my generation. I can't wait to own every season of "Maude" on DVD. So where is Season Two already? Sony, I sure hope you release the next season soon or, to quote Maude Findlay, God will get you for that!!!"