PASADENA, Calif. -- From 1972-78, "Maude" was not only one of the most popular programs on TV but also one of the most controversial.
The lead character, after all, was an outspoken, liberal feminist who was married to her fourth husband. Maude, as portrayed by Beatrice Arthur, let everyone know exactly what she thought -- and she did it loudly.While much of what was controversial 27 years ago seems rather tame now, the show could still be considered edgy today. The show did, after all, include a two-parter in which Maude dealt with an unexpected, late-in-life pregnancy by having an abortion.
As the show gets set to join the TV Land lineup with a weeklong, prime-time marathon on Monday, its stars recall that "Maude" was always a bit of a struggle to get on the air.
"Sometimes it would get to be 8 o'clock," said Rue McClanahan, who co-starred as Maude's best friend, Vivien. "We were supposed to start work at 8 o'clock and we didn't know if we were going to get to do the show that night or not because we didn't know whether the censors were going to let it go. Whether (executive producer/creator) Norman (Lear) was going to win or CBS was going to win."
And Arthur recalled that there were always network censors hovering around the set.
"There were constantly program practices people there who not only looked at the first (draft of the) script and the second (draft of the) script and then the third (draft of the) script, but would always be there for the first run-through that we had, which was on our third day of rehearsal," Arthur said. "I mean, we were all carrying scripts but they were there and I remember Norman would say, 'Well, can we have one "damn" if we take back two "hells" or whatever.' "
"And he always won," McClanahan said. "We always went on. We always did it."
The show was, in many ways, a landmark in television history. It certainly wasn't the first sitcom built around a woman character, but Maude was a much stronger personality than her predecessors. And, in a way, she can be seen as the progenitor of shows that followed, ranging from "Murphy Brown" to "Grace Under Fire."
The show's stars admit they didn't quite know what they were getting into. Adrienne Barbeau, who co-starred as Maude's daughter, Carol, said she was just worried about her acting and didn't realize how playing the part would affect her off-camera.
"We were thrown into the position of being spokespeople for a movement that I hadn't really even considered at the time," Barbeau said. "I was just trying to make my way as an actress and suddenly I had to decide what I thought about women's issues and things."
Despite the occasional controversy (not to mention the censors), it didn't make "Maude" a trying or difficult show to star in.
"It was just absolutely delicious," Arthur said. "I don't know how else to say it. Because the group got together, we loved each other, we had great writers and a great director, and Norman was there every minute of every day and there were no egos involved. It was just lovely."
And the stars believe that, despite the fact that some of the episodes of the topical series are now more than 25 years old, viewers will still enjoy the series.
"I think it will play extremely well now, when it's on the air, because the writing was superb," said Conrad Bain, who played Maude's neighbor, Arthur.
"It was way ahead of its time," McClanahan said. "Everything's timely except the costumes."
"And the hairstyles," added Barbeau.
NOT IN CLEVELAND: A number of stations around the country, including then-CBS affiliate KSL, would not air the abortion episodes of "Maude" when they first aired. But Ch. 5 wasn't alone.
"I remember Cleveland, particularly, because one of our writers, Charlie Houk, was from there, and they refused to show it," McClanahan said.
"And Charlie somebody in the audience would always ask Charlie if they got the show in Cleveland, and he always answered, 'Well, they see it there, but sometimes they don't get it.' " said Bill Macy, who co-starred as Maude's husband, Walter.
NOT A HAPPY CAMPER: After "Maude," both Arthur and McClanahan went on to star in the long-running hit "The Golden Girls." Just be careful how you compliment Arthur on the show.
"I was so used to having people come up to me and say, 'Oh, it is so nice meeting you. You know, I grew up watching "Maude." ' And I would always say, 'Oh, that's very nice.' I was very gracious," Arthur said. "But not too long ago . . . a man came up to me and said, 'Oh, it's so nice meeting you, I can't tell you. I mean, I admire you so much. You know, I grew up watching 'Golden Girls.'
"And you don't know what to say," she added, looking more than a bit perturbed.
HALLELUJAH: Bain, who may be best known for his starring role on "Diff'rent Strokes," has some vivid memories of his attempts to promote "Maude" across the country.
"In those days, I got assigned to go out on some of the publicity tours. Miss Arthur wasn't available," Bain said, giving Arthur a sidelong glance.
As part of the trips, he often found himself appearing on local TV talk shows.
"I was in one city in upstate New York and this fellow who was the emcee said, 'We've got Conrad Bain here with us from the "Maude" series,' and people applauded," Bain said. "And he said, "Well, you've had some very controversial episodes on there. There's been a lot of talk and concern about the episode . . . on abortion."
The host when on to say that his other guest that day was a Catholic priest -- and he suggested that Bain and the priest could debate the issue of abortion.
"And I'm standing there thinking I'm going to fry," Bain said. "I was about to say, 'I don't write that stuff,' but I didn't."
At that point, Bain said he experienced a miracle of sorts.
"The Father said, 'Well, we're here to celebrate the carnival. I think I'll just stay with that,' " Bain said. "He saved my life, and I've been a Catholic ever since."
LESS AMBITIOUS? The stars of "Maude" not only miss working on such a topical series, but they miss seeing the genre on television. Heck, they miss the sort of TV shows that populated the airwaves back in the '70s.
"I'm not saying this to butter anyone up, but I watch the news in the morning and then I go to bed early so I can wake up in the middle of the night and watch TV Land and Nick at Nite," Arthur said. "You know, to see Flip Wilson again and all those wonderfully funny shows."
"Late at night is when I watch, too," McClanahan said. "You know, you don't get geniuses like Norman Lear and (network executive) Brandon Tartikoff every year. That kind of leadership seems to be rather rare.
"I don't know. I do think things seem to go in phases and I hope we're just in kind of a slump."
What they'd really like to see are shows that push the envelope in areas other than how adult they can be.
"I think it's pretty safe unless you include sexuality, and there's more of that. It seems to me that there's an extra effort to try to get comedy results from sexual lines, innuendoes, gestures, whatever," Bain said. "And it proves the old saying -- you can always get a laugh by dropping your pants."
"I'd like to see more weighty issues tackled in comedy," McClanahan said, pointing to issues like "sexual roles that women play, racial segregation, war or peace, Social Security, the Medicare program. I know these things. As long as you can do it funny, you get a message across so much more but that takes leadership and that takes inspiration at the top"
"And wit" Barbeau added.
And she's convinced that the increasingly corporate nature of the TV networks is to blame for what's on their schedules these days.
"What I see is a lot of diffusion of some good and strong ideas, not by the writers or producers but by the (network) executives, by the people who are holding the purse strings, not writing the words," Barbeau said.
And McClanahan finds many of those words rather vapid.
"Frivolity is fun but we're saturated with it so I don't watch much" she said.