 SOAPBOX: The Girls Are Still Golden—And Influential
When I was asked to do the now infamous Sex And The City spoof for the TV Land Awards, I had never seen the show. I don’t watch that much television, except for Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Daily Show…and I’m a sucker for Judge Judy. They had to show me a tape of Sex And The City and I thought it was wonderful. I don’t even remember the particular episode I saw, but everybody told me how good the spoof was. I really couldn’t be the judge of that, yet everyone said, “No, no, you really captured the essence of Carrie and the show.”
But I do notice the effects of The Golden Girls on shows like Sex And The City, Designing Women and, more recently, Desperate Housewives. I’m not familiar with those shows, but from what I hear and see, how could you say they were not helped along by the paths paved by Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia and Rose? We were outrageous. We were antiestablishment. We tackled a lot of issues that hadn’t been tackled. There was an honesty in the show. It was so funny, yet so adult.
Funny thing: My agent told me I was on the show before I even knew it existed. When I finally got the script, it said: “Dorothy, a Beatrice Arthur type.” So they wanted me. I’m down-to-earth, I hate bullshit. I’m the great bubble-pricker. And as far as Golden Girls was concerned, I was the only sane character on the show. If I hadn’t been there, who knows what would have happened?
The most shocking thing was that The Golden Girls showed older women who were well-groomed and had active sex lives. I can see the bond that gay men have with that show. Like the episode where Blanche’s brother comes out. And the episode I loved where Dorothy had a brother who wore women’s clothes. Remember, he died, and in the casket he was wearing a teddy? People hadn’t seen that on primetime TV before. That episode, it had to do with our love for him no matter what people thought his “problem” was.
And it’s not just Golden Girls. I recently did my one-woman show in Provincetown—oh my god, it was like I was visiting royalty. Truly, truly, I’ve never felt so loved and wanted and needed in my life. The audience’s laughter and cheers added about 20 minutes to the evening. But I’m a little older than you think, because I also played the title character in Maude in the 1970s, where a lot of the verboten subjects were touched upon. I think that’s where the gay following started.
I can’t really understand exactly what the show means to each individual gay guy, but so many very unhappy young people found solace in the show, maybe because everybody wanted their mothers and grandmothers to be as “cool” as us.
Not long ago, I flew to Amsterdam where I was matron of honor at the wedding of my show’s stage manager and his fella of six years. That was something quite beautiful. Plus, our stage manager is to nibble on, he’s so delicious. The ceremony was held in the Rembrandt House, where Rembrandt lived and worked. It was amazing that both sets of parents were there to celebrate it. I was so glad I was able to be a part of that. And also to be a part of The Golden Girls, Maude and so many gay men’s lives.
I’ve always been against injustice, whether it’s to animals or people. I came from a very small town in Maryland, and there was a gay guy there, and I think they institutionalized him. This was many years ago, but there is still so much intolerance. We need to change that.
Bea Arthur and Billy Goldenberg (on the piano) have performed many shows all around the world. The show is still going on, but they perform “when we want to.” So keep a look out for it. Also, pick up The Golden Girls: Season One DVD.
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