Back in the days before they gave shows to talentless nobodies and called it “reality TV,” networks would allow legendary artists from stage and screen to have variety shows, where they would sing, act, crack wise and deliver vaudeville-style banter.
The above clip, from a Bea Arthur special, sees the late Maude star mixing it up with Madame, Wayland Flowers’ bitchy diva marionette. It’s juicy on it’s own, but when they start riffing on Rock Hudson (who also appeared on the special) the post-modern irony is almost too much.
scribe31
omg!!! that was funny
Hyhybt
“More please”
tazz602
Check this one out – Bea reads from Pam Anderson’s book describing anal sex.
http://youtu.be/tne3lcEXZyk
dvlaries
Back in the day is right. No wonder, except for “Mad Man”, and the Fox animated comedies I’m always on the computer.
Once upon a time, on a Saturday night, you could watch back-to-back, brand new episodes of All In The Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show & The Carol Burnette Show all for FREE. Today, not in any seven consecutive nights are there five shows that good anymore.
xander
Amen and thumbs up to the prior comments and to the words Mr Avery wrote above.
@tazz602 : thanks for yr link to Bea quoting PamAn. Lol, for real. Coffee is sprayed all over the place now. And some pad thai!
@dvlaries : They +don’t+ make shows like that anymore; wtf happened?
God, I feel old or out of synch with most of our current TV shows!
lucifer Arnold
Joan Rivers should play madamn
[email protected]
Priceless. Thank you. As for Joan Rivers playing Madame, the only connection I see is that Rivers has made herself even more grotesquely frightening looking than Madame ever was. But, then, Rivers has had a stick up her ass far longer. A “friend to gays” my old Aunt Pitty Pat!
Adman
So great…This finally cheered me up since hearing the twenty something twinky boy at the coffee shop describe himself as a “little Cruella, with a side of spotted dog”. At least there’s the past campaigns, these new “increasingly accepted” queers wouldn’t know quality if it was dictated and sent to the authorities as a general alert.
matt
” I have very little to say about sex, YES, WHEN AND WHERE” LMFAO—so true
JoeyO'H
Love it!! Love the old variety shows!
Wayland tried to pick me up in the gay nightclub I worked at in the 1980’s. He followed me into the men’s room and came on strong… I told him I wasn’t into puppets. He stormed out!
Seaguy
I’ll take this over the Real Housewives of wherever anyday!
lizcivious
So wonderful to see Madame again! I used to love her when I was a little girl, although some of her wit may have gone over my head then. I’ll have to hunt up some more of her on YouTube. Yes, those Rock jokes were very ironic!
fembothoho
@JoeyO’H:
liar
Franco
Bea Arthur was one of a kind. I miss her.
Akula
I always loved seeing Wayland and Madam on Hollywood Squared never a dull moment when they were on
Hyhybt
Stupid question, perhaps, but if Madame was a marionette, how did she work in a Square? After all, the top of each square was solid by necessity.
wolfgang731
@Hyhybt: Actually, Madame wasn’t a marionette but rather a puppet.
Hyhybt
@wolfgang731: That makes more sense. I’d only thought her a marionette because the article calls her one.