Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 27, 2009 at 17:17:50:
Weigel's Me Too to pay tribute to Bea Arthur with 'Maude' reruns
The late great Bea Arthur's fine work as Maude Findlay -- the title role of Norman Lear's pioneering "All in the Family" 1972-77 spinoff "Maude" -- gets showcased in the 9 p.m. hour tonight through Thursday on Weigel Broadcasting's Me Too, broadcast on WMEU-Ch. 48 and digital channel 26.3 and available on area cable systems.
Arthur died Saturday at age 86, after a bout with cancer.
Of particular interest should be Wednesday's hour, which will be the two-part episode from the series' first season when Maude discovers at age 47 that she is pregnant, and weighs an abortion, It's a storyline that would be as controversial today, if not more so, as it was when it first aired in November 1972, two months before the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision.
"The reaction really knocked me for a loop," Arthur recalled of "Maude's Dilemma" in a 1978 interview with the New York Times. "I really hadn't thought about the abortion issue one way or the other. The only thing we concerned ourselves with was: Was the show good? We thought we did it brilliantly; we were so very proud of not copping out with it."
Other scheduled reruns, with summaries provided by Weigel, include:
Tonight 9--"All in the Family" ("Maude") Edith's cousin, Maude, invites Archie and Edith to the wedding of her daughter, Carol. However, Carol and Maude are not looking forward to Archie, since the man she is marrying happens to be Jewish. Later, the men and the women have their respective bachelor and bachelorette parties, but a grumpy Archie decides to stay in the motel. Meanwhile, Carol realizes just what her fiancee envisions as married life.
Tonight 9:30--"Maude" ("The Ticket") Returning home from shopping, Maude gets pulled over for speeding 34 miles in a 30 mph zone, but adamantly refuses to believe she was speeding at all. Later, during the trial, Maude tries all attempts to get out of paying the fine and prove her innocence.
Tuesday 9 p.m.--"Maude" ("Walter's Heart Attack") Walter is late for a special dinner with Maude because he is trying to stop his book keeper from committing suicide. However, while he is there, Walter has a heart attack and he ends up having much more than his health to worry about, when Maude discovers where he was.
Tuesday 9:30 p.m.--"Maude" ("All Psyched Out") A famed psychic reads Maude's fortune and alerts her to some surprising events that will occur in the near future, one of them being that she will marry for a fifth time. Maude begins to worry about this possibility when the psychic's other predictions start coming true. Ultimately, Maude decides the best thing to do is to remarry Walter.
Thursday 9 p.m.--""Maude" ("Maude Meets the Duke") As part of a publicity tour for a new movie, John Wayne makes a stop in Tuckahoe, to visit Arthur, his number one fan. However, when the ceiling caves in at the Harmons, Arthur talks Maude into hosting the party. Maude decides to have a verbal shootout with the Duke about woman's lib but finds herself tongue tied when she actually meets him.
Thursday 9:30 p.m.--"Maude" ("The Analyst") Maude has a session with a psychiatrist and soon pours out all her innermost feelings, revealing long-hidden secrets and anxieties ranging from her feelings for her dead father and her resentment toward her mother as well as her love for Walter and the fact that she's on the verge of turning 50.
(Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)