Tuesday, December 22, 2020

PRE-United: And then there's Stan...!

Among our very favorite TV sitcoms is the 1980s wonder The Golden Girls. (I'm hardly alone. The show has been in constant rotation on several channels for decades now, though I prefer watching the DVDs over the heavily-edited renditions that are currently shown. Sometimes entire scenes are cut out!) Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak had a hate-love relationship with her ex-husband Stan through the course of the series, with comedy veteran Herb Edelman making two-dozen appearances along the way. The couple, having split after "38 years of marriage," went through varying degrees of antagonism, affection, alienation and even a near trip back down the altar once more! The chemistry between Arthur and Edelman was palpable and Edelman's 6'5" stature went a long way in making them a visually compatible couple as well. (Likewise, this lent comic leverage when he was put in his place by the diminutive Estelle Getty as Dorothy's mother Sophia.)

Arthur was a Broadway vet who parlayed a thunderous guest appearance on All in the Family into a series all her own. Called Maude, she was a force of nature, espousing socio- political viewpoints at the polar opposite of Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker. And while Maude wasn't the runaway success that All in the Family was, it was a considerable hit and ran for six seasons. 

During the third season of Maude, Arthur was promoted to office manager at her real estate company. This was at a time (1974) of the women's movement for equality in the workplace, when it was common- place for females to be overlooked for promotions, not to mention comparable wages, raises, etc... Having accomplished the impossible in winning the spot, Arthur is distraught at the prospect of overseeing her male coworkers. Faint reassurance comes from her family as well as from best friend Vivian (who was played by Arthur's future Golden Girls costar Rue McClanahan.) 

Congratulations are in order, along with a new briefcase!
Arthur's employees, Tony, Woody and Bud, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newly-crowned boss lady.

If the rear view of that balding pate seemed familiar, it should...

...It belongs to Mr. Herb Edelman, playing the sexist, uncooperative Woody. (By the way, check those candles...! Disney thought they had trouble with the artwork for the VHS of The Little Mermaid, 1989?? Ouch! Ha ha ha!!)

As one might expect, Arthur meets with a fair amount of resistance upon her arrival. The other guys are a little awkward, yet respectful.

Naturally, Edelman is a royal jerk to her.

Not exactly a shrinking violet, Arthur attempts to get through to Edelman, "man to man."

With one foot propped on a chair, she takes on the office bully.

Unfortunately, when he tells her to move her boobs out of the way so that he can get back to his desk, it kicks off a mini-meltdown which sends her careening out the door and back home.

Following a pep talk and some much-needed affection from her husband Walter (Bill Macy), she heads back to the office with cigars as a peace offering and an apparent handle on the situation.

Now firmly in charge of Edelman and the office, she's not going to let him get away with his shenanigans any longer.

In what would later be a motif on The Golden Girls, tough guy Edelman breaks down in tears. (One can almost here him wailing, "Dorothy...!" in this shot.

Having finally come to an understanding, things are about to work out fine when suddenly Arthur finds out that, despite her promotion, she's still being grossly underpaid simply because she is female. With that, she heads out the door for an extended lunch hour and into the arms of her husband, who's waiting at home in their master bedroom! Remarkably, in this one, sole, instance of working with one another as actors, Edelman and Arthur had already achieved the dynamics which would later lead to a far more involved pairing on The Golden Girls. Edelman scored big as the "schmuck" Stanley Zbornak and gave Arthur plenty to work with as the alternately wounded and acerbic Dorothy.

You can read a bit more about Miss Bea Arthur here. After Maude ended in 1978, she took some time away from the grueling work of a regular series until attempting Amanda's in 1983. That was finished after just 13 episodes, but in 1985 she accepted the role of Dorothy, which was to be her greatest television success, ending only when she decided to opt out in 1992 (with a two-part appearance on the ill-fated spin off The Golden Palace the season after that marking her final turn in the role.)

As for Edelman, he too had done some work on Broadway and then proceeded to multiple guest roles on television. He also popped up in movies such as Barefoot in the Park (1967), repeating his stage role as the telephone man, The Odd Couple (1968) and The Way We Were (1973) with a moderately successful sitcom, The Good Guys, along the way. It may surprise you to know that he had a 6-year marriage to prolific actress Louise Sorel from 1964-1970. Always busy, his role as Stan arguably stood out as his most notable amid many other parts. He essayed the role one final time on a 1993 episode of The Golden Palace. In 1996, he was taken from us far too early at only age 62 from emphysema, though his work can be seen continuously through reruns of the many shows and movies he worked on.   

Stanley Zbornak has his own place in the pop culture firmament along with the ever popular Golden Girls foursome.

8 comments:

Dan said...

I was never much of a fan of "AITF", but I well remember Maude's appearance, when she came to help Edith when the rest of the family had the flu. She presented Archie who had some, uh, intestinal difficulties with a bowl of Cream of Wheat with cheese - "It's light, but it binds". That line has stuck with me all these years.

Edelman was one of those actors who was everywhere in the 70's. I had no idea he died that young.

Just this week, Perry Mason has featured two of your highlighted actors, Gary Lockwood and Dick Davalos. Really hit me this time what a beautiful voice Davalos had, and an almost hypnotic gaze - or maybe all this quarantining has me imagining things!

Shawny said...

Dang, I was expecting to see a Herb Edelman bulge or cheek peek. Maybe even a shirtless view. What is going on here? :)

Jimbo said...

I’m not sure I understand your candle comment. I grew up with faux candle electric outlets with flame shaped bulbs.I have some in my present home. They were quite common in older homes, so the use of them here in the office actually shows the scrupulous detail the set designer took to imply the old fashioned nature of the office Maude worked in.

SonofaBuck said...

Herb Edelman held a special place in my memories owing to an obscure live-action Saturday morning show called “Big John, Little John,” in which Herb is an ordinary fellow who stumbles upon the Fountain of Youth. As a result, he randomly transforms from a full-grown man to a boy and back again. Hijinks ensue. Rarely a fan of anything other than cartoons on Sunday morning - except for any Sid & Marty Krofft productions - the show was fun and endeared me to Mr. Edelman. And, as you note, I would encounter him all over the 1970s television landscape. The fact that he and the amazing Bea Arthur created even more great television is icing on the cake. Thanks for another great post! (And Happy Holidays, my friend!)

Gingerguy said...

Maude was an odd show for a child to watch, but I was an odd child. I missed out on GG when it was on but have grown to love it in syndication. It seems never to be off the air. He has really great chemistry with her and is even a little sexy(now I know I am getting up there lol)

VictorG said...

I loved Maude, she was funny, acerbic and right on! The 1970s were full of hope for a better, more equal future, and fierce people who took on the establishment, like Maude. I learned from you, Poseidon, that Bea Arthur was not that fierce in real life, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised; she left a generous bequest in her will to the Ali Forney Center here in NYC which houses, educated and protects homeless LGBTQ kids who have been cast out of their own homes. The first residence owned and operated by the Ali Forney Center is called The Bea Arthur Residence in honor of this generous artist who enriched so many people's lives not only with her comedy but with her vision and philanthropy. Her legacy lives on, as you can see in the link:
https://aliforneycenter.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=539
Finally, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you for keeping your fans entertained and informed throughout one of the worst years in my very long live. Cheers, Poseidon! Happy 2021 to all!

Poseidon3 said...

Dan, that is such a fun episode because it's a rare instance in which Archie is FULLY stood up to by an equal opponent who will take no flak! LOL Was Gary Lockwood a boxer in the "Perry Mason" ep? I know he is on one of them because he really has a momentous slip up in his shorts! ;-)

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dVDT3l2NKuY/XFBPz7bbspI/AAAAAAABAr8/SP4nodPtitA-4DeMsIU-hIZmpAgnIduugCEwYBhgL/s1600/BU20d.jpg

Shawny, I guess I felt showing Bea's bulge was adequate this time. Ha ha ha ha!!!

SonofaBuck, I'm not familiar with that show!! As a tyke, I was all about the animated Saturday morning shows and rarely watched the live action ones. Now as an adult, I'm drawn more to the ones with actual people. I started to highlight some of those shows and intended to continue a third time, but never did... :-[

https://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2016/07/saturday-morning-fever-volume-one.html

https://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2017/06/saturday-morning-fever-volume-two.html

Gingerguy, I recall seeing "Maude" as a kid and most of it went over my head. I always thought it was fascinating that she rarely said anyone's name only once. It was always, "Oh, Walter, Walter...!" or "Carol... Carol..." I still have trouble reconciling the Bea from "Maude" with the Bea from "TGG" because her looks changed so much! The characters are somewhat similar, but Bea really lost weight and had a few tweaks here and there.

VictorG, thanks for that additional info on Ms. Arthur and her thoughtfulness/generosity. It did shock me that someone so ON IT and at times abrasive could be so demure and shy in person! I love that she could draw it all out for the camera/stage. (Truth be told, MANY actors are introverts who love to express themselves through a whole other being while acting. It's why many, not so much today when everyone is so media savvy, made for some sort of dull interview subjects back in the day.) It has hands down been my own worst year and I dearly hope 2021 is far different for all of us! Thanks very much.

David Kenilworth said...

Not to be missed: Edelman in Steambath, starring Bill Bixby

From IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167415/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl:

TV adaptation of Bruce Jay Friedman's off-Broadway play. Tandy, Merideth and assorted others unexpectedly wake up in a steambath with no easy exit. After spending some time there, it becomes clear that the steambath is a sort of Afterlife, where indifferent souls come to tell their stories to God who happens to be the attendant picking up the towels.