Maude (1972–1978)

This "All In The Family" spin-off centers around Edith's cousin, Maude Findlay. She's a liberal independent woman living in Tuckahoe, NY with her fourth husband Walter; owner of Findlay's ... See full summary »

Creator:

Norman Lear

Stars:

Bea Arthur, Bill Macy, Conrad Bain

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Bea Arthur	...	Maude Findlay (141 episodes, 1972-1978)
Bill Macy	...	Walter Findlay (137 episodes, 1972-1978)
Conrad Bain	...	Dr. Arthur Harmon (118 episodes, 1972-1978)
Rue McClanahan	...	Vivian Cavender Harmon (100 episodes, 1972-1978)
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Carol Traynor (93 episodes, 1972-1978)

Storyline

This "All In The Family" spin-off centers around Edith's cousin, Maude Findlay. She's a liberal independent woman living in Tuckahoe, NY with her fourth husband Walter; owner of Findlay's Friendly Appliances, Carol Trainor; Maude's divorced daughter from her 2nd marriage and Philip; Carol's son. Other characters included: Dr. Arthur Harmon; Walter's conservative best friend from their Army days. He and Maude were always at odds when it came to politics and just about everything, Vivian Cavender-Harmon; Maude's naieve best friend from their college days who married Harmon in season three; During the show's run, Maude had gone through three maids during the series run: Florida Evans, Nell Naugutuck and Victoria Butterfield. Mrs. Naugutuck and Florida, however, were the most memorable. Although it was a situation comedy, it dealt with serious and often controversial issues, much like Norman Lear's other shows "All In The Family" "One Day At a Time" and "Good Times."

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | spin off | liberal | alcohol | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

liberal. independent. controversial. hilarious.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una signora in gamba

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bud Yorkin Productions, Norman Lear/Tandem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (141 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Doris Roberts was originally cast as Vivian. But after a pilot was shot, the producers felt that Roberts was too similar to Bea Arthur. She was replaced with Rue McClanahan.

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Goofs

At the end of the series, the Governor of New York State appoints Maude to the House of Representatives, filling a vacancy caused by the death of her local Congresswoman. In fact, vacancies in the House of Representatives caused by the death, resignation, or expulsion of a member can be filled only by a special or general election. The rules for filling vacancies in the U.S. Senate, however, vary from state to state.

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Quotes

Carol Trainor: She's as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers. What? I just thought it was my turn.
Arthur Harmon: That's a good joke. I heard it on Sonny and Cher.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin/The Kinks (1977)

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Soundtracks

"And Then There's Maude"
by Marilyn Bergman, Alan Bergman & Dave Grusin
Sung by Donny Hathaway

User Reviews

And Then There's Liberation!!!

At the beginning of the Vietnam War, television showed a housewife burning a chocolate soufflé, at the end of the Vietnam War, MAUDE WAS HAVING AN ABORTION!!!!....The television portrayal of women who played the maternal figures was always one whereby everybody else in the household could have problems, but, she could not!! The role of the mother in the early TV sitcoms was such where she was branded "Miss Perfect Homemaker". Maude was the New York suburban housewife who broke the mold to all of that by giving a pejorative spin to so many of the politically liberal philosophies which prevailed during the 1970's ...While Alice Kramden ("Honeymooners") and Edith Bunker ("All in the Family") established ground-rules on the perfect mother and wife not being so perfect, it only went so far, and was attributed to a lack of adequate household income... Maude was different in that, she, herself, was the culprit to domestic upheaval, and that, she ,alone, was anything but perfect!!!...Maude was the lousy Long Island Liberal.. Have at least twenty percent of the guests at your party be African American...The maid is not inferior to me...She is to have lunch in the dining room...THAT'S AN ORDER!!..My daughter can have casual sex in my house, just to prove that I'm a modern mother....All of these socio-political actions were disconcerting qualities of successful liberalism...The ultimate compliment being...Maude is just like Jane Fonda or Barbara Walters!!!... One of the most scathing indictments of Maude was that she used minorities as objects of tokenism to nurture her seemingly egalitarian beliefs!! Arguments in the Findlay home would linger into the wee hours of the night, and would ultimately translate to Maude basically saying "I need to assuage my guilt!!" The television show "Maude" was WAY!!!! ahead of it's time, and was an accurate depiction of the increasingly emerging, yet typically atypical upper middle class domicile of the seventies...Social hang-ups and affluent facades made the perception of lace curtain living a precarious panacea!! Regardless of any political party affiliation with anyone on this show, anguish stemming from unrealistic expectations always seemed to rear it's ugly head!! A largess of emotional afflictions with the characters on "Maude" were always related to instinctive reactions!! Modern problems were perpetually subjected to the trials and tribulations of egregious human errors!! The transition in the overall American value system is what compounded the day to day domestic dilemmas in Maude's family life!! This show is one of my favorite situation comedies of all time!! Up until 1972, no TV show possessed such acrimonious and such witty dialog like "Maude" did in the whole history of television!! I wish more shows could be so realistic about attitudes and quirky lifestyles!!! Having the same producers as the show "The Honeymooners", it does not surprise me. The talent for articulating abominable human behavior in both these shows was simply amazing!! The series, "Maude" encompassed a bevy of recognizable flaws and executive class frailties which made it extraordinarily humorous!! Quasi affluent families in America are not stilted, "Maude" was one of the first television shows to point this out!! Objectionable humor is often times a necessary metamorphosis in small screen entertainment!! While some may protest to this technique, it signifies a very healthy element of realism in a television show to bring out household peculiarity concerning skeletons in the closet to everybody's immediate attention!! After "Maude", suburban New York will never be the same!!