The Beatrice Arthur Special

The Beatrice Arthur Special is a 1980 American comedy-variety television special hosted by and starring Beatrice Arthur in her first and only prime time special. It was originally broadcast as a "CBS Special Presentation" on January 19, 1980 at 10:00 pm ET/PT.[1]

The Beatrice Arthur Special
Written by	Hal Goldman Saul Ilson Jeffrey Barron
Directed by	Jeff Margolis Howard Morris
Presented by	Beatrice Arthur
Starring	Beatrice Arthur Rock Hudson Melba Moore Wayland Flowers & Madame
Music by	Bob Rozario
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Saul Ilson
Editor(s)	Andy Zall
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Saul Ilson Productions
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	January 19, 1980 (1980-01-19)

Overview

Arthur, along with guest stars Rock Hudson, Melba Moore, Wayland Flowers and his puppet character Madame, perform a series of skits and musical numbers, many of which have a distinct Broadway sensibility. The special was recorded using a single-camera setup without a studio audience, with a laugh track added in post-production.[2]

Featured songs and skits

• "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" (Arthur)
• "Hey There, Good Times" (All)
• Arthur, appearing beside herself with chroma key effects, illustrates network efforts to make her dress like Carol Burnett, Dolly Parton or Cher
• A comic dialogue between Beatrice Arthur and Madame, including the song "A Good Man is Hard to Find"
• The Harry Fenwick Funeral—Fenwick's widow Gloria (Arthur) meets two of his three mistresses, Marsha and Ruthie, who are all surprised to find he also had a gay lover (in an afterthought, Arthur notes that this would be the most risqué sketch of the night)
• Arthur goes over frequently asked questions, segueing into "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (Arthur)
• "Everybody Today is Turning On" (Arthur and Hudson)
• A reporter (David Sheehan) visits Steve Martin's parents (Arthur and Conrad Bain)
• A medley from Ain't Misbehavin' (Arthur and Moore)
  • "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"
  • "Ain’t Misbehavin'"
  • "'T Ain't Nobody's Bizness"
• Edie and Judd's Second Honeymoon, a dramedy sketch in which a burnt-out couple (Arthur and Hudson) celebrates their 30th anniversary
• "Old-Time Religion"/"Saved" – Arthur plays charismatic evangelist Sister Love, with Hudson and Moore as testimonials and Madame as the keyboardist
• Finale: "The Way I See It" – Beatrice Arthur

The Paley Center for Media copy includes Moore singing "Miss Thing" as well; that song is not on bootleg copies of the over-the-air broadcast.

References

1. John J. O’Connor (January 18, 1980). "TV Weekend Laughter Is Magic for Beatrice Arthur". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
2. Phil Hall (March 26, 2004). "The Bootleg Files: The Beatrice Arthur Special". Film Threat. Retrieved 2009-04-26.

External links

• The Beatrice Arthur Special on IMDb
• The Beatrice Arthur Special at the Paley Center for Media