Bea came from a New York stage point of view, rue McClanahan always had what we call ‘ the fourth wall. ’ And Betty came from a television point of view. She would flirt with the audience, and pull up her skirt and say, ‘ Hi, sailor. ’ But Bea never acknowledged the audience.

Bea Arthur

Beatrice "Bea" Arthur was an American actress, comedian, and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both roles. A stage actress both before and after her television success, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Vera Charles in the original cast of Mame.

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