by Frank Calvillo
By the time season four of Maude premiered in the fall of 1975, the sitcom had already become well-known for its ongoing tackling of virtually every social issue under the sun to the point where it was even giving its father series, All in the Family, a run for its money. In fact in an interview years later, series star Beatrice Arthur commented how reading each week’s script in front of the network censor had become a common practice in addition to the Monday morning cast read-throughs.
However, in season four, rather than trying to squeeze a number of current events into a 30 minute episode, the makers of Maude opted to stretch out their hot-button storylines over the course of a number of weeks, fully exploring the depths of their importance for another controversial and naturally hilarious season.
Beginning with the premiere, and stretching into the season’s fifth episode, the fourth year of Maude saw the show at its most socially relevant. In episode 1, titled “The Split,” Walter (Bill Macy) and Maude (Arthur) get into an argument when it is revealed that she intends to run for the state senate. This poses a problem in that a win would mean a move to Albany and Walter giving up his business, and essentially his purpose as a man. Yet Maude, tired of years of being a housewife who felt she never accomplished anything on her own, desperately wants to run.
The episode ends with Walter moving into a bachelor pad and Maude running a highly-charged campaign as the two begin divorce proceedings. Indeed this was certainly indicative of what was happening during the time, with many marriages being thrown into turmoil as wives were finding their own voices, as well as the desire to enter the workplace. The drama-filled episodes included Walter going off the wagon as a result when faced with the agonizing realization that though they both love each other deeply, neither one could fully have what they truly wanted.
Things got even more controversial towards the end of the season with the two-parter titled “Maude’s Mood” in which Maude launches a relentless, and expensive, campaign to get Henry Fonda elected President of the United States, bringing her longtime hidden manic depression, and Walter’s denial of it, to the surface. This two-parter was certainly important in that represents one of the many problems large numbers of American society suffered from, yet seldom discussed in public. The fact that it was brought out in such an upfront way in the form of a popular and beloved television figure was nothing short of bold and monumental. Certainly the fact that such an issue was handled with sharp humor made things all the more palatable, such as when Fonda himself shows up at Maude’s home and upon seeing his face on a life-sized presidential poster declares, “Jimmy Stewart put you up to this, didn’t he?”
The beauty of Maude, not to mention the sheer genius of its creator Norman Lear, was that in spite of being a platform with which to promote discussion about the very real outside world, no one ever forgot that they were making a sitcom. Episodes such as “Poor Albert,” where Maude discovers that one of her former husbands has died and requested that she sprinkle his ashes in the ocean, or when Walter is accused of public indecency, but is ashamed by his alibi of being at a Donald Duck marathon in “Walter’s Stigma,” offered nothing but pure comedy gold.
Likewise the show’s writing never missed one hilarious beat, regardless of subject matter. Case in point, the moment when Maude sees Walter’s young, attractive neighbor walking away in her short tennis skirt which prompts her to comment, “How quickly one forgets how firm thighs can really be.” There are always of course great laughs to be had during Maude’s slight diva moments, such as when she’s showing off the outfit she will wear when meeting Fonda, “Everybody, how do I look? I want Mr. Fonda to know I’m sincere. You, know folksy, yet chic. Sort of a cross between Will and Ginger Rogers.” Sometimes the writing was so spot on, it even managed to predict the future, like in the same episode when Maude and next door neighbor Arthur (Conrad Bain) are having a fight. “This whole idea of yours is stupid, anyway,” says Arthur. “Running an actor for president!” To which Maude replies: “Oh, is that so, Arthur? And who do you want to be our next president?” Without hesitation, Arthur states, “Ronald Reagan! And don’t give me that look Maude Findlay, Ronald Reagan was never an actor, and you know it!”
In terms of writing and acting, it’s hard not to admire how Maude was clearly getting stronger as the seasons rolled on. The show truly kept on pushing the envelope at a point when most shows started to lose their steam, oftentimes coasting on the comfort of their successes. But as moments, such as when Maude’s eyes widen as she proclaims, “I’ve just had a brilliant idea! For Vice President, we’ll run Jane!” clearly show that Maude NEVER coasted.
Season 4 of Maude is now available on DVD from Shout! Factory.
