Bea Arthur

After being flooded with calls in support of a Memorial Day Golden Girls marathon tribute for Bea Arthur, Hallmark Channel has decided to give fans more of what they want. And sooner.

The network is kicking off the marathon over three days — from 7 to 9 pm/ET each day — beginning April 28. Executives have hand-picked the episodes, which they describe as the "best of Dorothy Zbornak."

The tribute will continue on Sunday, May 3 with wall-to-wall Golden Girls from 6 am/ET to 3 am/ET on May 4. The previously announced Memorial Day schedule (6:30 am/ET to 2:30 am/ET) will ... read more 16 Comments

Bea Arthur will be remembered not just for her dry delivery and deft timing but for knocking down television taboos. First in Maude, and later in the Golden Girls, she introduced sex-related firsts that other shows were scared to touch. Here's a look at some of the barriers broken by Arthur and other screen stars.

First Married Couple to Share a Bed: Yes, there was a time it was considered wildly risqué to portray two married people sleeping together. But that time was the hilariously uptight 1950s, not swinging 1947, when the real-life married stars of... read more 32 Comments

Beatrice Arthur's friends and colleagues remembered the Emmy- and Tony-winning actress as a brave force in comedy whose talent and voice were one of a kind.

"I knew it would hurt, I just didn't know it would hurt this much," said Betty White, Arthur's Golden Girls costar. "I'm so happy that she ...
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Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home early Saturday with her family at her side, a family spokesperson tells the Associated Press. The actress, who had cancer, would have turned 87 on May 13.

Arthur first portrayed the outspoken and liberal Maude Finley in the Norman Lear comedy series All in the Family. So much did she impress CBS executives that ... read more 57 Comments

Question: Alex and Izzie literally make me puke. They have as much chemistry as Bea Arthur and Tom Cruise.

Answer: I happen to think Bea Arthur and Tom Cruise are magical together.