Bea Arthur in the unsuccessful 1974 film version opposite Lucille Ball. In 1981, she appeared in Woody Allen's "The Floating Light Bulb". She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 portraying the Duchess of Krakenthorp, a speaking role, in Gaetano Donizetti's "La fille du régiment". In 1971, Arthur was invited by Norman Lear to guest-star on his sitcom "All in the Family", as Maude Findlay, the cousin of Edith Bunker. An outspoken liberal feminist, Maude was the antithesis role to the conservative Republican character Archie Bunker, who described her as a "New Deal fanatic". Nearly 50, Arthur's tart turn on
Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself before playing festivals around the world. It opened theatrically in New York City in May 2013, and also played in Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Providence, Washington DC and other cities. The film debuted in the United Kingdom on PBS America on February 16, 2014. The film debuted on US television on "American Masters", on May 16, 2014. The film currently rated 95% "Fresh" on the popular film review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes. The film received good reviews, with The New York Times calling it, " skilled portrait of a literary light.”. "Entertainment Weekly" gave