April 27, 2009, 4:54PM PDT
By Norman Lear
I owe Bea Arthur about 16 years, she added that much time to my life. Laughter can do that.
The first time I saw Bea, she was in an off-Broadway show called “Three to Get Ready.” She played a lady who came out alone on the stage at night, singing an old-fashioned torch song. She sang about a guy who just ditched her and he treated her like “gar-bage.”
Everytime she hit the word “gar-bage,” the theater convulsed. That’s how I first saw her. Then we became friends years later.
KEYWORDS Beatrice Arthur | Norman Lear
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