[post_page_title]A prickly star[/post_page_title]
Jim Colucci, who wrote “Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai,” portrays Bea Arthur as difficult to work with from his research, interviewing 250 people for his book. Colucci described her as a “quirky and complicated woman” who hates birds and the sound of chewing gum to the point she would get people fired over it. She also never wore shoes on set because a past injury made footwear troublesome for her. In addition to her problematic whims, the producers didn’t want to bring the serious actress, with lauded roles such as Maude, to the lighthearted sitcom. If Susan Harris, the show’s writer, hadn’t put her foot down, NBC wouldn’t have cast Arthur, but another Broadway heavy-hitter…
