62: Maude Goes to a Gay Bar

“The Gay Bar” (December 3, 1977)

And then there’s Maude — for a second time! In this final-season installment, Maude battles Arthur (Conrad Bain) over his opposition to a gay bar that’s just opened up in town. It’s basically Arthur having conversation after conversation in which other character break apart his justifications for homophobia. But funny!

Check out the work of Norn Cutson, the talented artist who contributed some original art to a forthcoming GEE merch project. Thanks, Norn!

If you want the backstory about how Maude came to be, listen to our previous episode about it. And if you want to find out about the strange way Maude ended, listen to our Night Court episode, in which Drew apparently ended up talking about it. No, he doesn’t remember why either.

Back in the early days, SNL was brutal to Anita Bryant in a way it’s not really capable of anymore. Also here is a song she never had any business singing.

And, of course, the secret extended version of the theme to Maude.

This episode’s outro theme is “She Has a Way” by Bobby O (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon Music)