By Jan Wahl—
The historic Grand Café in San Francisco was located on Geary and Taylor inside the Hotel Monaco, which has been rebranded as The Marker Union Square San Francisco. The restaurant truly was grand, with 30-foot ceilings and classic Belle Époque decor. It closed in July 2014, but was once a great place for me to take interesting people for interviews over a meal. A favorite lunch date of mine there was Bea Arthur.
That particular lunch was unusual, since Bea was not promoting anything new. She had heard me review a movie, and wanted to meet. I found her rather quiet, not like her Golden Girls’ character, but open to chatting, and especially about our shared love for the LGBTQ+ community.
Once we got into that grove it was easy. I don’t recall the particulars of her restaurant order, except that she appreciated food and was known to be a talented cook and dinner hostess in her own right. She dressed in a reserved style that was not like the more colorful clothes she and the other cast members wore on The Golden Girls. (The late Judy Evans designed the wardrobe for all seven seasons—177 episodes—of the series.)
Bea’s clothes that day might not have glowed, but she did when speaking about LGBTQ+ topics. So much of her passion for the community is in a terrific new film: Bea Arthur: The Documentary – “I’ve Done Everything Except Porn.” My friend and fellow San Francisco Bay Times columnist Donna Sachet wrote about it recently, as she attended the debut showing in San Francisco.
Directed and produced by Bea’s former personal assistant and friend Dan Watt, the film captures her love for the equal rights of gays and lesbians. Built around an interview recorded at her kitchen table, this 113-minute feature explains her 50-year career, shares her private thoughts, and reveals her decades of advocacy. Rosie O’Donnell, Bruce Vilanch, and others provide additional commentary. I asked her the important question: “Did you get to keep your clothes from The Golden Girls?” She responded, “Yes, that was in my contract!”
When with her, I got the feeling of a reserved person, but it might have been her caution about the media. As we finished lunch and walked out of the huge room, people started coming up to her with well wishes. I remember her saying, “Fans in San Francisco are much less rude than in Los Angeles.”
The documentary is currently playing a limited theatrical and film festival run across select U.S. cities; I found it at the Orinda Theatre. It isn’t showing in the Bay Area as of this writing, though. Hopefully that will change soon. Watch for updates in the “About” section at the documentary’s website: https://www.beaarthurdocumentary.com/
Back to my lunch with her … the subject came up about the 1974 movie Mame, with the miscast Lucille Ball. Bea played Vera Charles. In prior interviews, Bea said she regretted doing the film adaptation of her Tony Award-winning Broadway role. She even called the film a “tremendous embarrassment.” She was too discreet to give me details, but her discomfort was apparent. Even the iconic “Bosom Buddies” number in the film couldn’t save the situation. A few years later, when I asked composer/lyricist Jerry Herman about it, tears came to his eyes. One thing Bea said, however, is that she was lucky not to have been cut from the film.
Someone who was cut out was Madeline Kahn. In the excellent biography by William V Madison, Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life, there’s a chapter about Lucy firing Madeline in the key role as Agnes Gooch. Apparently, Lucy was worried about being upstaged.
Show biz is a rough world, but, once in a while we get a Bea Arthur, who is loved by many and never forgotten.
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community.
Off the Wahl
Published on November 5, 2026
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