10/04/2026
You undoubtedly know Bea Arthur for her legendary roles on the TV classics “The Golden Girls” and “Maude.” Before breaking through on the small screen, she was already a Broadway star, having created the role of Vera Charles in the musical (and later the film) “Mame,” and the role of Yenta the matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Producer and director Dan Watt was Arthur’s personal assistant for six years. He developed a previously unseen interview that he did with her into a documentary that goes beyond her public persona to reveal a sensitive, vulnerable woman who was passionate about supporting the LGBTQ community.
The film will screen on October 10 and 11 at the Orinda Theater, and on October 12 at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, with Q&As with the filmmaker following each screening.
In a recent phone interview with Adam Sandel, Watt discussed his friendship with the beloved star, and his inspiration for creating a film to honor her.
“I said we should film one of our lunches; it would be amazing. She said, ‘You can interview me. Let’s do it next Saturday.’ I worked at Colombia Pictures, so I set up a crew and we did an 80-minute conversation at her kitchen table.”
Read more: https://www.ebar.com/story/170642/
