Sorry…no personal anecdotes about Bea Arthur. Never met the lady, though I liked her in everything I ever saw her in. She had a devastating way of delivering a line…and the instance I recall at the moment was in a salute to Jerry Herman done at the Hollywood Bowl. Ms. Arthur was there to perform a number she'd introduced on Broadway in Mr. Herman's show, Mame. But in introducing it, she referred to it as being from the show, Vera.
Big laugh from the audience. Vera was the name of the character she played in Mame…so of course, the joke was that she was acting as if her supporting role has been the starring part. And as I typed the previous sentence, it has suddenly dawned on me to check YouTube to see if the clip was there. Better you should see and hear it for yourself than make do with my telling you about it. I'll be back in a moment.
Okay, I'm back. And sure enough, there it was so here it is. I don't think much of the song but I love the joke she did about the show's name…or more accurately, I love the way she sold it. If you want to know what they mean when they talk about "timing" in connection with a funny line, here's a perfect example…one of so many in the grand career of Bea Arthur…