Two Tough Broads: Barbara Stanwyck and Bea Arthur face-off!

Though they were polar-opposites politically, these two stars would have probably been shocked to learn how alike they really were!

No, they weren’t sisters! So, what does one “Golden Girl” have in-common with the star of “Golden Boy”? As it turns out, quite a bit!

An amusing list of comparisons between the two of them, proves that Barbara Stanwyck was the Bea Arthur of her day, and that Bea Arthur, whether unwittingly or not, emulated her own brand of Stanwyck style.

SOME MAJOR THINGS THEY HAD IN COMMON:

• Both their professional first-names begin with the letter ‘B’.


• Both were actresses from NY.


• Both became well-known TV stars (Stanwyck on THE BIG VALLEY and Arthur on MAUDE and later, THE GOLDEN GIRLS).


• Both had two failed marriages.


• Both let themselves go gray with no wish to cover it up.


• Both became mothers through adoption.


• Both adopted son(s) and had no daughters.
  


• Both were famous for their wise-cracks and wit on-screen.


• Both portrayed women who are often thought of as “tough broads”.


• Both had their own kind of deep, rather husky voice.


• Both were known to “swear like a sailor” depending on who they were around and both were famously outspoken.


• Despite being outspoken about causes they believed in, both were intensely private.


• Both came alive on-camera but were rather shy off-camera.
  


• Both rarely ever gave interviews.


• Both were known for being modest about their status and achievements.


• Both requested to have no funeral.

So, with having so much in common, what’s the biggest difference between these two broads? Well, aside from perhaps the most obvious being that Babara was a star while Bea was more of a character actress, the next most obvious thing is probably their politics. Barbara was a dedicated Republican and conservative, while Bea was a loyal Democrat and liberal. Hence, while they were both alike in many ways, put them in a room together, and they would have probably ended up “facing-off”, indeed! But, great entertainers that they were, I can’t help but be amused at the thought!

And hey, they even met each-other at least once!:

Catch Barbara Stanwyck on TCM; visit the website, for a monthly schedule. And, when you run out of Stanwyck movies to watch, check out Bea Arthur’s classic sitcom, “The Golden Girls” which may be seen, weekdays on THE HALLMARK CHANNEL.