The Beatrice Arthur Special

Arthur, along with guest stars Rock Hudson, Melba Moore, Wayland Flowers and his puppet character Madame, perform a series of skits and musical numbers, many of which have a distinct Broadway sensibility. The special was recorded using a single-camera setup without a studio audience, with a laugh track added in post-production.[2]

• "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" (Arthur)
• "Hey There, Good Times" (All)
• Arthur, appearing beside herself with chroma key effects, illustrates network efforts to make her dress like Carol Burnett, Dolly Parton or Cher
• A comic dialogue between Beatrice Arthur and Madame, including the song "A Good Man is Hard to Find"
• The Harry Fenwick Funeral—Fenwick's widow Gloria (Arthur) meets two of his three mistresses, Marsha and Ruthie, who are all surprised to find he also had a gay lover (in an afterthought, Arthur notes that this would be the most risqué sketch of the night)
• Arthur goes over frequently asked questions, segueing into "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (Arthur)
• "Everybody Today is Turning On" (Arthur and Hudson)
• A reporter (David Sheehan) visits Steve Martin's parents (Arthur and Conrad Bain)
• A medley from Ain't Misbehavin' (Arthur and Moore)
  • "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"
  • "Ain’t Misbehavin'"
  • "'T Ain't Nobody's Bizness"
• Edie and Judd's Second Honeymoon, a dramedy sketch in which a burnt-out couple (Arthur and Hudson) celebrates their 30th anniversary
• "Old-Time Religion"/"Saved" – Arthur plays charismatic evangelist Sister Love, with Hudson and Moore as testimonials and Madame as the keyboardist
• Finale: "The Way I See It" – Beatrice Arthur

The Paley Center for Media copy includes Moore singing "Miss Thing" as well; that song is not on bootleg copies of the over-the-air broadcast.

A retrospective review by Phil Hall at Film Threat's "The Bootleg Files" cited Moore's performances as the highlight of the special, also noting that Flowers's segments provided some of the few moments of "genuine fun" in the show. Hall conceded he was not a fan of Arthur's voice or style and felt that Moore seemed out of place with Arthur, the openly gay Flowers and the closeted Hudson. In all, Hall concluded that the awkward mix of mostly unfunny comedy (citing the Martin sketch as a lowlight) with dramedy, poor choreography, and miscasting of camp icons like Hudson in straight roles made the special so bad, it's good.[2]

• The Beatrice Arthur Special at IMDb
• The Beatrice Arthur Special at the Paley Center for Media