Golden girl Bea was raped in the Marine Corps and couldn't have kids due to the std

Aww, always liked her. Goes to show, you never the know the baggage someone carries around with them.

How do they know this? I knew she was a marine and that she caught an STD, but where do they get that she was raped?

"The military records, released in response to a Freedom of Informaton Act request, include a single “misconduct report” filed against Arthur while she was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina. That misconduct determination stemmed from Arthur’s contracting of a venereal disease, which left her “incapacitated for duty” for five weeks in late-1944. As a result, her pay was reduced for that period."

Ms. Bea Arthur kept correcting, insisting or whatever way deny she served in military when questioned. This even though as noted above information on all US military ( to a certain extent) is public information. At some point Ms. Arthur had to face facts as the question was not going away, and there was ample proof against her claims of not having served.

For a young unmarried woman to have been diagnosed with VD in 1940's was tantamount to be called a "slut". On level with that other indignity, being an unwed mother.

Having been diagnosed with VD, unless you believe those stories about toilet seats, towels, and or catching nasty things from bed sheets means one must have had sexual relations of some sort. Nice girls weren't supposed to be having sex if they were unmarried. Women in military service away from their husbands were under that umbrella as well.

Rape, before, then and even now was a shameful thing to many women. Ms. Arthur like many, many, *many* females of her time (and again before or after) never reported the incident. It would have done her little good as military like every where else in 1940's was a man's world. Her CO would have used same lines countless other men both in and out of military did; saying the woman was completely willing and or even instigated the activity. In short, "she was asking for it".

Pushing for charges after making a formal complaint would have meant a public trial (with attendant records), which likely would have labeled Ms. Arthur a lose tart. You can see from Ms. Arthur's military records as a young woman she was very much like the characters she played on stage and screen; a broad with a big mouth. Some thus would have no problems in Ms. Arthur being taken down a peg or two and believing whatever story her CO whipped up.

R4 I agree with all of this. But, that does not mean that she was raped. I just do not know where the rape part comes from.

There's no evidence she was raped. Absolutely none. You can assume but it's just an assumption.

The blog linked is just a blog, poorly written and with a lot of scandalous claims made without a single reference or bit of proof. OP probably found the blog because it's being linked all over Twitter as "proof" Kirk Douglas raped Natalie Wood.

Which I personally think he did, but until Lana Wood names names, we're not going to know for sure. The blog merely speculates.

Wow, I learned something new today. I honestly thought that Bea Arthur was a trans woman, I thought it was just one of those Hollywood open secrets. I had no idea she was biological female!

Don't believe estate of Bea Arthur would allow even a blog post to say something that wasn't true. Writer doesn't use "allegedly" or any other device to leave doubt, so he appears to be stating something as fact and obviously doesn't seem worried about legal ramifications.

There has to be a reason why a then very patriotic and very keen to join military young Bea Arthur turns around and denies for rest of her life that she wasn't anywhere near.

If it were just a case of catching a dose of clap from an encounter, think by her later years, knowing type of woman BA was, she would simply come out with it.

An eqaually straight forward broad, Jane Russell admitted she was left barren after one of her back alley abortions (as a young woman) totally ruined her insides. This was before landing in Hollywood and going to see a decent professional doctor who told her he "couldn't believe what some people do to women" or words to that affect.

[quote]Writer doesn't use "allegedly" or any other device to leave doubt, so he appears to be stating something as fact and obviously doesn't seem worried about legal ramifications.

Oh come on. They don't give a single source for their claim. Not one.

Everything you said is speculation, and "if it was a lie the estate would sue" is the weakest of excuses. It's not proof of anything.

Bea was simply a mannish woman . See Jane Russell , Ethel Merman. Kate Hepburn et al . The jokes about Bea Arthur's cock are funny , but to believe She was a Trans Man is simple stupidity . Bea was a comedic genius , who did soooo much for the Gay Community . Listening to you ignorant queens is repugnant . GROW UP .

r10 Jane Russell? Mannish? Hardly

She was just a full-figured gal living in a man's world.

IF Bea was raped, you can damn well better believe SHE was the aggressor, not the victim

R8 I believe Bea denied it because she didn’t want to play into the very real notion that she was a “manly” woman.

I suspect she lied about her height, and for the same reason. She claims to be 5’9, but on the Golden Girls she was just as tall as Miles, and almost as tall as Stan; there is no way she was only 5’9.

It is also well know that the jokes about her body are one of the reasons she left the show. She found fame through being manly but I don’t think she was ever comfortable with it.

She denied being in the military because she was from an era where "yer mom wears combat boots" was an insult. Also, she was dishonorably discharged because of an STD and didn't want that known publicly.

Rape has nothing to do with it. You don't need to make up a story about rape to explain why she said she wasn't in the Marines.

Her being raped and unable to have children would certainly explain some of her life long cuntishness.

If there is ever a Bea Arthur Marine movie- D'Arcy Carden from The Good Place could totally take on the role of Bea.

Already honing the Maude persona that would be her bread 'n butter.

Just the one?

Am wondering how long Bea Arthur's STD went undiscovered and how far things had progressed before treatment.

Both clap lues infections can lead to a woman becoming unable to have children, but that is if things go on long enough prior to effective treatment.

While penicillin existed prior to WWII, production was limited and things didn't get ramped up (mass production) until well after USA entered war. Even by 1944 much of production for US and allied military was going to the battlefields, those injured in actual fighting IIRC. VD was a huge issue in WWII and it had been in WWI for USA and allied troops (well everyone really), but standard treatment then was with sulfa drugs. Use of sulfa drugs continued during WWII in part because it freed up limited penicillin supplies for use elsewhere.

Nurses and doctors connected with military healthcare in 1950's through 1970's or 1980's would tell stories of how big huge bad ass guys would faint dead away at sight of meds tray containing two 60cc syringes of penicillin which made up the IM injection treatment at that time. If they managed to stay conscious when tray came in; usually it was at realization just where those two injections were going (IM was usually given in Gluteus medius, hence all those "drop your pants and shorts" jokes.

[quote]Imagine the children she'd have had.

Their dicks would be LEGENDARY!

Poor woman. Very sad.

r15 What makes you say she was a cunt.

R17, thanks for the clip. The blonde at the beginning is Joey Heatherton, and I wonder if "that other little girl, Brenda whatever her name is" was Brenda Lee. The audience laughed, so I assume it was someone famous.

I thought Bea Arthur had kids. I remember reading they were fighting over her estate after she died.

Her sons Matthew and Daniel were adopted.

[quote] or words to that affect.

Oh, dear!

I could tell she'd been in the military just by how well she performed all those exercise drills in aerobics class.

I was raped too, that's why Gracie and I had to adopt.

The truth is that many men serving in the military in during WWI and WWII became infected and shared it with their partners (male and female). Many brought it home with them when on leave or when they left the service.

Left untreated, the men were often okay but it had a devastating impact on the ability of their female partners to bear children.

We found out by reading their diaries after they died that the reason my military hero great-uncle and his wife, the schoolteacher, adopted children is because he brought it home with him after the war. The only treatment available to her in their small town was sterilization. She always cringed when people would talk about what a saint he was. We learned why much later on.

I read the lady who played Maude had the same thing happen to her.

WWI can see and understand as treatment options were limited.

But by WWII military at least did have access to penicillin besides sulfa drugs. The former was largely held for use in treating wounded military or other non-STD use, but could be accessed.

And they she said I was a slut........ at least my southern side dish didn’t leave you needing to put a month old loaf of bread in a Petri dish to stop the discharge.

R13 nah I believe that was her height. Back then (it’s nearly inconceivable to think now) but it was not considered desirable or “feminine” for a woman to be that tall (as in over 5’7”). My mom and my grandmother have confirmed this for me. Plus, she wasn’t tall and willowy/built like a model, she was a big boned woman. And Betty and Rue were/are very short (as were most people in the business back then). I’m sure Harold Gould was a little runt as well.

Who knows if this story is true (I hope not) but weren’t there also rumors that she had a hysterectomy during Season 7 (the two episodes she took off)?