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No need to be ashamed for watching Maude, perhaps Norman Lear's finest program. Good Times self-destructed and All in the Family, while starting out good for three years, went on so long (13 years counting the Archie Bunker's Place years) it was just a shadow of its former self.I had heard of another Maude incident concerning a practical joker wearing a carnation that squirted water. During the same scene the flower kept appearing and disappearing under a coat. The reason for these is that, at least at the time, sitcoms taped in front of an audience were done twice in front of two different audiences. Jokes that didn't work out could be rewritten and the best scenes from each taping could be chosen for the final broadcast copy. Unfortunately, if things weren't done exactly the same, inconsistencies could pop up. And they frequently did. Sitcoms (and dramas for that matter) that occasionally do live episodes do the same thing, except both versions are fully broadcast, one for New York (and eastern USA) and one three hours later for California. Most of the time the California broadcast becomes the official version for reruns and the New York broadcast might be an extra on a DVD release.
I hate to throw more cold water on this short, but would it be safe to say that Gene Roth's one sole highlight is playing Borscth--if I spelled it right and spell check is telling me I didn't. I especially have to think about how Gene came up very short in some of the roles where he had to reinvent a part played by someone with considerable more talent, like a Vernon Dent. Even the Borstch role doesn't grab me that much outside of his salami rant...I apologize in advance to the Gene Stutenroth fan base...
