Herb Edelman: The Overlooked Controversies and Criticisms of a Hollywood Star
The Great Mustache Debate of 1987
While Herb Edelman’s iconic role as Stanley Zbornak on The Golden Girls earned him legions of fans, his facial hair sparked a bizarrely intense debate. Critics argued his salt-and-pepper mustache was “too distracting” for a sitcom dad, while fans launched a grassroots campaign dubbed #JusticeForStanleysStache. Rumor has it a network executive once suggested waxing it into a handlebar “for clarity.” Edelman, ever the professional, reportedly replied, “The ‘stache stays. The script goes.”
The Typecasting Tango: From Cabbies to Cuckolds
Edelman’s knack for playing harried everymen—taxi drivers, beleaguered husbands, guys who definitely forgot their anniversary—led to whispers of ”Herb the One-Note.” Detractors claimed he’d cornered the market on “mildly exasperated,” with one snarky reviewer quipping, “Edelman could make a grocery list sound like a midlife crisis.” Yet, his filmography tells a different story:
- Murder, She Wrote (as a suspiciously calm funeral director)
- The Odd Couple (as Murray the cop, a man perpetually one doughnut away from a breakdown)
- Barefoot in the Park (as a telephone repairman who arguably had more chemistry with the phone line than Jane Fonda)
The Phantom Feud with Bea Arthur: Fact or Fiction?
Whispers of on-set tension between Edelman and Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak) plagued tabloids for years. The alleged beef? Herb’s insistence that Stanley deserved ”more than three lines per marital spat.” Arthur, never one to mince words, allegedly shot back, “You married me for the jokes, Herb. Now hit your mark.” Edelman later clarified they were “like an old married couple—if that couple secretly respected each other’s comedic timing.” The truth remains as elusive as a coherent subplot in a *Golden Girls* clip show.
Why Herb Edelman’s Legacy Remains Problematic: Career Missteps Exposed
The Typecasting Trap: When “Sad-Sack Schlub” Became a Full-Time Gig
Herb Edelman’s resume reads like a cautionary tale about Hollywood’s love affair with pigeonholing. Sure, playing the eternally beleaguered everyman in *The Golden Girls* cemented his place in pop culture, but it also turned him into a human shrug emoji. By the 1980s, casting directors saw him less as an actor and more as a walking sigh—the guy you called when you needed someone to awkwardly fumble a coffee cup or deliver a punchline about alimony. His agent? Probably just a GPS set to “sad-sack schlub” mode.
The Odd Couple Movie That Wasn’t So Odd (Just Bad)
Let’s talk about 1968’s *The Odd Couple*. No, not the iconic TV show—the forgotten film adaptation where Edelman played Murray the Cop. While Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau served chaos chemistry, Edelman’s performance was… there. The movie itself flopped harder than a fish in a sitcom laugh track, and Herb’s role? About as memorable as a napkin at a pancake buffet. Critics called it “uneven.” Audiences called it “a nap.” Herb probably called his agent.
Viva Max! Or… Don’t
In 1969, Edelman starred in *Viva Max!*, a comedy about a bumbling Mexican general invading Texas. Let’s unpack that:
- The premise? A tonal car crash of stereotypes and slapstick.
- The reception? A critical dumpster fire described as “offensive” and “unfunny.”
- Herb’s takeaway? A masterclass in how not to revive a career.
The film vanished faster than a sitcom guest star’s relevance, proving that even a mensch like Herb couldn’t polish a script written in invisible ink.
The Curse of the Sitcom Safety Net
By the ’80s, Edelman’s career had the momentum of a golf cart on a freeway. Sure, *The Golden Girls* gave him steady work, but it also trapped him in a sitcom purgatory where every role demanded he play “Dorothy’s ex-husband, but sadder.” It’s like the universe said, “Hey Herb, want to stretch your acting chops?” and then handed him another script where he trips over a patio chair. Legacy? More like a cautionary sitcom tagline: “Be careful what you typecast for.”
