Norman Lear: A Pioneer in TV Comedy
Norman Lear, a legendary figure in the television industry, passed away this week at the remarkable age of 101. While he may not have been the inventor of the situation comedy, his contributions to the genre were unparalleled. In a 1999 interview with "CBS This Morning," Lear expressed his philosophy, saying, "My slide rule is, if I care, you care. If I laugh, you laugh. If I think it's serious, you'll think it's serious."
Without Lear's influence, it is doubtful that iconic characters such as Sanford and his son, Maude, the Jeffersons, the families from "Good Times" and "One Day at a Time," or the grumpy and grandstanding Archie Bunker would have ever graced our television screens.
In a 2016 interview with "Sunday Morning," Lear revealed an interesting anecdote about the casting of "All in the Family." He recalled, "When I began to cast 'All in the Family,' my first thought, the only one I had in mind, that was a name I knew and a face I knew and a personality I understood, was Mickey Rooney. And he thought it was ridiculous that I was thinking of doing a show about a bigot. 'You're going to get killed in the streets,' he told me. 'They're going to shoot you dead!'"
But Lear understood that the America of 1971 was ready for the warts-and-all realness of Archie Bunker. As he told CBS News chief medical correspondent (and his own son-in-law) Jonathan LaPook in 2021, "There's nothing that unites people more or better than laughter."
LaPook asked, "'All in the Family,' in particular, when I think about that, there were people on either side of the political spectrum who saw something in it for them."
"I like to think what they saw was the foolishness of the human condition," Lear said.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Norman Lear on the power of laughter (YouTube Video)
Finding the funny in the serious began early for Lear, when he was growing up working class in Connecticut. He was nine years old when he learned that his adored father was going to prison – sent away for three years after being convicted of selling fake bonds. Lear still remembers a neighbor's "words of wisdom": "Puts his hand on my shoulder and says: 'Well, you're the man of the house now, Norman. And uh, there there, a man doesn't cry!' Nine years old, I'm hearing that! Ultimately, it taught me there's humor everywhere, in every situation."
Norman Lear's Journey of Empathy and Freedom
Lear's worldview was also shaped by trips to New York City, looking out the train window into the apartments of Harlem. "They felt like they were eight feet away; they were probably 30 feet, they were very close," he said. "And the windows leading into the apartments were very visible, and life inside those windows. And they were largely African-American. And I used to wonder about them. Who were these families? What were they thinking? What were their problems? I also had something in common with them. I knew by then that as a Jewish kid, there were people who hated me simply for that reason. And I understood, certainly by then, that Black people had it worse than I had it."
Just a few years later, Lear would look out different windows a world away. During World War II, Lear served as a radio operator and gunner, flying more than 50 bombing missions over Germany and Italy. His escort during some of these dangerous flights: the famed all-Black Tuskegee Airmen.
In 2015 Lear met one of them, Professor Roscoe Brown, face-to-face for the first time. "I shot down a jet over Berlin on a mission that you were on, March 24, 1945," said Brown.
"How amazing is it that the two of us flew the same mission, over Berlin, no less!" said Lear.
Lear understood the price of freedom, and was willing to pay real money for it. In 2000 he and internet entrepreneur David Hayden spent more than $8 million for one of 25 surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence … not for himself, but for the public. It was exhibited across the country for more than three years.
"This is an investment in sharing something that's a part [of us], that belongs to all of us," he said then. "The price of freedom is citizen participation, not 8.4-whatever million dollars."
In 1981, a visionary named Norman Lear founded an influential advocacy group called People for the American Way. This progressive organization aimed to spread its message through public service announcements, highlighting the importance of religious liberty, pluralism, and diversity in America. Lear expressed his joy in being part of a movement that sought to remind the nation of its rich traditions, stating in an interview with "CBS Morning News" in 1986, "Oh, the pleasure of being part of 250,000 people who are seeking to remind America of the tradition of religious liberty and pluralism and diversity in this country."
Throughout his life, Lear was known for his active and vibrant personality. Even well into his nineties, he would start his mornings early, engaging in a workout routine. He also maintained a close connection with his large extended family, including his wife, Lyn, his six children, and four grandchildren.
"The soundtrack of my life has been laughter," Lear once remarked. He firmly believed in the power of laughter as a form of medicine, contributing to his longevity. In an interview with Dr. LaPook, he shared, "Well, I happen to believe it has everything to do with a long life."
Even during the pandemic, Lear continued to create and inspire others through social media. He often shared his thoughts and wisdom with his daughter, Kate, and his son-in-law. Reflecting on the concept of death, Lear expressed his reluctance to leave, stating, "When thinking about the death, I don't mind the going. It's the leaving that is the problem for me! Going? Who knows what's out there that … it can't be all bad. But leaving? I can't think anything good about leaving."
WEB EXTRA: Mo Rocca's conversation with Norman Lear (Podcast)
For more information:
"All in the Family: The Complete Series" is now available on DVD.
Learn more about People for the American Way.
