Remembering Norman Lear

Both the CBS special and Scott Simon’s comments this morning on NPR were great tributes to Norman Lear, a man who revolutionized television and stood for human rights all over the world. (If you missed both or either try On Demand and NPR.org Weekend Saturday for Simon’s comments including a description/audio of Sammy Davis Jr. kissing Carroll O’Connor’s “Archie Bunker” on the cheek, to call that a breakthrough would be an all-time understatement).

Personally, his great television shows, “Maude,” “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son,” to name three will always resonate with me.

One show, (not so?) arguably the greatest of all shows, “All In The Family” stands out more than any.

My mother, who certainly loved me but unlike most mothers did not compliment all that freely, always cited to those many who listened, that I called “All In The Family” to be great very early, in fact just seeing the promo and certainly after the first episode aired so long early in 1971.

A toilet flushed, race, homosexuality and menopause among many hitherto never discussed topics on television, even elsewhere as the pendulum, which perhaps has swung too far, had not even come close to getting off the bench (Desi and Lucy sleeping in separate beds though married on the show and in real life) was discussed.

Lear was the “king” of it, nobody is Shakespeare, but he was/is an all-timer.

I met/interviewed the fabulous “All In The Family” star, Carroll O’Connor once and compared “All In The Family” to “The Babe” (Ruth) in 1920 or 1921, when he easily out distanced any other A.L. players in home runs.

Mr. O’Connor a great baseball fan as were his “Archie Bunker” and “Bill Gillespie,” (the latter on “In The Heat Of The Night,”), retorted you mean 1927 when Mr. Ruth clouted 60 home runs.

Respectfully, I gave my reason for the comparison as in 1927, another great Lou Gehrig came close to the Babe, swatting 47 homers.

The Ruth of ’21, All In The Family and Norman Lear have nobody even close in homers prowess and breaking new ground on television.

Bye Norman, (my father’s name) and thank you for the many incredible shows (“Good Times,” “One Day At A Time,” not cited above, others) your caring and here’s hoping it does not fall apart, without one as wonderful as you.

The great Norman Lear pictured above.