Posted on 08/01/2015 8:06:33 PM PDT by Second Amendment First
Legendary TV producer Norman Lear stopped by the Televisison Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills to promote an upcoming PBS documentary covering his carreer that’s set to debut next year. But what seemed to most impress reporters was the 93-year-old’s opinionated tangents, covering politics, TV, America and mindfullness. Below are seven highlights from a press conference with the creator of hits like All in the Family, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time:
— On politics: “Everybody knows me to be a progressive or a liberal or lefty or whatever. I think of myself as a bleeding heart conservative. You will not f–k with my Bill of Rights, my Constitution, my guarantees of political justice for all. But does my heart bleed for those who need help and aren’t getting the justice that the country promises them and the equal opportunity the country promises? Yes. I’m a bleeding heart, but I think myself to be a total social conservative. The people who are running just don’t seem to have America on their minds, not the America I think about. When I was a kid we were in love with America. As early as I can remember, there was a civics class in my public school. And I was in love with those things that guaranteed freedom before I learned that there were people who hated me because I was Jewish. I had a Bill of Rights and a Constitution, those words out of the Declaration that protected me. And I knew about that because we had civics in class. We don’t have that much in the country anymore. So before World War II or shortly after, we were in love with America because we understood what it was about and that’s what we were in love with. I believe everybody’s patriotic today. Everybody loves America. But I don’t need their flag plans to prove it. I’d like to go back to civics lessons.”
— On waking up: “I want to wake up feeling as I usually do, loving the day. The title of my book is Even This I Get to Experience, and that’s the way I basically look at life moment to moment. And now I’m looking out at you. I was 93 on Monday. So it took me 93 and 5 days to get here. It took you every split second of each of your lives to get here for me. So I’m way ahead of you. It took all your lives to get here, so this moment is the moment. Even this we get to experience.”
— On the Golden Age of television: “I think this is the Golden Age. I understand what the Golden Age was when I was coming into television, and it was those years of Playhouse 90 and Philco Playhouse. But there’s great drama and some great comedy on television today. I can’t see it all.”
— On excess: “Our greatest export in America is excess. We are so excessive. There is so much to watch, so much to buy, so much they’re selling. I wish they would sell the value of the country as hard as they sell the rest of it.”
— On living in the moment: “There’s two words that are underrecognized, ‘over’ and ‘next.’ When something is over, it’s over. And we’re always on to ‘next.’ And the hammock, the imaginary hammock in the middle is what I think is meant by living in the moment. I’m living in the moment waiting for next.”
— On perspective: I’ve learned introspectively how much each of us matters and how little we understand how much we matter in the course of our day. I’m impressed with the way we all affect each other in small ways and the good we do in terms of relationships that would otherwise seem meaningless, or certainly easy to overlook, that we don’t take credit for, each of us, all of us. If I could make anything clear, it would be that.
It was also based on a British show and Lear’s relationship with his father.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family#History_and_production
This reminds me of the novel Don Quixote. Cervantes set out to satirize him as a foolish imitator of the exploits of medieval knights, but ended up humanizing him (and the later writer Unamuno actually set him forth as a genuine hero). Don Quixote was wrong about many things, but people could identify with him in some respects. The same was true of Archie Bunker.
No, you’re thinking of Norm Lenhart.
My problem is that it seemed out of character for Meathead to abandon the family and move to a commune (especially given that he was “growing” as a person and recognizing when out in the working world was different from when he was a radical student). It was a convenient plot device to give Sally Struthers her own spin-off show when Rob Reiner wasn’t going to be joining her.
The first season of True Detective was as good as television can be. As for comedy, it’s harder to make the audience laugh as it ages because it seems like everything’s been done already and the joke’s been told too many times.
I don't think you watched the same series I did. The one I saw stereotyped conservatives as crude, ignorant, racist and intolerant. The "fun" he was making of Meathead's liberal causes simply reinforced the counter-culture's sense of condescending superiority when dealing with "regular Americans," as Archie called them. Archie became the Left's symbol of all they thought was wrong with America They were laughing at the ignorant buffon.
The series probably wouldn't make it to pilot today, as you say, because of the politically correct atmosphere Lear was diligent in helping to create. The damage Lear has done to the "real America" he claims to love is immeasurable. He's not just a Lefty -- he's a Marxist.
As much as liberals Norman Lear and Carroll O'Connor WANTED the audience to "hate" the stupid buffoon Archie, he ended up pretty much being right on a lot of things.
Even Nixon commented on it.
Nixon hated the way Meathead made fun of Archie and his love of country and his patriotism.
In the end, you watch the show now and realize that Mike is a complete dope.
As a youngster I "rooted" for Mike, because he seemed smart.
As an adult, I find that Mike is the epitome of "stupid liberal".
There are several episodes where Mike gets called out as phony-baloney.
One, where Lionel tells Mike how he acts like he's only friends with him because he's black.
In another, thieves break into the Bunker's house and Meathead attempts to "understand" the robbers.
Cleavon Little says "Oh, so you know all about living in the ghetto, huh?"
To say that and remain a democrat speaks of retardation..
Norman Lear is retarded..
Agreed.
Norman Lear’s worst moment was realizing that viewers weren’t laughing at Archie Bunker, they were laughing with him.
His ex tried publishing “Lear’s” magazine in the early 90’s, which was like Vogue with radical politics. It bombed.
I hate hypocrisy & I hate wealthy liberal know-it-alls. Screw ‘em.
“One, where Lionel tells Mike how he acts like he’s only friends with him because he’s black.”
5:49:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs9nFACjvuU
“In another, thieves break into the Bunker’s house and Meathead attempts to “understand” the robbers.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydGRhb5CEbI
At least George was a self made man. It was George’s personality that made him funny.
Really? Looks more like the “vast wasteland” gone far beyond
i thot he was talking about the new shows. thx g i do and can’t watch.
Well at least someone thinks of me...sob.... ;)
I dunno, I’d be a bit perturbed I was confused with Norman Lear. :-P
Well if someone seriously confuses me with Norman Lear based on my post history, then one of us is seriously broken with reality so I gotta go with simple confusion over/with ‘Norman’ and it being an uncommon name...One for which I will never forgive my mother BTW...
On the other hand, by name does translate to “Man of the north with the heart of a lion” so I guess there are worse options ;)
Would you like to discuss more about your mother, Norman ?
Insert Psycho music here ;)
He’s a social conservative? Well, alright! That means he’s pro-life, opposes gay marriage, and calls Bruce Jenner Bruce Jenner! Maybe People for the American Way can mobilize to shut down Planned Parenthood in light of the horrific videos!
I imagine that film went a long ways in limiting the number of baby boys named Norman after it. :-P
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