TV screens may have gone color in the '60s, but TV actors didn't -- the small screen remained a white, white world. It remained white-washed in terms of subject matter, as well: no controversy, no politics, and no racial prejudice (because,...
[more]TV screens may have gone color in the '60s, but TV actors didn't -- the small screen remained a white, white world. It remained white-washed in terms of subject matter, as well: no controversy, no politics, and no racial prejudice (because, of course, there were no people of color). That all changed when producer Norman Lear came into his own. With his first big success, "All in the Family," Lear quickly let us know that father didn't know best. Archie Bunker was television's first ignorant, chauvinist protagonist and, unlike on "The Man Show," the joke was on him.
Born in 1922, Lear had been in Hollywood since the '50s, writing for shows such as "The Ford Star Review." But it was in the '70s that he truly began to shine. He followed the success of "All in the Family" with "Sanford and Son," then produced a series of spin-offs. "All in the Family" begat "The Jeffersons" and "Maude," which begat "Good Times." With each show, Lear pushed the envelope further. He gave us racially mixed couples and gay characters, even allowing one protagonist to have an abortion. He demonstrated a true talent for stirring up realistic controversy.
Lear also demonstrated a commitment to putting people of color on the air, and the huge success of these shows proved there was a big demand for non-white faces on TV. Lear's casting made viewers question their own prejudices -- especially, perhaps, when he put John Amos in a role intended for Bea Arthur in "Onward and Upward."
Lear's private life sometimes mirrored the controversial aspects of his programming. In 1981 he retired from television to found People for the American Way, a left-wing lobby group. And in 1985, he found himself embroiled in a rather public divorce from his wife, Frances. His next marriage to a much younger woman became the subject of his come-back series, "Sunday Dinner." The show failed, but Lear's position as the king of quality, controversial programming remains secure.
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