Joe Tennis
Norman Lear created characters — or further developed characters — that still live in our souls.
One was George Jefferson. Another was Archie Bunker.
These guys lived next door to each other in a sitcom called “All in the Family” during the early 1970s. And it was sheer comic genius when the two battled wits.
Both were short-sided but beloved. Even Archie, who could be rude and stupid, was still someone you liked, because, in the end, he turned out to be teachable. He learned to love just about everybody, even if he ranted against them — at first.
Lear died earlier this week at age 101.
Ironically, I was binge-watching “All in the Family’ earlier this week and caught a couple of classic episodes I had never seen from the stellar second season.
People are also reading…
In one, Archie got stuck on an elevator and insulted everybody around him. In another, he had to fire a man on his crew but also lost an insurance policy.
It’s all simple stuff — just pure life.
That’s what Lear gave us in show after show: ones still worth discovering.
“Maude” still holds up — to a degree. This show was a 1972 spinoff of “All in the Family.” Over time, you may get tired of the lead character and its supporting cast; the show ran for six years.
But look up the early episodes featuring Florida Evans, the quick-witted housekeeper who later got her own show called “Good Times.”
Hearing Florida and Maude debate race relations, family issues and politics is genius.
Yet “Good Times” gave Florida a family to share with viewers in the housing projects of Chicago. This was a pioneering show about African American life.
Conversely, “The Jeffersons” offered a mixed blend of characters while celebrating the success of George Jefferson’s rise to wealth with a “deluxe apartment in the sky.”
Lear never seemed to stop taking characters out of a show — and giving them their own series. But, not all became runway hits that lasted for years.
Florence, the maid on “The Jeffersons,” got her own show called “Checking In.” But it was gone after only a few episodes.
The “All in the Family” franchise defined a generation with so many spinoff shows that ultimately also included “Gloria” in the early 1980s.
Still, that was not the end of what Lear produced.
He was also the charge behind the zany “Sanford and Son” and the more realistic “One Day at a Time.”
And, yet, there was so much more!
Lear made us laugh. He also made us think. He challenged stereotypes and prejudices.
At 101, he also left behind an enormous body of work that could take you years to discover and enjoy — if you haven’t already.
#lee-rev-content { margin:0 -5px; }
#lee-rev-content h3 {
font-family: inherit!important;
font-weight: 700!important;
border-left: 8px solid var(–lee-blox-link-color);
text-indent: 7px;
font-size: 24px!important;
line-height: 24px;
}
#lee-rev-content .rc-provider {
font-family: inherit!important;
}
#lee-rev-content h4 {
line-height: 24px!important;
font-family: “serif-ds”,Times,”Times New Roman”,serif!important;
margin-top: 10px!important;
}
@media (max-width: 991px) {
#lee-rev-content h3 {
font-size: 18px!important;
line-height: 18px;
}
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article {
clear: both;
background-color: #fff;
color: #222;
background-position: bottom;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
padding: 15px 0 20px;
margin-bottom: 40px;
border-top: 4px solid rgba(0,0,0,.8);
border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.2);
display: none;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article,
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article p {
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article h2 {
font-size: 24px;
margin: 15px 0 5px 0;
font-family: “serif-ds”, Times, “Times New Roman”, serif;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .lead {
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .email-desc {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 20px;
margin-bottom: 5px;
opacity: 0.7;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article form {
padding: 10px 30px 5px 30px;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .disclaimer {
opacity: 0.5;
margin-bottom: 0;
line-height: 100%;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .disclaimer a {
color: #222;
text-decoration: underline;
}
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article .email-hammer {
border-bottom: 3px solid #222;
opacity: .5;
display: inline-block;
padding: 0 10px 5px 10px;
margin-bottom: -5px;
font-size: 16px;
}
@media (max-width: 991px) {
#pu-email-form-breaking-email-article form {
padding: 10px 0 5px 0;
}
}
.grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; }