Best known as the producer of such ’70s television hits as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude, Norman Lear is a living legend in television history. Even at 94, Lear shows no signs of stopping. In the first documentary about the iconic writer/producer, PBS takes a look at Lear’s life in American Masters — Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You. The show premieres Tuesday, October 25 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).
The documentary combines stories from his turbulent childhood and groundbreaking television success to his social activism. The show also features stories from Lear’s family and friends including George Clooney, Rob Reiner, Mel Brooks, Jon Stewart and Amy Poehler.
Mr. Lear and I had a chance to chat recently.
What programming on TV do you currently enjoy?
I don’t watch a lot. It seems to be surprising but I don’t really look at television until 10:30 to 11 o’clock when I’m going to bed.
My wife and I try to see a couple of things. But when I hear people talking about Orange is the New Black, I watch as much as I can. Jeffrey Tambor and Transparent… I just started watching it. I’m almost at the end of it. It’s amazing. He walks the line between humor and heartbreak that is so remarkable. He is great and it is brilliantly written. There are so many… I can’t find the time for all.
What do you think about the changing landscape of television? Not just programming but also how the media has changed – like how Transparent is streamed on Amazon versus being broadcast on TV.
I think that is still wide open. Problems of the economy for the working guy, trying to find money, send the kids to school, menopause, impotence; I mean, all the things many people go through. That is not attended to, as well as the more spectacular things.
Of all the shows that you have written or produced, do you have a favorite show or favorite episode?
The head spins with various things on various shows, Edith loses her faith and regains it, takes me to Mary Hartman losing her mind and regaining it. There is something about all of them that flashes to mind.
I read somewhere that you are unofficially credited with financing This is Spinal Tap, is that true?
It is true.
What about that story that intrigued you?
Rob Reiner intrigued me. He is a son, in another sense. And, I have known him since he was 6 years old; I feel like I am a part of the film; And his dad and I are good friends. I loved the script and nobody would make it. The studios would not have gone there. I guess they simply did not understand it. So, that was an easy step to take. And before the movie was completed, there was a studio on board.
Can you talk about why you decided to leave television in 1980 and form the non-profit organization People for the American Way?
I was frightened by the influx of television evangelists, and their mixture of politics and religion. It was not long before Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell – they were exploding all over and they were mixing politics and religion. One day I heard one of them asking TV audiences to pray for the removal of a Supreme Court justice. I could not live with that.
I just quit what I was doing. I did not quit to start an organization. I quit to do some television PSAs. And I did one that created so much attention that it became our organization.
It had a working guy who is simply saying that my wife, and my kids and I, sit around a dining room table, we argue about politics all the time; We don’t agree on lots of things. And here comes a minister telling us we are good Christians, or bad ones, depending on our political point of view. He said “I know my wife is a better Christian, believe me.”
But the ministers agree with me and not her. So, she is a bad Christian according to them. And he winds up saying something has got to be wrong when anybody tells you you are a good or a bad Christian depending on your political point of view.
I took that to Notre Dame, to Father Hesburgh with whom I have a nice relationship. Showed it to him. He agreed with it totally, and said these unforgettable words to me:
“I agree with the position you are coming from,” he said. “But, I want you to know that as a main line church leader, we are also concerned about the way they torture the fundamentalists; the way they torture scripture.”
You don’t forget words like “torture scripture.”
He said, “You are the star of the organization. I liked that guy. In the end, that is not the American way. Why don’t you be the People for the American Way?”
What projects are you working on now? I know you have a book out. (Lear’s book—Even This I Get To Experience is available here.)
I am writing all the time, blogging all the time, and speaking all the time.
What is your favorite meal?
My favorite is the one I am having.
What is your favorite book or book you are reading right now?
I am reading…what is the title? It is about George Washington, The Election of 1800. It is a wonderful book. The author’s name is Ed Larson, he teaches at Pepperdine. And through him you will find the name of the book. It is terrific. [A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidential Campaign]
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee
Do you sing in the shower and if you do what song do you usually sing?
I sing in the shower and I write it in the book about singing, getting dressed or undressed. I like singing naked. And, I think of it as: nobody has ever, not any group of scientists anywhere on earth, proved that that is not the secret to longevity: Singing naked.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
First celebrity crush – George Bernard Shaw.
Do you have a movie you can watch over and over again?
There is no movie I can watch over and over again.
Who is your favorite musician?
Yo-Yo-Ma.
What is your favorite sport?
Football.
Do you have a favorite team?
Yale.
What’s your favorite vacation destination?
The hotel San Pietro on the Amalfi Coast.
Do you have a favorite actor or actress?
Too many; Lots of favorites.
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