Norman Lear, who turned American television comedy on its head in the 1970s, has died at 101. His incredible output as a writer, producer, and all-round dreamer brought to life characters who remain part of America's cultural vocabulary. For better or worse, he also paved the way for inserting controversial topics into the storylines of the American situation comedy genre.
Whether it is Archie Bunker, Fred Sanford, or George Jefferson — lovable, politically incorrect, and racially biased characters — Lear's comedy attempted to humanize the often divisive controversies tearing at the country. Even "meathead," the Bunker's son-in-law, played by Rob Reiner, could enjoy a ball game with his father-in-law. With "All in the Family," set in Queens, N.Y., and its six spin-offs, or "Sanford and Son," set in Los Angeles, Lear created comedy of a type that might get people canceled in today's environment. At the time, these shows ranked #1 and #2 in the ratings and launched Lear's production career.
When "All In the Family" premiered, Jack O'Brien, media columnist for the Hearst chain, condemned it, saying it would coarsen television and bring disrepute to different ethnic groups. Carroll O'Connor, who played Archie, had a different take, saying comedy could do more to take the sting out of foolish views than people give it credit for. Lear's shows tended to slant Left, but much to the chagrin of some liberals, characters such as Archie and Fred Sanford became beloved by many.
Lear began his career as a writer on the 1960s series "Love American Style." In all, he was involved in writing, producing, and developing 21 situation comedies, mostly in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. Many of them have been continually on the air since in syndication.
Lear was unabashedly liberal and, in 1980, founded People for the American Way, a left-wing progressive advocacy group. It was Lear's answer to Rev. Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. It focuses on monitoring judicial appointments and countering conservative groups.
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Born into a Jewish family in New Haven, Conn., Lear said he brought a lot of his family upbringing and his father into the character of Archie when developing "All in the Family," which was loosely based on a popular British situation comedy. In a way, "All in the Family" and many of his comedies could be said to be Lear arguing with himself, his upbringing, his family, and his friends. It may also explain why he refrains from demonizing his characters as they give reign to their free-for-all comedic dialogue.
After graduating from high school in Hartford, Con., Lear briefly attended college before enlisting in the Army Air Force and taking part in World War II.
While some of his critics characterized Lear as a classic example of a Jewish agnostic, in 2022, in what might seem an unexpected move, Lear embraced the Catholic Faith and was baptized by a priest from the Dominican House of Studies, a source familiar with the situation told PJ Media. Lear was inspired by one of his daughters, who converted while at Harvard. Despite Lear's many controversial views and activities over the years, as with his comedies and political activism, he kept an open mind and, even at 100, demonstrated a willingness to change course, sometimes in a very surprising way.
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