8 things we learned about Norman Lear from the book: ''Norman Lear: His Life and Times''
Norman Lear was an iconic and prolific television producer, writer, and director known for revolutionizing the TV landscape in the 1970s. His series, including All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, Maude, and more, were groundbreaking for their social commentary and use of comedy to address topics never before discussed on TV.
In December 2023, we lost one of the greatest producers of all time. While he may no longer be with us, his legacy lives on forever. Today, we want to take a look back at the man and the legend by providing a few facts we learned from the book Norman Lear: His Life and Times.
Norman Lear: His Life and Times focuses on the details of how this iconic figure came to be, including his many projects, key moments, and more during his long, seven-decade career. Veteran author and entertainment journalist Tripp Whetsell offers an intimate portrait of Lear, based on years of research and numerous interviews.
If you want to read more facts and stories from Lear's life, pick up a copy of the book Norman Lear: His Life and Times. Available now!
1
At first, All in the Family struggled to gain network support
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The All in the Family we know and love today almost never became the prolific hit it is.
According to the book Norman Lear: His Life and Times, All in the Family faced some significant hurdles.
One of the skeptics was CBS founder and chairman Bill Paley. While Archie was everyone’s favorite bigot, he certainly wasn’t Paley’s.
Paley found the series to be “vulgar.” Despite his decision to ultimately air it, Paley wasn’t the only one who knew a series like All in the Family would be a risk.
According to the book, many close to Lear believed it was a significant gamble for him to push for All in the Family.
“He [CBS President Robert Wood] wanted to take a chance, but he fought me tooth and nail,” Lear recalled.
Fortunately, Lear’s faith in his “family” helped bring All in the Family to air. Thank goodness it did—otherwise, we might never have met the Bunkers.
2
Penny Marshall of Laverne & Shirley considered taking a role in All in the Family
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Penny Marshall was almost part of the Bunker family!
According to the book Norman Lear: His Times and Life, Marshall was briefly considered for the role of Gloria. At the time, she was Rob Reiner’s fiancée, so their chemistry seemed like a perfect fit on paper.
However, Lear had a different vision. He recalled seeing a young actress named Sally Struthers dancing on The Return of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and the rest is history. Struthers took on the role of Gloria, becoming the beloved character we know and love today.
Would you have liked to see Penny Marshall in the role of Gloria? Let us know!
3
All in the Family was the first television show to tackle many groundbreaking topics
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All in the Family tackled many groundbreaking issues, including race, religion, abortion, politics and more.
One example came in the second episode, “Writing the President.” In this episode, Archie wears a suit and tie to write a letter to Richard Nixon. Later, it is revealed that Archie’s motivation stemmed from learning that Mike had sent a critical letter condemning Nixon’s policies.
According to the book, what made it significant was that All in the Family was the first series to devote an entire half-hour to examining America’s growing generation gap and the country’s deeply divided attitudes toward the president.
Nixon, who would later become one of the show’s biggest adversaries, became an unintended focal point of the series’ cultural commentary.
Ironically, Nixon’s critique may have been pivotal to All in the Family's success. His comments helped spark many conversations on important social and political issues.
Looks like Archie’s letter to Nixon worked after all.
4
All in the Family had to fight for a time change
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As All in the Family gained momentum during summer reruns, Lear and the network executives faced the dilemma of when to air the show once the new fall season began.
According to the book, CBS founder Bill Paley initially proposed airing it at 10:30 PM on Mondays, after My Three Sons, which was in its final season.
However, this would still place All in the Family against ABC’s Monday Night Football and NBC’s Monday Night Movie, presenting tough competition.
Fred Silverman, CBS’s vice president of programming, came up with a bold alternative: move All in the Family to 8 PM on Saturdays as the lead-in to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. After presenting his plan to CBS president Bob Wood and Paley, they finally agreed to make the change. This decision would ultimately be one of Silverman’s greatest successes at CBS.
The time change helped All in the Family become the number-one show in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years, from 1971 to 1975.
5
All in the Family had some musical success, too
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According to the book Norman Lear: His Life and Times, Tandem’s first major merchandising success came with the All in the Family LP album, released in the fall of 1971.
The album featured the theme song and dialogue from the first season and made the top 100 in Cashbox. This success was followed by two more albums: All in the Family: 2nd Album in 1972 and Archie & Edith Side by Side: An Evening of Songs and Fun with the Bunkers in 1973.
The merchandising boom continued with the "Archie Bunker for President" movement during the 1972 presidential election. This sparked Archie Bunker-themed merchandise, including shirts, bumper stickers, political buttons and slogans.
These products became so popular that Archie even received a vote for vice president at the Democratic National Convention in Miami. Archie Bunker for president has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
6
All in the Family was a merchandising machine during its on-air run
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According to the book, the All in the Family merchandising machine wasn’t limited to just record albums and presidential elections.
Over the course of the series’ run, there were many other ways to get All in the Family swag, including a board game from Milton Bradley in 1972, a fourteen-inch “Archie Bunker’s Grandson” doll manufactured by Ideal Toys in 1976, as well as student study guides from Scholastic Reader and a series of books.
All of these items helped bring the Bunker family into your home. Everyone needs an Archie in their family, and All in the Family merchandising made it possible.
Did you ever own a piece of All in the Family merchandise? Let us know!
Good Times was the first spin-off of a spin-off in television history
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It might seem unusual for a sitcom to have its spin-off before the original show, but that’s exactly what happened with Good Times.
Good Times was born out of the series Maude, which was a spin-off of All in the Family.
According to the book Norman Lear: His Life and Times, this unconventional origin story begins with actor Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family.
Good Times blended humor with social commentary and provided a realistic portrayal of a Black family on primetime TV. This was groundbreaking, offering an in-depth look at a working-class Black family for the first time in a major sitcom.
While Good Times would become a major hit, it also marked the first-ever spin-off of a spin-off in television history.
8
All in the Family had an important place in TV history
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In 1978, Tandem officially released a statement in which Norman Lear declared that the ninth season would be All in the Family’s last.
According to the book, Lear told the New York Times: “I think it’s time to move on. When Rob and Sally leave, the show is going to lose three of the important relationships that make the program what it is—between Archie and his son-in-law; between Archie and his daughter; and between the kids. We’ve had a good eight years. It’s time to let others compete for that half-hour. The entity we call All in the Family, the song that leads into it, that particular location in Queens, will all be gone. But if Carroll and Jean want to do a show called Archie and Edith, I wish them well.”
After the series ended, All in the Family cemented its place in television history when the Smithsonian Institution announced it would house Archie and Edith’s chairs as part of its permanent collection in the National Museum of American History.
All in the Family held an important place in TV history and is still missed by many viewers today.
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