Norman Lear brought socially aware comedy and satire to television thereby ending the misrule of cornball country comedies. In addition to his many artistic triumphs, Norman Lear was a warm and friendly man with a kind word for everyone he met. Norman Lear has died at the age of 101.

Lear insisted the everyone call him Norman and I’m fine with that. If Norman had only done All In The Family, his legacy would be secure. But he did so much more: Maude, One Day At A Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Sanford & Son to name a few of my favorites. Silver Spoons also attended.

I remember watching the All In The Family pilot live; yes, I’m old. I was astonished to see such cutting edge material in a teevee sitcom. They never let up during the run of the show tackling issues such as gun violence, racism, gay rights, abortion, and on and on and on.

The key to Norman Lear’s sitcom success were unforgettable characters such as Archie and Edith Bunker, George Jefferson, Maude Findlay, and the cast of the OG Once Day At A Time. In fact, Valerie Bertinelli was one of my first celebrity crushes. Even then, I knew enough to steer clear of Mackenzie Phillips…

Norman was a devout liberal. Alarmed by the rise of the Evangelical right, Norman founded People For The American Way to counteract the Christo-Fascism that infected the body politic during the 1980’s. It wasn’t as successful as his teevee shows but Norman Lear never stopped fighting the good fight.

Norman worked until the day he died. It’s something that Democrats should keep in mind as some pillory President Biden for his advanced years. In fact, Joe Biden should be inspired by the life and times of Norman Lear. Repeat after me: Ageism is the last socially acceptable prejudice.

Norman wrote an essay for the NYT upon hitting the century mark. He was every bit as engaged in his dotage as in his prime:

“I don’t take the threat of authoritarianism lightly. As a young man, I dropped out of college when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. I flew more than 50 missions in a B-17 bomber to defeat fascism consuming Europe. I am a flag-waving believer in truth, justice and the American way, and I don’t understand how so many people who call themselves patriots can support efforts to undermine our democracy and our Constitution. It is alarming.”

That’s my kind of patriot.

Heidi Ewing co-directed the American Masters show about Norman Lear. I dig this quote from her because it captures Norman’s mischievous side:

He’s always dropping F-bombs right when you least expect it, especially during moments of deep affection. He’ll call you on your birthday and say things like, “I love you to bits and I don’t care who the fuck knows it!”

Norman Lear was a  fucking mensch, and I don’t care who the fuck knows it.

The last word goes to Archie and Edith: