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Norman Lear Biography

Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Maude. As a political activist, he founded the advocacy organization People for the American Way in 1981 and has supported First Amendment rights and progressive causes.

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Norman Lear Quotes

The trafficking of sex and violence is comes after the demand for ratings.

Sex, Demand, Violence, Trafficking

If there was a sense of - a bigger sense of responsibility in the various leadership positions in America, things would be not as grotesquely overly done as they are now.

America, Positions, Responsibility, Various, Would Be

So we gravitated to shows and issues and causes that made people care.

Care, Causes, Issues, People, Shows

That's a very hard thing to help the establishment know. We're still an establishment that thinks the average mentality is something like 13 years of age, that never forgot H. L. Mencken's notion that nobody lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American people. That's the horseshit the establishment has always lived with.

Average, Intelligence, Mentality, Nobody, Thinking, Years

America is a country of excess.

America, Country, Excess

It crossed our minds early on that the more an audience cared - we were working before, on average, 240, live people. If you could get them caring - the more they cared, the harder they laughed.

Audience, Average, Caring, Early, People

I think for television generally, the question that often arises is, "Does television lead, or does it follow?" You know, does it lead the conversation, or culture, or does it follow what's going on? And I think it does both.

Conversation, Culture, Doe, Know, Lead, Thinking

I think what's dangerous is 24 hours a day, 335 channels, or whatever the hell there is. Too much is too much.

Dangerous, Hell, Hours, Think, Thinking, Too Much

The establishment uses that rationale all the time, and that's why we do what we do. But leadership requires some understanding that you can say no. People have base instincts, but the transcendent also appeal to them.

Leadership, People, Requires, Transcendent, Understanding, Use

Power is the goal of religion in general.

General, Goal, Power, Religion

I don't know how you can look back with regret if you're at a moment when everything seems fine.

Fine, Look, Looks, Moment, Moments, Regret

What happens at the average church or synagogue or mosque is that I don't know many priests or ministers or rabbis who say to their congregation, 'go home and talk about the religion at the kitchen table with your kids. . . talk about God, talk about what this is all about. ' They say in general, come back on the weekend, we'll talk to you about it.

Kids, Home, Weekend, Average

When I countered that Archie Bunker didn't have to put down a race of people to say that, he replied, 'and you're the dumbest white kid I've ever met. '

Bunker, Kid, Kids, Met, Race, White

We had a Judeo-Christian ethic hanging around a couple thousand years that didn't help erase racism at all. So the notion of the little half-hour comedy changing things is something I think is silly.

Christian, Couple, Hanging, Help, Silly, Things

I wanted to work with Bert Lahr [the 'Cowardly Lion' in 'The Wizard of Oz'], and I did.

Bert, Lion, Lions, Wanted, Wizard, Wizards

Bud [Yorkin] broke out big when he did 'The Fred Astaire Show' and won four Emmys. His wife at the time suggested that we team up. We got a lot of press in show business papers, and a number of offers. . . we eventually signed with Paramount Pictures. But I always like to say, his was the horse that we rode in on. That is my favorite recollection.

Big, Eventually, Horse, Numbers, Pictures, Team

Maybe they continued to agree with Archie Bunker - as I said earlier, you can't change people's minds, but you can get them to think.

Agreement, Bunker, Continued, Minds, People, Thinking

I think America, unfortunately, collectively thinks of itself as the 'chosen people. ' To my knowledge, there are no chosen people, we are all human beings.

America, Knowledge, People, Think, Thinking

I think that of most leaders in religion as power brokers. They give orders, in a sense, to an audience every week, and that's where the definition of God starts.

Definition, Giving, Order, Orders, Religion, Thinking

Next up [new TV stars] was [Dean] Martin and [Jerry] Lewis on 'The Colgate Comedy Hour. '

Colgate, Lewis, Martin, Next, Stars, Tvs

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