Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear’s name is synonymous with the sitcom. In this excerpt, Lear talks about the groundbreaking show “Maude,” and how the show addressed women’s issues, like abortion, head-on.
Written Features
Video Features
Clip | Norman Lear – All in The Family Disclaimer
Clip | “Maude” on Tough Issues
Clip | Why Norman Lear is the “Most Influential Producer in the History of Television”
Clip | Norman Lear and Inspiration from The Jeffersons
Clip | Norman Lear on Network Censorship
Clip | Norman Lear on Tough Conversations
Clip | Norman Lear’s Legacy: “There Were a lot of Shoulders That Preceded Me”
Clip | Norman Lear’s Psychiatrist
Clip | Rob Reiner on “All in the Family” Success
TRANSCRIPT
Look, there's only one sensible way out of this. You don't have to have the baby; it's legal now.
You know, she's right, it's legal in New York State. You better give that a thought.
I have given it a thought. Oh, I don't know, I don't know, I just don't know! The euphemism for 'censor' was 'program practices' and the program practice department simply didn't want to deal with abortion.