Pioneering US television producer Norman Lear dies at the age of 101
Among other things, his series "Good Times", first broadcast in 1974, was the first series to revolve around an African-American family. Legendary comedian Mel Brooks once said that Lear was the "bravest writer, director and producer" ever to work in television.
Lear wrote, produced or devised around one hundred shows in a career spanning some eight decades. His series had an enormous reach: In the 1970s - years before the introduction of cable television and decades before streaming services - up to five of his sitcoms were on in prime time.
However, his TV entertainment, which was revolutionary for its time, also brought the World War II veteran, who was born into a Jewish family in 1922, powerful opponents. US President Richard Nixon, who was later forced to resign over the Watergate affair, included him on his so-called "enemies list", while conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell called Lear "the greatest enemy of the American family".
Lear's most influential work was probably "All in The Family". First broadcast in 1971, the series revolved around Archie Bunker, a narrow-minded, irascible family man who gives free rein to his prejudices against groups of people and regularly clashes with his progressive relatives. Among other things, the series served as a model for Wolfgang Menge's German TV classic "Ein Herz und eine Seele" about family man Alfred Tetzlaff, alias "Ekel Alfred".
Read also:
- This will change in December
- German activists speak out in Dubai on suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip
- Nuclear fusion - hype or solution to energy problems?
- Budget crisis fuels debate on citizen's income - Bas warns against populism
Source: www.stern.de
