Scripts news tonight. Uh Norman Lear really was a TV
legend. His shows were watched by millions and in some
cases feared by bigots, Norman Lear managed to bring
two races together at a time when TV had just emerged
from being black and white. We learned yesterday tha
Norman Lear died. He was 101. But his legacy we'll live
on in episodes of all in the family, the Jefferson
Sanford and son and Maude shows that tackled are many
social taboos, racism, interracial marriage, sexism,
pioneering a medium in ways that few have done since
then. Scripts news, national correspondent Clayton
Sandell has more on the life and legacy of Norman Lear.
I'm Norman Lear. I've been making television for many
years. My characters have lived a multitude of lives as
ever to the age of 101 legendary writer, director
producer, Norman Lear was nearly as old as television
itself. The medium he helped transform Lear created
iconic sitcoms like all in the family. Maude and the
Jeffersons. Groundbreaking for bringing social issues
of the 19 seventies and eighties into the homes of as
many as 120 million viewers a week. It began with all
in the family and the desire to move a black family
next door. So you had an Archie and the reaction of a
black family moving in no topic was off limits race,
gender, sexuality, crime, or abortion. Lear's shows
reflected the fears of a middle class America feeling
the ground shift from Archie Bunker's living room in
Queens to Fred Sanford's Junkyard in Watts. He has
employed the power of humor in the service of human
understanding, won six Emmy Awards and countless other
honors including the National Medal of Arts off screen.
He was also a staunch liberal activist, found
for the American way to oppose censorship and uphold
religious liberty and voting rights. Lear also kept
busy to the end, producing live television speci
even a 2017 revival of his sitcom one day at a time for
Netflix, I want to make an announcement. Lear said the
key to a long life and 75 year career was laughter and
using it to enrich the lives of others. Anyway, I want
a planet and I want a safe climate for s for the six
kids that right in my life and the four grandchildren
behind them, Clayton Sandell scripts, news. The person
you're about to meet really doesn't need an
introduction for five years. Demon Wilson was one of
the most recognizable faces anywhere in America. He
played Lamont on Sanford and Sons. He is the author of
the book Second Banana, the bittersweet memoirs of the
Sanford and Sons Years. Um when we were talking by the
way about Norman Lear and by the way, thanks for being
with us tonight, I pointed out what it felt like to be
an African American growing up in that age of
enlightenment. I had two heroes, Muhammad Ali who said
anything that he wanted to when he wanted to and Norman
Lear who allowed characters lik you to say so many
things that African Americans wanted to say to white
America, your thoughts on, on that show and those shows.
Um Well, you know, I,I did it uh II, I um I did an
episode on all in the family and I,I saw the feed that
you had it, it didn't show mine. Uh I came to
California to do a film and uh a film with Sidney
Poitier called the Organization I did the film and
one Saturday night, I got a phone call from my ma
manager David Graham at the time. And he said, John
Rich, who is the producer, director of all in the
family wants you to do an episode on the show. And I
said, what is all in the family And he said it's the
number one show on television. And I said I have no
desire to do television. You know, you get typecast in
it. Then I'm a theater film actor. I,I don't want to do
television. And he said, well, Demon, you know, you're
new in, in town, people know of your reputation, but
this is the number one show. So watch it. I did. I
called him back at the cessation of the, of the progra
and I said I wouldn't do that for all the money in
China. The character is despica What I saw them and
it was a funny, funny show. There's no question about
that. A brilliant cast. I think Rob Reiner is probably
one of the finest directors in the 20th and 21st
century. Um Carol o'connor is the only person that
could have played Archie Bunker as Redd Foxx was the
only person who could have played Fred Sanford. Sally
Struthers was brilliant in that role. Perfect casting
and Gene Stapleton. I remember from the forties and
fifties and, and feature films, b films. And so III I
said, OK, I'll do it and, and, and I did it. But what I
saw then and after hearing Norman speak about his
political position, I,I,I,I was right in what I thought
and what I thought when I watched all in the family was
that this was the beginning of the dissolution of the
patriarchal system. Hey, demon. Since you wanted to say
that since you brought it up, can I just finish the
test I finished the test on the heels of that came
married with Children and it further went one step, one
step, one step into where we are. Now, this what we're
witnessing now is the evolution of what Norman Lear
started. And, and, and as I said before, I reiterate,
it was a brilliant show. Norman Lear was a master
builder. He had very little to do with Sanford and son,
other than he was in partnership at the time with Bu
Jen, who was the executive producer of Sanford and son,
it was called Tandem Production which as you know, or
not, it was, it's a two seat bicycle from the back and
they finally split. But Norman did not have anything
really to do with Sanford and son. Both shows were
taken from uh uh all in the family was taken from till
death. Do us part a British show And Sanford and so
was taken from the number one British show at the time
called Steptoe and Son. So he had very long I met nor,
and he took me out to dinner a few times and, and we
talked, but I didn't really know Norman, I knew of his
work. Norman Lear was, he was a visionary. I'll say
that because he saw and after hearing the feed on his
position politically, I,I was absolutely correct. Um
Norman Lear, I send my condolences to his family, to
the Lear family and Norman was a pioneer as was myself
and others of that era. I'm sorry, you, you wanted to
see. No, I was just gonna point out that that while you
were talking, we were showing all these scenes of you.
Uh And I, and I have a clip by the way that we're gonn
play in a second. But I wanna, I wanna play this one
because for the uninformed, this was the moment that
later became known as the kiss that was seen around the
world. This is when Sammy Davis junior kissed Archi
Bunker. Take a look, Mr Davis. This is an unexpected
place. All right. Thank you very much. Can I get a
picture Come on Munson. No pictures. No, this one is
for me, Mr Munson. When you stand over there, I want
one picture taken with Archie Bunker, my friend and me.
Do you want me Yes. No, on three. OK. 123, it bears
pointing out one third of all TV sets in America were
watching that show. How powerfu was that moment for me
Not at all. Um Sammy Davis Junior kissed Archie Bunk
Cleon and I pulled a gun on him and robbed his house.
So um times were changing. Sammy Davis Junior was old
school. Sammy Davis Junior did not have have talented,
talented, no question about it, but his era was over.
The Dean Martin Frank Sinatra era was coming to an end
uh red and I were the uh uh the beginning of the, of
the new regime. We were part of the 50 years of, of the
golden years of Hollywood. But Sammy's era was just
about finished from Sammy Hung on there. He Wilson's
show. He did all he tried to get on Sanford and son.
And I told the producers, I said, come on, Lena Horn
was one thing but Sammy Davis, come on. He did all in
the family. What is he going around doing all the show
I said it makes no sense at all. So it had a different
meaning for me, I would not have done the show until I
read the script and they said you break into the bunker
home, you rob them and you and you pull a gun on Archie.
And I said, where do I sign I'm coming from a differen
place. Yes. In 1960 II, I served in the Republic of
Vietnam from 66 to 68. When I did all in the family, I
had only been home for 2.5 years. I was greeted with
jeers calling me a murderer. People spat on me one day
I was walking down the street. I had my uniform on. Um
the world was changing. The, th I hate to use a cliche,
but the hippie movement was in full swing. And in 68 67
68 I was overseas in the jungle when I came back home,
the government was the enemy. Everybody was coming
against Richard Millhouse, Nixo And uh the kids were
protesting, started up in a Ashbury. And so this show
was so popular because I have news for you. There are
more people like Archie Bunker than in America than
there weren't. That was why that show was so popular
because I,I remember hearing people say in those days,
Archie's saying things that we would love to say, but
we can't say it and that's the truth if I never speak
it again. So demon from a personal standpoint, Nor
Lear gave a black actor, you a megaphone during one of
the most transitional periods in American history. I'm
curious, do you still feel like you have, do you still
feel like you have that megaphone And if you don't,
what happened when you say megaphone, I don't
understand what you mean. Your character was allowed to
say things that if most people said them in any office
space in America, they would have been fired. No, Fred
Sanford said things. I I was a straight man. I know
Fred Sanford was the one that said the things that,
that, that America did not want to hear, but black
people knew that what he was saying was true. I don't
hide behind false anything. And when I, when I came
home from now, people say to me, thank you for your
service. I said you're 54 years too late because when I
came home, I was spat on, I was called a murderer. It
wasn't a war, it was a policing action. I did not wann
go. I dropped out of college to do a play in Washington
DC. And I was there for two weeks in rehearsal. My mom
called me and said, you need to come home. And I
thought something had happened my dad. She said, no,
I don't wanna tell you over the phone, come home. I
went home and I saw the letter, it said your friend
and neighbors have selected you for the United States
Army. Now what they were doing, they were sending young
black men from core areas to that war. It was a form of
genocide. Now, I have shirts and sweaters and jackets
that were made in Vietnam. It just makes no sense. Yeah,
I, I'm, I'm, I'm running out of time. I got to do this
because I promised you I was gonna do it. Uh I wanna
talk about the fact that he also reinvigorated a career.
Many believe that Red Fox paved the way for Eddie
Murphy. Uh Chris Rock Dave Chappelle. This is that
scene from Sanford and Sons. Take a look tomorrow at
noon at NBC. At studio three Redd Foxx will appear in
person to kick off the first Daniel Redd Foxx look lik
contest to promote his new movie. Wonders are a pain of
the glass. Hey, hey, hey, Lemar. Hey, so, whoa pop. Hey,
no kidding. Red Fox gonna be in person. Yeah, Red Fox
Smile. I love it. I love the way. He spelled his name
with two D's and two Xs. I wonder why he does that. I
don't know why you can use the two Ds, but I saw his
nightclub back once and I know why they got all the ex
that being said, give me your best 30 seconds on Norman
Lear regarding uh he was a giant in the industry. I
mean, he's a legend. Um But like I said before, I
reiterate, I had, I had little contact with Norman in
those days because he and the producer of Sanford and
son parted ways. And so I,I didn't see Norman very much
after that. Um He didn't come around very much after,
after, after he and Bud York and split. So I, the only
thing I can say about Norman is that, you know, his
legacy will live on, there will never be another one,
but that era is over now and I,I must correct someth
Eddie Murphy and those guys Red Fox paved the way for
them because they did blue humor also. And they saw
that a guy who was known for blue humor was now on
television. That's Jon. You got to leave it there.
Thanks for being with us tonight. Yeah. No.