Norman Lear: His Life & Times

Journalist Whetsell (coauthor of The Improv) paints a lovingly detailed portrait of the late producer of such seminal sitcoms as All in the Family. Born in 1922 New Haven, Conn., to a “cold and indifferent” hypochondriac mother and a traveling salesman father once arrested for selling fake bonds, Norman Lear learned early on to lean on his sense of humor to cope with life’s challenges. After writing for 1950s variety shows, he bought the U.S. rights to the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part in 1968 and retooled it into All in the Family. The show was revolutionary in its depiction of racism and sexism, Whetsell writes, explaining how the sitcom illustrated “the absurdity of inherent prejudice” through its protagonist’s ignorance and fought off early critiques—one headline deplored it for using “Bigotry as a Dirty Joke”—to become “the most talked-about program in the country.” Whetsell scrupulously catalogues the intimate details of Lear’s personal and professional life, including his many “creative battles” with actor Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker, and multiple marriages. Throughout, Whetsell persuasively argues that Lear helped shift a sitcom landscape full of “white picket fences, cardigan-sweater- and pearl-necklace-wearing parents... and virtually nonexistent problems” into something more reflective of American culture. It’s a fitting tribute to a consequential figure in television history. (Nov.)