It took 2 1/2 yrs to nail down Norman Lear, a force of nature beyond compare at any age... at 96, in his Sony offices, where he still reads, develops, writes, produces daily, it's unfathomable. Norman’s worth waiting for. A four-time Emmy Winner, Academy Award Nominee, Peabody Award Recipient, American Humanist Award Winner, National Medalist of the Arts, Kennedy Center Honoree––Norman’s a goddamn national treasure.

The maverick who changed television, our thinking, and in so doing, our behavior, reflected back on his neglected childhood, his service bombing Berlin, facing his humanity, where his dream started and how it morphed into who he soon became. Why Norman’s championed women, always; missing Penny Marshall and what’s her name Fisher. Our friends Paul Hipp, and Phil Rosenthal, and why real Jews order Langers #19 without the cheese. He took us through the creation of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Fernwood 2 Night, Sanford and Son, sorry Redd Foxx, we all had a brain freeze; All in The Family, his father, Jesus, the original meathead, Edith losing her faith, and how they struggled for her to get it back; who inspired Maude, and why Norman was driven to create her; why the Jeffersons were important, likewise, why One Day At A Time was then, and is again, now. His passion project, Guess Who Died, and his determination to see it successfully find its senior voice and represent. The boxes of files he’s currently sorting through of ideas once developed, mining for gold to give life to today. The foolishness of the human condition which drives him to write, to create… the spark which translates to genius over and over and over again. To see that spark sparkle just as bright today when I suggested he write a woman like his mother, one many can relate to, who we’ve yet to see on TV, and to see Norman’s wheels begin to turn in that moment… it’s thrilling to anticipate whatever he’ll next spawn.

This was an unforgettable day––an honor, a pleasure, I will cherish forever. Much longer live Norman Lear!

Norman Lear on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wed, 12/19/18

Director of Photography Christinna Guzman

With Samantha Abelson

Live on The Facebook

Full show replay here

https://bit.ly/2R4dvBv

Paul Hipp’s Happy Birthday to Me for Norman, with Norman

https://bit.ly/1SGt87P

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