Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You Page #4

---

to sing "Dancing in the Dark."

Dancing in the dark

Till the tune ends

Waltzing in the dark

Soon ends

Dancing as we're dancing

in the dark

That's how high it goes.

-Yes.

-Jews...

Dancing in the dark

Already trouble.

Already --

Till the tune ends

We're waltzing in the dark

And it soon ends

[ Loudly ] And we can face

the music together!

Dancing in --

- Dancing in the dark

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

-What are we doing here?

What are we doing here?

-If you think about it, I mean,

that group of people

was basically responsible

for everything

that you laughed at

in the second half

of the 20th century.

They were friends.

I mean, it was my mother

and father, Mel Brooks,

and Anne Bancroft,

and Norman and Frances.

-I know

that they met at a party,

and there was chemistry.

By the end of the evening,

my mother was with my father.

-Frances and I

hit it off very quickly,

and we hit it off in every way

very quickly.

And it remained that.

-My mother was a feminist

who changed the lives

of many women,

and they had a wonderful

intellectual connection

and would talk

and talk and talk.

-ERA!

-When do we want it?

-Now!

-What do we want?

-ERA!

-Frances was very much

engaged in the women's movement,

and I, as the father of three

daughters at that time, also.

So we all became feminists.

-Mrs. Naugatuck.

I would like a word with you.

-In a moment, madam.

Just when I've set

the chairs up.

-My husband can take care

of that.

-Oh, you can't let a man

do that, ma'am.

That's woman's work!

-Woman's work?

Mrs. Naugatuck, in this house,

there is no such thing

as woman's work

or man's work.

There is no discrimination

between the sexes.

That's what tonight's party

is all about.

-Oh, blimey.

Another Vanessa Redgrave.

-I prefer to think of myself

as a tall Jane Fonda.

-People think that I am Maude.

I'm not Maude.

Bea Arthur is Maude.

And because she and I

are both tall

and dark and strong and Jewish,

many people think

that we're alike,

and in some respects, Norman

has taken episodes in my life

and put them into episodes

on the screen for "Maude."

-It was the height

of the women's movement.

That's what fueled

the whole thing.

So that's where "Maude"

took off, which was wonderful,

because then we could tackle

any subject imaginable.

-And can I trust you

to keep a secret?

-What is it?

-[ Breathes deeply ]

Vivian...

I'm pregnant.

-You're kidding.

-Vivian, at age 62,

I'll be the mother

of an Eagle Scout!

-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!

-And she left out a shot.

-She left out

"That's what I admire most

about you."

-Oh, no, no.

I don't mean for it to,

but, I mean,

there's your beginning,

and here's your finish.

-Oh.

-I mean, that's where

you're falling apart.

-Yeah. Okay.

-Let's try it.

-Yeah.

-The euphemism for censor

was "program practices."

And the program practice

department

simply didn't want

to deal with abortion.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

From Friday to yesterday,

this thing has escalated.

-Yeah.

Well, I just want...

-But I understood intuitively

that if I gave in

to this silliness...

...I would lose battle after

battle after battle following.

-What's your beef

against the networks?

-I spend hour upon hour

arguing with censors

about the tiniest things.

The network

often takes the position

that "Norman Lear

and the others in

the creative community," I mean,

"how can they do this?

How can they bite the hand

that feeds them?"

I consider

that the creative community

are the hands that feed.

-And they're biting your hand.

-And they're biting our hands.

-Just tell me, Walter,

that I'm doing

the right thing

not having the baby.

-For you, Maude, for me,

and the privacy

of our own lives,

you're doing the right thing.

-I love you, Walter Findlay.

[ Telephones ringing ]

[ Busy signal ]

-If you'd like to make a call...

-Your beloved, our beloved,

Beatrice Arthur!

[ Cheers and applause ]

-That episode of "Maude"

got 17,000 letters

and 65 million viewers.

And there wasn't a single state

that seceded from the Union.

[ Applause ]

-Thanks for coming

on our show, Mr. Lear.

-Please, Bob, it's Norman.

-No, no.

When I address the man

who owns the industry

I work in, I say "mister."

-Don't exaggerate, Bob.

Do you realize

I don't have a single show

on this network?

-Well, I think you're

a little too brave for NBC.

They canceled "Flipper"

because he refused

to wear swim trunks.

-What was new was that

we were engaging in reality.

They're ordinary subjects

in family life

where they affect people,

and abortion, I mean,

there's much more

political correctness now

than there was

when we were on a playing field

where we hadn't played before.

Anyway, they're telling me

I got to run.

-I'll let you know

when we're on air, sir.

-Okay.

I'm happy to see you again.

-Hi, Norman.

-Hey. How are you?

-Good to see you.

-Good to see you.

You all right?

-This is a television camera.

Here's Norman,

and here's Bea.

Just think what Norman Lear

will be able to do with this.

-Does it worry you, the kind

of spying that could go on?

-Yes.

-The kind of lack of privacy

that could come

from all of that?

-It does bother me.

-Now all of the eavesdropping...

-Well, that's exactly

what he was talking about.

-There is a tendency for people

when they get older

to stop asking questions,

and they're not

learning anymore.

And Norman, I can guarantee you,

the conversation will mostly be

him trying to ask questions.

He's interested in people

and life,

not just in telling stories,

but interested in humankind.

-When I was

about 13, 14 years old,

it cost a nickel to ride

all day on the subway.

When the train slipped

into 125th Street Station,

you could almost reach out

to touch the tenement windows.

They were

largely black families,

and I related to it somehow.

My bumper sticker reads

"just another version of you."

And that is my belief.

We are just versions

of each other.

-214, take three, mark.

[ Clapboard clicks ]

- Good times

- Any time you need a payment

- Good times

- Any time you need a friend

- Good times

- Any time

you're out from under

- Ain't we lucky we got 'em

Good times

-There weren't

any African-Americans

on TV at that time to speak of,

with the exception of,

well, "Amos 'n Andy."

If I wanted to see someone

that looked like me

on the screen,

it was usually Sidney Poitier

in the movies.

That was about it.

-James!

Honey, what happened?

Did you graduate?

-Has a pig got knuckles?

-Oh!

-[ Screaming ]

-Well, this is supposed

to be a party!

Let's get it on!

-Oh, James.

It's beautiful.

-Ain't it?

You are now looking

at a skilled laborer.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes