Eric Monte Uncut

[BadNews]

jimi izrael: Tell me first about your background: where are you from, and what were you doing before Hollywood called?

Eric Monte: I was born in Chicago, Il. Hollywood didn't call. I decided that I didn't like the way blacks were portrayed in television and movies so I decided to go out there and change our image. It was important to me because I consider movies and television to be the most powerful propaganda weapon on the face of the earth in the history of the species. And I consider propaganda to be the most powerful weapon in the world, even more powerful than the atom bomb. Let me give you an example. Hitler never killed a jew in his life. What he did was he used propaganda to convince the Germans to kill six million jews. The second in comand in Nazi Germany was Joseph Goebbels. Minister of Propaganda. In that powerful propaganda machine movies and television Jews were dipicted as stupid and dumb. So I went to Hollywood to change our image and how we were protrayed.

jimi izrael: so, what you just put on a cape an cowl and headed for Hollywood to change the world? Surely, it wasn't that easy. How happened you met up with Norman Lear?

Eric Monte: I was selling weed and writing poetry. I'd have poetry readings at my house every weekend. When Norman Lear did, "All in the Family," he hired Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson. Mike had heard about my writing. He came to my house one day and said, "I'm on this show called, "All in the Family," and I have a walk on, walk off part. Everybody is writing for the show and getting paid. I understand you're a good writer. So what I want you to do is write a show that center's on my character, I'll put both our names on it and take it in to Norman, and we'll split the money. So I wrote a show in which I created his mother and father, George and Louise Jefferson. He took it in to Norman and two weeks later Norman sent for me. I never went out and beat on doors or any of that stuff.

jimi izrael: So, you didn't create the Jeffersons? They were on the show before you started?

Eric Monte: I should have said father and mother, George and Louise Jefferson. George was the father. Lionel was a character on the show. I created his mother and father, Louise and George. They were not on the show. In fact the first thing Norman said to me when I went ot teh meeting was, "America will never buy a black man calling white people, 'honky,' in a sitcom when I went to the meeting.

jimi izrael: The Jefferson's was the first spin-off of All IN the Family, correct?

Eric Monte: Yes.

Eric Monte: Our meeting was in 1971, "The Jefferson's," didn't come on until 1975 or 76?

jimi izrael: who's idea was it to include and interracial couple?
jimi izrael: were you still writing for ALL in The Family in those between years?

Eric Monte: I had no part of the interracial couple. That happened after I left Norman.

jimi izrael: I'm confused---you didn't do any writing on the Jefferson show itself?

Eric Monte: No, I didn't write for, "All in the Family," or, "The Jeffeson's," at all.
Norman consider my work too controversial. I pitched, "Good Times," in 1971, it didn't go on the air until 1974. In those three years we had about 20 meetings. The one note I got in every meeting was, "Get rid of the father," a strong black man in a sit com won't work. In 1974 I got the contract to write, "Cooley High." When AIP sent the cast to Chicago to shoot the movie, I quit Norman's company. The following year he came out with, "The Jefferson's."

jimi izrael: I see

Eric Monte: I created the characters of, "George and Louise Jefferson," but I never worked on the show.

jimi izrael: got it

Eric Monte: And those were the only two characters on the show that I created.

jimi izrael: How did you first envision Good Times?

Eric Monte: As a comedic depiction of real black life in the projects.

jimi izrael: Did it end up the way you envisioned?

Eric Monte: Somewhat.

Eric Monte: I hated what they ultimately did to J.J. Another thing. Two months after I quit the show, they fired John Amos.

jimi izrael: Tell me about what happened to JJ .. . how did you see his character evolving?

Eric Monte: Working on, "Good Times," was real hard. All the white writers wanted to do stereotypes and I refused. Every week we'd argue and fight. They would ignore what I suggested and take all that, "Yassuh Boss," stuff to the cast and John Amos and Ester Rolle would have a fit. Then they'd give them what I wrote and the cast would like it they'd shoot it and it would go on the air. The next week it was the same fight. Originally I pictured J.J. as a street smart hustler who drove his honest, hard working parents crazy.

jimi izrael: So you ended up quitting behind all the in-fighting. How did "Cooley High" come about?

Eric Monte: Norman told me that this white producer named Steve Krantz was looking for a black writer to do the crows on a movie he was making called, "Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat." I went to work for Steve and I wrote the part about the crows. After that Steve and I would hang out. He to me to see a movie called, "The Education of Sonny Carson." After the movie he said, "Now that was real black life." I said, "no it wasn't." He said, "Yes it was." I said, "How many black neighborhoods have you lived in?" He asked me what was wrong with it. I told him that, "it showed all the bad parts of black life and none of the good. I grew up in one of the worst neighborhoods in America, Cabrini Green. Whenever they mentioned crime and violence in America the two places they would always mention was Bedtuy, Brooklyn and Cabrini in Chicago. Although I lived in a horrible neighborhood I had one of the best childhoods in the world. He rented and studio for two days and we went in and I talked about my life growing up in Cabrini. He cut it to 26 minutes and took it around to the studios. AIP bought it. It became, "Cooley High."

jimi izrael: So basically, the film of you talking about your life became the pitch for the film, right? Cooley High is autobiographical?

Eric Monte: Yes, "Cooley High," was slightly autobiographical.

jimi izrael: just slightly?

Eric Monte: Yes.

jimi izrael: what percentage, would you say?

Eric Monte: 100 percent. The thing was that the time was off. I didn't leave chicago and go to Hollywood. I went into the army. I went to Hollywood after I got out of the army. Cochise, who's real name was Ralph MXXX, didn't die until I got out of the army and he wasn't killed by accident, some guys shot him because they thought he was a snitch. So I guess that's 99%.

jimi izrael: I see. You say alot that you were black balled from the industry---why and how so?

Eric Monte: Because I fought so hard to keep them from degrading black people, I was considered hard to work with. Then when, "Cooley High," came out I quit Norman's company because I wanted to produce under my own production company. I didn't want to fight white people, who had never been in a black neighborhood, let alone a black household, about how black would react. When, "Cooley High," came out ABC wanted to do it as a series. I went to ABC, where Mike Eisner, was vice president and I told him I would do it but only under my own production company. They said okay but that I had never produced before and I need some producers with experience. I said okay. He said my agent, Bernie Weintraub, represented these two producers, Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein. I agreed to use them. I wrote a script and ABC set up some offices for us. When I got the script it said, "TOY Productions." I went and asked Mike Eisner who was TOY Productions, that wasn't the name of my company. He told me that Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein had formed a company with Norman's partner, Bud Yorkin and ABC had signed the deal to do my show with that company and my agent, Bernie Weintraub had negotiated the dea. It was all done behind my back. I was pissed. I went to Norman and he told me he wanted me to create another show for him but he couldn't work with me until I resolved my problem with his partner Bud. So I went back to ABC. Mike Eisner refused to talk to me, so he sent Marcy Carsey. To keep a long story from getting longer, I pitched what became, "The Cosby Show." They didn't want to hear it. So I filed a lawsuit against ABC, CBS, Norman Lear, Bernie Weintraub, Saul Turtletaub, Bernie Orenstein, Bud Yorkin. So because I wouldn't degrade black people and I sued the Networks, they called me hard to work with and I was black listed.

jimi izrael: wait a second

jimi izrael: you pitched "The Cosby Show"?

Eric Monte: Yes.

jimi izrael: With the doctor husband, lawyer wife, etc?

Eric Monte: Yes. Only the wife wasn't a lawyer.

jimi izrael: what was she?

Eric Monte: Fine and smart. Here comes another long story.

Eric Monte: Up until that time, whenever they did a black comedy, all the mothers were fat. On the white shows, all the mothers were slim and gorgeous. And I told Marcy that I thought that was wrong and stereotypic. That even though I didn't reflect it, my mother was gorgeous. I felt there should be a black show with an intellegent father and a beautiful wife. She told me it wouldn't work. (I told her more about the kids and stuff but I don't want to go into the whold conversation. It's toooooo long.)
jimi izrael: did you pitch it as the Cosby SHow, or you just pitched the idea? That is, did you have Bill in mind?
Eric Monte: No. I pitched the idea of what became, "The Cosby Show." All the character's and the basic set.

jimi izrael: So what have done since those days, after you were black listed?

Eric Monte: Write. I have 34 projects on my computer. Right now I'm in the process of publishing a book I wrote called, "Blueprint for Peace." It tells how we can end war, eliminate taxes completely and reduce crime by 70%.

jimi izrael: You've also done some TV here and there, correct?

Eric Monte: Yes. I did an episode of, "The Wayan's Brothers," and "Moesha." That's it.

jimi izrael: which episodes?

Eric Monte: I don't remember. : I just remember I did them and I get the residuals. They weren't that important to me and I've got a lot more and better on my computer. In fact, I consider the, "Moesha," episode I did, the absolute worst script I've ever written.

jimi izrael: What do you think of the current crop of black shows?

Eric Monte: The current crop of black shows suck!!! BIG TIME. There’s not one I consider funny.

jimi izrael: what do you think the future is for blacks on TV?

Eric Monte: Phenomenal! I'm getting ready to get back out there and since they've done nothing good, what I will do will blow minds and be big hits. There's no doubt about it.

jimi izrael: Thats great, man. I think we got it all

Eric Monte: Cool and the Gang. Have a happy