Was there ever a Norman Lear show that didn't have someone slapping someone else?

[robmic]

All the Norman Lear shows I have seen have at least one slap scene. What was it with the slaps?

All in the Family: Edith slapped Gloria, Edith slapped Archie, Gloria slapped Mike.

The Jeffersons: Louise slapped Lionel, Jenny slapped Lionel

Maude: Walter slapped Maude

Good Times: Florida slapped Michael

One Day at a Time: Ann slapped Julie, Barbara slapped her professor

Sanford and Son: I don't remember any slaps on there, but I haven't seen all the episodes. This show never got as serious as the others. I know Fred always said he'd give Lamont one across the lips, but everything on there was pure comedy and never got into drama.

Why were people always slapping people in these shows? A lot of the shows from the '70s and '80s had slap scenes and other physical things. It showed Maude spanking her grandson Phillip on-screen. James Evans gave a thunderous whipping to one of Michael's schoolmates. It was off-screen, but you could hear it!! Schneider on "One Day at a Time" got his nephew in a headlock and nearly choked him. Ann Romano paddled her adoptive son with a board on-screen. Even Mike Stivic slugged a man on the subway after years of preaching non-violence.

[broadmoor]

Wow. Never knew there was that much slappin' going round in the Lear shows. There were always so many shout-fests on those series, I guess they needed to up the ante at times. Either that, or just end such an argument with a dramatic coda.

But frankly, all that shouting and dysfunction is why I never particularly cottoned to such shows. It was odd, because I'd hear some people in later years state that this made the shows seem more real to them and reflective of their own family lives, than the old-time family sitcoms. And I don't doubt them for a minute. Yet, for me and my friends, even in the supposedly turbulent 1970s, we all noted that our own family lives much more closely resembled the oldies like "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best" than the Lear stuff. By far.

[Retro76]

You forgot on Good Times, Keith slapped Thelma and she returned the slap in the episode, "The Evans Dilemma".

[comedyfreak]

Slaptastic!!!

[Yong Fang]

On One Day at a Time, Shneider slapped Alex because Alex accidentally burned Shneiders trailer down.

[robmic]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

On One Day at a Time, Shneider slapped Alex because Alex accidentally burned Shneiders trailer down.

I don't remember Scheider slapping Alex for that. I remember that he was very, very mad and that he yelled at him, but I don't remember any slapping. Of course it's been years since I've seen the episode so you may be right. Do you know if the episode is anywhere online?

I just remembered another time when Ann slapped Alex. He was throwing a fit and broke a vase with flowers in it, and she slapped him. Ann could be tough if you messed with her!

And thanks Retro76 for reminding me about the Keith/Thelma mutual slapping scenes. I can't believe I forgot those two!

[RetroGuy2000]

Here's another Norman Lear show where people get slapped: The Facts of Life: Blair's mother slaps her in the first season episode "Like Mother, Like Daughter".

I do remember a lot of slapping on TV in the late 1970s/early 1980s. I suppose it wasn't shown much in the 1950s and early 1960s because it wasn't wholesome. And by the mid-80s, people were more aware of child abuse, so slapping went out of vogue.

[BigManMike]

Facts of Life was not a Norman Lear show but it did have some of the same writers and producers that worked with Norman Lear.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

Facts of Life was not a Norman Lear show but it did have some of the same writers and producers that worked with Norman Lear.

Depends on what you mean by "not a Norman Lear show". It was created by Norman Lear, and Norman Lear personally offered Geri Jewell her role as Cousin Geri. According to NBC exec Hamilton Cloud, Norman Lear pitched the idea of a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes." Indeed, T.A.T., the production company for FOL, was Norman Lear's production company.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Depends on what you mean by "not a Norman Lear show". It was created by Norman Lear.

The show was created by Dick Blair & Jenna McMahon, not Norman Lear.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

The show was created by Dick Blair & Jenna McMahon, not Norman Lear.

You've misquoted me, Zoneboy. Please do not add periods where there were none. Thanks in advance.

Here's what I wrote:

Depends on what you mean by "not a Norman Lear show". It was created by Norman Lear, and Norman Lear personally offered Geri Jewell her role as Cousin Geri. According to NBC exec Hamilton Cloud, Norman Lear pitched the idea of a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes." Indeed, T.A.T., the production company for FOL, was Norman Lear's production company.

Notice there was no full stop after "Lear". You added that, then chopped off the rest in order to correct me. Seems like you've been doing that a lot today. Hmmm...

Since it's been established that Norman Lear pitched the idea of of a spin-off of DS to NBC, what do you think he was pitching? According to Paul Haggis, Norman Lear put him on "Facts of Life" as a writer. You don't do that if it's not your show.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

You've misquoted me, Zoneboy. Please do not add periods where there were none. Thanks in advance.

Don't be telling me how to post. I didn't misquote you, you plainly stated that the show was created by Norman Lear with no mention of Dick Blair and Jenna McMahon

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Notice there was no full stop after "Lear". You added that, then chopped off the rest in order to correct me. Seems like you've been doing that a lot today. Hmmm...

Whether or not there was a full stop after Lear isn't the issue. You said the show was created by Norman Lear. Also, if you have a problem with something I've said then I suggest you take your complaint to TJ or Janice. As far as I'm concerned I've done nothing wrong and if you keep up this crap of falsely accusing me of things I haven't done then I'm going to take action myself. Right here is exactly what you said,


Depends on what you mean by "not a Norman Lear show". It was created by Norman Lear.

Your next lines were,

and Norman Lear personally offered Geri Jewell her role as Cousin Geri. According to NBC exec Hamilton Cloud, Norman Lear pitched the idea of a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes." Indeed, T.A.T., the production company for FOL, was Norman Lear's production company.

Which is it? did he create the show or did he pitch the idea? You can't have it both ways. If you're implying that he created the show then you're wrong. If he did his name would seen as creator during the credits and it's not or at least no credits that I can find.

[BigManMike]

Norman Lear's name is not in any of the credits for the Facts of Life, not is it in any credits for Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, Who's the Boss?, or 227, but they all had many of the same writers and producers that worked with Norman Lear on his shows, and they were also done by one of his companies, either Tandem Productions or TAT which later became Embassy. All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and Sanford and Son, which were Lear's shows, as well as Diff'rent Strokes were produced by Tandem. The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time, which were also from Lear, were produced by TAT/Embassy, as well as Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, Who's the Boss, and 227.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

Norman Lear's name is not in any of the credits for the Facts of Life, not is it in any credits for Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, Who's the Boss?, or 227, but they all had many of the same writers and producers that worked with Norman Lear on his shows, and they were also done by one of his companies, either Tandem Productions or TAT which later became Embassy. All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and Sanford and Son, which were Lear's shows, as well as Diff'rent Strokes were produced by Tandem. The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time, which were also from Lear, were produced by TAT/Embassy, as well as Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, Who's the Boss, and 227.

This I can see but RG2000 was trying to say that Norman Lear created the show and he didn't. Having an idea for something and actually creating it are 2 different things. If he had said that Lear pitched the idea and the series was created by Dick Blair & Jenna McMahon then we wouldn't be having this discussion but he failed to do that and no amount of accusing me of misquoting him will change that.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Don't be telling me how to post. I didn't misquote you

Yes you did. You added something that wasn't there.

Whether or not there was a full stop after Lear isn't the issue.

Yes it is. It's something you added.

You said the show was created by Norman Lear. Also, if you have a problem with something I've said then I suggest you take your complaint to TJ or Janice.

I was hoping that you could regulate yourself; I can see that's not the case. You've chosen instead to follow me from forum to forum, correcting me and misquoting me. Just stop. You don't need to do this.

if you keep up this crap of falsely accusing me of things I haven't done then I'm going to take action myself. Right here is exactly what you said,


Depends on what you mean by "not a Norman Lear show". It was created by Norman Lear.

Nope. You added that period at the end, as I've already said. When you add things to a quote, you are changing the quote. It's unnecessary. And given the fact that this is not the first time today that you have chosen to correct me, I will ask you again to stop. Please stop.

Which is it? did he create the show or did he pitch the idea? You can't have it both ways.

Actually, it can definitely be both ways. It's most certainly possible to create a show and pitch the idea. In fact, it's easier to pitch a show based on your idea. That's usually how it's done. The idea that the show has to be pitched by someone else ("you can't have it both ways") is a little strange.

If you're implying that he created the show then you're wrong. If he did his name would seen as creator during the credits and it's not or at least no credits that I can find.

The truth is never as simple as "whose name appears in the credits". It was Norman Lear's production company, he hired the writers, he pitched the idea to NBC. He hired Geri Jewell; he hired Charlotte Rae. I was responding to the comment that the Facts of Life was not a Norman Lear show. Though his name does not specifically appear in the credits, it is his company's name which appears in the credits. Without Norman Lear, there would be no Facts of Life. In this sense, he absolutely created the show.