Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Television writer Norman Lear discusses his friendship with Ben Bradlee, who he says "was after the truth." Lear recalls the Watergate episode of All in The Family that led to a phone call with Irving Berlin, discovering he was on Nixon’s enemies list, and examines a similarity between all attacks on the free press.
Norman Lear is a screenwriter and producer who was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1922. He attended Emerson College before flying 52 combat missions over Europe during World War II. Upon his return, Lear began a successful career writing for television and producing programs in the 1950’s such as The Colgate Comedy Hour, and The Martha Raye Show, ultimately leading to his iconic shows of the 1970s and ‘80s — All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. In 2017, he served as executive producer to the critically acclaimed reimagining of his series One Day at a Time. In addition, Lear was a producer on the classic films, Stand By Me (1986) and The Princess Bride (1987). He is a 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree; a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016; and is a member of the inaugural group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He has won six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. In 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded him the Carol Burnett Award for Achievement in Television. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1999. Lear passed away on December 5, 2023.
From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee,” about one of America's most influential and celebrated newspaper editors, who found himself at the center of many of the 20th Century's most seismic storms, including: World War II, John F. Kennedy, Watergate and the fall of Richard Nixon.
Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/lifestoriesdotorg
Norman Lear, Screenwriter and Producer
Interviewed By: John Maggio
Interview Date: February 07, 2017
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:10 Forming a friendship with Ben Bradlee
00:58 Ben Bradlee’s charisma
01:49 Ben Bradlee’s persona
02:54 Ben Bradlee’s leadership style
04:06 First impressions of Ben Bradlee
06:27 Ben Bradlee’s temperament
06:50 Ben Bradlee’s battle with polio
07:14 Ben Bradlee’s character
07:31 World War II
09:35 Ben Bradlee’s time in Paris
10:31 Ben Bradlee’s friendship with JFK
11:30 The aftermath of JFK’s assassination
12:38 The Vietnam War
14:16 Television reflecting life
16:53 The Watergate episode of All in the Family
18:54 Appearing on Nixon’s Enemies List
19:26 Nixon’s resignation
19:49 Jason Robards and All the President’s Men
20:35 The free press
21:44 The Trump administration
23:50 Living in the moment
25:18 Adjectives to describe Ben Bradlee
25:54 Ben Bradlee’s quest for the truth
© Home Box Office and Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
#NormanLearInterview #kunhardtfilmfoundation
Television writer Norman Lear discusses his friendship with Ben Bradlee, who he says "was after the truth." Lear recalls the Watergate episode of All in The Family that led to a phone call with Irving Berlin, discovering he was on Nixon’s enemies list, and examines a similarity between all attacks on the free press.
Norman Lear is a screenwriter and producer who was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 27, 1922. He attended Emerson College before flying 52 combat missions over Europe during World War II. Upon his return, Lear began a successful career writing for television and producing programs in the 1950’s such as The Colgate Comedy Hour, and The Martha Raye Show, ultimately leading to his iconic shows of the 1970s and ‘80s — All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. In 2017, he served as executive producer to the critically acclaimed reimagining of his series One Day at a Time. In addition, Lear was a producer on the classic films, Stand By Me (1986) and The Princess Bride (1987). He is a 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree; a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016; and is a member of the inaugural group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He has won six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. In 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded him the Carol Burnett Award for Achievement in Television. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1999. Lear passed away on December 5, 2023.
From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee,” about one of America's most influential and celebrated newspaper editors, who found himself at the center of many of the 20th Century's most seismic storms, including: World War II, John F. Kennedy, Watergate and the fall of Richard Nixon.
Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/lifestoriesdotorg
Norman Lear, Screenwriter and Producer
Interviewed By: John Maggio
Interview Date: February 07, 2017
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:10 Forming a friendship with Ben Bradlee
00:58 Ben Bradlee’s charisma
01:49 Ben Bradlee’s persona
02:54 Ben Bradlee’s leadership style
04:06 First impressions of Ben Bradlee
06:27 Ben Bradlee’s temperament
06:50 Ben Bradlee’s battle with polio
07:14 Ben Bradlee’s character
07:31 World War II
09:35 Ben Bradlee’s time in Paris
10:31 Ben Bradlee’s friendship with JFK
11:30 The aftermath of JFK’s assassination
12:38 The Vietnam War
14:16 Television reflecting life
16:53 The Watergate episode of All in the Family
18:54 Appearing on Nixon’s Enemies List
19:26 Nixon’s resignation
19:49 Jason Robards and All the President’s Men
20:35 The free press
21:44 The Trump administration
23:50 Living in the moment
25:18 Adjectives to describe Ben Bradlee
25:54 Ben Bradlee’s quest for the truth
© Home Box Office and Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
#NormanLearInterview #kunhardtfilmfoundation
