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94-607: Metromedia Square was one of the Los Angeles landmarks that had previous landmark status in the late 20th century, until demolition in the first couple of years in the 21st century; 14 years before the demolition of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena , another last Los Angeles landmark demolished to make way for the Banc of California Stadium in 2016. The lattice steel, truss-like sculpture on top of

188-497: A South Park writers' retreat, with some of his ideas making it onto South Park , and was the officiant at co-creator Trey Parker 's wedding. South Park served as a bond between Lear and his son Benjamin, who was not familiar with his more known work from the 1970s. In 2014, Lear published Even This I Get to Experience , a memoir. Lear is spotlighted in the 2016 documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You . In 2017, he served as executive producer for One Day at

282-600: A 1994 joint card between the Mexican lucha libre promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and WCW (which normally called the Great Western Forum home until they, too, moved to Staples Center) that is credited with introducing the lucha style to English-speaking audiences in the U.S. After then-Clippers owner Donald Sterling turned down an agreement to re-locate the franchise permanently to Anaheim's Arrowhead Pond (now Honda Center ) in 1996,

376-566: A 2014 interview with The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles journalist Rob Eshman, Lear described himself as a "total Jew" but said he was never a practicing one. In 1989, Lear founded the Business Enterprise Trust, an educational program that used annual awards, business school case studies, and videos to spotlight exemplary social innovations in American business until it ended in 1998. He announced in 1992 that he

470-534: A Girl Who Decided to Go for It . In 2020, it was announced that Lear and Act III Productions would executive produce a revival of Who's the Boss? At the time of his death in 2023, he was overseeing multiple shows in development, including a planned reboot of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman . Lear has been honored for his influence on American television and culture. Before All in the Family , television sitcoms in

564-550: A Jewish household in Connecticut and had a bar mitzvah ceremony. Both parents were of Russian-Jewish descent. When Lear was nine years old and living with his family in Chelsea, Massachusetts , his father went to prison for selling fake bonds. Lear thought of his father as a "rascal" and said that the character of Archie Bunker (whom Lear depicted as white Protestant on the show) was in part inspired by his father, and

658-460: A Sports Arena replacement, and as a result, the Clippers became one of the original tenants at the new downtown arena. There were also similar plans years earlier, in 1989, as Sterling had discussions with then-Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley and then-Coliseum Commission president (and eventual Bradley mayoral successor) Richard Riordan about a Sports Arena replacement; Sterling threatened to leave

752-430: A Time , and Good Times (which is a spinoff of Maude ). Most of these Lear sitcoms share three features: they were shot on videotape in place of film , used a live studio audience, and dealt with current social and political issues. Maude is generally considered to be based on Lear's wife Frances, which she confirmed, with Charlie Hauck serving as main producer and writer. Lear's longtime producing partner

846-494: A Time , the reboot of his 1975–1984 show of the same name that premiered on Netflix starring Justina Machado and Rita Moreno as a Cuban-American family. He hosted a podcast, All of the Above with Norman Lear , since May 1, 2017. On July 29, 2019, it was announced that Lear had teamed with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Kunes to make an American Masters documentary about Moreno's life, tentatively titled Rita Moreno: Just

940-531: A brand-new uplink facility created in 1992, in part to handle news backhaul feeds for use by the network's affiliates). Uplinking was handled by the Fox Tape division, formerly MetroTape, which also uplinked syndicated programming from 20th Television . When Fox Sports began operations in 1994, studio programming such as Fox NFL Sunday began to originate from here, along with studio content for Fox Sports Net when that venture launched in 1996. To accommodate

1034-479: A company called The Gans Brothers and later sold family photos door-to-door. Throughout the 1950s, Lear and Simmons turned out comedy sketches for television appearances of Martin and Lewis , Rowan and Martin , and others. They frequently wrote for Martin and Lewis when they appeared on the Colgate Comedy Hour , and a 1953 article from Billboard magazine stated that Lear and Simmons were guaranteed

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1128-533: A concept for a sitcom about a blue-collar American family to ABC . They rejected the show after two pilots were taped: "Justice for All" in 1968 and "Those Were the Days" in 1969. After a third pilot was taped, CBS picked up the show, known as All in the Family . It premiered on January 12, 1971, to disappointing ratings, but it took home several Emmy Awards that year, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The show did very well in summer reruns, and it flourished in

1222-404: A full-service main ticket office, a secondary box office and 2 portable booths, 6 permanent concession stands, and a first-aid station. A club and restaurant were located on the arena level of the facility. A number of operational improvements had been made to enhance accessibility for the handicapped, including the installation of 14 additional handicapped parking stalls, hand rails on both sides of

1316-460: A great place to play rock 'n' roll." The arena closed after the last concert. Demolition began in September 2016 for the new stadium development. After a groundbreaking for the new stadium, the arena was demolished between August and October 2016. BMO Stadium now stands in the old Sports Arena footprint. The arena underwent major renovations to bring it up to 21st century seismic standards and

1410-503: A less stereotypical role, a high school teacher, but also invoke serious contemporary issues, with the Television Academy Foundation stating that "A season and a half before Norman Lear made "relevant" programming a dominant genre with the introduction of programs like All in the Family and Maude, Room 222 was using the form of the half-hour comedy to discuss serious contemporary issues. During its five seasons on

1504-450: A press agent. That's the only role model I had. So all I wanted was to grow up to be a guy who could flip a quarter to a nephew." Lear decided to move to California to restart his career in publicity, driving with his toddler daughter across the country. His first night in Los Angeles, Lear stumbled upon a production of George Bernard Shaw 's Major Barbara at the 90-seat theater-in-the-round Circle Theater off Sunset Boulevard. One of

1598-614: A press release and on the Today show that his intent was to tour the document around the United States so that the country could experience its "birth certificate" firsthand. Through the end of 2004, the document traveled throughout the United States on the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, which Lear organized, visiting several presidential libraries, dozens of museums, as well as the 2002 Olympics , Super Bowl XXXVI , and

1692-427: A privately funded 22,000-seat soccer-specific stadium at the site for $ 250 million. The stadium would be completed by 2018. From March 15 to 19, 2016, Bruce Springsteen performed a series of three sold-out concerts, the last events held in the arena. When he introduced his song "Wrecking Ball" during the last concert, he opened by saying "We gotta play this one for the old building... We're gonna miss this place, it's

1786-588: A record-breaking $ 52,000 (equivalent to $ 590,000 in 2023) each to write for five additional Martin and Lewis appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour that year. In a 2015 interview with Variety , Lear said that Jerry Lewis had hired him and Simmons as writers for Martin and Lewis three weeks before the comedy duo made their first appearance on the Colgate Comedy Hour in 1950. Lear also acknowledged in 1986 that he and Simmons were

1880-516: A satellite uplink facility was created for use by the Satellite News Channel , a joint venture of Group W and ABC (with KTTV handling the production of regionalized news updates); after SNC's closure in 1983, the uplink was subsequently reused by SYNSAT, a joint venture of Group W Productions and Nolo Communications designed to streamline distribution of television and film programming. Television producer Norman Lear moved into

1974-411: A series of steel braced frames were connected to the existing concrete structural system at both the arena and loge levels of the building. To provide a solid footing for these steel frames, portions of the arena floor had to be excavated, then reinforced to provide extra strength. Once the steel frames were fitted and incorporated into the existing structure between existing support columns , concrete

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2068-430: A stairway located next to the north doors. There were also escalators located at the southwest and northeast sides of the building. The Sports Arena was the first NBA arena to feature a rotating billboard at courtside, which also acted as the scorer's table. Rotating billboards eventually became standard at all NBA arenas until the mid-2000s, when LED billboard/scorer's tables were introduced. Spectator amenities included

2162-871: A temporary home in the 2011–2012 season . It was also the home of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association 's National Finals Rodeo from 1962 to 1964. It also hosted the Los Angeles Aztecs of the NASL who played one season of indoor soccer there (1980–81), the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1961 to 1967, the Los Angeles Sharks of the WHA from 1972 to 1974,

2256-800: Is the corporate home of the Fox Television Stations group. Meanwhile, the radio stations' studios remained there, even long after they were no longer owned by Metromedia. KTWV, now owned by Audacy , moved to new studios in Culver City in 1997, and then Miracle Mile neighborhood on L.A.'s Wilshire Boulevard on February 18, 2013. KLAC eventually became acquired by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) and moved to studios shared with Clear Channel's other AM and FM stations, which are now located in Burbank . The Fox Broadcasting Company, which had maintained some business offices at

2350-507: The 1968 and 1972 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four , the 1992 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four , the 1963 NBA All-Star Game , and the boxing competitions during the 1984 Summer Olympics . In addition to hosting the final portion of WrestleMania 2 in 1986, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena also hosted WrestleMania VII in 1991 as well as other WWE events. The arena hosted When Worlds Collide ,

2444-630: The 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles' Century City neighborhood while at the Television Center, moved its complete base of operations to a new facility on the Century City studio lot shortly after the KTTV move; plans were announced for this facility in June 1997, by which time Fox's lease on the facility from Metromedia had run out (and construction on the new facility in Century City

2538-545: The Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. Lear was discharged from the Army Air Forces in 1945. His World War II crew members are featured in the book Crew Umbriago by Daniel P. Carroll. After World War II Lear had a career in public relations . The career choice was inspired by his Uncle Jack: "My dad had a brother, Jack, who flipped me a quarter every time he saw me. He was a press agent so I wanted to be

2632-716: The Christian right . PFAW ran several advertising campaigns opposing the interjection of religion in politics. PFAW and other like-minded groups succeeded in their efforts to block Reagan's 1987 nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court . Lear, a longtime critic of the Religious Right, was an advocate for the advancement of secularism . Prominent right-wing Christians including Pat Robertson , Jerry Falwell , and Jimmy Swaggart have accused Lear of being an atheist and holding an anti-Christian bias. In

2726-636: The Kids' WB series Channel Umptee-3 . The cartoon was notable for being the first television show to meet the Federal Communications Commission 's then-new educational programming requirements. In 2003, Lear appeared on South Park during the " I'm a Little Bit Country " episode, providing the voice of Benjamin Franklin . He also served as a consultant on the episodes "I'm a Little Bit Country" and " Cancelled ". He attended

2820-798: The Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Lear and Rob Reiner produced a filmed, dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence—the last project filmed by famed cinematographer Conrad Hall —on July 4, 2001, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia . The film is introduced by Morgan Freeman and Kathy Bates , Benicio del Toro , Michael Douglas , Mel Gibson , Whoopi Goldberg , Graham Greene , Ming-Na Wen , Edward Norton , Winona Ryder , Kevin Spacey , and Renée Zellweger appear as readers. It

2914-637: The Los Angeles Cobras of the AFL in 1988, and the original Los Angeles Stars of the ABA from 1968 to 1970. The arena played host to the top indoor track athletics meet on the West Coast, the annual Los Angeles Invitational track meet (frequently called the "Sunkist Invitational", with title sponsorship by Sunkist Growers, Incorporated ), from 1960 until the event's demise in 2004. The arena hosted

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3008-618: The United States Army Air Forces . Lear enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in September 1942. He served in the Mediterranean theater as a radio operator and gunner on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with the 772nd Bomb Squadron , 463rd Bomb Group of the Fifteenth Air Force ; in a 2014 interview, he talked about bombing Germany. He flew 52 combat missions and received

3102-635: The proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers led by the United States. The letter called for the passage of the bill and warned that the ending of the agreement by Congress would be a "tragic mistake". Lear was married three times. His first marriage was to Charlotte Rosen in 1943. They divorced in 1956. He was married to Frances Loeb , from 1956 to 1985. They separated in 1983, with Loeb eventually receiving $ 112 million from Lear in their divorce settlement, part of which she used to found Lear's magazine. In 1987, he married Lyn Davis, who survived him. When she met Lear in 1984, Lyn

3196-432: The 1950s and 1960s generally portrayed white American family life as comfortable and avoided raising issues such as racial discrimination and patriarchy. Beginning in 1971, All in the Family openly discussed current social and political topics and became the country's most popular show for five straight years. Lear's subsequent shows widened television's representation of racial and gender diversity, such as Good Times ,

3290-600: The 1971–72 season, becoming the top-rated show on TV for the next five years. After falling from the No. 1 spot, All in the Family still remained in the top ten, with the exception of the 1976-1977 television season where it ranked No. 12, and eventually became Archie Bunker's Place . The show was based loosely on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , about an irascible working-class Tory and his socialist son-in-law. Lear's second big TV sitcom, Sanford and Son ,

3384-574: The Avco was dropped, and the combined entity was renamed as Embassy Communications, Inc. Embassy Pictures was led by Alan Horn and Martin Schaeffer, later co-founders of Castle Rock Entertainment with Rob Reiner . In March 1982, Lear produced an ABC television special titled I Love Liberty , as a counterbalance to groups like the Moral Majority . Among the many guests who appeared on

3478-571: The Coliseum Commission had discussions to build an on-site replacement for the Sports Arena. Plans included a seating capacity of 18,000 for basketball, 84 luxury suites, and an on-site practice facility for the Clippers. However, as a new Downtown Los Angeles sports and entertainment arena was being planned and eventually built ( Staples Center ) two miles north along Figueroa Street, the Coliseum Commission scuttled plans for

3572-546: The January 21, 1987, issue of The Christian Century , Lear associate Martin E. Marty (a Lutheran professor of church history at the University of Chicago Divinity School between 1963 and 1998) rejected those allegations, stating the television producer honored religious moral values and complimenting Lear's understanding of Christianity. Marty noted that while Lear and his family had never practiced Orthodox Judaism ,

3666-614: The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. On July 25, 2013, the Coliseum Commission and USC executed this new long-term master lease agreement. It became effective on July 29, 2013, and the Commission transferred day-to-day management and financial responsibilities for the Coliseum and Sports Arena to USC. This included the rehiring by USC, on a fixed term basis, of the Coliseum/Sports Arena employees who had been working for

3760-622: The MetroTape division to provide videotape and production services (functioning autonomously from their television and radio arms); accordingly, the Metromedia Square facilities became known under the alternate banner of MetroTape West . The truss-like, lattice steel work of art sculpture, "Starsteps" was added to the building's roof on the north side of the property above the Hollywood Freeway ( US 101 ) in 1981. In 1982,

3854-454: The Sports Arena and move elsewhere in the Los Angeles region if plans did not come together. After the Trojans departed to the new Galen Center in 2006, the arena assumed a lower profile. The arena still continued to hold high school basketball championships, as well as concerts and conventions . The UCLA men's basketball team returned to the arena to play a majority of their home games at

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3948-493: The Sports Arena during the 2011–12 season while Pauley Pavilion underwent renovation. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission embarked on a seismic retrofit , designed to bring the Sports Arena up to 21st century seismic standards. Bentley Management Group was hired as the project manager for the Seismic Bracing Remodel. In order to reinforce the existing 316,700-square-foot (29,420 m ) structure,

4042-419: The actors in the play was Sydney Chaplin , the son of actors Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey . Charlie Chaplin, Alan Mowbray , and Dame Gladys Cooper sat in front of Lear, and after the show was over, Charlie Chaplin performed. Lear had a first cousin in Los Angeles, Elaine, who was married to an aspiring comedy writer named Ed Simmons . Simmons and Lear teamed up to sell home furnishings door-to-door for

4136-554: The advocacy organization People for the American Way to counter the influence of the Christian right in politics, and in the early 2000s, he mounted a tour with a copy of the Declaration of Independence . Norman Milton Lear was born on July 27, 1922, in New Haven, Connecticut , to Jeanette ( née Seicol) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman. He had a younger sister, Claire Lear Brown (1925–2015). Lear grew up in

4230-499: The air, the show included episodes that dealt with such topics as racism, sexism, homophobia, dropping out of school, shoplifting, drug use among both teachers and students, illiteracy, cops in school, guns in school, Vietnam war veterans, venereal disease, and teenage pregnancy". In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Lear the National Medal of Arts , noting: "Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed

4324-461: The area. There was a 75-foot (23 m) vertical clearance. The arena has a unique, expansive floor-level footprint of nearly 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m ) and 101,557 square feet (9,435.0 m ) on the concourse level, allowing the installation of any needed display, food or other programming requirements. There was an enormous load-in ramp at the west side of the arena with a 40-foot (12 m) wide entry. Print, radio and television media

4418-545: The building and the land on which it was situated, leasing the property to Fox and KTTV. The Fox Broadcasting Company launch announcement was made from the property, and on October 9, 1986, the flagship show was broadcast live, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers . Shows like the Metromedia and then Fox-produced Small Wonder and NBC's Saved by the Bell , as well as the direct-to-syndication seasons of Mama's Family ,

4512-692: The building, "Starsteps" was what made Metromedia Square a Los Angeles landmark in the 1980s and 1990s. The site was first known as the Nassour Studios , built in 1946 and opened January 1, 1947 by brothers William and Edward Nassour (1911–1962). Over 100 independent films were shot there under the Nassour Studios banner. Originally, there were four sound stages ranging in size from around 7,600 square feet (710 m) to just over 13,000 square feet (1,200 m). Nassour's modern Art Deco -styled projection room and modern offices were located in

4606-441: The buildings fronting Sunset Boulevard. Dressing rooms were constructed adjacent to stages 1 and 2. An old converted two story apartment building located down the street on Van Ness housed producers and writers. The largest stage, stage 4, had removable panels that hid a water tank. It was used to film the jungle river scenes in 1949's Africa Screams . The lot was very small (about four acres) so an underground facility for storage

4700-972: The character of Edith Bunker was in part inspired by his mother. However, Lear has said the moment which inspired his lifetime of advocacy was another event which he experienced at the age of nine, when he first heard antisemitic Catholic radio priest Father Charles Coughlin while tinkering with his crystal radio set. After hearing more of Coughlin's radio sermons, Lear said he found Coughlin would promote antisemitism by targeting people whom Jews considered to be "great heroes", such as US President Franklin Roosevelt. Lear attended Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn , New York, graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut , in 1940 and attended Emerson College in Boston , but dropped out in 1942 to join

4794-413: The commission the previous day. For most of the former Coliseum Commission employees, the fixed term of their employment would be short-lived, ending 10 months later on May 30, 2014. The Sports Arena was demolished in order to replace it with a more in-demand facility — a soccer-specific stadium that would house an MLS team. On May 18, 2015, Los Angeles Football Club announced its intentions to build

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4888-405: The decided advantages of better durability, easier maintenance and improved thermal characteristics . A foundation surface was applied directly over the existing tiles, in order to seal the crown and give the new surface something to adhere to. Once the structural work was finished, the walls, ceilings, doors, floors and other areas involved in the modification had to be put back together. Throughout

4982-502: The entire project, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena remained open for business. The result was a brand-new crown around the exterior of the building, as well as a new terrazzo floor on the concourse level. During an open session meeting on July 17, 2013, the Coliseum Commission authorized the amendment to the existing USC-Coliseum Commission Lease for the operation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and

5076-466: The first television show centered on an African-American nuclear family; Television screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky said that Lear "put the American people [on screen] ... he took the audience and put them on the set". However, it has been acknowledged that James L. Brooks TV series Room 222 , which was not made by Lear and which debuted before Lear's shows debuted, was also among the first shows to not only feature an African American lead character in

5170-564: The influential and award-winning 1981 film The Wave about Ron Jones ' social experiment. Lear also developed the cult favorite TV series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman ( MH MH ) which was turned down by the networks as "too controversial" and placed it into first run syndication with 128 stations in January 1976. A year later, he added another program into first-run syndication along with MH MH , All That Glitters . He planned in 1977 to offer three hours of prime-time Saturday programming directly having stations place his production company in

5264-620: The land to the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2000; the famed "starsteps" were dismantled and shipped to Chicago. The building was demolished by the school district in 2003 and replaced with Helen Bernstein High School , which opened in 2008. 34°05′47″N 118°18′55″W  /  34.096351°N 118.315212°W  / 34.096351; -118.315212 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

5358-643: The lawsuit, blacklisted Monte and labeled him too difficult to work with. In 1980, Lear founded the organization People for the American Way for the purpose of counteracting the Christian right group Moral Majority which had been founded in 1979. In the fall of 1981, Lear began a 14-month run as the host of a revival of the classic game show Quiz Kids for the CBS Cable Network. In January 1982, Lear and Jerry Perenchio bought Avco Embassy Pictures from Avco Financial Corporation. In January 1982, after merging with company with T.A.T. Communications,

5452-604: The legal defense of Daniel Ellsberg who had released the Pentagon Papers , and they backed the struggling progressive magazine The Nation to keep it afloat. In 1975, they formed the Energy Action Committee to oppose Big Oil 's powerful lobby in Washington. In 1981, Lear founded People for the American Way (PFAW), a progressive advocacy organization formed in reaction to the politics of

5546-430: The main writers for The Martin and Lewis Show for three years. In 1954, Lear was enlisted as a writer and asked to salvage the new CBS sitcom starring Celeste Holm , Honestly, Celeste! , but the program was canceled after eight episodes. During this time he became the producer of NBC 's short-lived (26 episodes) sitcom The Martha Raye Show , after Nat Hiken left as the series director. Lear also wrote some of

5640-445: The opening monologs for The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show which aired from 1956 to 1961. In 1959, Lear created his first television series, a half-hour western for Revue Studios called The Deputy , starring Henry Fonda . Starting out as a comedy writer, then a film director (he wrote and produced the 1967 film Divorce American Style and directed the 1971 film Cold Turkey , both starring Dick Van Dyke ), Lear tried to sell

5734-638: The pedestrian ramp leading to the floor level seating, handicapped accessible drinking fountains, an Assistive Listening System to aid the hearing impaired, conversion of restroom facilities, dressing rooms and bathroom fixtures for the handicapped, and increased informational signage. Event presentation was augmented by a four-sided overhead scoreboard with several auxiliary boards. The arena seated up to 16,740 for boxing / wrestling , and 14,546 for hockey . There were 12,389 fixed upper-level, theater-type seats, and floor-level seating which could be configured by sport. The seating capacity for basketball changed over

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5828-619: The position of an occasional network . In 1977, African-American screenwriter Eric Monte filed a lawsuit accusing ABC and CBS producers Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin , and others of stealing his ideas for Good Times , The Jeffersons , and What's Happening!! Monte received a $ 1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from Good Times and one percent ownership of the show. Monte, due to his lack of business knowledge and experience as well as legal representation, would not receive royalties for other shows that he created. However, Lear and other Hollywood producers, outraged over

5922-588: The property along with KTTV in 1963. In 1967 Metromedia undertook an extensive renovation and expansion of the facility, which included renovating two of the existing studios, as well as a new office tower and building housing various Metromedia enterprises, including the Harlem Globetrotters , the Ice Capades , the Foster & Kleiser advertising firm and Wolper Productions , the latter of which

6016-474: The property in 1973 and headquartered his company, Tandem Productions , in the building. Lear started videotaping his television series here in the fall of 1975, including but not limited to: All in the Family ; Diff'rent Strokes ; The Jeffersons ; Maude ; Good Times ; Hello, Larry ; One Day at a Time ; and The Facts of Life . One of his other shows, Sanford and Son , remained taped at NBC Studios in Burbank ; its 1980 revival, Sanford ,

6110-659: The sitcom format. Lear received many awards, including six Primetime Emmy Awards , two Peabody Awards , the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, and the Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award in 2021. He was a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame . Lear was known for his political activism and funding of liberal and progressive causes and politicians. In 1980, he founded

6204-439: The sketch comedy series In Living Color , and the first season of MAD TV were among the later series to be taped at this complex. Ironically, very few Fox television shows were actually taped at the Fox Television Center; however, it did serve as the network's technical center, with all programming for Fox's prime-time and late-night lineups, as well as Fox Kids Network programming, being uplinked to satellite from here (with

6298-503: The special was conservative icon and the 1964 U.S. presidential election's Republican nominee Barry Goldwater . On June 18, 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications to Columbia Pictures (then owned by The Coca-Cola Company ), which acquired Embassy's film and television division (including Embassy's in-house television productions and the television rights to the Embassy theatrical library) for $ 485 million of shares of The Coca-Cola Company. The brand Tandem Productions

6392-436: The television producer was a follower of Judaism. In a 2009 interview with US News journalist Dan Gilgoff, Lear rejected claims by right-wing Christian nationalists that he was an atheist and prejudiced against Christianity. Lear held religious beliefs and integrated some evangelical Christian language into his Born Again American campaign. He believed that religion should be kept separate from politics and policymaking. In

6486-446: The total to 5 altogether; by the time the facility was demolished, the studio count had increased to 6); 4 video editing bays were added by 1983. As a result of the increased work (as Metromedia expanded their production of programming for first-run syndication via their Metromedia Producers Corporation division, in addition to external clients, including Norman Lear's shows and production of television commercials), Metromedia established

6580-515: The vast infrastructure necessary for live sports programming, millions of dollars worth of new equipment and expansion to the Fox Television Center were necessary; this included a seventh studio exclusively for sports coverage, multiple new control rooms, the technology necessary to keep the " Fox Box " scorebox updated, Chyron graphics machines, and specialized recordable LaserDisc players. KTTV moved to their own new building (the present-day Fox Television Center) in West Los Angeles in 1996, which

6674-432: The way we look at it." That year, he and Bud Yorkin received the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. The Producers Guild of America awarded Lear its Achievement Award in Television in 2006; by the next year, the honor was named the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television . In 2017, he

6768-529: The years: Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922 – December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms , including All in the Family (1971–1979), Maude (1972–1978), Sanford and Son (1972–1977), One Day at a Time (1975–1984), The Jeffersons (1975–1985), and Good Times (1974–1979). His shows introduced political and social themes to

6862-433: Was Bud Yorkin , who also produced All in the Family , Sanford and Son , What's Happening!! , Maude , and The Jeffersons . Yorkin split with Lear in 1975. He started a production company with writers and producers Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein ; however, only two of their shows lasted longer than a year: What's Happening!! and Carter Country . The Lear/Yorkin company was known as Tandem Productions and

6956-742: Was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park , in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of Southern California , which managed and operated both venues under a master lease agreement with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. The arena was closed in April 2016, and was demolished in September of that same year. It

7050-484: Was a trustee of The Paley Center for Media . In 2001, Lear and his wife, Lyn, purchased a Dunlap broadside —one of the first published copies of the United States Declaration of Independence —for $ 8.1 million. John Dunlap printed about 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Twenty-five copies survive today and only four of those are in private hands. Lear said in

7144-521: Was abandoned in 1986 with the cancellation of Diff'rent Strokes , and Embassy ceased to exist as a single entity in late 1986, having been split into different components owned by different entities. Coca-Cola sold the film division to Dino De Laurentiis and the home video arm to Nelson Holdings (led by Barry Spikings). The TV properties continued under the Columbia Pictures Television banner. Lear's Act III Communications

7238-708: Was ahead of schedule). This new facility, known as the Fox Network Center , is the home to the network's live studio productions (certain Fox Sports Net productions instead originated from a facility located in the Westwood district), and serves as the technical center of the Fox network (with Fox's satellite feeds beginning origination from the Network Center on December 31st, 1997). Metromedia sold

7332-499: Was also based on a British sitcom, Steptoe and Son , about a west London junk dealer and his son. Lear changed the setting to the Watts section of Los Angeles and the characters to African Americans, and the NBC show Sanford and Son was an instant hit. Numerous hit shows followed thereafter, including Maude , The Jeffersons (both spin-offs of All in the Family ), One Day at

7426-681: Was an outspoken supporter of First Amendment and liberal causes. The only time that he did not support the Democratic candidate for president was in 1980 when he supported John Anderson over Jimmy Carter because he considered the Carter administration to be "a complete disaster". Lear was one of the wealthy Jewish Angelenos known as the Malibu Mafia . In the 1970s and 1980s, the group discussed progressive and liberal political issues, and worked together to fund them. They helped to fund

7520-591: Was awarded the fourth annual Woody Guthrie Prize presented by the Woody Guthrie Center , recognizing an artist whose work represents the spirit of Woody Guthrie "as a positive force for social change". He became the oldest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors later that year at the age of 95. Lear's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6615 Hollywood Boulevard . He received other numerous honorary accolades, including: Lear

7614-433: Was cremated. Numerous celebrities paid tribute to Lear, including Jimmy Kimmel , Bill Clinton , Tyler Perry , George Clooney , John Leguizamo , Jon Stewart , Valerie Bertinelli , Bob Iger , Rob Reiner , John Amos , Billy Crystal , Quinta Brunson , Rita Moreno , Mark Hamill , Ben Stiller , Albert Brooks and more. The Simpsons' episode 9 from the 35th season ends with the words "In memory of Norman Lear" and

7708-524: Was directed by Arvin Brown and scored by John Williams . In 2004, Lear established Declare Yourself which is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign created to empower and encourage eligible 18- to 29-year-olds in America to register and vote. It has registered almost 4 million young people. Lear was one of 98 "prominent members of Los Angeles' Jewish community" who signed an open letter supporting

7802-457: Was founded in 1958. Lear and talent agent Jerry Perenchio founded T.A.T. Communications ("T.A.T." stood for the Yiddish phrase tuchus affen tisch , "putting one's ass on the line". ) in 1974, which co-existed with Tandem Productions and was often referred to in periodicals as Tandem/T.A.T. The Lear organization was one of the most successful independent TV producers of the 1970s. TAT produced

7896-766: Was founded in 1986 and in the following year, Thomas B. McGrath was named president and chief operating officer of ACT III Communications Inc after previously serving as senior vice president. On February 2, 1989, Norman Lear's Act III Communications formed a joint venture with Columbia Pictures Television called Act III Television to produce television series instead of managing. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Act III Communications purchased several business journals, including Channels magazine that had been founded by Les Brown , former New York Times TV correspondent. Channels closed in 1990, by which time Act III and Brown published and edited Television Business International ( TBI ). In 1997, Lear and Jim George produced

7990-404: Was in the process of earning a doctorate in clinical psychology . She later became a documentary filmmaker through her production company Lyn Lear Productions. From his three marriages, he had six children. He was a godparent to actress and singer Katey Sagal . Lear died at his Los Angeles home on December 5, 2023, from cardiac arrest, as a complication of heart failure. He was 101. His body

8084-679: Was necessary. A large freight elevator was installed for access. In 1950, the Nassour brothers sold their studio to the Times Mirror Company , publisher of the Los Angeles Times . Times-Mirror was looking for a facility to permanently house KTTV (channel 11), its new television station (at the time, owned jointly with CBS ) which commenced broadcasting the previous year. The facility was later renamed KTTV Studios . The New York City -based firm Metromedia purchased

8178-504: Was purchased by the company in 1964. The renovation also brought about a name change, from KTTV Studios to Metromedia Square .(also referred to as Metromedia West ). Los Angeles radio stations KLAC and KMET (now KTWV ), which Metromedia purchased in separate 1963 and 1965 transactions, moved there in 1976. In 1975, further expansion was made, with the addition of a 40,000 square-foot building with offices, dressing rooms and rehearsal space, as well as more soundstage renovation (bringing

8272-724: Was reducing his political activism. In 2000, he provided an endowment for a multidisciplinary research and public policy center, the Norman Lear Center , that explored the convergence of entertainment, commerce, and society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism . Lear served on the National Advisory Board of the Young Storytellers Foundation . He wrote articles for The Huffington Post . He

8366-401: Was replaced with BMO Stadium , home of Major League Soccer 's Los Angeles FC , which opened in 2018. The arena was opened by Vice President Richard Nixon on July 4, 1959, and its first event followed four days later, a bantamweight title fight between José Becerra and Alphonse Halimi on July 8. It became a companion facility to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . The venue

8460-404: Was serviced on each side of the arena by installation of any kind of portable facilities. Five permanent TV locations were sited on the concourse level. In addition, a 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) catwalk was suspended from the ceiling and circled the arena for cameras or spotlights. Spectators could reach arena level seating area either by a circulatory ramp on the southwest side of the building or by

8554-886: Was the home court of the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA from October 1960 to December 1967, the Los Angeles Clippers also of the NBA from 1984 to 1999, and the home ice of the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL from October to December 1967 during their inaugural 1967–68 season. It was the home for college basketball for the USC Trojans from 1959 to 2006 and the UCLA Bruins from 1959 to 1965 and again as

8648-439: Was then re-poured into the area. The original crown of the arena, one of its most distinguishing characteristics, was the countless small ceramic tiles , each measuring no more than a square inch in width. A multitude of the crown's tiles were loosening and many others were discolored. In order to remedy this, a new crown was designed, this time using individual sections of EIFS ( Exterior insulation finishing system ), which offered

8742-509: Was videotaped at Metromedia. Shows such as Diff'rent Strokes , The Facts of Life , One Day at a Time , and The Jeffersons later relocated to Universal City Studios by 1982. In 1986, Metromedia sold most of its television interests to News Corporation , and KTTV became a cornerstone station of the new Fox Broadcasting Company . As a result, the studios became the Fox Television Center , though Metromedia continued to own

8836-441: Was well maintained. There were four fully equipped team rooms, two smaller rooms for officials, and two private dressing rooms for individual performers. There were two additional meeting rooms on site which could be used for administrative or hospitality functions. The floor area comprised a 144-by-262-foot (44 by 80 m) space (38,000 sq ft (3,500 m )), affording the largest standing floor capacity of any arena in

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