Brent Miller (‘Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter’ producer): ‘By the end of the night, he was at a loss for words’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Ray Richmond
·5 min read
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“I think what has been most important for me (as Norman Lear’s production partner) has been less about business and more about life,” says Brent Miller, who has been working side-by-side for 17 years with the legendary producer of “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons” and “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” (among many other shows). “It’s more about him giving me a life manual that I have access to on a daily basis. Someone who’s been here for 100 years of a life well-lived. I mean, I don’t take that for granted.” Actually, Lear turns 101 on July 27, giving him further time to reflect on a career that is now launching into its second century, and Miller remains privileged to ride shotgun on a life journey that continues forth. See the exclusive video interview above.

The latest collaboration between Miller and the ageless Lear is “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter,” a two-hour ABC special that premiered last September 22 and has been available to stream over Hulu ever since. The celebration of the Norman Lear Century earned an Emmy nomination for Best Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Miller was an executive producer on the program, which was filmed over two nights. The first involved something of a semi-traditional celebration format, with singing and joke-telling and testimonials. The second was a roundtable discussion anchored by Jimmy Kimmel and also featuring Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Aniston and Amy Poehler, three women who never worked with Lear per se but “who are genuinely interested in Norman’s life and who also have, in a sense, stood on his shoulders to get where they are today,” Miller says.

More from GoldDerby

SEEHappy 100th birthday, Norman Lear! Our appreciation of the legendary ‘All in the Family’ creator

The layering together of the two elements proves extremely effective, avoiding it being just another parade of celebrities reading platitudes off of a TelePrompTer. That’s exactly what Miller and his fellow producers were working to avoid. “We didn’t want it to be just a variety show of performances and clips from shows. What we were looking for was something interesting and entertaining that felt relevant and meaningful to the times we’re living in. We  really tried to make it more than just a live birthday party. Interspersing the roundtable I think really helped achieve that.”

Among the stars invited to help honor this living legend were Rita Moreno, the cast members of “The Facts of Life,” “All in the Family” co-star Rob Reiner (“I’m just here to tell you I love you”) and George Clooney, whom Lear was responsible for giving him one of his first jobs on the medical comedy “E/R” in the 1980s. One of the most moving and fascinating moments in the “100 Years of Music & Laughter” special involved Tom Hanks coming on to pay tribute to Lear’s military service during World War II, when he flew bomber missions over Nazi Germany. “Norman is one of the oldest living combat veterans of that war,” Miller points out. “He flew 52 missions and dropped bombs 35 times, and that’s a story worth telling. Most people think of him as the producer, as the writer, but not the veteran.”

Indeed not. The way the world knows Lear is as perhaps the most accomplished and beloved producer of television in history, and naturally that aspect is baked into every part of the special. He was a titan of diversity in his shows long before it was fashionable, and in the special it’s discussed that Lear threatened to walk to talk off a show rather than compromise a script’s integrity. It’s one reason why so many people of color enthusiastically participated in honoring Lear for his centennial celebration.

At the same time, Miller says he was entirely in the dark about what the special would entail before he sat down to be feted. “He had zero input,” Miller confirms. “I was so happy he was able to just kind of take a back seat and go along for the ride. He had no idea who was involved, who would be speaking, who would be performing, how the night was structured. I just really wanted him to feel celebrated, and thankfully, he trusted that we would make that happen. That’s hard for a producer, especially someone like him who’s always been so hands-on with everything he does.” In the end, Lear felt more than honored. “We actually had to edit it because by the end of the night, he was quite blown away and was at a loss for words, which Norman usually isn’t. It was an emotional evening for him for multiple reasons, and I think he felt really celebrated.”

Nominated along with the Lear special in the pre-recorded variety special category are “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” “John Mulaney: Baby J,” “Lizzo: Live in Concert,” “Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would” and “Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer!”.

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