Isabel Sanford (right, with Roxie Roker) as Louise Jefferson on “The Jeffersons,” Norman Lear’s long-running spinoff of “All in the Family.”Credit…CBS, via Associated Press

Amid the 1970s television landscape selling obvious sex and youth, Norman Lear understood the magnetism of older everyday women.

Mr. Lear, who died on Tuesday at 101, has long gotten credit for being the first to train the television spotlight on issues of racism and class, war and poverty, to create plots centered on hot-button feminist issues such as equal pay or abortion. He deserves all of those accolades. But little has been said about the much quieter feminism expressed simply through his choice of leading ladies and the characters they limned.

Mr. Lear made stars out of gifted midlife actresses, without requiring them to look 20 years younger than they were. Instead, he made these women the focal points of important conversations, granting them dignity and gravitas and humor that was never cruel or at their expense.

Amid the 1970s television landscape of sexy pinups (Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers), beautiful superheroes (Lynda Carter in “Wonder Woman,” Lindsay Wagner in “The Bionic Woman”), and relatable-but-thin-and-gorgeous heroines like Mary Tyler Moore, Mr. Lear’s leading ladies stood out for their sheer everyday-ness.

Bea Arthur as Maude Findlay, the outspoken main character in Mr. Lear’s show “Maude,” with Bill Macy, who played her husband, Walter Findlay.Credit…CBS, via Getty

Esther Rolle, far right, played Florida Evans on “Good Times,” seen here with, from left, BernNadette Stanis (as Thelma), Jimmie Walker (as J.J.) and John Amos (as James Evans Sr.).Credit…CBS, via Getty

Cast members from “All in the Family.” From the top: Sally Struthers as Gloria, Rob Reiner as Michael, Jean Stapleton as Edith and Carroll O’Connor as Archie.Credit…CBS

Edith Bunker, Maude Findlay, Louise Jefferson and Florida Evans were all middle- or working-class middle-aged women — attractive, but hardly supermodels. Over the years of their series, the actresses who played these roles ranged in age from their 40s to late sixties. They wore regular clothes on their regular bodies, simple dresses with tie belts, housecoats or tunic pantsuits (varied slightly to reflect their characters’ social status) — outfits any audience member might find in a department store. Their hair and makeup were unobtrusive.

Yet within these parameters lay real power. In their unflashy outfits, they had a commanding appeal different from and more enduring than that of all the bikini- and evening-gown-clad glamour girls of the era. (In her floor-length vests, Bea Arthur as the feminist suburbanite Maude could at times resemble a Roman senator.)

Mr. Lear’s characters held our attention, making us care about their struggles and joys, marriages and children, their money or work woes. They made us laugh. What’s more, these women had romantic lives. Sometimes, they would hint at having actual sex, despite the serious handicap of being over 40.

Esther Rolle was 53 when she began playing Florida Evans on “Good Times” (spinning off from her role in “Maude”) — 19 years older than John Amos, the handsome actor who played her husband, James. Yet they were depicted as having a vital, erotic relationship. In one episode, James whisks Florida off to a snowbound cabin for a second honeymoon, carries her across the threshold and murmurs that he wants to “get it on.”

Even the demure and innocent Edith Bunker — played by Jean Stapleton from age 47 to 56 — referred on occasion to her still-active bedroom activities. In an episode titled “The Joys of Sex,” Edith consults a sex manual to spice up her marriage. “Ain’t I always there when you’re in the mood?” asks a wounded Archie. “Yeah, Archie, and even when I ain’t,” Edith replies.

Mr. Lear’s heroines also confronted feminine reproductive issues: Edith endured a rocky menopause — replete with crying, rage and mood swings. On “The Jeffersons,” Louise Jefferson (played by Isabel Sanford from age 57 to 67) tries some marriage therapy techniques on her recalcitrant husband, George (Sherman Hemsley), trying gamely to get him to talk about sex. Most dramatically, Maude had a late-life abortion (when the character was 47 and Arthur was 50). In other words, these female characters had female bodies, and those bodies got to be part of the story: not as jiggling eye candy, objects of leering jokes or fashion plates, but as the flesh-and-blood, complex, flawed and sexual entities that bodies actually are — and that all women have, whether they’re 25 or 60, supermodels or not.

Norman Lear (1922-2023)

Norman Lear, Whose Comedies Changed the Face of TV, Is Dead at 101

Dec. 6, 2023

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More than 34 million Americans – just over 1 in 10 – have diabetes, and neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet, or more commonly referred to as diabetic nerve pain, is one of its most common complications.

The painful symptoms associated with this nerve damage include numbness, tingling, as well as burning, shooting or stabbing sensations that most often affect the lower extremities.

It is a progressive and debilitating complication of diabetes that will affect approximately more than 5 million Americans in 2021 and is expected to double by 2030.

Lindsay Colbert, Executive Director of The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, and Dr. Rodica Pop-Busui, MD, PhD, Professor of Internal Medicine, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes and Vice Chair Clinical Research, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor will be available to talk about the findings from a new national survey of patients that captured beliefs, perspectives and attitudes towards their diabetic nerve pain.

A key finding from the survey revealed an overwhelming 71% of patients desire change, and are seeking better treatments and a future with less pain. Furthermore, over a third of respondents reported needing to rest more; the most frequently reported necessary life-style change due to their pain.

Key Facts and Figures:

The lack of effective, innovative treatment options have left many patients with a significant unmet medical need

Two in five patients had to visit three or more doctors before getting the right diagnosis for their pain

58% of patients are not satisfied with the current treatment plan for their diabetic nerve foot pain

Interview is courtesy of Averitas Pharma, Inc.

https://www.averitaspharma.com/
https://www.nervepainandme.com/

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