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All That Glitters (American TV series)

December 14, 2023

This article is about the 1977 sitcom. For other uses, see All That Glitters.

All That Glitters is an American sitcom by producer Norman Lear. It consisted of 65 episodes, running five nights a week between April 18 and July 15, 1977, in broadcast syndication.[1] The show, a spoof of the soap opera format, depicted the trials and tribulations of a group of executives at the Globatron corporation. The twist of the series was that it was set within a world of complete role-reversal: Women were the "stronger sex," the executives and breadwinners, while the "weaker sex" – the men – were the support staff or stay-at-home dads. Men were often treated as sex objects.

All That Glitters
  • Screen shot from promotional ad for the series,
  • from Chicago station WFLD
Genre
Created byNorman Lear
Directed by
Theme music composerAlan and Marilyn Bergman
Opening theme"Genesis Revisited" performed by Kenny Rankin
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes65
Production
Executive producerNorman Lear
Producers
  • Norman Lear
  • Stephanie Sills
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time25 mins.
Production companyTandem Productions
Original release
NetworkSyndicated
ReleaseApril 18 (1977-04-18) –
July 15, 1977 (1977-07-15)

The series featured Eileen Brennan, Greg Evigan, Lois Nettleton, Gary Sandy, Tim Thomerson and Jessica Walter. Comic actor and cartoon voice artist Chuck McCann was also a regular. Linda Gray played transgender[2] fashion model Linda Murkland, the first transgender series regular on American television.[3][4] Critically, All That Glitters was negatively received and a ratings disappointment across syndicated television stations.

Production edit

All That Glitters was series creator Norman Lear's attempt to duplicate his success with the syndicated soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Lear described the premise simply: "God created Eve first, took out her rib and gave her a companion so she wouldn't be lonely."[2] Lear came up with the idea on a trip to Washington, D.C.:

I had visited the Institute of Policy Studies, and I just loved the whole thing. And I thought there was a series in it—a five-times-a-week series: I went to bed thinking about that, and I woke up the next morning thinking what would happen if the male-female equation were changed? What would happen if the women had all the power and all the advantage, and the men had what the women normally would have?[5]

The world of All That Glitters had always been female-dominated, but Lear also used the series to comment on changing sex roles in the United States in the 1970s.[6] Under the working title Womb at the Top, All That Glitters was co-created by longtime soap writer Ann Marcus, with a transgender consultant hired to help Linda Gray develop her character Linda Murkland as well as Eve Merriam, whose off-broadway show The Club featured women as turn-of-the-century male chauvinists "strutting around in top hats and tails and telling sexist jokes."[4]

Former Major League Baseball player Wes Parker practically walked into his role. He was doing play-by-play reporting for a Los Angeles television station owned by Lear's partner, Jerry Perenchio. "Lear casually asked if I'd be interested in the part. I said yes, but knew it was out of the question, because in real life things don't happen that way. Nobody walks in and gets on a Norman Lear show. I read for the part, got it and didn't sleep at all that night."[7]

Linda Gray was somewhat nonplussed upon being offered the role of transgender Linda Murkland. "I remember meeting Norman and him saying, 'You'll be perfect for the role.' I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or what."[8] To prepare for her role, Linda Gray asked Lear to arrange for her to meet with a transgender woman. Gray met with her for several hours prior to the beginning of filming and on a couple of occasions during production.[9]

Lois Nettleton reportedly based her characterization of Christina Stockwood on Clark Gable.[2] Production started in early March 1977[10] with director Herbert Kenwith.[11]

In test screenings prior to its premiere, reaction to the show was sharply divided. According to executive producer Stephanie Sills, the strongest negative reaction came from male executives. "They didn't mind being portrayed by women. It was simply that they detest the way we depicted them."[2] Feminists were uncertain how to react to the series, with some being concerned that audiences would not perceive the show as satire but as an attempt to represent how a female-dominated society would actually operate.[2] Lear marketed the program through his company, TAT Syndication.[12]

Cast edit

Critical reaction edit

All That Glitters debuted the week of April 18, 1977, on about 40 stations in late-night syndication.[2] It was poorly critically received, with one reviewer going so far as to call the show's theme song "blasphemous" for suggesting that God was female and created Eve first.[15] Time magazine sharply criticized the series, calling it "embarrassingly amateurish", with "flaccid" and "wearying" jokes, flat writing, "mediocre" acting and "aimless" direction.[2] The Wall Street Journal concurred, saying that while the series' role-reversal premise may have been adequate for a play or film, it was too limiting to serve as the basis for a continuing series. These limitations showed up most clearly, the Journal says, in the lead performances. Although praising the performers themselves as talented, they are cited for being "unable to infuse much life into their roles".[16] The Journal pegs the fundamental problem with All That Glitters as that "its characters are not people at all, merely composites of the least attractive characteristics of each sex. The satire focuses not on the way real, recognizable people behave, but on stereotypes and cliches about masculine and feminine attitudes. Even when stood on their heads, they still remain stereotypes and cliches."[16]

New Times magazine was much more receptive to the series. Although labeling it "unquestionably the weirdest [show] that Lear has ever produced",[5] New Times found that the series was not "a satire of mannerisms but of attitudes".[5] All That Glitters required that viewers watch closely to pick up on the subtleties and nuances, "not so much for what the show says, but for the way that it's said".[5]

All That Glitters, after initially capturing 20% of viewers in major markets in its opening weeks, had lost about half of that audience midway through its run.[5] The series was cancelled after 13 weeks, last airing on July 15, 1977. Although the show was panned, it and Lear, along with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, are credited with expanding the subject matter that television producers were able to explore with lessened fear of antagonizing sponsors or viewers.[17]

In the years since the series, it has garnered something of a positive reputation, with one critic listing it and other Lear efforts as "imaginative shows that contained some of the most striking satires of television and American society ever broadcast".[18]

While the show itself was unsuccessful, it did spawn a hit song. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which had been written with the intention of its being the theme song, was recorded by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand and made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By the time the show made it to air, another song had been chosen as the theme.[19] The replacement, "Genesis Revisited", was later described by The New York Times as "sparkl[ing] with witty rhymes and a punchy good humor".[20] The song was performed by Kenny Rankin. The lyrics for both songs were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman (the music for "Genesis Revisited" is credited solely to Alan Bergman).[11]

Further reading edit

  • Miller Taylor Cole. Syndicated Queerness: Television Talk Shows, Rerun Syndication, and the Serials of Norman Lear. dissertation, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2017.  

References edit

  1. ^ Copeland, Mary Ann (1991). Soap Opera History. Publications International. p. 262. ISBN 0-88176-933-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Clarke, Gerald (1977-04-25). . Time. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  3. ^ Stein, p. 177
  4. ^ a b Miller, Taylor Cole (2017). "Chapter 2: Rewriting Genesis: Queering Genre in Norman Lear's First-Run Syndicated Serials". Syndicated Queerness: Television Talk Shows, Rerun Syndication, and the Serials of Norman Lear (PhD). University of Wisconsin–Madison.
  5. ^ a b c d e Nadel, Gerry (1977-07-08). . New Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  6. ^ Sharbutt, Jay (1976-10-29). "Women dominate new show in pattern of 'Mary Hartman'". Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. Associated Press. p. 13.
  7. ^ Leggett, William (1977-05-09). "Gold Glover Snags A Big Role". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  8. ^ Stanford, Peter (2001-10-20). "How do I look? Actress Linda Gray doesn't mind appearing nude on stage". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-12-01.[dead link]
  9. ^ Bocchini, Paul (1999). "Scene-stealer Linda Gray". FAB National. No. 16. pp. 56–57, 76.
  10. ^ Brown, Les (1977-03-08). "Norman Lear plans summer replacement for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman TV...". The New York Times. p. 63, col. 1.
  11. ^ a b "More Credits For 'All That Glitters'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  12. ^ "Norman Lear, TAT Syndication". Television/Radio Age. p. 38.
  13. ^ "All That Glitters - Full Acting Credits". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  14. ^ DeVito, Danny. "Danny DeVito Interview Part 1 of 3 - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews" (Interview). Television Academy Foundation.
  15. ^ Fulkerson, Perry (1977-04-16). "All That Glitters Tarnished". The Evening Independent. p. 46. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  16. ^ a b Adler, Richard P. (1977-06-11). "'All that glitters' premise limiting". The Pocono Record. Wall Street Journal. p. 25.
  17. ^ Hilliard, p. 43
  18. ^ Kellner, p. 59
  19. ^ . American Society of Composers and Publishers. November 1996. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  20. ^ Holden, Stephen (1995-01-24). "Pop Review; Retro Retrospective of Movie Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-27.

Bibliography edit

  • Hilliard, Robert L. (2001). Media, Education, and America's Counter-culture Revolution: Lost and Found Opportunities for Media Impact on Education, Gender, Race, and the Arts. Westport, Connecticut: Ablex. ISBN 1-56750-512-0. OCLC 43370194.
  • Kellner, Douglas (1990). Television and the Crisis of Democracy. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-0549-7. OCLC 21876111.
  • Stein, Marc (2004). Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons/Thomas/Gale. ISBN 0-684-31264-6. OCLC 52819577.
  • Television/radio Age (1976). New York, Television Editorial Corp. ISSN 0040-277X. OCLC 2246124.

External links edit

  • All That Glitters at IMDb

December 14, 2023
that, glitters, american, series, this, article, about, 1977, sitcom, other, uses, that, glitters, that, glitters, american, sitcom, producer, norman, lear, consisted, episodes, running, five, nights, week, between, april, july, 1977, broadcast, syndication, s. This article is about the 1977 sitcom For other uses see All That Glitters All That Glitters is an American sitcom by producer Norman Lear It consisted of 65 episodes running five nights a week between April 18 and July 15 1977 in broadcast syndication 1 The show a spoof of the soap opera format depicted the trials and tribulations of a group of executives at the Globatron corporation The twist of the series was that it was set within a world of complete role reversal Women were the stronger sex the executives and breadwinners while the weaker sex the men were the support staff or stay at home dads Men were often treated as sex objects All That GlittersScreen shot from promotional ad for the series from Chicago station WFLDGenreSitcom Soap opera parodyCreated byNorman LearDirected byJames Frawley Herbert KenwithTheme music composerAlan and Marilyn BergmanOpening theme Genesis Revisited performed by Kenny RankinComposersRay Brown Bobby Knight Shelly ManneCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons1No of episodes65ProductionExecutive producerNorman LearProducersNorman Lear Stephanie SillsCamera setupMulti cameraRunning time25 mins Production companyTandem ProductionsOriginal releaseNetworkSyndicatedReleaseApril 18 1977 04 18 July 15 1977 1977 07 15 The series featured Eileen Brennan Greg Evigan Lois Nettleton Gary Sandy Tim Thomerson and Jessica Walter Comic actor and cartoon voice artist Chuck McCann was also a regular Linda Gray played transgender 2 fashion model Linda Murkland the first transgender series regular on American television 3 4 Critically All That Glitters was negatively received and a ratings disappointment across syndicated television stations Contents 1 Production 2 Cast 3 Critical reaction 4 Further reading 5 References 5 1 Bibliography 6 External linksProduction editAll That Glitters was series creator Norman Lear s attempt to duplicate his success with the syndicated soap opera spoof Mary Hartman Mary Hartman Lear described the premise simply God created Eve first took out her rib and gave her a companion so she wouldn t be lonely 2 Lear came up with the idea on a trip to Washington D C I had visited the Institute of Policy Studies and I just loved the whole thing And I thought there was a series in it a five times a week series I went to bed thinking about that and I woke up the next morning thinking what would happen if the male female equation were changed What would happen if the women had all the power and all the advantage and the men had what the women normally would have 5 The world of All That Glitters had always been female dominated but Lear also used the series to comment on changing sex roles in the United States in the 1970s 6 Under the working title Womb at the Top All That Glitters was co created by longtime soap writer Ann Marcus with a transgender consultant hired to help Linda Gray develop her character Linda Murkland as well as Eve Merriam whose off broadway show The Club featured women as turn of the century male chauvinists strutting around in top hats and tails and telling sexist jokes 4 Former Major League Baseball player Wes Parker practically walked into his role He was doing play by play reporting for a Los Angeles television station owned by Lear s partner Jerry Perenchio Lear casually asked if I d be interested in the part I said yes but knew it was out of the question because in real life things don t happen that way Nobody walks in and gets on a Norman Lear show I read for the part got it and didn t sleep at all that night 7 Linda Gray was somewhat nonplussed upon being offered the role of transgender Linda Murkland I remember meeting Norman and him saying You ll be perfect for the role I didn t know whether to take that as a compliment or what 8 To prepare for her role Linda Gray asked Lear to arrange for her to meet with a transgender woman Gray met with her for several hours prior to the beginning of filming and on a couple of occasions during production 9 Lois Nettleton reportedly based her characterization of Christina Stockwood on Clark Gable 2 Production started in early March 1977 10 with director Herbert Kenwith 11 In test screenings prior to its premiere reaction to the show was sharply divided According to executive producer Stephanie Sills the strongest negative reaction came from male executives They didn t mind being portrayed by women It was simply that they detest the way we depicted them 2 Feminists were uncertain how to react to the series with some being concerned that audiences would not perceive the show as satire but as an attempt to represent how a female dominated society would actually operate 2 Lear marketed the program through his company TAT Syndication 12 Cast editBarbara Baxley as L W Carruthers President of Globatron Eileen Brennan as Ma Packer Vanessa Brown as Peggy Horner Globatron executive Anita Gillette as Nancy Langston Globatron executive Linda Gray as Linda Murkland a trans woman model Jim Greenleaf as Jeremy Stockwood Christina s son David Haskell as Michael McFarland Andrea s boyfriend Chuck McCann as Bert Stockwood Christina s husband Lois Nettleton as Christina Stockwood Globatron executive Wes Parker as Glenn Langston Nancy s husband Gary Sandy as Dan Kincaid Globatron secretary Louise Shaffer as Andrea Martin lawyer Marte Boyle Slout as Grace Smith Globatron executive Tim Thomerson as Sonny Packer Jessica Walter as Joan Hamlyn agent 13 Marilyn Sokol as Farrah Abuban Danny DeVito as Baba Farrah s concubine 14 Critical reaction editAll That Glitters debuted the week of April 18 1977 on about 40 stations in late night syndication 2 It was poorly critically received with one reviewer going so far as to call the show s theme song blasphemous for suggesting that God was female and created Eve first 15 Time magazine sharply criticized the series calling it embarrassingly amateurish with flaccid and wearying jokes flat writing mediocre acting and aimless direction 2 The Wall Street Journal concurred saying that while the series role reversal premise may have been adequate for a play or film it was too limiting to serve as the basis for a continuing series These limitations showed up most clearly the Journal says in the lead performances Although praising the performers themselves as talented they are cited for being unable to infuse much life into their roles 16 The Journal pegs the fundamental problem with All That Glitters as that its characters are not people at all merely composites of the least attractive characteristics of each sex The satire focuses not on the way real recognizable people behave but on stereotypes and cliches about masculine and feminine attitudes Even when stood on their heads they still remain stereotypes and cliches 16 New Times magazine was much more receptive to the series Although labeling it unquestionably the weirdest show that Lear has ever produced 5 New Times found that the series was not a satire of mannerisms but of attitudes 5 All That Glitters required that viewers watch closely to pick up on the subtleties and nuances not so much for what the show says but for the way that it s said 5 All That Glitters after initially capturing 20 of viewers in major markets in its opening weeks had lost about half of that audience midway through its run 5 The series was cancelled after 13 weeks last airing on July 15 1977 Although the show was panned it and Lear along with Mary Hartman Mary Hartman are credited with expanding the subject matter that television producers were able to explore with lessened fear of antagonizing sponsors or viewers 17 In the years since the series it has garnered something of a positive reputation with one critic listing it and other Lear efforts as imaginative shows that contained some of the most striking satires of television and American society ever broadcast 18 While the show itself was unsuccessful it did spawn a hit song You Don t Bring Me Flowers which had been written with the intention of its being the theme song was recorded by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand and made it to 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 By the time the show made it to air another song had been chosen as the theme 19 The replacement Genesis Revisited was later described by The New York Times as sparkl ing with witty rhymes and a punchy good humor 20 The song was performed by Kenny Rankin The lyrics for both songs were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman the music for Genesis Revisited is credited solely to Alan Bergman 11 Further reading editMiller Taylor Cole Syndicated Queerness Television Talk Shows Rerun Syndication and the Serials of Norman Lear dissertation University of Wisconsin Madison 2017 nbsp References edit Copeland Mary Ann 1991 Soap Opera History Publications International p 262 ISBN 0 88176 933 9 a b c d e f g Clarke Gerald 1977 04 25 Eve s Rib and Adam s Yawn Time Archived from the original on 15 December 2008 Retrieved 2008 11 25 Stein p 177 a b Miller Taylor Cole 2017 Chapter 2 Rewriting Genesis Queering Genre in Norman Lear s First Run Syndicated Serials Syndicated Queerness Television Talk Shows Rerun Syndication and the Serials of Norman Lear PhD University of Wisconsin Madison a b c d e Nadel Gerry 1977 07 08 All in his Family New Times Archived from the original on 5 January 2009 Retrieved 2008 11 27 Sharbutt Jay 1976 10 29 Women dominate new show in pattern of Mary Hartman Chillicothe Constitution Tribune Associated Press p 13 Leggett William 1977 05 09 Gold Glover Snags A Big Role Sports Illustrated Archived from the original on 2012 07 21 Retrieved 2008 12 01 Stanford Peter 2001 10 20 How do I look Actress Linda Gray doesn t mind appearing nude on stage The Independent Retrieved 2008 12 01 dead link Bocchini Paul 1999 Scene stealer Linda Gray FAB National No 16 pp 56 57 76 Brown Les 1977 03 08 Norman Lear plans summer replacement for Mary Hartman Mary Hartman TV The New York Times p 63 col 1 a b More Credits For All That Glitters The New York Times Retrieved 2008 12 02 Norman Lear TAT Syndication Television Radio Age p 38 All That Glitters Full Acting Credits The New York Times Retrieved 2008 12 02 DeVito Danny Danny DeVito Interview Part 1 of 3 TelevisionAcademy com Interviews Interview Television Academy Foundation Fulkerson Perry 1977 04 16 All That Glitters Tarnished The Evening Independent p 46 Retrieved 2008 11 27 a b Adler Richard P 1977 06 11 All that glitters premise limiting The Pocono Record Wall Street Journal p 25 Hilliard p 43 Kellner p 59 Alan and Marilyn Bergman on Songwriting Part 1 American Society of Composers and Publishers November 1996 Archived from the original on 12 December 2008 Retrieved 2008 12 01 Holden Stephen 1995 01 24 Pop Review Retro Retrospective of Movie Songs The New York Times Retrieved 2008 11 27 Bibliography edit Hilliard Robert L 2001 Media Education and America s Counter culture Revolution Lost and Found Opportunities for Media Impact on Education Gender Race and the Arts Westport Connecticut Ablex ISBN 1 56750 512 0 OCLC 43370194 Kellner Douglas 1990 Television and the Crisis of Democracy Boulder Colorado Westview Press ISBN 0 8133 0549 7 OCLC 21876111 Stein Marc 2004 Encyclopedia of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender History in America Vol 3 New York Charles Scribner s Sons Thomas Gale ISBN 0 684 31264 6 OCLC 52819577 Television radio Age 1976 New York Television Editorial Corp ISSN 0040 277X OCLC 2246124 External links editAll That Glitters at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title All That Glitters American TV series amp oldid 1188809565, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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