Politics: It’s All Comedy
By Grace Carballo ‘17
Many people have compared the presidential election debates this year to reality television.
Paradoxically, TV comedy and late night talk shows have now become the forum for serious political discussions.
As part of the USC Comedy Festival Volume 3: The Changing Face of Comedy, USC hosted some incredibly influential panelists to speak to “The Changing Face of Politics: It’s All Comedy.”
The panel featured Diane English, Norman Lear, and Frank Rich and was moderated by USC alum, 4 time Emmy-award-winning, Jay Roach. Zach Galifianakis was scheduled to attend, but his wife went into labor and so he could not make it, but we won’t fault him for that. After his hilarious Hillary Clinton Between Two Ferns interview, I could never be mad at him for bailing on us to watch his child come into the world.
The panelists all expressed the importance comedy has developed as a medium for political commentary and critique. They mentioned Tina Fey’s iconic SNL portrayal of Sarah Palin and the lasting effect it had on voters. Tina was so good in the role that people still to this day falsely attribute the “I can see Russia from my house,” bit to Palin herself. Similarly, many have praised Alec Baldwin for his hilarious embodiment of Republican candidate Donald Trump this election. Some Americans, including Trump himself, have criticized the mainstream media for having a liberal agenda. But as the panelists pointed out by their own example, art doesn’t have to be objective.
Diane English, regarding her hit show Murphy Brown, confirmed, “I always had an agenda making that show.” Norman Lear echoed the sentiment, “It’s okay for comedy to have a message, a point of view.” His shows, like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, held up a mirror to the American society. Frank Rich concurred by quoting Seinfeld, “It’s comedy. Somebody’s gotta get hurt.” Regarding Veep, he added, “We’re offensive to everyone…any sort of censorship is the enemy of art.”
Rich pointed out that Veep doesn’t specifically name political parties or real events, though amusingly, they’ve had to change a few plot points they had intended to be absurd that actually happened this election season. On the other hand, Diane English and her show, Murphy Brown, were known for incorporating real people and political incidents into the plot of the show. “We would do a Dan Quayle joke every week,” she recalled. For those who may not recognize that name - before our time- Dan Quayle was Vice-President under George H. W. Bush from 1989-1993. He was widely ridiculed in the media as incompetent and for his very specific viewpoints on what a family should look like.
In fact, while campaigning in 1992 he gave what later became known as the “Murphy Brown Speech” in which he criticized Murphy Brown (a fictional character and the main character of the show by that same name) for “mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone.” (Murphy became a single mother in a prior episode). Diane English, behind the Murphy Brown show, responded wittily by incorporating actual footage from that speech in a subsequent episode.
Interestingly, the panelist whose work I was most familiar with was Norman Lear, who looks really good in person, especially considering he’s 94 years young. I grew up watching lots of his shows, though they were produced well before my time, because when I was a kid my family didn’t have cable TV. I watched Norman’s shows like The Jeffersons, All in the Family, and Good Times, and other classics like Charlie’s Angels, I Dream of Jeannie, and I Love Lucy very regularly on one of the few channels we got with our antennae, Me TV. (This could possibly be why the over-55 crowd tends to really like me, I’m basically from their generation.)
Looking back on the shows Norman created in particular, I can hardly fathom how revolutionary they were for the time. I just watched a clip of Maude in which she and the other characters have a real, honest discussion about abortion. Mind you, this was aired in 1972, two months before Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal in the United States. I remember watching hours of The Jeffersons, especially if I was ever home sick all day, and loving these hilarious, multidimensional characters, celebrating this family’s dynamics and addressing relevant racial issues the characters faced. I still think “Movin’ On Up” is one of the catchiest theme songs I’ve ever known.
On All in the Family, I remember listening to Archie Bunker’s ultra-conservative bigotry and passionate rants- and still to this day find his character very similar to some of the middle-aged adult men in my own life. These shows still feel very relevant today, which I think speaks both to the timelessness of Norman’s vision and also how far we as Americans still need to go in terms of addressing the prevalent racism, sexism, and fear-mongering in our country.
Regarding our current situation, Frank Rich said, “There’s always been and there always will be a huge market for crap.” Norman Lear added, “Donald Trump represents the middle finger of the American right hand,” to the delight of those in attendance.
THE PANELISTS
Diane English has won two Writers Guild Awards, three Emmys, and a Genie Award from the American Women in Radio & Television.
She is the writer/producer and creator of Murphy Brown as well as the creator of CBS’ Love & War. You may also know her for her role as co-creator of Double Rush and Ink, or her executive producer role in Living in Captivity. She’s also been honored by Planned Parenthood for her commitment to women’s rights and reproductive healthcare.
Follow Diane English on Instagram: @dianeenglish1 or Twitter: @realmurphybrown.
Norman Lear created and produced a number of iconic, hit TV shows including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Sons, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and more.
In 1980, Lear left the industry to form People for the American Way, a nonprofit designed to monitor violations of constitutional freedoms and Bill of Rights guarantees.
The 2016 Sundance Film festival documentary, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, was based off of his memoir, Even This I Get To Experience. He’s not done yet - Lear is currently executive producing a Latino version of One Day at a Time and America Divided, a docuseries about social and economic inequality.
Like/Follow Norman Lear on Facebook, on Instagram: @TheNormanLear, and on Twitter: @TheNormanLear
Frank Rich is an Executive Producer of the Emmy-Award winning comedy series, Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Pretty much everyone whose taste I respect has told me I need to be watching Veep and honestly, that’s what I intend to do once I get through this next round of midterms. Rich also writes essays on politics and culture for New York Magazine, and previously was an op-ed columnist at the New York Times. He authored The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina. Also at HBO, Frank Rich was the executive producer of two documentaries- Six by Sondheim in 2013 and Becoming Mike Nichols in 2016.
Like/Follow Frank Rich on Facebook or on Twitter @frankrichny
It was a very informative and inspirational panel and, though I wish Zach had been there, I am very glad to have had the opportunity to attend. My roommate who came with me started watching Veep immediately following this event (approx 7 days ago at time of writing) and he is already on Season 2!
I am very glad to live in a country that recognizes and even promotes freedom of speech because it has led to some top-notch comedy and political commentary, and oftentimes lately, BOTH.
Fight on (and VOTE on Nov 8 [or have it postmarked by then]),
Grace Carballo ‘17
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