tom werner: mork and mindy was explosive, and it surpassed everybody s expectations just because it just felt original. john lithgow: i had never watched my favorite martian, mork and mindy. i just never thought i would do a sitcom, but it was that captivating of an idea. 4 aliens came on a research mission trying to figure out how to be human. dick: ten fingers, eleven toes? sally, harry and tommy: check dick: good, i guess we re in. everyone comfortable? harry: um, i have three holes in my face. lithgow: they were looking for an actor who was a combination of errol flynn and bugs bunny. jim colucci: john lithgow was this dramatic actor but in 1996 here his is, displaying what turned out to be his deliciously goofy side. dick: look, life forms! and they re cleaning each other. john lithgow: we were a whole school of fish out of water and
we have special racks where we chain them up at night. tony: latka i m not talking about bicycles i m talking about bisexuals! latka: so am i. jim colucci: what was brilliant about taxi, with latka, and also later with perfect strangers with balki. balki: am i looking up larry appleton? larry: larry appleton, that s me. balki: larry, larry, larry! jim colucci: they both came from made-up countries so they could have the most outlandish traditions. bronson: which was great because nobody ever got insulted. jim colucci: so they could get away with a lot more as outsiders and have a perspective on us. balki: i am balki bartokomous, philo my fifth cousin three times removed is the step uncle to your father on my mother s side larry: i see, so we re sort of related by rumour. mark linn baker: tom miller and bob boyett who were the creators of perfect strangers were an incredible production team.
devi: i went for a run. mom and uncle: at night?! uncle: you cannot run in los angeles at night, this is the city of charles manson and harvey weinstein! emily vanderwerff: where every week, no matter what show you re watching, there are these little pressure release valves that go off. and you see that playout throughout the history of the sitcom. patrick gomez: at first thought, you may imagine, 1940s, 50s sitcoms as being very white suburbia. bambi haggins: but there were a lot of shows about immigrants becoming a part of the american dream. jim colucci: life with luigi, about an italian family. i remember mama, about a norwegian family. sheryl lee ralph: the goldbergs was about a jewish family in this jewish ghetto. mom: yoo hoo! jim colucci: those shows certainly mirrors what americans were trying to accomplish in the 50s for good or for bad,
devi: i went for a run. mom and uncle: at night?! uncle: you cannot run in los angeles at night, this is the city of charles manson and harvey weinstein! emily vanderwerff: where every week, no matter what show you re watching, there are these little pressure release valves that go off. and you see that playout throughout the history of the sitcom. patrick gomez: at first thought, you may imagine, 1940s, 50s sitcoms as being very white suburbia. bambi haggins: but there were a lot of shows about immigrants becoming a part of the american dream. jim colucci: life with luigi, about an italian family. i remember mama, about a norwegian family. sheryl lee ralph: the goldbergs was about a jewish family in this jewish ghetto. mom: yoo hoo! jim colucci: those shows certainly mirrors what americans were trying to accomplish in the 50s for good or for bad,
a guy who wears glasses is a four eyes, a guy who s a fag is a queer. tim allen: you ll watch that show and even end up looking around like you re gonna be arrested. john lithgow: it was jaw dropping. it was funny, but it was very challenging, and you realized norman lear is taking us into a whole new realm of comedy. norman lear: the blowback from the public was buried by the excitement and the applause. bob leszczak: the show was number one for a long time. ethan alter: it changed cbs and their brand as a network. as a result of all in the family, they turned to norman lear to create more shows in that image. archie: there s a person at the door. maude! adrienne barbeau: bea arthur played maude as edith s cousin on all in the family. maude: maudie is here. jim colucci: and she could take on archie head to head.