All That Glitters

What a little wonder this show was!! If you got to see any of it, you are very lucky. So far as I know it has never been shown in any other format than its original one on network TV. I particularly remember Lois Nettleton (a great favorite of mine) and Gary Sandy. Gary as a sexually harassed secretary was funny and pitiful at the same time. I guess it maybe cut too close to home for the network, because it sank with no trace. But, gosh, it was funny.

Isn't it unfortunate that it has not had the same exposure as some of the other, far more familiar, Lear products? If someone is sitting on this little jewel, why don't you put it out there for people to see? I have a feeling it would be every bit as funny as it was almost 30 years ago. Maybe more so.

I really hope that "All the Glitters" is rerun or that videos are made available. It was such a good show! I would love to see it again. It was intelligent and definitely ahead of its time. Norman Lear is a national treasure. I miss Dark Angel also. So many of the actors in All That Glitters were top notch and went on to do other things. Most of my friends missed All That Glitters when it was on tv. It's hard to explain to them how well done it was. I also felt maybe I had imagined it when it disappeared so fast. Maybe a cable channel will rerun it. Tina

All that Glitters was short lived, but WAY ahead of its time as Norman Lear who's the "king of controversial sit com television" placed this out there for audiences to see. As I was a female young kid at the time, and "women's lib" was supposedly established, here Lear brought it to fruition. A women run society. And the women were as ruthless, sexual and cut throat as men. Boy, did people have a major cow. This show as very short lived.

Between this show and another short lived network show I liked called "Executive Suite", America - even a very small portion of it - wasn't ready for things like women executives, heterosexual male secretaries & interracial pairings, abortion issues. "All That Glitters" focused on the woman dominated society. But that is the history of early television and the masters, male and female, behind it all. And Norman Lear was one of the leaders.

One that that is important to note: there wasn't such thing as "syndication" as we all know it back then. Syndication didn't come into play until the 1980's -- with a block of shows like "Small Wonder", a new life to "It's a Living", "Out of this World", "The New Gidget", etc. that were being packaged and sold to fill time -- and networks were poo-pooing the concepts, but an audience was out there for these shows....AND 50's & 60's actors realizing that their shows were being played ad-nausea on UHF, local channels and the new medium Cable-TV and its "Superstations", and they weren't getting paid! That's when everyone realized that syndication became ... lucrative - but the whole point of this is that Norman Lear took advantage of the medium way early of this to express a broader artistic view of programming. I'm sure he knew the networks were having a cow. But even back then, "All That Glitters" is one of the most controversial programming of that time, even light-years more than his "All In The Family".

But it was brilliant, it was inspired. It was very short lived but again...the talent! Linda Gray, Gary Sandy, etc. Now that DVD and Blue Ray is alive and well, I hope audiences can take another look at this. I'm not sure if it will "hold up through the years" with HD, etc. but the theme and genius of the concept is there.

And I am still waiting to see "that show" and "that acceptance" in which female executives and CEO's run the country ...

This sit com came on the heels of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" -- it "mysteriously" disappeared directly following an early episode which presented an older woman (Linda Gray?) in bed with a buff young black man. Zap. Gone. The network sponsors weren't having it. Most people don't remember the show -- it was canceled so prematurely -- because it touched too many nerves. Racism/age-ism/sexism -- it was incredibly smart. There should be a secret All That Glitters Society --people who "got it." I definitely did -- and I was only 15 at the time.

It is great to have finally found a site that includes some information on "All That Glitters". I was 19 years old and living in New Orleans when this unique show aired late at night after Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I loved it and have always wondered if I imagined it as not one single person I knew had seen it except a few guys who lived upstairs in my apartment complex. Lear was certainly right on with this way ahead of its time show. It would be awesome if TV Land could get a hold of the few episodes and get them repeated. It is a must see for all. The whole premise was terrific but I can see that it might have stirred up the TV censors for its time but would still be relevant now. Let's hope it can make it back on the small screen even if just to acknowledge Norman Lear's brilliance.