All That Glitters

Every once in a while, a story centers around complete role reversals. Such is the case with the last film directed by Desmond Nakan (at least under that name): White Man's Burden (1995). In it, black and white social norms and stereotypes are reversed to highlight the weirdness of American society. I can't find much information about Nakan, but did read somewhere that he is Asian American and that he wrote the screenplay adaption of Hubert Selby, Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn (novel, 1964; movie, 1989). Good premise, not as successful in fruition, despite the efforts of Harry Belafonte, John Travolta, and Kelly Lynch.

More artistically successful was the short-lived Norman Lear series, All That Glitters. It was a little ahead of its time, apparently, and lasted only one season (in 1977). I remember it well, though: the ERA was still possible, Jimmy Carter was the president, and there was an acknowledged energy crisis. The simple brilliance of All That Glitters was simply reversing gender norms and stereotypes -- women essentially ruled the world, and men were secondary. It was hilarious -- not surprising, coming from the creator of All in the Family, Sanford and Son, and their various spinoffs. I get the feeling that many male viewers were "offended" by such crazy notions. To me, it was great fun and highly entertaining. Since it's not available anywhere and few have even heard of it in decades, I wonder how it would play nearly thirty years later? Because after all, we've made so much progress since the 1970s, with all those women presidents and all, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton running corporations, so many women engineers and Supreme Court justices, right?

Here's an idea: how about a woman-dominated Mafia series, The Tenors? All the bosses and soldiers are women, and the husbands stay at home dreaming or taking care of kids while their male goomars try to make some side money, have their own careers. Wouldn't that be cool? I'd watch it -- I'd be happy to help with the scripts, too. A woman version of Tony Soprano -- wouldn't that be fun? Something to think about, if not too much. . . . .

Arrivederci!