Speaking of politics, Lear is very upset with the way the media is handling this year's election. He thinks that we have lost the "chance for a great American conversation" because the media has turned the race into a series of "gotcha's". However, he is still very active in politics trying to get people to vote. Despite being a self-described "bleeding heart liberal" he does not care who young people vote for so long as they vote at all. So what else does he think about the current state of television? " Economic pressure on the TV industry comes from a systemic disease in our culture. To say this quarter must be higher than the previous quarter at the expense of anything else will eventually ruin the industry. There is no evidence that suggests something can or should grow forever, yet corporations insist that the TV industry must do it. I realize that this not unique to the television industry."

So is the future a bleak one to Lear? Not at all. There is a healthy crop of shows on the air now. He doesn't understand how YouTube works, but he loves to watch shows and clips on it that people send him. The move industry may be on the brink of a revolution too. Lear says "Speed Racer is a film the likes of which I have never seen. GO SEE IT! Speed Racer is going to change the movie industry as we know it and is one of the most amazing movies I have ever experienced."

This wasn't Lear's first time speaking at the 92nd Street Y, but you'd never know from the enthusiasm he showed. The event was moderated by BusinessWeek editor-in-chief Steven Adler, who tried as best he could to fit Lear's long and amazing career into only an hour. Adler began the night by highlighting some of the many accomplishments in Lear's life, noting that Lear at one point "in 1975 had six primetime comedies on the air reaching over 120 million Americans every week."

Not bad for a guy who wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with his life. The only goal he ever had was to be able to toss quarters at people the way his press agent uncle did to Lear when he was a child. Lear did know that to be successful he was going to have to get a college education. His family could not afford to send him so he wrote an essay for a competition being held by the American Legion in Connecticut with first place being a scholarship to Emerson. His essay about the Constitution and its meaning to American minorities was good enough to win.

As if his professional career was not impressive enough, Lear also served his country in World War II, serving in the 15th Air Force and flying on over 50 combat missions. This undoubtedly prepared him for any trials and tribulations he would face in his career. He speaks of the shows he worked on like a proud father would of his children. Each one was special in its own way and he loved each uniquely. The audience however, seemed to be most in love with All in the Family.

"The basis for All in the Family was a British show Till Death Do Us Part," Lear said. "The language and attitudes of the show were in the American people, but the people who think for America had a problem with the show." Mickey Rooney was actually the original choice to play Archie Bunker. Lear called him to ask him if he could explain the role in person, but Rooney was persistent in hearing about it over the phone. After hearing the description of Archie, Rooney told Lear that "they are going to shoot you in the streets." Lear said that Richard Dreyfuss wanted the role of Michael Stivic, but Lear wanted Rob Reiner. The nickname "Meathead" for Reiner's character was actually a term that Lear's father used to describe him.

Lear was not just a creative person, but someone who was also pretty business savvy. Or at least savvy enough to know that he needed to surround himself with people that knew the business side of television. Lear always made sure that he owned as much of the content as he could so he could sell it when the timing was right. In 1985, he sold all his film and television holdings to Columbia Pictures, then owned by Coca-Cola.

Just as quickly as Lear got into his career of past, we moved right into the future. He currently is involved with the music and movie industry. His company, Act III Communications, is a holding company with interests in the recording industry. He described his Concord Music Company as "fast, smart and lean in size, but with very important content." Concord recently inked a deal to distribute its music in Starbucks.

Let's hope that he was being truthful when he said he has not thought about retirement and that he will make a triumphant return to primetime programming sooner rather than later.