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children of the lead protester. The remaining protesters unfurled a 20-foot-long banner from the balcony of
Traviesas's office reading "LESBIANS PROTEST NBC". Street-level picketers and they chanted slogans such as "NBC works against lesbians" and "Lesbians are sitting in". The demonstrators hoped to attract both network news coverage and arrests. When they realized neither was forthcoming, they left the building. While the networks ignored the story, it was picked up by local media and the
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national campaign, for this episode activists were only able to alert key cities. There were some protests the day the episode aired. Activists criticized the episode for being another in a series of portrayals of lesbians as villains in the absence of positive portrayals and derided Mame, Gladys and
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focused less on the episode and more on the protesters. While recognizing the validity of complaints about how minority groups are portrayed on television, Swertlow concludes that by "cav in" to demands of "pressure groups", network television "could take a step backward. There would never be any
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protests were a factor in its decision, NGTF spokesperson Ronald Gold said "It's our view that because we showed a little muscle with ABC, NBC took it off the air." Series producer
Douglas Benton described the editing as "mostly cosmetic cutting" which according to Gerber included removing "brief
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offices. Advised that vice president
Herminio Traviesas would not return to the office until the following week, demonstrators announced their intention to wait until he returned. Around 75 women demonstrated in front of the building. The following morning, half of the women left, along with the
235:
lover, Janet
Richards. Police Sergeant "Pepper" Anderson goes undercover in the home as a nurse and discovers that the women are robbing their elderly residents and one of them murdered the woman, Kathleen O'Shaunessy. Under Pepper's questioning, Janet confesses to the murder, but when Pepper
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scenes of overt touching, stares, and verbal references to the relationship of the three women". NBC ordered further changes, including the removal of any mention of the word "lesbian" (although a character's describing Mame as looking like "she should be driving a diesel truck" was left in).
303:, "Flowers of Evil" was based on a real case in which three lesbians ran a nursing home and stole from their residents. "The characters just happen to be lesbians. It has nothing to do with the crime, it's simply what was true in the factual case." The intention was to focus on the issue of
344:, staged nationwide protests, persuading several advertisers to pull their commercials, and convincing 17 affiliates not to air it. NBC removed "Flowers of Evil" from the schedule and had it re-edited. Although the network denied that the
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organizations protested "Flowers of Evil", which producers said was based on a real case, for its portrayal of the killers as lesbians and for the stereotypical presentation of lesbianism. The episode aired a month after
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reveals that her college roommate was in love with her so Pepper understands "what a love like yours can do to a person", Janet admits that she confessed to protect Gladys, who actually committed the murder.
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311:, who played Mame, reported that producers advised her to cut her hair very short, bind her breasts, speak with a harsh, raspy voice, and change her walk and mannerisms to appear masculine.
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Activists continued negotiating with the networks about LGBT portrayals on television. In 1975, NBC agreed not to rebroadcast the episode. "Flowers of Evil" was withheld from
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An elderly woman is found strangled to death. The investigation leads police to the Golden Years
Retirement Home. The home is owned and operated by three lesbians, the
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delayed the episode and ordered some changes, but they were not enough to allay gay and lesbian concern over network television's negative portrayal of
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headquarters. Ten women entered the building in pairs at 15-minute intervals, traveling by elevator to different floors before converging on the
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who are robbing and murdering their elderly residents. The episode, the eighth of the first season, originally aired on
November 8, 1974.
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gutsy documentaries or dramas, just mush. The TV industry, which has ducked issues before, would have the backbone of a wet noodle."
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Alternate
Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television
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Eleven days after "Flowers of Evil" aired, lesbian activists operating under the name
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Gay and lesbian activists were slow to react to "Flowers of Evil", because unlike the
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182:) going undercover at a nursing home to investigate a murder. She uncovers a trio of
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called "Flowers of Evil" "the single most homophobic show to date". Writing for
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The episode was originally scheduled to air on
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for at least 10 years, but it is available on the season 1 DVD box set.
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Thomas, Bob (1974-11-08). "Newfound frankness brings little protest".
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Swertlow, Frank (1974-11-24). "'Gay Chic' Hits At Tube Rights".
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garnered national protests. Mindful of that recent controversy,
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episode they had not read the script in advance. Whereas with
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a male student. Gay and lesbian activists, coordinated by the
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MacKenzie, Bob (1974-10-17). "Don't Get Gay With
Lesbians".
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The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and
Lesbians on TV
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List of 1970s American television episodes with LGBT themes
219:. After negotiations, NBC agreed not to rerun the episode.
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episode that faced protests for its negative gay portrayal
47:"I understand what a love like yours can do to a person."
586:"Quiet Old Dr. Marcus Welby Stirs National Controversy".
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571:"NBC Postpones Episode Involving Lesbian Plot".
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744:Television controversies in the United States
16:8th episode of the 1st season of Police Woman
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590:. The New York Times. 1974-10-05. p. 2.
318:Gladys and Mame, "The Bitch" and "The Butch"
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49:Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson interrogates Janet.
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467:. New York, Columbia University Press.
231:Mame Dorn, Gladys Conway, and Gladys's
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168:" is a 1974 episode of the American
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368:activists were able to mobilize a
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729:1974 American television episodes
248:as Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson
199:a similarly controversial episode
299:According to executive producer
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575:. UPI. 1974-10-10. p. 10.
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666:The Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News
147:"The Stalking of Joey Marr"
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378:Lesbian Feminist Liberation
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670:United Press International
493:Tropiano, Stephen (2002).
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295:Production and controversy
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81:John W. Bloch (teleplay)
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390:Standards and Practices
342:National Gay Task Force
290:as Kathleen O'Shaunessy
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83:Joshua Hanke (story)
636:Capsuto, pp. 112—13
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739:1974 controversies
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356:Janet, "The Femme"
333:Marcus Welby, M.D.
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172:television series
125:Episode chronology
705:"Flowers of Evil"
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444:" - another
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424:syndication
328:The Outrage
305:elder abuse
282:Lynn Loring
119:Lynn Loring
68:Directed by
723:Categories
453:References
370:grassroots
288:Meg Wyllie
264:Ed Bernard
260:as Royster
95:1974-11-08
78:Written by
510:Citations
414:, critic
384:at NBC's
380:staged a
309:Fay Spain
276:Fay Spain
266:as Styles
115:Fay Spain
63:Episode 8
430:See also
407:TV Guide
184:lesbians
136:Previous
55:Episode
326:aired "
194:lesbian
145: →
139:"Fish"
134:←
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366:Welby
362:Welby
346:Welby
233:femme
229:butch
709:IMDb
499:ISBN
484:ISBN
469:ISBN
240:Cast
223:Plot
192:and
143:Next
707:at
382:zap
324:ABC
213:NBC
209:ABC
207:on
201:of
190:Gay
57:no.
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