In the 1982 television special “I Love Liberty,” Robin Williams channeled the voice of the American flag. Created by writer Norman Lear and sponsored by the organization he founded, People for the American Way, the performance was aired to commemorate the 250th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday.
“I was born June 14, 1777 — that makes me a Gemini,” says Williams, dressed in blue pants and an American flag t-shirt (“I’m in my birthday suit!”). The Flag Act was passed just 17 months after US independence.
“I’m 204 years old. People ask, ‘Flag, how you stay so young? Is it jogging?’ No! ‘Is it tennis?’ No! It’s … waving.”
With his masterful skill for switching between voices, Williams embodies a proud, cheeky, and brave American flag. “I had a tough puberty. War, famine, invasion. And in 1861 I had a little skin problem that broke out into 34 stars. But now, well, with a little patience, look at what we’ve got now” — he pulls off a sleeve, revealing another layer of stars — “all 50! Everybody’s on here.”
At the time, right-wing conservatives attacked the two-hour television program for being promotional of Lear’s politics; he created People for the American Way in reaction to conservative televangelists. ”The flag belongs to all of us,” Lear told the New York Times. ”It moistens as many eyes on the left or the center as it does on the right. ‘I Love Liberty’ is an attempt to show that the country loves the flag, that it doesn’t belong to just a few.”
Williams’s skit embodies Lear’s optimistic, and ultimately naive, view of the country. While rainbow flags go up in more places, the confederate flag continues to “wave” in others, and the American flag isn’t exactly bringing tears to liberals’ eyes.
“I haven’t been getting out much lately. I guess it’s not chic to put up the flag anymore,” Williams playfully laments. “Don’t look at is as saluting me, look at it as saluting yourselves. I’m just a flag, a symbol. You’re the people, if I may say so from here,” he says, putting his hand to his heart. “Long may you wave.”
Correction: A previous version of this article quoted Robin Williams saying there are “60 states” on his sleeve. This has been fixed to 50.
The Latest
Memories So Fair and Bright
Kimetha Vanderveen’s paintings are about the interaction of materiality and light, the bond between the palpable and ephemeral world in which we live.
Artists Contemplate Sovereignty in Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Art Institute’s 2024 International Thematic Residency focuses on what sovereignty means for artists from across the world.
The Rubin Museum Presents Death Is Not the End
Tibetan Buddhist and Christian works of art made across 12 centuries explore death, the afterlife, and the desire to continue to exist. On view in NYC.
How Did Early Modern European Craftspeople Pass On Their Knowledge?
A new book about object making critically examines a written history of working with materials.
Dual Portrait of Old Master Rachel Ruysch Holds a Trove of Secrets
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has just acquired the rare painting, which depicts the Dutch artist at work surrounded by her signature flora.
When I Am Empty Please Dispose of Me Properly
Ayanna Dozier, Ilana Harris-Babou, Meena Hasan, Lucia Hierro, Catherine Opie, Chuck Ramirez, and Pacifico Silano explore the myths of the American Dream at Brooklyn’s BRIC House.
Did Van Gogh’s Disdain for the Eiffel Tower Inspire “Starry Night”?
Art historian James Hall argues that van Gogh replaced the Eiffel Tower with a towering cypress tree and its inaugural light shows with the night sky.
Greek Museum Welcomes Dogs For World Stray Animal Day
Furry friends and their pawrents can visit Athens’s National Museum of Contemporary Art for free this weekend.
Pratt’s 2023 Fine Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition Is On View in Brooklyn
The two-part exhibition features the work of 41 graduating artists across disciplines, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and integrated practices.
Ai Weiwei Recreates Monet’s “Water Lilies” Using 650,000 LEGOS
It’s the artist’s largest LEGO artwork to date.
Did a Simpsons Episode Predict the Florida “David” Outrage?
The episode, which aired 30 years ago, made a dark prediction about conservative politics in 2023.
The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation Presents The Feminine in Abstract Painting
Curated by Jennifer Samet and Andrea Belag, this group exhibition in NYC explores the feminine through aesthetics, as opposed to identity or gender.
Coasting the Topography of South Asian Futurisms
As part of Hyperallergic’s Emily Hall Tremaine Journalism Fellowship for Curators, Sadaf Padder presents an exhibition to offer insight into her curatorial process.
I’m a Florida Drag Queen and I’m Scared
I’m truly at a loss for what to do for work and what kind of life I can expect to live.
I shouldn’t have to point this out, but he says “all 50” not “all 60.”
Yes, of course. Thanks.
Only Robin Williams could play “The Flag” In such an entertaining way.