Middletown, a 1982 PBS documentary series about everyday life in Middle America has had a troubled history. Produced by Peter Davis, it was meant as a return to the searing, revelatory, verite-style reality television that PBS pioneered with 1973’s An American Family.  

I don’t know for sure of Goodie’s sexual orientation — don’t know if he was gay, straight, bisexual or something else. What I do know is that 40 years ago, southern Indiana wasn’t exactly a hotbed of sexual freedom.