All in the Family | Archive of American Television All in the Family from the Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television For five years, All in the Family, which aired on CBS from 1971-1983 (in its last four seasons under the title Archie Bunker's Place ), was the top-rated show on American television, and the winner of four consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series. All in the Family was not only one of the most successful sitcoms in history, it was also one of the most important and influential series ever to air, for it ushered in a new era in American television characterized by programs that did not shy away from addressing controversial or socially relevant subject matters. All in the Family's storylines centered on the domestic concerns of the Bunker household in Queens, New York. Family patriarch and breadwinner Archie Bunker ( Carroll O'Connor ) was a bigoted loading dock worker disturbed by the changes occurring in the American society he once knew. To Archie, gains by the "Spades," "Spics," or "Hebes" of America (as he referred to Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews, respectively), came at his expense and that of other lower middle class whites.

Countering Archie's harsh demeanor was his sweet but flighty "dingbat" wife, Edith. Played by Jean Stapleton , Edith usually endured Archie's tirades in a manner meant to avoid confrontation. But that was hardly the case with Archie's live-in son-in-law Mike Stivic ( Rob Reiner ), a liberal college student who was married to the Bunkers' daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers). The confrontations between Archie and Mike ("Meathead") served as the basis for much of All in the Family's comedy. As surely as Archie could be counted upon to be politically conservative and socially misguided, Mike was equally liberal and sensitive to the concerns of minorities and the oppressed, and, because both characters were extremely vocal in their viewpoints, heated conflict between the two was assured. Producers Norman Lear and Alan (Bud) Yorkin brought All in the Family into being by obtaining the U.S. rights to the hit British comedy series, Till Death Us Do Part, which aired on the BBC in the mid-1960s and featured the character of bigoted dock worker Alf Garnett.

Lear developed two pilots based on the concept for ABC, with O'Connor (Mickey Rooney had been Lear's first choice to play Archie) and Stapleton in the lead roles. But when ABC turned down the series, then known as Those Were the Days, it appeared that it would never get off the ground. Luckily for Lear and Yorkin, CBS President Robert D. Wood was in the market for new shows that would appeal to the more affluent, urban audience the network's entrenched lineup of top-rated but aging series failed to attract. As a result, CBS jettisoned highly rated programs like The Red Skelton Show and Green Acres in an effort to improve the demographic profile of its audiences, and All in the Family seemed a perfect, though risky, vehicle to put in their place. CBS therefore made a 13-episode commitment to air the series beginning in January 1971, as a midseason replacement. The network had good reason to be wary of reaction to its new show. All in the Family seemed to revel in breaking prime time's previously unbreakable taboos.

Archie's frequent diatribes laced with degrading racial and ethnic epithets, Mike and Gloria's obviously active sex life, the sounds of Archie's belching and of flushing toilets--all broke with sitcom convention. They also and made people sit up and take notice of the new CBS series. In fact, its unconventionality caused All in the Family's pilot episode to consistently rate below average in research tests conducted by both ABC and CBS. Nevertheless, CBS went ahead and debuted the show on 12 January 1971, though with relatively little fanfare or network promotion. Viewer response to All in the Family was at first tepid. CBS's switchboards were prepared for an avalanche of calls in response to the show's initial airing, but this onslaught never materialized, in part because of the poor 15% audience share garnered by the first episode, which put it a distant third in its time period behind movies on NBC and ABC. But while the show continued to languish in the Nielsen ratings in its first few months, TV critics began to take notice. Despite the negative reviews of a small number of critics, such as Life's John Leonard ("a wretched program"), the critical response was generally positive.

Combined with strong word-of-mouth among viewers these evaluations helped the show's audience to slowly grow. The May 1971, Emmy Awards helped to cap All in the Family's climb. The midseason replacement was featured in the opening skit of the Emmy telecast, and earned awards in three categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series. All in the Family shortly thereafter became the top-rated show in prime time, and held onto that position for each of the following five seasons. The program was able to keep an especially sharp edge over its first half dozen years thanks to the evolving character development of the series' primary cast members and the infusion of strong supporting characters. Both the Bunkers' African American next-door neighbors, the Jeffersons, and Edith's visiting cousin, Maude Findlay (played by Bea Arthur ), eventually went on to star in successful spin-off series of their own. All in the Family also benefited from an occasional one-shot guest appearance, the most memorable of which featured entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr ., written by comedian Bill Dana . All in the Family's impact went beyond the world of television. The show became the focus of a heated national debate on whether the use of comedy was an appropriate means by which to combat prejudice and social inequality.

In addition, the character of Archie Bunker became nothing short of an American icon. While Till Death Us Do Part's Alf Garnett was generally unlikable, producer Lear chose to soften the character for American TV, patterning him in many ways after his own father. As a result, Carroll O'Connor's characterization of Archie contained notable sympathetic qualities, allowing many viewers to see Archie in a favorable light despite his obvious foibles. By the late 1970s, however, it was becoming clear that the show had lost much of its earlier spark. Major cast changes occurred in 1978, when Struthers and Reiner left the series, and again in 1980, when Stapleton departed. (The fact that this contractual arrangement was written into the show as Edith's death allowed Lear and company to show once again what had made this series truly memorable.) Archie quit his job in 1977 to buy and run a neighborhood tavern, and the series was retitled Archie Bunker's Place in 1979 to reflect the changed nature of the program.

By that point, however, though still highly rated, the show no longer stood out as unique, and had become what seemed to many a rather conventional sitcom. All in the Family's lasting impact on American television is difficult to overestimate. It helped to usher in a new generation of comedic programs that abandoned the light domestic plotlines of television's early years in favor of topical themes with important social significance. In this sense, its influence on prime time programming continues to be felt decades later.

-David Gunzerath CAST January 1971-July 1971 Tuesday 9:30-10:00 September 1971-September 1975 Saturday 8:00-8:30 September 1975-September 1976 Monday 9:00-9:30 September 1976-0ctober 1976 Wednesday 9:00-9:30 November 1976-September 1977 Saturday 9:00-9:30 October 1977-October 1978 Sunday 9:00-9:30 October 1978-March 1983 Sunday 8:00-8:30 Mar 1983-May 1983 Monday 8:00-8:30 May 1983 Sunday 8:00-8:30 June 1983-September 1983 Wednesday 8:00-8:30 June 1991 Sunday 8:30-9:

00 June 1991-July 1991 Sunday 8:00-8:30 September 1991 Friday 8:30-9:00 FURTHER READING Arlen, Michael.

The View from Highway 1. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976. Barnouw, Erik. Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Bedell, Sally. Up the Tube: Prime-Time TV and the Silverman Years. New York: Viking, 1981. Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present. 4th ed. New York: Ballantine, 1988. "CBS Sked Shake; Shift All in Family to Lead Sat." Variety (Los Angeles), 18 August 1971. "CBS-TV's Bigot that BBC Begat Figures to Salt Up Second Season." Variety (Los Angeles), 22 July 1970. "Family Fun." Newsweek (New York), 15 March 1971. Ferretti, Fred. "Are Racism and Bigotry Funny?" New York Times, 12 January 1971. Gent, George.

"All In The Family Takes First Place in Nielsen Ratings." New York Times, 25 May 1971. Gitlin, Todd. Inside Prime Time. New York: Pantheon, 1985. Hano, Arnold. "Can Archie Bunker Give Bigotry A Bad Name?" New York Times Magazine, 12 March 1972. Kasindorf, Martin. "Archie and Maude and Fred and Norman and Alan." New York Times Magazine, 24 June 1973. Leonard, John. "Bigotry as a Dirty Joke." Life (New York), 19 March 1971. Metz, Robert. CBS: Reflections In A Bloodshot Eye. Chicago: Playboy, 1975. O'Neil, Thomas. The Emmys. New York: Penguin, 1992. Shayon, Robert Lewis. "Love That Hate." Saturday Review (New York), 27 March 1971. _______________. "Archie's Other Side." Saturday Review (New York), 8 January 1972. Waldron, Vince. Classic Sitcoms.

New York: Macmillan, 1987. Wander, Philip. "Counters In The Social Drama: Some Notes On All In The Family." In, Newcomb, Horace, editor. Television: The Critical View, 1st Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. Who Talked About This Show Leonard Goldenson The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television - All in the Family ALL IN THE FAMILY U.S. Situation Comedy For five years, All in the Family, which aired on CBS from 1971-1983 (in its last four seasons under the title Archie Bunker's Place), was the top-rated show on American television, and the winner of four consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series. All in the Family was not only one of the most successful sitcoms in history, it was also one of the most important and influential series ever to air, for it ushered in a new era in American television characterized by programs that did not shy away from addressing controversial or socially relevant subject matters. All in the Family's storylines centered on the domestic concerns of the Bunker household in Queens, New York.

Family patriarch and breadwinner Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) was a bigoted loading dock worker disturbed by the changes occurring in the American society he once knew. To Archie, gains by the "Spades," "Spics," or "Hebes" of America (as he referred to Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews, respectively), came at his expense and that of other lower middle class whites. Countering Archie's harsh demeanor was his sweet but flighty "dingbat" wife, Edith. Played by Jean Stapleton, Edith usually endured Archie's tirades in a manner meant to avoid confrontation. But that was hardly the case with Archie's live-in son-in-law Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner), a liberal college student who was married to the Bunkers' daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers). The confrontations between Archie and Mike ("Meathead") served as the basis for much of All in the Family's comedy. As surely as Archie could be counted upon to be politically conservative and socially misguided, Mike was equally liberal and sensitive to the concerns of minorities and the oppressed, and, because both characters were extremely vocal in their viewpoints, heated conflict between the two was assured.

Producers Norman Lear and Alan (Bud) Yorkin brought All in the Family into being by obtaining the U.S. rights to the hit British comedy series, Till Death Us Do Part, which aired on the BBC in the mid-1960s and featured the character of bigoted dock worker Alf Garnett. Lear developed two pilots based on the concept for ABC, with O'Connor (Mickey Rooney had been Lear's first choice to play Archie) and Stapleton in the lead roles. But when ABC turned down the series, then known as Those Were the Days, it appeared that it would never get off the ground. Luckily for Lear and Yorkin, CBS President Robert D. Wood was in the market for new shows that would appeal to the more affluent, urban audience the network's entrenched lineup of top-rated but aging series failed to attract. As a result, CBS jettisoned highly rated programs like The Red Skelton Show and Green Acres in an effort to improve the demographic profile of its audiences, and All in the Family seemed a perfect, though risky, vehicle to put in their place.

CBS therefore made a 13-episode commitment to air the series beginning in January 1971, as a midseason replacement. The network had good reason to be wary of reaction to its new show. All in the Family seemed to revel in breaking prime time's previously unbreakable taboos. Archie's frequent diatribes laced with degrading racial and ethnic epithets, Mike and Gloria's obviously active sex life, the sounds of Archie's belching and of flushing toilets--all broke with sitcom convention. They also and made people sit up and take notice of the new CBS series. In fact, its unconventionality caused All in the Family's pilot episode to consistently rate below average in research tests conducted by both ABC and CBS. Nevertheless, CBS went ahead and debuted the show on 12 January 1971, though with relatively little fanfare or network promotion. Viewer response to All in the Family was at first tepid.

CBS's switchboards were prepared for an avalanche of calls in response to the show's initial airing, but this onslaught never materialized, in part because of the poor 15% audience share garnered by the first episode, which put it a distant third in its time period behind movies on NBC and ABC. But while the show continued to languish in the Nielsen ratings in its first few months, TV critics began to take notice. Despite the negative reviews of a small number of critics, such as Life's John Leonard ("a wretched program"), the critical response was generally positive. Combined with strong word-of-mouth among viewers these evaluations helped the show's audience to slowly grow. The May 1971, Emmy Awards helped to cap All in the Family's climb. The midseason replacement was featured in the opening skit of the Emmy telecast, and earned awards in three categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series. All in the Family shortly thereafter became the top-rated show in prime time, and held onto that position for each of the following five seasons. The program was able to keep an especially sharp edge over its first half dozen years thanks to the evolving character development of the series' primary cast members and the infusion of strong supporting characters.

Both the Bunkers' African American next-door neighbors, the Jeffersons, and Edith's visiting cousin, Maude Findlay, eventually went on to star in successful spin-off series of their own. All in the Family also benefited from an occasional one-shot guest appearance, the most memorable of which featured entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. All in the Family's impact went beyond the world of television. The show became the focus of a heated national debate on whether the use of comedy was an appropriate means by which to combat prejudice and social inequality. In addition, the character of Archie Bunker became nothing short of an American icon. While Till Death Us Do Part's Alf Garnett was generally unlikable, producer Lear chose to soften the character for American TV, patterning him in many ways after his own father. As a result, Carroll O'Connor's characterization of Archie contained notable sympathetic qualities, allowing many viewers to see Archie in a favorable light despite his obvious foibles. By the late 1970s, however, it was becoming clear that the show had lost much of its earlier spark.

Major cast changes occurred in 1978, when Struthers and Reiner left the series, and again in 1980, when Stapleton departed. (The fact that this contractual arrangement was written into the show as Edith's death allowed Lear and company to show once again what had made this series truly memorable.) Archie quit his job in 1977 to buy and run a neighborhood tavern, and the series was retitled Archie Bunker's Place in 1979 to reflect the changed nature of the program. By that point, however, though still highly rated, the show no longer stood out as unique, and had become what seemed to many a rather conventional sitcom. All in the Family's lasting impact on American television is difficult to overestimate. It helped to usher in a new generation of comedic programs that abandoned the light domestic plotlines of television's early years in favor of topical themes with important social significance. In this sense, its influence on prime time programming continues to be felt decades later.

=-David Gunzerath CAST Archie Bunker...................................Carroll O'Connor Edith Bunker(1971-80).........................Jean Stapleton Gloria Bunker Stivic(1971-78................ Sally Struthers Mike Stivic (Meathead)(1971-78).................Rob Reiner Lionel Jefferson(1971-75)...........................Mike Evans Louise Jefferson(1971-75)......................Isabel Sanford Henry Jefferson(1971-73)..........................Mel Stewart George Jefferson(1973-75)...............Sherman Hemsley Irene Lorenzo(1973-75)............................Betty Garrett Frank Lorenzo (1973-74)...................Vincent Gardenia Archie Bunker | All in the Family Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia All in the Family Wiki Residence Queens, New York Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character in the long-running and top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place . He is a reactionary, bigoted, conservative blue-collar worker and family man, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor .

The Bunker character was first seen by the American public when All in the Family premiered in January 1971. In 1979, the show was retooled and re-named Archie Bunker’s Place, finally going off the air in 1983. Bunker lived in the borough of Queens]] in New York City. TV Guide named Archie the greatest television character of all time. All in the Family got many of its laughs by playing on Archie's bigotry, although the dynamic tension between Archie and his liberal son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic ( Rob Reiner ), provided an ongoing political and social sounding board for a variety of topics. The inspiration for Archie Bunker was Alf Garnett, the character from the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , on which All in the Family was based. Archie, in turn, was an inspiration for Eric Cartman [1] of South Park. In 2005, Archie Bunker was listed as number 1 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters [2] , defeating runners-up such as Lucy Ricardo, Fonzie, Homer Simpson, and Ralph Kramden.

Archie Bunker's own ethnicity is never explicitly stated, other than the fact that he is a WASP. Although that might suggest he is of English origin, he mocked the British and referred to England as a "fag country." He also referred to Germans as "Krauts." ; Jewish persons as "Hebes" and African Americans as "Colored". Contents Edit Archie frequently told Edith to "Stifle." Series creator Norman Lear admitted that this is how his father treated Lear's mother. [3] During the series' run, it would be revealed that, while he did disagree with his son-in-law's political views, his resentment of Michael Stivic stemmed in part from the fact that Mike was attending college and would be able to chart his own successful future, while Archie had been forced to drop out of high school during the Great Depression to help support his family.-apparently Archie does not take advantage of the G.I. Bill in order to complete his education-althouth one epsiode of the series shows that Archie secretly took night classes in order to get a High School diploma Archie learns his lesson .

{Archie did have a dream of pitching for the New York Yankees Baseball team which he had to give up when he dropped out of High school }. Episode " Everybody Tells the Truth " showed very clearly that both Archie and Mike were not above twisting the truth to make minorities into stereotypes. Edith exposes both Archie and Mike's prejudices – yet neither Archie nor Mike will admit the truth. A running gag is Archie trying to hustle himself either money or goods but always losing in the end! Episodes Oh my aching back ; Archie's Fraud ; Hot Watch; The Taxi Caper. For example in Archie is Cursed Archie thinks of himself as a pool shark-until he finds himself having to place a game with Irene Lorenzo who a was a pool champion; Archie tries to welsh out by claiming who cant play because of a "curse" yet the end when his chicereny is exposed-Archie has to play Irene! In Archie's Contract Archie gets conned when he buys aluminum siding for a brick house !

While locked in the storeroom of Archie's Place with Mike in the episode " Two's a Crowd ", Archie confides (after getting drunk) that he was a poor kid who was teased in school for coming to class wearing one shoe and one boot, since his family could not afford to buy him new footwear. ("They called me Shoe-Bootie.") In the same episode, it becomes clear that Archie was also an abused child — yet he then goes on to vehemently defend his father, who Archie claims loved him and taught him "right from wrong." His older brother Fred Bunker gives to Archie their father's railroad watch-apparently their father worked on the railroad. An unnamed Uncle got Archie a job on a loading dock after World War II. A freeloading cousin Oscar passes away at the Bunker and Archie has to come up with the funeral expenses "The Saga of Cousin Oscar". Growing up in the Depression Archie is G.O.P. and actually writes a letter to his favorite President Richard Nixon-whom Archie thinks is "Richard E. Nixon". epsiode Writing the President .

Archie also makes his political views known in episode The Man in the Street Archie was also a World War II veteran who had been based in Foggia, Italy. During a visit with a doctor it is learned that he had an undistinguished military record for his non-combat ground role in the Air Corps, which at the time was a branch subordinate to the Army Air Forces. Archie often insisted that he was a member of the Air Corps. Archie received two medals-a Purple heart for being wounded in the backside by shrapnel. "Archie's Civil Rights" and a Good Conduct medal episode " Archie and the FBI '. Archie also has latent paranoia -epsiode Archie and the FBI Archie and friend Larry Grundy have a falling out after 15 years because both misunderstand the routine questioning by Air Force officers regarding the security of a defense contract at the loading dock; in Everybody tells the Truth Archie fantasizes that an African American is a member of a "Black Panther" group; in Archie and the Editorial Archie persists in calling crime "The Mafia" instead of refering to organized Crime as "Oranganized Crime".

In spite of his numerous flaws, Archie was simultaneously portrayed as basically decent and, rather than being motivated by genuine malice, was merely a product of the era in which he had been raised. In the episode " Archie and the KKK ," for example, Archie is invited to join a secret club - the Kweens Kouncil of Krusaders - which turns out to be a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. In spite of his inherent discomfort around people of color, Archie responds with genuine revulsion at the group's violent methods, and attempts to thwart a cross burning. It should also be noted that as the years went on, Archie grew more accepting of people different from himself, albeit partially out of necessity. For example, in 1978, the character became the guardian of Edith's nine-year old niece, Stephanie ( Danielle Brisebois ), and when it was revealed that Stephanie was Jewish (episode 197), Bunker accepted her faith. Ironically, Archie's dislike of Mike Stivic as a son-in-law would be justified when in the spin-off Gloria it is revealed that Mike abandons both his wife and son to live with a flower child.

In 1994 a short spin off "704 Hauser" has a African American family moving into the Bunker's old residence and the appearence of Archie and Edith grandchild Joey Stivic in the first episode although there is no mention if Archie Bunker is still alive. Despite claiming to have strong Christian views, he very seldom went to church. In one episode, he does decide to become a regular worshipper at his church, only for him to try to back out of a volunteering assignment when it conflicts with an NFL football game he had tickets for (he faked an injury, but by episode's end, he legitimately hurt himself). Edith also revealed that Archie once had a terrible gambling addiction , once coming home after gambling his entire paycheck and their car; Edith threatened to leave him and take Gloria over it, which led Archie to apologize to Edith and — for the most part — quit gambling. Despite having an adversarial relationship with his African American neighbors, the Jeffersons , especially patriarch George Jefferson and his brother Henry, he formed an unlikely friendship with George's young son, Lionel, who picked up and dropped off the Bunker's dry-cleaning, and fixed various electronics for them.

Archie's intentions were good, viewing it as "taking him under his wing", but he would usually end up insulting Lionel by patronizing him. Lionel, in turn, would sarcastically humor Archie by acting on outdated stereotypes of his race. However, Archie still was fond of Lionel, even happy to attend his engagement party. Viewer reactions Edit Such was the name recognition and societal influence of the Bunker character that by 1972 commentators were discussing the "Archie Bunker vote" (i.e., the voting bloc comprising urban, white, working-class men) in that year's presidential election; in the same year, there was a parody election campaign, complete with T-shirts , campaign buttons , and bumper stickers , advocating "Archie Bunker for President." In the show, Archie strongly supported President Richard M. Nixon , of whom he often spoke very highly, incorrectly calling him "Richard E. Nixon." He was also an early supporter of Ronald Reagan , writing him in on the ballot for the 1976 election, and threatening Mike that "he'll have Reagan in '80," predicting his win in 1980.

The character's imprint on American culture is such that Archie Bunker's name was still being used in the media in 2008, to describe a certain group of voters who voted in that year's U.S. presidential election . [4] [5] The term "Archie Bunker-ism," or just "Archie-ism," was also coined during the show's run to refer to the many malapropisms , such as "groin-acologist" for "gynecologist," that Bunker used on the series. After the episode in which Archie's opposition to the KKK was made evident, several watchdog groups became upset; they believed that the show shouldn't have "humanized" someone they viewed as a racist . They believed that Archie should be kept thoroughly unlikable. Bunker was originally planned by creator Norman Lear to be very disliked, and Lear was shocked when Bunker quietly became a beloved figure to much of middle America. Lear thought that the opinions of Bunker on race, sex, marriage, and religion were so wrong and incorrect as to represent a parody of right wing bigotry; instead, Bunker's thoughts, broadly speaking, accurately reflected the mindset of some of the viewing audience.

In fact, Sammy Davis, Jr. , who was both black and Jewish, genuinely liked the character; he felt that Bunker's "bigotry" was based on his rough life experiences and also was honest and forthright in his opinions, and showed an openness to change his views if an individual treated him right (Davis in fact appeared on All in the Family to tell the Bunker character this). Archie's racism had strongly subsided by the time Archie Bunker's Place began in 1979. During that program's second season, he hired a black nanny, Ellen Canby, for Stephanie and became fond of her. In one episode, Archie punched a man for making a remark about her and was thrown out for good from the lodge he had attended since the early days of All in the Family. Production Archie Bunker served in the Army Air Corps in Foggia , Italy during World War II . Carroll O'Connor served in the United States Merchant Marine . Archie's character voice was created by a mix of accents Carroll O'Connor heard while studying acting in New York City.

Template:Fact Carroll O'Connor appeared in all the episodes of the series, with the exception of seven (three of these because of a contractual dispute with Norman Lear in Season 5 ). For the first few seasons, the Bunkers do not own a car, like most New Yorkers who use public transportation in lieu of cars. A major point of humor in the show was from Archie constantly complaining about using the subway to get to and from work. Edith states they once owned an old used car when Gloria was young that Archie gambled away. However, Archie says he has to park far away from the hospital during the birth of his grandson in a season 6 episode, suggesting he purchased one, or was otherwise using Bert Munson's cab. Archie apparently grew up in Woodside, as he asks his brother about selling their parents' home there. It is said by Gloria that he went to school in Flushing, during the Archie is Missing episode. Popular and academic use of the concept All in the Family | All in the Family Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia All in the Family Wiki The title screen as seen in the opening credits.

Format Norman Lear (based on Till Death Us Do Part created by Johnny Speight) Starring "Those Were the Days" performed by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton . Ending theme "Remembering You" by Roger Kellaway and Carroll O'Connor Original channel January 12, 1971 - April 8, 1979 Preceded by Archie Bunker's Place All in the Family is an American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, the show was revamped, and given a new title, Archie Bunker's Place . This version of the sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983. Produced by Norman Lear , it was based on the British television comedy series Till Death Us Do Part [1] . The show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network television comedy, such as racism , homosexuality , women's liberation , rape , miscarriage , breast cancer , menopause and impotence .

The show ranked #1 in the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. As of 2009, it has along with The Cosby Show and American Idol been the only shows to top the ratings for at least five consecutive seasons. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as #4. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker , TV's greatest character of all time [2] . Contents Edit This long-running comedy revolved around Archie Bunker ( Carroll O'Connor ), a working-class, World War II veteran, very outspoken bigot, prejudiced against everyone and everything not in agreement with his view of the world. His ignorance and stubbornness tend to cause his malapropism -filled arguments to self-destruct. He often responds to uncomfortable truths by blowing a raspberry . He longs for simpler times, when people sharing his viewpoint were in charge, as evidenced by the nostalgic theme song, "Those Were the Days," the show's original title. (In the first pilot, the family name was Justice rather than Bunker.) By contrast, his wife Edith ( Jean Stapleton ) is a sweet, understanding, if somewhat naive woman.

She usually defers to her husband, but on the rare occasions when she takes a stand, she proves to be one of the wisest characters, for example in the episodes " The Battle of the Month " and " The Games Bunkers Play ". Archie often tells her to "stifle" herself and calls her a "dingbat", [3] but despite their very different personalities, they love each other deeply. They have one child, Gloria ( Sally Struthers ), who is married to college student Michael Stivic ( Rob Reiner ). Michael is part of the counterculture of the 1960s . He and Archie represent the real-life clash between the two generations: those who were born around World War I and those who were born around World War II . They constantly clash over religious, political, social, and personal issues. For much of the series, the Stivics live in the Bunker home to save money, providing even more opportunity for the two men to irritate each other. When they finally move out, it is to the house next door, offered to them by George Jefferson , the owner, who knows it would get to Archie.

Archie frequently calls his son-in-law " meathead " and " Polack " (pronounced Polock ) to insult Michael's intelligence and his Polish ancestry. The show is set in the Astoria section of Queens , one of New York City 's five boroughs. Cast Edit Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker , frequently called a "lovable bigot," an assertively prejudiced blue-collar worker. Former child actor Mickey Rooney was Lear's choice to play Archie, but Rooney declined the offer due to the strong potential for controversy and, in Rooney's opinion, poor chance for success. Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker , née Baines. Stapleton remained with the show all through the original series run, but decided to leave before the first season of Archie Bunker's Place had wrapped up. At that point, Edith was written out as having suffered a stroke and died off camera, leaving Archie to deal with the death of his beloved "dingbat". Stapleton appeared in all but four episodes. Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic , the Bunkers' college-age daughter, married to Michael Stivic. Gloria frequently attempts to mediate Archie and Michael's arguments.

The roles of Archie and Edith's daughter and son-in-law (then named "Dickie") initially went to Candice Azzara and Chip Oliver . However, after seeing the show's pilot , the original production company, ABC , requested a second pilot, expressing dissatisfaction with both actors. Lear recast the "Gloria" and "Dickie" roles with Struthers and Reiner. Penny Marshall , whom Reiner married in April 1971, shortly after the program began, was also considered for the role of Gloria. During the earlier seasons of the show, Struthers was known to be discontented with how static her part was, frequently coming off as irritating and having just a few token lines. As the series continued, Gloria's character became more developed, satisfying Struthers. Template:Citation needed She appeared in 157 of the 202 episodes in the first eight seasons—from January 12, 1971 to March 19, 1978. Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic , Gloria's Polish-American hippie husband who is part of the counterculture of the 1960s .

He constantly spars with Archie (in the original pilot, the character was Irish-American). Michael's character is in many ways as stubborn as Archie, even though his moral views are generally presented as being more ethical and his logic somewhat more sound than Archie's. For his bullheadedness, Stivic is sometimes criticized for being elitist. While Archie demonstrates the lion's share of hypocrisy, Michael has on occasion shown the same. As discussed in All in the Family retrospectives, Richard Dreyfuss sought the part, but Norman Lear was convinced to cast Reiner. He appeared in 174 of the 202 episodes of the series in the first eight seasons—from January 12, 1971 to March 19, 1978. Supporting characters Edit Sherman Hemsley , Isabel Sanford and Mike Evans as George Jefferson , his wife Louise and their son Lionel , Archie's African American neighbors. George is Archie's combative black counterpart, while Louise is a smarter, more assertive version of Edith. Lionel first appeared in the series' premiere episode " Meet the Bunkers ", with Louise appearing later in the first season.

Although previously mentioned many times, George was not seen until 1973. Hemsley, who was Norman Lear's first choice to play George, was performing in the Broadway musical Purlie and did not want to break his commitment to that show. However, Lear kept the role waiting for him until he had finished with the musical. Mel Stewart , as George's brother Henry Jefferson . Stewart filled in for Hemsley. The two appeared together only once, in the 1973 episode in which the Bunkers host Henry's going-away party, marking Stewart's final episode and Hemsley's first. Even when the Jeffersons were spun off into their own show in 1975, Stewart's character was rarely referred to again and was never seen. In the closing credits of the " The First and Last Supper " episode, Mel Stewart is incorrectly credited as playing George Jefferson. Stewart was actually playing George's brother, Henry Jefferson, who was pretending to be George for most of the episode. Betty Garrett and Vincent Gardenia as the liberal and Roman Catholic next-door neighbors Irene and Frank Lorenzo.

Irene was a strongwilled coworker of Archie's, and Frank was a jovial "house-husband" who loved cooking. Gardenia, who also appeared as Jim Bowman in Episode 8 of Season 1 (as the man who sold his house to the Jefferson's) and as Curtis Remply in Episode 7 of Season 3 (as a swinger opposite Rue McClanahan), became a semi-regular along with Garrett in 1973. Gardenia only stayed for one season as Frank Lorenzo, but Garrett remained until her character was phased out in late 1975 (later resurfacing as a regular in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley , where coincidentally, Betty's love interest—and later husband—is also named Frank ( Phil Foster ) who's also Laverne's father). Danielle Brisebois as Edith's 9-year old niece, Stephanie Mills . The Bunkers take her in after the child's father, Floyd Mills, abandons her on their doorstep in 1978 after Mike and Gloria moved to California at the end of the previous season.

(He later extorts money from them to let them keep her.) She would remain with the show through its transition to Archie Bunker's Place. Allan Melvin as Archie's neighbor and best friend Barney Hefner. The character first appeared in 1972 as a fairly minor character. Barney's role expanded toward the end of the series, after the departures of Reiner and Struthers. Recurring characters Edit James Cromwell as Jerome [4] "Stretch" Cunningham (1973–1976), Archie's friend and coworker from the loading dock. What Archie did not know was that Stretch was Jewish, evident only after Stretch died and Archie went to the funeral. Archie's eulogy for his friend is often referred to a rare occasion where he was capable of showing the humanity he tried so earnestly to hide. Liz Torres as Theresa Betencourt (1976–1977), a Latina nursing student, who initially meets Archie when he is admitted to the hospital for surgery; she later rents Mike and Gloria's former room at the Bunker house. Bob Hastings as Kelcy or Tommy Kelsey, who owns the bar Archie frequents and later buys.

Jason Wingreen as Harry Snowden, a bartender at Kelcy's Bar who continues to work there after Archie purchases it and eventually becomes his business partner. Gloria LeRoy as Mildred "Boom-Boom" Turner, a buxom, middle-aged secretary at the plant where Archie works, who is not initially fond of Archie due to his and Stretch's leering and sexist behavior, but later becomes friendly with him, occasionally working as a barmaid at Archie's Place. Barnard Hughes as Father Majeskie, a local Catholic priest who was suspected by Archie one time of trying to convert Edith. He appeared in multiple episodes. Lori Shannon as Beverly La Salle who played in three episodes. "Archie the Hero" "Beverly Rides Again" "Edith's Crisis of Faith" Actors in multiple roles Edit A number of actors played multiple roles during the show's run: Jean Stapleton played both Edith Bunker and Judith Klammerstadt in the episode " A Girl Like Edith ". The end credits list actress "Giovanna Pucci" for the latter character. In fact, this is a play on words with Stapleton's married name: Jean Putch.

Vincent Gardenia portrayed neighbor Jim Bowman, who sells the Jeffersons their house in "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood"; Curtis Rempley, half of a wife-swapping couple Edith befriends in "The Bunkers and the Swingers" (from the show's first and third seasons respectively); and later had a recurring role as neighbor Frank Lorenzo during the 1973–74 season. Gloria LeRoy played the wife of one of Archie's old Army buddies (Duke Loomis) in third season episode "The Threat" and later portrayed Mildred "Boom-Boom" Turner in a few episodes between 1974 and 1978. Burt Mustin played the role of night watchman Harry Feeney in the episode titled Archie is Worried About His Job . He came back later in a few episodes, as Justin Quigley, starting with Edith Finds an Old Man . Sorrell Booke (who played Boss Hogg in the Dukes of Hazzard ) played Mr. Bennett, the owner of a television station in "Archie and the Editorial (1972)" and then returned four more times as Mr.

Sanders, Archie's boss down at the loading dock. "Kelcy" or "Kelsey" Edit The name of the establishment is Kelcy's Bar (as seen in the bar window in various episodes). However, due to a continuity error , the end credits [5] of episodes involving the bar owner spell the name "Kelcy" for the first two seasons and "Kelsey" thereafter, although the end credits show "Kelcy" in the " Archie Gets the Business " episode. Controversial nature Edit Template:Original research In a warning to viewers, CBS ran a disclaimer before airing the first episode (which disappeared from the screen with the sound of a toilet flushing): '"The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns.

By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are."' All in the Family was notorious for featuring language and epithets previously absent from television, such as "fag" for homosexual, "hebe" for Jews, "spic" for Hispanics, "mick" for Irish, "dago" and "wop" for Italians,"polock" for Polish, "chink" for Chinese, "Jap" for Japanese, "gook" for southeast Asian, "spade" for blacks , and phrases such as "God damn it." It was also famous for being the first major television show to feature the sound of a flushing toilet; it became a running gag on the show. While moral watchdogs attacked the show on those grounds, others objected to the show's portrayal of Archie Bunker as a "lovable" bigot. Defenders of the series pointed out that Archie usually lost his arguments by reason of his own stupidity.

(It is perhaps worth noting that Alf Garnett , Archie Bunker's counterpart in the original British series, was far from lovable and used much stronger language that would not have been allowed on US network television.) In addition to its candid political dialogues, All in the Family's story lines also included a sense of realism, and occasional forays into deathly serious subject matter, not previously associated with sitcoms. A 1973 episode, for example, found the Bunkers discovering a swastika painted on their front door. (It had been intended for their Jewish neighbors down the street.) An activist from the fictional "Hebrew Defense Association" showed up, proposing violent retaliation against whoever painted it, but upon leaving, he was blown up in his car, as the Bunkers watched in horror from their front door. To interweave illness, crime, or in this case, the off-screen violent death of a character into the plot of a comedy show was an unprecedented move. While Archie's bigotry and short-sightedness were the focus of much of the humor, Mike Stivic's naive, liberal nature was on the receiving end of occasional jabs.

In the episode Edith Writes a Song , where the family is held by African-American burglars, Mike attempts to intervene on Archie's behalf, explaining to the burglars how Archie does not know about the pain of ghetto poverty. One of the burglars, played by Demond Wilson and Cleavon Little , responds: "And 'you' do?" Production Edit Lear bought the rights to Till Death Us Do Part and incorporated his own family experiences with his father into the show. Lear's father would tell Lear's mother to "stifle herself" and she would tell Lear's father "you are the laziest white man I ever saw" (two 'Archieisms' that found their way onto the show). There were three different pilots shot for the series. The first, shot in New York in 1968, was named Justice For All in reference to Archie's family name (later changed to Bunker). The second, shot in Hollywood in 1969, was titled Those Were the Days. Different actors played the roles of Mike, Gloria, and Lionel in the first two. ABC became uneasy and canceled the project at about the time Richard Dreyfuss sought the role of Michael.

Rival network CBS was eager to update its image, and was looking to replace much of its then popular "rural" programming ( Mayberry R.F.D. , The Beverly Hillbillies , Petticoat Junction and Green Acres ) with more "urban", contemporary fare (see Rural purge ), and was interested in Lear's project. They bought the rights from ABC and re-titled the show All in the Family. Lear initially wanted to shoot in black and white, perhaps feeling that it would emphasize the Bunkers' stark surroundings to greater effect. While CBS insisted on color, Lear had the set furnished in rather neutral tones, keeping everything relatively devoid of color. All in the Family was the first major American series to be videotaped in front of a live studio audience. At the time, sitcoms were shot with multiple cameras on film in front of an audience (like Mary Tyler Moore and The Dick Van Dyke Show), and the 1960s had seen a growing number of sitcoms filmed on soundstages without audiences, with a laugh track simulating audience response. After the success of All in the Family, videotaping sitcoms in front of an audience became common format for the genre during the 70s.

However, the use of videotape also gave All in the Family the look and feel of the classic sitcoms of early television, which had been performed live before a studio audience (including the original live broadcasts of The Honeymooners , to which All in the Family is sometimes compared). In the final season, the practice changed to playing the already taped and edited show to an audience and recording their laughter to add to the original sound track. Thus, the voice-over during the end credits was changed from Rob Reiner's "All in the Family was recorded on tape before a live audience" to Carroll O'Connor's "All in the Family was played to a studio audience for live responses." (Typically, the audience would be gathered for a taping of One Day At A Time , and get to see All In the Family as a bonus.) Throughout its run, Norman Lear took pride in the fact that canned laughter was never used (mentioning this on many occasions); the laughter heard in the episodes was genuine. The house shown in the opening credits is located at 89–70 Cooper Avenue in the Rego Park [6] neighborhood of Queens, New York.

There are a number of notable differences, however, between the Cooper Avenue house and the All in the Family set: Particularly obvious, one may notice there is no porch on the Cooper Avenue house, while the Bunkers' home featured a front porch; the Cooper Avenue house was a two-family duplex, while the Bunkers' house was presumably a single-family home (as evidenced by a number of times Archie referenced the Jeffersons as living "across the alley", indicating that the Bunkers' and Jeffersons' homes did not share a common wall). The Bunkers' address was the fictitious 704 Hauser Street. Awards All in the Family is the first of three sitcoms in which all the lead actors (O'Connor, Stapleton, Struthers, and Reiner) won Emmy Awards . The other two are The Golden Girls and Will & Grace .

It won numerous Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Carroll O'Connor, 1972, 1977–1979 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Jean Stapleton, 1971, 1972, 1978 Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series – Sally Struthers, 1972 (tied with Valerie Harper for The Mary Tyler Moore Show ), 1979 Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series – Rob Reiner, 1974, 1978 Outstanding New Series – Norman Lear, 1971 Outstanding Comedy Series – Norman Lear, 1971, 1972, 1973 (with John Rich ); Mort Lachman and Milt Josefsberg , 1978 Outstanding Direction in a Comedy Series – John Rich, 1972; Paul Bogart, 1978 Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – Burt Styler, 1972; Michael Ross , Bernard West and Lee Kalcheim, 1973; Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller, Barry

 Harman and Harvey Bronsten, 1978 Outstanding Live or Tape Sound Mixing – Norman Dewes, 1972 It was nominated an additional 34 times.

Best TV Actor, Musical/Comedy – Carroll O'Connor, 1972 Best TV Actress, Musical/Comedy – Jean Stapleton, 1973, 1974 Best Supporting Actress, Television – Betty Garrett, 1975 Best TV Show, Musical/Comedy – 1972–74, 1978 There were also 21 nominations. Episodes Main article: List of All in the Family episodes A particularly marking episode, that produced the longest sustained audience laughter in the history of the show, is the famous episode-ending scene in which the guest star Sammy Davis, Jr. played himself. Archie is moonlighting as a cabdriver. Davis leaves a briefcase behind in his taxi and goes to the Bunker home to pick it up. After hearing Archie's racist remarks, Davis asks for a photograph with him. At the moment the picture is taken, Davis suddenly kisses a stunned Archie on the cheek. The ensuing laughter went on for so long that it had to be severely edited for network broadcast, as Carroll O'Connor still had one line ("Well, what the hell — he said it was in his contract!") to deliver after the kiss.

(The line is usually cut in syndication.) Ratings All In the Family is one of three television shows, The Cosby Show and American Idol being the others, that have been number 1 in the Nielsen Ratings for five consecutive TV seasons. The ratings at the end of each season were: Season #9 18,550,500, tied with Taxi [14] The series finale was seen by 40.2 million viewers. Template:Citation needed Spin-offs and TV special Edit All in the Family was the launching pad of several television series, beginning with Maude on September 12, 1972. Maude Findlay, played by Beatrice Arthur , was Edith's cousin; she had first appeared on All in the Family in the episode "Cousin Maude's Visit," which aired in December 1971 in order to help take care of the Bunkers when they all were sick with a nasty flu virus. Maude disliked Archie intensely, mainly because she thought Edith could have married better, but also because Archie was a conservative while Maude was very liberal in her politics.

Maude was featured in another All in the Family episode in which Archie and Edith visited Maude's home in Westchester County to attend the wedding of Maude's daughter Carol — it aired as the finale of the second season in the spring of 1972, fittingly titled "Maude." The episode was essentially designed to set up the premise for the spin-off series that would air later in the year. In the episode, Bill Macy played Maude's husband, Walter; it was a role he would reprise for the weekly series that fall. Marcia Rodd , the actress who played Carol in the episode, would be replaced by Adrienne Barbeau in Maude. The show lasted for six seasons and 141 episodes, airing its final episode on April 22, 1978. The second and longest-lasting spin-off of All in the Family was The Jeffersons . Debuting on CBS on January 18, 1975 The Jeffersons lasted 11 seasons and 253 episodes compared to All in the Family's 9 seasons and 208 episodes.

The main characters of The Jeffersons were the Bunkers' former next-door neighbors George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) and his wife, Louise "Weezie" Jefferson (Isabel Sanford). George Jefferson was the owner of a chain of seven successful dry-cleaning stores; as The Jeffersons begins, they have just moved from the Bunkers' neighborhood to a luxury high-rise apartment building in Manhattan 's Upper East Side . George was considered to be the "Black Archie Bunker," and just as racist as Archie. Other spin-offs of All in the Family include: Archie Bunker's Place was technically a spin-off, but was more of a continuation of the series. Gloria , wherein Gloria divorces Mike and starts a new life. 704 Hauser features the Bunkers' house with a new family. There were also two spin-offs from spin-offs of All in the Family: Good Times , features Maude's former maid Florida Evans and her family in a Chicago housing project. Checking In , the Jeffersons' maid Florence gets her own show.

A 90-minute retrospective, All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special, was produced to commemorate the show's 20th anniversary which aired on CBS February 16, 1991. It was hosted by the creator, Norman Lear , and featured a compilation of clips from the show's best moments including interviews with cast members Carroll O'Connor , Jean Stapleton , Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers . Reiner and Lear promoted the special the previous week on The Arsenio Hall Show . Theme song Edit The series' opening theme song "Those Were the Days" [15] , written by Lee Adams ( lyrics ) and Charles Strouse ( music ), was presented in a unique way for a 1970s series: Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton seated at a console or spinet piano (played by Stapleton) and singing the tune on-camera at the start of every episode, concluding with live-audience applause. Several different performances were recorded over the run of the series, including one version that includes additional lyrics.

The song is a simple, pentatonic melody (that can be played exclusively with black keys on a piano) in which Archie and Edith wax nostalgic for the simpler days of yesteryear. The additional lyrics in the longer version lend to the song a greater sense of sadness, and make poignant reference to social changes taking place in the sixties. A few perceptible drifts can be observed when listening to each version chronologically: In the original version Jean Stapleton was wearing glasses and after the first time the lyric "Those Were The Days" was sung over the tonic (root chord of the song's key) the piano strikes a Dominant 7th chord in transition to the next part which is absent from subsequent versions.

Jean Stapleton's screeching high note on the line "And you knew who you WEEERRE then" became louder, longer, and more comical, although it was only in the original version that audience reaction is heard to her rendition of the note; Carroll O'Connor's pronunciation of " welfare state " gained more of Archie's trademark enunciation and the closing lyrics (especially "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.") were sung with increasingly deliberate articulation, as viewers had initially complained that they could not understand the words. Also in the original version the camera angle was shot slightly from the right side of the talent as opposed to the straight on angle of the next version. In one version, at the conclusion Archie hugs Edith at the end, while another version sees Edith smiling blissfully at Archie, while Archie puts a cigar in his mouth and returns a rather cynical look to Edith. In interviews, Norman Lear stated that the idea for the piano song introduction was a cost-cutting measure. After completion of the pilot episode, the budget would not allow an elaborate scene to serve as the sequence played during the show's opening credits. Lear decided to have a simple scene of Archie and Edith singing at the piano.

The closing theme (an instrumental ) was "Remembering You" played by Roger Kellaway with lyrics co-written by Carroll O'Connor. It was played over footage of houses in Queens intended to represent the Bunkers' neighborhood. Except for some brief instances in the first season, there was no background or transitional music. Cultural impact

Question: The character of Archie Bunker in the American comedy series, "All in the Family", was based on which character from a BBC series?
Answer: ALF GARNETT