H. Wesley Kenney Movies

"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." With this carefully worded disclaimer, the CBS television network ushered in a new era of television comedy on January 12, 1971, with the premiere of All in the Family. Inspired by the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part, the series was proposed by producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin in early 1968, and a pilot episode titled "Those Were the Days" was commissioned by ABC. From the beginning, Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were "set" as leading characters Archie and Edith Bunker (original last name: Justice), though two unknowns were cast as the couple's daughter, Gloria, and son-in-law, Mike Stivic. Also from the beginning, it had been decided to retain the controversial nature of the original British series, with bigoted hard-hat Archie forever at odds with his flaming liberal son-in-law. Alas, ABC had just been burned by the hostile reception afforded another hot-potato project, Turn-On, and had lost its taste for controversy, even when Lear and Yorkin toned down the venom in a second pilot. But in 1970, CBS, in desperate need of a hit for its sagging Tuesday-night lineup, decided to take a chance on "Those Were the Days," which by now had been christened All in the Family, and had added Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner to the cast as Gloria and Mike. Worried that audiences might be unkindly disposed to Archie Bunker's incessant harangues against "hebes," "spics," and "coloreds," CBS prefaced the first episode with the aforementioned disclaimer. Though the opener ended up an anemic 54th in the ratings (due primarily to the decision by several affiliates not to air the program, or to reschedule it to a "fringe" time slot), the first All in the Family was the topic of conversation in virtually every household and place of business in America before the week was out.

By the time the series began in its second season in the fall of 1971, All in the Family was CBS' top-rated program, a status it enjoyed for the next five years. Archie Burnker, a loading-dock supervisor who resided at 704 Houser Street in Queens, NY, was a firm and immovable believer in America, right or wrong (but mostly far, far right). Offsetting Archie's racial slurs, antediluvian political beliefs, and incessant malapropisms was his somewhat foolish but fundamentally good-hearted wife, Edith (or "Dingbat," as Archie designated her); his budding-feminist daughter, Gloria; and Gloria's long-haired, radical husband, Michael Stivic (aka "Meathead" and "Polack"), who while attending graduate school lived with Archie and Edith, and all but ate them out of house and home. In virtually every episode, an Issue (with a capital "I") was brought to the forefront -- gun control, the sexual revolution, homosexuality, religion, integration, rape -- with Archie taking the diehard conservative viewpoint, Mike assuming the liberal stance, Gloria siding with Mike, and Edith sitting on the sidelines making inane (but sometimes surprisingly sensible) comments. Usually, Archie would be hoisted by his own bigoted petard, but sometimes Mike would be trapped in the morass of his good intentions. Whatever the case, All in the Family tackled subject matter that only a few years earlier would have been rejected out of hand on network television, using language that likewise had seldom if ever been heard on the small screen. In this respect, All in the Family can be regarded as the single most influential situation comedy in television history.

Over the years, Archie's character mellowed a bit, but fundamentally he remained the same opinionated jerk he'd been in the first episode. Through it all, however, one never doubted that the members of the Bunker family all loved one another dearly and intensely. In addition to the "core" regulars, several other recurring characters paraded past Archie's beloved easy chair: Lionel Jefferson (Mike Evans), a black friend of Mike and Gloria's who, much to Archie's dismay, became their across-the-street neighbor (Lionel's upscale black family would later be spun-off into their own series, The Jeffersons); Irene and Frank Lorenzo (Betty Garrett and Vincent Gardenia), who were every bit as broad-minded as Archie was not; Bert Munson (Billy Halop), an employee at the cab company where Archie moonlighted; Archie's co-worker and lodge buddy Barney Hefner (Allan Melvin); and Tommy Kelsey (Brendan Dillon, and later Bob Hastings), owner of Kelsey's Bar, Archie's favorite hangout. At the beginning of the 1975-1976 season, Gloria and Mike moved next door to Archie and Edith, and in December of 1975, Gloria gave birth to her first child, a boy named Joey. During the 1976-1977 season, Archie met yet another sociological opponent in the form of Puerto Rican boarder Teresa Betancourt (Liz Torres). And as the 1977-1978 season began, Archie made the momentous decision to quit his job and purchase Kelsey's bar, which he renamed Archie Bunker's Place. This season ended with Mike, Gloria, and Joey bidding farewell to Archie and Edith when Mike landed a teaching job in California. The Stivics' former sleeping quarters were taken over in 1978 by Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois), Edith's niece, who had been abandoned by her ne'er-do-well father.

All in the Family per se came to an end with the final episode of the 1979-1980 season; thereafter the multi-award-winning series was known as Archie Bunker's Place. In addition to its prime-time run, All in the Family was seen in rerun form as part of the CBS daytime lineup from December 1975 to December 1979; and in 1991, selected episodes of All in the Family were run in tandem with a newer but much (much) less successful Norman Lear production, Sunday Dinner, which debuted and wrapped within a month. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of a four-part story arc, Archie's union is still on strike, and the Bunkers' household debts continue to mount. When Archie isn't on the picket line, he is sitting around the house wallowing in self-pity. Edith tries to put on a happy face, but even she is pushed to the breaking point by Archie's constant moping and the ever-tightening money supply. Written by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Archie Underfoot" first aired on September 21, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gloria has always been aware that Mike is against overpopulation. Even so, she is shocked when Mike states, flat out, that he doesn't want any children. The ensuing argument spreads throughout the Bunker household, affecting not only Archie and Edith, but next-door neighbor Irene Lorenzo as well. Written by Dixie Brown Grossman, "Gloria's Shock" made its first CBS network appearance on October 26, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lionel moves out of the Jefferson household after an argument with his parents. Normally, this domestic squabble would be of no concern to Archie Bunker, who would just as soon have all the Jeffersons move away. But Archie hadn't reckoned with Edith, who not only allows Lionel to move in with the Bunkers, but extends him every conceivable courtesy of the house. Scripted by Woody Kling from a story by Jeffrey Mackowsky, "Lionel the Live-In" originally aired on October 12, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a three-part story arc, the Bunker household is relieved that Archie Bunker, reported missing from his lodge convention in Buffalo, has been found. It turns out that he had "one too many" with his buddies, and spent two days sleeping it off (as good an explanation as any for the absence of series star Carroll O'Connor, who had actually briefly walked off the set due to a salary dispute). In anticipation of Archie's return, the family holds all sorts of celebratory contests, with Gloria and Mike attempting to hold a kiss until Archie walks through the front door. Written by Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell, "The Longest Kiss" originally aired on November 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This first episode of a three-part story arc finds Edith preparing for a Tupperware party while Archie is away attending a lodge convention in Buffalo. The tranquil mood in the Bunker household is shattered when Archie fails to call Edith as he promised, leading Edith, Mike, and Gloria to worry that Archie has met with an accident. Written by Barry Harman and Harve Brosten and originally broadcast on November 2, 1974, "Where's Archie?" was taped at the beginning of All in the Family's fourth season to compensate for Carroll O'Connor's walkout due to a salary dispute. Reportedly, producer Norman Lear intended to kill off Archie if negotiations with O'Connor fell through. As it turned out, the "death of Archie" episode was rewritten as an installment of the Lear-produced Good Times when star John Amos left that series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Future Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman regular Greg Mullavey appears as Mike's "intellectual" friend, Stuart Henderson. Inviting Stuart to dinner, Mike works overtime trying to impress his guest with his own range of knowledge. As a result, poor Gloria is deliberately excluded from the conversation, making her feel like a mental midget -- and, inevitably, setting the stage for another argument. Written by Roger Shulman and John Baskin, "Mike's Friend" originally aired on December 14, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In order to run for public office, George Jefferson must have all his neighbors sign a petition in his favor. Yes, all the neighbors -- including Archie Bunker. But what will Archie demand in return for his support of George's political aspirations? It was clear when "George and Archie Make a Deal" first aired on November 30, 1974, that Sherman Hemsley (George Jefferson) had outgrown his supporting-player status and would soon have a series of his own. This particular episode was written by David P. Harmon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Much to Archie's dismay, Edith has always regarded the union of her cousin Amelia and wealthy Russell DeKuyper as the "perfect marriage." Thus it is no small shock to Edith when, while visiting the Bunkers, Amelia blithely announces that she and Russell are splitting up. Elizabeth Wilson and George S. Irving are cast as Amelia and Russell, roles originated by Rae Allen and Richard Dysart in the 1972 episode "Edith Gets a Mink." Written by Lou Derman and Bill Davenport, "Amelia's Divorce" first aired on January 25, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As indicated by its title, this episode of All in the Family served as the pilot for the spin-off series The Jeffersons. The Bunkers appear at the beginning of the episode to bid goodbye as the nouveau riche Jefferson family leave their middle-class Bronx neighborhood in favorite of a "dee-luxe" apartment on New York's fashionable East Side. Helen Willis and Franklin Cover make their first appearances as the Jeffersons' new neighbors, a "mixed" married couple named Helen and Tom Willis. Written by Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell, "The Jeffersons Move Up" originally aired on January 11, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Archie refuses to attend a family wedding in Edith's home town of Scranton, Edith goes by herself. Here she is reunited with Cousin Roy (Tim O'Connor), her closest childhood friend. The experience not only causes Edith to wax nostalgic, but also leads her to wonder what life would have been like had not Archie come along. Also appearing are Ruth Manning as Aunt Rose and Jane Rose as Aunt Clara. First telecast on February 22, 1975, "Edith's Friend" was written by Barry Harmon and Harve Broston. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Archie sees nothing wrong in "borrowing" a few nails and an electric drill from work. Mike and Gloria argue that stealing is stealing, no matter what the circumstances or excuses. Yes, another argument ensues, and yes, Archie learns another lesson -- and so, for that matter, do Mike and Gloria. "Everybody Does It" was written by Lou Derman, Bill Davenport, and Susan Ware. The episode was originally broadcast on February 8, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

His year-long college fellowship at an end, Mike lands a teaching job. At long last, he and Gloria are able to move out of the Bunker house and find a place of their own; in fact, Gloria has promised her parents that she and Mike will locate an apartment within the week. But if Archie thinks that he is rid of his pesky son-in-law, he's in for another disappointment. Scripted by Lou Derman and Bill Davenport from a story by Robert Arnott, "Mike Makes His Move" originally aired on March 8, 1975, as the final episode of All in the Family's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi