Sally Struthers Movies
The daughter of a Portland doctor, Sally Ann Struthers left home at 18, determined to become a star. The 5' 1", frizzy-haired Ms. Struthers attended classes at the Pasadena Playhouse, then worked as a singer, dancer and commercial actress before the breaks began arriving in rapid succession in 1970. By the end of that year, she had been seen on TV as a comedy-ensemble player on The Smothers Brother Comedy Hour and a chorus girl (in fact, the only chorus girl) on The Tim Conway Comedy Hour; she'd played a small but attention-grabbing role in the Jack Nicholson film Five Easy Pieces; and she'd provided the voice for Pebbles Flintstone on the animated Pebbles and Bamm Bamm Show. Oh, before we forget: also in 1970, Struthers was cast as Gloria Bunker Stivic on the groundbreaking TV sitcom All in the Family. During her seven-season stint as Gloria, she shared a 1972 "Best Supporting Actress" Emmy with The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Valerie Harper. She also took time out to deliver an image-busting performance as the sluttish wife of kidnap victim Jack Dodson in Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway (1972), and to star in such made-for-TV films as Aloha Means Goodbye (1974), Hey, I'm Alive (1975) and The Great Houdinis (1976). In 1975, Struthers very nearly walked off All in the Family over a much-publicized salary dispute; she left the series when her contract ended in 1978, returning briefly to appear in an episode titled "California Here We Are"--and winning a second Emmy as a result. Though big things were predicted for Struthers, her post-Family years were rough. Her TV-movie appearances began playing to ever-diminishing ratings, while her highly touted 1981 Broadway debut in Wally's Café was a bust. It was a frightened, insecure Sally Struthers who returned to series television in 1982 as the star of Gloria, an All in the Family spin-off which recast the actress in the role that made her famous. Despite initially good ratings, Gloria tanked after a year. After another foredoomed Broadway appearance in a female version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Sally accepted the role of klutzy divorcee Marsha McMurray Shrimpton in the 1986 syndicated sitcom 9 to 5. Around this same time, Struthers began showing up as the TV spokesperson for a charitable organization serving malnourished Third-World children. While none could doubt the actress' sincerity, her strident, lachrymose fund-raising appeals were treated with merciless derision by the many sketch-comedy TV series of the period. Though her career may never again reach the heights of her All in the Family days, Sally Struthers has kept busy in a variety of show-business ventures, including voiceover assignments on such series as Talespin and Dinosaurs, and a recent touring production of the musical Grease, in which she co-starred with another TV favorite of yore, The Monkees' Davy Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1971
Archie learns to his horror that a black family is moving across the street. As Edith, Gloria, and Mike listen with varying reactions, Archie spouts out all manner of racist venom and ethnic misapprehensions -- only to be caught short when Lionel (Mike Evans) arrives with an added tidbit of information. Vincent Gardenia, who later joined the cast as Frank Lorenzo, here portrays the extremely nervous Bowman (Best line: "Uh-uh, they're Baptists!"). Written by Don Nicholl and Bryan Joseph, "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood" originally aired on March 2, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Archie thinks he knows a homosexual when he sees one, and when Mike invites his flamboyant photographer friend Roger to the Bunker household, Archie automatically assumes that Roger is a "flamer." Retreating to the safety of Kelsey's Bar, Arch chooses to spend some time with his "he-man" pals, notably his old arm-wrestling crony Steve. This early episode scores not only by radically reversing the usual stereotypical expectations, but also with the casting of future General Hospital heartthrob Tony Geary as the fluttery Roger and veteran movie tough guy Philip Carey as the ostensibly "safe" Steve. Written by Norman Lear and Burt Styler, "Judging Books by Covers" was originally scheduled to air on February 2, 1971, but was moved down to February 9. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
When Gloria announces that she's pregnant, both Mike and Archie blanche in terror. Not only did Mike enter into matrimony with the understanding that there wouldn't be any children, but he just plain can't afford to be a father. As for Archie, he is dead set against Gloria bringing a "little Meathead" into the world. The ending of this episode is especially poignant, with Archie revealing a heretofore well-hidden tender and compassionate side. Written by Jerry Mayer, "Gloria Is Pregnant" originally aired on February 16, 1971; at the time, the series' producers felt it wise to withhold information on the episode's content, thus TV Guide carried no synopsis whatsoever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
After getting into a minor fender-bender, Archie suffers a delayed case of whiplash. Hoping to collect a huge settlement from the other driver, Archie figures that his chances in court will improve if he hires a Jewish lawyer. But even Attorney Rabinowitz (Salem Ludwig) balks at suing a "van full of nuns." Also in the cast are George Furth as Fitzroy and Richard Stahl as Marshall. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross, "Archie's Aching Back" first aired on January 26, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Archie balks at the notion of donating blood at the local Red Cross. When Mike accuses him of being chicken, Archie protests that he doesn't want to give up a precious pint of his own "pure" blood unless he can be certain that the recipient will not be a member of a minority group. Archie's ethnocentric monologues in this episode are so incredibly convoluted that one almost grudgingly admires his stubborn stupidity. Written by series coproducer Norman Lear, "Archie Gives Blood" first aired on February 2, 1971, replacing the originally scheduled episode "Judging Books by Covers." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
The sitcom that changed the face of American television premiered on January 12, 1971, with the last of three pilot episodes filmed between 1968 and 1970 (during which time the property underwent two near-complete cast overhauls and three title changes). Written by series co-producer Norman Lear, "Meet the Bunkers" used the occasion of Archie and Edith Bunker's wedding anniversary to introduce the main characters and rapidly establish both the mood and tenor of all the episodes to come. Though virtually plotless, the episode is jam-packed with incident: Archie and Mike have a heated argument over "racial profiling," Edith tries to drag a recalcitrant Archie to church, Gloria and Mike are so hot for one another that they can barely wait until they get to the bedroom, and Lionel Jefferson (Mike Evans) uses broad African-American stereotypes to subtly needle the reactionary Archie. Especially worth noting in this inaugural episode is Jean Stapleton's portrayal of Edith, who comes off as a lot less stupid and a lot more sarcastic than she would in future episodes. While "Meet the Bunkers" seems somewhat tame when seen today, it packed enough of a wallop back in 1971 for CBS to issue a disclaimer at the beginning of the program, in which the network lauded All in the Family for its courage and daring and simultaneously begged the viewers' pardon for those qualities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Incensed that Mike has written a stern and critical letter to President Nixon, super-patriotic Archie tries to set things right by penning his own missive to the Chief Executive. "Dear Mr. President...Your Honor...Sir..." -- and Archie even dons a clean shirt and tie for the occasion. Scripted by Paul Harrison, Lennie Weinrib, and Norman Lear from a story by Les Erwin and Fred Freiberger, "Writing the President" originally aired on January 19, 1971. Though withdrawn from CBS' daytime rerun package of All in the Family at the request of producer Lear (who felt that Archie's behavior was ridiculous even for him), the episode has since been restored to the series' syndicated package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Mike's nervousness over his upcoming final exams have rendered him temporarily impotent. Not only does this put the damper on his sex life with Gloria, but it adversely -- and hilariously -- affects the rest of the Bunker family as well. The script for this taboo-shattering All in the Family installment (which, according to the producers, generated more network resistance than any other episode during the 1972-1973 season) was written by Alan J. Levitt and Philip Mishkin, from a story by Levitt. "Mike's Problem" first aired on November 20, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Jack Crowder (later billed as Thalmus Rasulala) guest stars as Chester Byrd, a high-pressure black real estate agent. Offering to give Archie twice what he paid for his house, Byrd adroitly and insidiously utilizes scare tactics, warning the Bunkers that their neighborhood is about to be infested by low-income African-Americans. Though Archie takes Byrd at face value, Lionel recognizes the "blockbuster" for what he is. Scripted by Austin and Irma Kalish, Michael Ross, and Bernie West from a story by the Kalishes, "The Blockbuster" originally aired on November 13, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Interviewed by a WCBS-TV reporter about Nixon's economic plan, Archie is thrilled to learn that his interview will appear on the evening news. Alas, the Bunkers' TV set is broken and practically every other set in the neighborhood is likewise incapacitated. After numerous frustrations, Archie finally gets to see himself on the boob tube -- or does he? Neil J. Schwartz appears as Levy the repairman, who delivers the episode's funniest line. Written by Lennie Weinrib, Paul Harrison, and Don Nicholl from a story by Weinrib and Harrison (incidentally the same team responsible for the classic Saturday-morning series H.R. Pufnstuff), "The Man in the Streeet" first aired on December 4, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
So often the dispenser of thoughtless discrimination, Archie finds himself forced to take his own medicine. This occurs when the Bunkers' home insurance is canceled thanks to the company's new racial red-lining procedures. Archie's plight at home is contrasted with his on-the-job decision to lay off a Puerto Rican employee. Philip Proctor of Firesign Theater fame appears as Wendell. Written by Lee Kalcheim, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "The Insurance is Canceled" originally aired on November 27, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
As indicated by the title of this episode (which is "bookended" by the celebration of Mike and Gloria's first anniversary), the viewer is taken back in time to the momentous first meeting between Archie Bunker and Mike Stivic. The fun is generated not only by Archie's outraged reaction at Gloria's hirsute hippie boyfriend (never before or since did Rob Reiner have so much hair), but also by the depiction of the pre-marriage Gloria as a curly headed, squeaky-voiced Junior Dingbat. The script was co-written by series star Rob Reiner and Philip Mishkin. "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie" first aired on October 16, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Archie's insistence upon purchasing a gun to protect his household backfires when a couple of burglars named Coke and Horace break into the Bunker household. Keeping Archie at bay with his own gun, the two thieves reveal a lot about themselves -- and, in the course of the evening, genially encourage the disingenuous Edith to compose an impromptu ditty about her life. The burglars are played by Tony award-winning actor Cleavon Little and relative newcomer Demond Wilson, who on the strength of this performance was cast as Lamont in the Norman Lear-produced sitcom Sanford and Son. Written by Lee Kalcheim, "Edith Writes a Song" was first telecast on October 9, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Accidentally denting the fender of a parked car with a can of peaches, Edith leaves a note on the car's windshield. A furious Archie reprimands Edith for her unrepentant act of honesty, but that's hardly the end of the story, which includes such elements as insurance fraud and an "unfrocked" priest. Guest star Barnard Hughes is cast as Father Majeski. Written by Michael Ross and Bernie West, "Edith's Accident" first aired on November 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Though "The Election Story" originally aired on October 30, 1971, for plot purposes the action takes place during an election year. Predictably, Mike and Gloria throw their support behind a liberal candidate, while Archie takes the side of the conservative opponent. And that's about all that's predictable about this All in the Family-style civics lesson. "The Election Story" was scripted by Michael Ross and Bernie West. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Season two of All in the Family commenced on September 18, 1971 with yet another taboo-banning episode. Scripted by Burt Styler and Norman Lear from a story by Styler, "The Saga of Cousin Oscar" dared to turn a subject as serious as death into a joke. No one in the Bunker family can abide freeloading cousin Oscar, least of all Archie. Thus, when Oscar has the audacity to drop dead in Archie and Edith's upstairs bedroom, poor Arch is stuck with the funeral expenses -- and the eulogy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Archie predicts disaster when Mike and Lionel participate in an anti-Pentagon demonstration at the U.N. building. It turns out that Archie is right -- but disaster befalls him, when, showing up at the demonstration to take Mike and Lionel home, he ends up in the slammer himself. Allan Melvin appears as Desk Sergeant Pulaski, and it's too bad that Archie doesn't know the good sergeant's last name before he shoots off his mouth in the final scene. Scripted by Paul Wayne, Michael Ross, and Bernie West from a story by Wayne, "Archie In the Lock-Up" originally aired on October 2, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Mike's let-it-all-hang-out liberalism is again put to the test when Gloria agrees to pose in the nude for the Stivics' artist friend Szabo Daborba (a pre-Starsky and Hutch David Soul). Naturally, Archie is outraged that Gloria would be willing to appear in the altogether in front of a stranger, but Mike appears to be taking his wife's artistic expression in stride. Before long, however, those all-important "second thoughts" begin gnawing away at Mike's psyche. Written by Michael Ross, Bernie West, and Norman Lear, "Gloria Poses in the Nude" first aired on September 25, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Christmas is anything but merry in the Bunker household this year. Anticipating his usual Christmas bonus, Archie makes like a modern-day Scrooge when the bonus doesn't come through. Meanwhile, Edith, Gloria, and Mike try to make the best of things for themselves and their erstwhile dinner guests, the Jeffersons. Written by Don Nicholl, "Christmas Day at the Bunkers" was appropriately telecast on December 18, 1971 -- then inappropriately rerun in July 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Bea Arthur makes her first-ever appearance as Maude Findlay, ultra-conservative Archie's ultra-liberal cousin. Described by Archie as "the original creeping socialist," Maude has steered clear of the Bunker household for years. But when the entire family comes down with the flu, "Maudie" arrives to take care of the household -- and, of course, to cross ideological swords with Archie. Written by Philip Mishkin, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Cousin Maude's Visit" was originally network-cast on December 11, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
From the vantage point of the early 21st century, it is hard to imagine the shocking impact of All in the Family's premiere episode, "Meet the Bunkers," in which the world was introduced to Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), who apparently never met a minority group he liked and whose vocabulary was sprinkled with outrageous racial epithets. Also introduced in this landmark episode are Archie's slow-witted but good-hearted wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton), aka "Dingbat"; Archie's airheaded daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers); and Gloria's grad-student husband, Mike (Rob Reiner), a flaming liberal and the bane of Archie's existence. Additionally, this opening episode features the first appearance of Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson, a black youth who delights in needling Archie without his knowing it. Several of the series' earliest episodes have become classics of their kind. Among the highlights: Archie writes a fan letter to President Nixon, fakes a back injury after a minor traffic accident, worries that some "colored" will be the recipient when he donates a pint of blood, wrongfully assumes that he knows a homosexual when he sees one, and is in for a major shock when he is reunited with an old army buddy. In other stories, the black Jefferson family moves into Archie's lily-white neighborhood (and in the process, Isabel Sanford makes her first appearance as Louise Jefferson); Gloria "discovers" women's lib after a few chauvinistic comments from husband Mike, and in another episode learns that she is pregnant (but not, alas for long); and Edith serves on a jury, inevitably emerging as the sole holdout in an otherwise unanimous "guilty" verdict. Ratings for All in the Family's first season were shaky, but that wasn't the series' fault. Several CBS affiliates, nervous about the series' controversial content, delayed the program's telecast to the low-rated late evening hours, while other affiliates refused to run the show at all. But, thanks to word-of-mouth and a torrent of positive criticism in the mainstream press, All in the Family survived its freshman year, and by the end of season two, the series was America's top-rated program. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
Season two of All in the Family was also the series' first "full" season, offering 24 episodes in contrast with season one's meager manifest of 13. The opener, "The Saga of Cousin Oscar," is the first of the series' episodes to deal with the previously taboo topic of death (but hardly the last!). In the subsequent "Archie and the Lock-Up," Allan Melvin who would later become a semi-regular as Archie's (Carroll O'Connor) pal Barney, is cast as a grumpy Polish-American desk sergeant. "Edith Writes a Song" affords a major opportunity for a hitherto unknown young actor named Demond Wilson, who within the year would be co-starring with Redd Foxx in another Norman Lear sitcom, Sanford and Son. And "Cousin Maude's Visit" introduces Beatrice Arthur in the role that would catapult her to sitcom stardom the following year. The season's most memorable episodes include the Emmy-winning "Edith's Problem," in which Edith (Jean Stapleton) exhibits some very peculiar behavior while undergoing menopause; the self-explanatory "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie"; "Mike's Mysterious Son," wherein Mike (Rob Reiner) is accused of fathering a child out of wedlock; "The Man in the Street," a comedy of errors revolving around Archie's appearance on a TV interview show; and arguably the series' best-known episode, "Sammy's Visit," in which Sammy Davis Jr. bestows a very surprising "gift" upon the wide-eyed Archie Bunker. After a shaky start during its first season, All in the Family closed out season two as the top-rated program on American television -- a status it would maintain for the next four years! ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
A disaffected man seeks a sense of identity in one of the key films of Hollywood's 1970s New Wave. Once a promising pianist from a family of classical musicians, Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson, in his first major starring role) leads a blue-collar life as an oil rigger, living with needy waitress girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) and bowling with their friends Elton (Billy "Green" Bush) and Stoney (Fannie Flagg). Feeling suffocated by responsibilities, Bobby seeks out his sister, Tita (Lois Smith), and, discovering that his father is gravely ill, he reluctantly heads back to the patrician family compound in Puget Sound with a pregnant Rayette in tow. After a road trip featuring a harangue from hitchhiker Palm (Helena Kallianiotes) about filth, and Bobby's ill-fated attempt to make a menu substitution in a diner, he tucks Rayette away in a motel before heading to the house. There Bobby seduces his uptight brother Carl's cultured fiancée, Catherine (Susan Anspach), but Rayette shows up unexpectedly. As Rayette's crassness collides with the snobbery of the Dupea circle, Bobby loses patience with both sides. After trying to reconcile with his mute father, Bobby departs, unwilling to give in to either destiny. Director Bob Rafelson and screenwriter Adrien Joyce (aka Carole Eastman) used the creative control afforded by the low budget to craft a European-influenced character study, catching a cultural mood of anomie and resentment as it was embodied in Bobby. Neither older generation nor hippie, Bobby fits in nowhere, and his desire for independence conflicts with his emotional emptiness. Nicholson's nuanced performance of simmering frustration resonated with 1970 audiences caught between Nixon's "silent majority" and the troubled counterculture; a substantial hit, Five Easy Pieces was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and established Nicholson as a star. Offering no "easy" answers to Bobby's existential crisis, Five Easy Pieces is one of the pre-eminent films in the early-'70s cycle of alienated American art movies, as even the fantasy of rebellion is reduced to merely running away. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, (more)
- 1970
- PG
Have you ever longed for the day when James Brown, Martha Raye, and Col. Harland Sanders would appear in a movie together? Well, that's barely the tip of the improbable casting iceberg in this bizarre cold-war spoof. The leaders of the American intelligence organization the S.S.A. ("Super Secret Agency") are becoming increasingly alarmed by the disappearance of a number of B-list celebrities, who are being spirited off to Communist Albania. Eager to bring the fading stars back to the Land of the Free, the S.S.A. come up with a simple plan: They'll find four typical guys in their mid-twenties, have them form a rock group, make them into international stars, and wait until they get invited to play a gig in Albania, which will allow them to find out what's become of Rudy Vallee, Butterfly McQueen, and Huntz Hall, among others. Unemployed philosopher Michael A. Miller, Native-American honor student Ray Chippeway, phys-ed major Dennis Larden, and male model Lonny Stevens are drafted by the S.S.A., and after some intensive training by experts (Trini Lopez shows them a few guitar chords, and Richard Pryor gives them a crash course in soul), they become an overnight sensation as The Phynx (yes, it's pronounced "Finks"). Their album sells 17 million copies on the strength of songs like "What Is Your Sign?," and their groupies have to be cleared away by forklift. But fun and games have to go to the back burner when Albanian ruler Markevitch (George Tobias) and his wife, Ruby (Joan Blondell), invite the Phynx to perform at the behest of their son. Pat O'Brien, Xavier Cugat, Patty Andrews, and Dick Clark are just a few of the other notables who make cameo appearances in The Phynx, which had a very brief theatrical release before being sold to television in the early '70s. Legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller penned the songs performed by The Phynx (and Stoller composed the background score), though for some reason they're not covered nearly as often as "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," or "Yakkety Yak." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Miller, Ray Chippeway, (more)
