All In The Family: A Viewer’s Companion

Copyright © 2024 David Maska.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-6329-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-6330-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024911400

iUniverse rev. date:   07/26/2024

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Family Planning

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

Season Four

Season Five

Season Six

Season Seven

Season Eight

Season Nine

Archie Bunker’s Place

Afterword

References

This book is

dedicated to the love of my life Renee. It took me forty-nine years to find you. You were worth the wait. Will you marry me? (we will have to see if there is a second printing to find out if she said yes)

This book is also dedicated in loving memory to Shirley Maska and Rees Padfield.

And to my sister Kim. Thank you for always being there for me.

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to the following people for their love, support, or just plain feigning interest when I would mention this over the last several years:

Ed and Cheyney Bieber and family (Sydney, Jake, Regan, Fifi, Teddy, River, and Toby), Gary Blake, Lizette Cardinas, Jonathan Padfield, Tom and Linda Conran, Melissa Dragovan, Barb MF Eise and her family (David, Connor, Ty, Lexi, and Kelsey), JB Fletcher, Len Grodoski, Jessica Hoffman, Joanne Padfield, Matthew C. Hoffman, Honeybun, Mary Kay Lockhart, Ed Magruder, Max, Leo Mukahirn, Liz Munesue, Elaine Padfield, Mary Ann Nicolella, Ted Okuda, Steve Padfield and family (Nikki, Logan, and Mackenzie (UNO!)), Joe Plochl, Carol Rhunke, Michele and Al Salazar, Bella Stutt, Mark Yurkiw, Christy Zurcher.

Introduction

All in the Family has been a part of my television viewing landscape as far back as I can remember. In the age of home media and streaming, over the years I have watched episodes in no particular order and have always been entertained. It had been some time since I watched the series from beginning to end so I decided to sit down and do just that, and note my thoughts and observations along the way. It was a new show to me in many ways and I was able to look at it with a fresh perspective. What impressed me was how the characters grew and changed from their experiences and if they took an emotional step forward, they rarely took a step back at the expense of a punch line. I was not there for the series premier in 1971; being (almost) one-year old at the time, chances are my parents already put me to bed. Binging the show as an adult, it is not surprising just how well the material holds up. Sure, some of the references are dated but the humanity still shines. It still moved me; it made me laugh and it made me cry. Many times, I found myself doing both at the same time. Fifty-plus years after it first aired, I can still relate to something in each of these characters.

Many people say they’ve either lived with or known an Archie Bunker in their lifetime and could also relate to the other family members of 704 Hauser Street. That was the secret to All in the Family; we all knew people like this. Presented as satire, the series was palatable to a viewing audience who kept the show at the top of the ratings for most of its run.

There are many others out there who can articulate the social impact of the show much better than I. My goal for what follows is not that academic. The origins of this book are meant to be a conversational reference for a show that I have loved all my life. It is a viewer’s companion which provides a season-by-season summary. I have included episode highlights, an annotated episode guide including continuity goofs, and an overview of how the characters and show changed along with the country and its viewing habits while the show was on the air. I hope I have accomplished that and hope you enjoy the read.

Family Planning

Sitcoms have been a staple of television ever since its inception. A premise is presented and resolved within a 30-minute timeslot and done so in a humorous way. Classic shows such as I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners provided a template with their stories and characters that continue to influence the genre of the sitcom to this very day. However, sitcoms rarely took chances in dealing with any serious subject matter although when they did, those subjects stayed somewhat safely tucked within the framework of sitcom rules and almost always had a happy ending.

Norman Lear was born on July 7, 1922. His relationship with his father was strained and argumentative. Lear’s father would always refer to Norman as a ‘meathead’ and spout very bigoted and prejudicial points of view. Not surprisingly, his father became the prototype for Archie Bunker. Lear’s mother was kind with a big heart and was a huge influence on the character of Edith Bunker. At the end of World War II, Lear headed out West to pursue a career in public relations and publicity. He then teamed with Ed Simmons who was married to Lear’s cousin Elaine and the pair embarked on a career to become comedy writers. Within a short period of time, they were writing sketches for Martin and Lewis who were the hottest act in the country in the 1950s.

In the mid-60s, while the country was embroiled in civil unrest and many felt we were fighting an unjust war in Vietnam, the trend in television was that of fantasy and science fiction. Such shows as Get Smart, The Monkees, Batman, and Star Trek broke the mold of traditional television up to that point. Concurrently, shows such as I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched had their fantasy elements played out within the confines of the traditional sitcom. Still, television in the United States continued to play things relatively safe.

While visiting England in the late 60s, Lear viewed a show called Till Death Us Do Part. In this show the lead character Alf Garnett is a working-class man who has an adoring wife and daughter. Garnett was a very bigoted character and his views were always at odds with his socialist son-in-law. Lear saw much of his father in this character. The interaction between Garnett and his son-in law was reminiscent of arguments Lear used to have with his own father. Lear was inspired to try to adapt this show for a US audience. His partnership with Simmons had dissolved by that time and Lear formed a production company with fellow producer Bud Yorkin. Yorkin began his career in 1954 producing The Tony Martin Show for NBC. The production company was eventually christened Tandem and although their partnership would dissolve in 1975, the company would go on to produce all the major Lear sitcoms of the 1970’s except for The Jeffersons which was produced by Yorkin’s T.A.T Production Company. In addition, Tandem produced Diff’rent Strokes, Archie Bunker’s Place, Sanford, and Gloria until it ceased operating under that name in 1983.

Relevancy wise, television entertainment in the United States was behind the times. There were signs of life earlier in the decade with solid dramas like Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, and The Defenders. By the mid-60s, shows like I Spy, That Girl, Julia, and Mod Squad showed promise of what could be done with the medium between casting and subject matter. Even The Brady Bunch, which premiered in 1969 was ground-breaking in its own way by portraying a blended family of two single parents. The Smothers Brothers would increasingly take chances on their weekly CBS variety show with sketches co-written by the likes of Steve Martin, Bob Einstein, and Carl Gottlieb. The show blended social-political commentary and satire including criticism of the Vietnam war, material which was not appreciated by the Lyndon Johnson White House. Pressure over censorship struggles with CBS VP of Network Programming Michael Dann ultimately contributed to the Smothers Brothers dismissal from the network in 1969. They would subsequently sue CBS for breach of contract and win a settlement in 1973. Changes in leadership would follow at CBS within the next few years and while unknown at the time, those events would pave the way to get All in the Family on the air.

THE PILOTS

Lear wrote a pilot script titled Justice for All and began to shop it around to the different networks in 1968. The lead character was Archie Justice. Lear originally wanted to cast Mickey Rooney in the lead role however Rooney declined saying that the character was un-American.

Born August 2, 1924, actor Carroll O’Connor honed his skills in the theatre. He sharpened his talents in some off-Broadway productions such as The Big Knife directed by 20-year-old Peter Bogdanovich (his first directorial venture) and Ulysses in Nighttown which co-starred John Astin and was directed by Burgess Meredith. O’Connor also carved a niche for himself on television as a character actor. He had parts in such shows as The Defenders, The Outer Limits, That Girl, and The Time Tunnel. When Sherwood Schwartz was auditioning roles for his upcoming series Gilligan’s Island, O’Connor was considered for the role of the Skipper. He did work in feature films as well and Lear was specifically impressed with his performance in the 1966 comedy What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? Lear asked him to read for the part of Archie Justice. O’Connor was familiar with the source material, Til Death Us Do Part, and recounted a conversation with his wife about the subject matter prior to his audition in a 2000 interview. I remember saying to my wife Nancy, here’s a show – we could never do that here. We could never do this outrageous satire in this country. The American people are not prepared, we’re not the kind of people that can swallow this stuff.¹ He picked up on the New York accent from cabbies he had heard over time and scored immediately with Lear. He was such a touchy character that I wanted to be absolutely sure that if I played it – and I knew how to play him, I knew how to play that guy but I wanted to play it with absolute authenticity.² recalled O’Connor. In real life a staunch Democrat, O’Connor had more in common with Mike Stivic than he did with Archie Bunker and he created one of the most iconic characters ever on television.

Jean Stapleton (born January 19, 1923) also came from the Broadway stage. She was involved in several hit musicals such as Bells Are Ringing and Damn Yankees and would reprise her roles in the filmed versions. It was her performance on the stage in Damn Yankees that caught Lear’s attention when he asked her to read for the part. Stapleton was not a stranger to O’Connor as she appeared with him on a 1962 episode of the Defenders titled The Hidden Jungle. Unfortunately, a print of this episode was not available for screening at the time of this writing but according to an interview Stapleton gave to the Archive of American Television, they did share some scenes together. By the time she read for the role of Edith Justice, she already had appeared in dozens of tv shows such as Car 54 Where Are You?, My Three Sons, Dennis the Menace, and Dr. Kildare.

The role of the son-in-law Richard – or Dicke at this stage in development – was of Irish not Polish descent in the pilot and went to actor Tim McIntire. He appeared on television throughout the early 1960s in shows like Wagon Train and Ben Casey. Although he would ultimately be recast, he would continue acting in such shows as the F.B.I, the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man, and Soap. He also appeared in some feature films, most notably as disc jockey Allan Freed in American Hot Wax (1978) and Brubaker (1980) with Robert Redford. After struggling for years with drug and alcohol addiction, he died at the age of 41 in 1986.

To round out the main players, Lear hired Kelly Jean Peters for the part of Gloria. Up to that point she had appeared on such programs as The Monkees, The Green Hornet, and That Girl. She would continue work in television and is recognizable to M*A*S*H fans as Lt. Louise Anderson in the 1973 episode Love Story. In support, the part of Lionel is played by D’Urville Martin who also appeared throughout the 60s on television in shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Monkees and was instrumental in the blacksploitation film movement. He would be the only actor aside from O’Connor and Stapleton to survive the cut after the first pilot was taped. He went on to appear on television and several films in the 1970s such as Black Caesar and Dolemite. He died in 1984 at the age of 45.

ABC Programming Executive Leonard Goldberg whose network was struggling in third place saw the potential in the script and was the first to take a chance on the series. Goldberg told the E! network in 2000 I just thought it was so different and it was so shocking that, I thought that was good. I thought we’d get a lot of attention.³ Lear was given $250,000 to shoot the pilot which commenced on September 29, 1968. There would be some dialog changes in subsequent versions of the pilot both for content and brevity. Archie refers to Lionel as a smart ass kid which was changed to smart aleck kid by the time the pilot finally aired. An exchange between Archie and Edith about the use of the phrase Goddamn it would also be cut. That bit along with several other dialogue cuts would find their way into other episodes of the series once it went to air. Running thirty-five minutes, the pacing of the pilot is much slower and the lines are delivered more deliberately. Archie Justice sports a Dagwood like hairstyle suggesting a representation of a bygone era. Aside from that, he and Edith’s characters, while rough around the edges, are pretty well defined. Richard is presented as more of a hippie with a tie-dye shirt and a big peace medallion around his neck which was a direct reflection of 1968 American youth. Gloria comes across sassy and streetwise lacking the underlying vulnerability that would ultimately round out the character. As the episode unfolds, the kids come across way more argumentative and combative with Archie and the results are uninspired for what the script calls for. The Lionel character is played as more of a wise guy evident in the way he gives a wink to Richard before approaching Archie to discuss things. The studio audience does not seem engaged in the performances. When screened for ABC executives, the room was empty by the time the screening was completed. Goldberg caught up with the President of the network shortly thereafter and was told We’re going to pretend that this never happened.⁴ Despite little support from upper management, Goldberg requested a second pilot be shot. With the four principles lacking the chemistry that would ultimately make the show a success, Lear took the opportunity to recast the parts of Richard and Gloria.

On February 16, 1969 the second pilot was taped. Retitled Those Were the Days, Chip Oliver replaced Tim McIntire as Richard and while his approach is a little softer, it still is not what the series would need. While he is articulate in his discussions with Archie, this version of Richard comes across more primitive than intelligent - putting Gloria over his shoulder to bring her upstairs as he wants to take advantage of the alone time they have. This was Chip Oliver’s sole television credit. He was a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders for two seasons which may account for the direction his character was given. After the 1969 season, he quit the Raiders, joined a commune, and became a vegetarian. Mike Stivic would have been proud of him.

The part of Gloria went to 23-year-old Candice Azzara. She plays Gloria a little closer to the way she would be portrayed in the series. Azzara had only one acting credit prior to taping the pilot and would go on to appear in such shows as Kojak, Barney Miller, and Rhoda as well as feature films Easy Money (alongside Rodney Dangerfield) in 1983, Catch Me if You Can (2002), and In Her Shoes (2005).

While opinions somewhat softened the second time around, ABC ultimately passed on the pilot fearing backlash from affiliates and viewers over the sensitive nature of the material.

Lear’s agent shopped the pilot to CBS, the same network who dismissed the Smothers Brothers a year or so earlier in part over controversial material. CBS had been known as the rural network throughout the 60s with such hits as Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, The Andy Griffith Show, and the Beverly Hillbillies dominating their schedule. However, by 1970 those sitcoms were showing their age and the network felt they were losing touch with an urban audience. Times were rapidly changing and CBS President Bob Wood wanted shows on the schedule that more reflected the times and appealed to advertisers and viewers in the larger cities. Unlike the execs at ABC, the pilot impressed programming head Michael Dann yet he shared similar reservations about putting it on the air. He asked Norman Lear to shoot a new pilot and suggested changing the name of the show. Rechristened All in the Family, Lear agreed and took the opportunity to make two final changes to the main cast as he felt the kids were still not strong enough performers.

24-year-old Rob Reiner (born March 6, 1947) was no stranger to Hollywood. Son of legendary television producer Carl Reiner, he most recently was writing for the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Reiner made his television acting debut in a January 1967 episode of Batman. He went on to appear on The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, The Beverly Hillbillies and did audition for the part of Richard for the pilot when it was being touted to ABC. While Lear felt he was too inexperienced at that time, he now felt Reiner was ready for the role. The character was renamed Michael Stivic, who was of Polish descent. Reiner recalled. When I first read the script, I thought well this is certainly by far the best thing that will ever be on television. The quality, the writing, was so far beyond anything that had been on television up to that point. I just assumed that if it was ever going to get on, it would be on a for a few weeks and then it would go off. It would be as we say - too hip for the room. People artistically would appreciate it but it would just be too rough for people to accept. I figured we’d be on for thirteen weeks and then it would just go off and I would be very proud to have been a part of something that was that special.⁵ Reiner continued to make a few appearances on other tv shows during the early run of All in the Family such as The Odd Couple and The Partridge Family.

Sally Struthers (born July 28, 1947) had been a stock performer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour where she caught the attention of Norman Lear. Struthers most recently appeared with Jack Nicholson in the 1970 classic Five Easy Pieces. She was perfect for the role of Gloria. Lear recalled There was something about that adorable person….so we invited her in and she had everything else to back it up.⁶ She was tough when she needed to be but she also had the innocence and sweetness required to provide the balance between Archie and Mike, the two most important men in Gloria’s life.

There would be one final casting change with the role of Lionel Jefferson. Mike Evans studied acting at Los Angeles City College and did not have any acting experience prior to being hired for the series. He was perfect for the role and played Lionel as more of an intelligent and sympathetic character; someone who saw through Archie’s bigotry and prejudice enough to politely humiliate him yet understood that he really was