American television series (1971-1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All in the Family is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1979. It is about a working class family who live in Queens, New York City. The main character is Archie Bunker. The show deals with many controversial issues (including abortion and racism). The sitcom was created by Norman Lear and it was developed by Lear and Bud Yorkin. It is based on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part which was made by Johnny Speight. Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, Rob Reiner, and Danielle Brisebois are the main actors on the show.
All in the Family | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Norman Lear |
Based on | Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight |
Developed by | Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Lee Adams (lyrics), Charles Strouse (music), Roger Kellaway (ending theme) |
Opening theme | "Those Were the Days" Performed by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton |
Ending theme | "Remembering You" by Roger Kellaway, (music) and Carroll O'Connor (additional lyrics added in 1971; instrumental version) |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 9 |
No. of episodes | 205 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Production locations | CBS Television City Hollywood, California (1971–75) Metromedia Square Hollywood, California (1975–79) |
Running time | 25–26 minutes |
Production company | Tandem Productions |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | January 12, 1971 – April 8, 1979 |
Related | |
All in the Family is seen in the United States of America as one of the greatest television programs in history.[1] The show did not do good in the first season but a lot more people watched when CBS put in the summer reruns on television. Many people liked that the show talked about controversial issues. The show got number 1 on the Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. It was the first television show to do this. The episode "Sammy Visit's" was number 13 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time and TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time had All in the Family as the fourth greatest show of all time.[2] Bravo put Archie Bunker as the "greatest character of all time."[3] All in the Family had seven spin-off shows made. That is the most spin-off shows from any show ever.
The show ended on April 8, 1979 but the spin-off show called Archie Bunker's Place started on September 23, 1979 and carried on with Archie Bunker until 1984. 15 years later Norman Lear created 704 Hauser which was about a new family living in Archie Bunker's house after he sold it. The show was ended early after five episodes were put on television.
All in the Family is about a family who lives during the early 1970s in the suburbs of Queens, New York City. The sitcom's main character is a World War II veteran and blue-collar worker Archie Bunker. Archie Bunker is old, a bigot, and is not very smart. He gets mad at the changes he sees in the world and wants to go back to when life was more easier. Archie does not like the Democratic Party and is a Republican. He stereotypes every person he meets. His wife, Edith Bunker is a nice woman but she is not very smart. She has a very big family but her family does not like Archie Bunker. Archie and Edith have one child. They have a daughter named Gloria Stivic who is a feminist. Archie calls Gloria "little girl". Gloria is married to Michael Stivic who is unemployed and is of Polish descent. Archie calls Michael the "Meathead" because Michael has different ideas about politics then Archie. Michael and Gloria have a son together. Archie thinks that Michael is dead from his neck to his head. Archie does not like the Jeffersons who are the African American family that live next door to them. Archie argues with George Jefferson many times but George's wife is a friends with Edith. Her name is Louise Jefferson. George and Louise have a son named Lionel Jefferson who helps out Archie. The Jeffersons move away and into the city. Edith also has a cousin named Maude Findlay who takes care of the Bunkers when they get sick. Archie argues with Maude many times because they do not have the same opinions about politics. The characters who live around Archie and his family are meant to show the changing demographics in the world, which Archie does not like.
Mike Stivic: "Let me tell you something Mr. Bunker…"
Archie Bunker: "No, let me tell you something, Mr. Stivic. You are a meathead! A meathead, dead from head up! A meathead!"
During the show the family goes through different situations. Many of the most funny moments of the show are in the first season. Early in the show, Michael wrote an angry letter to President Richard Nixon and Archie wrote a letter to Richard Nixon about why he liked him. Archie and the Jeffersons argue over the color of God's skin because he does not think God is black. But Archie gets drunk and is locked in the basement and he thinks that God came to rescue him but it was just one of the Jeffersons. He is surprised that God is black and bows down to him. In many of the episodes Michael and Archie argue. One time Archie was nearly arrested for owning tear gas and another time he went missing. Archie and the people he works with go on strike and Archie does not have a job. But Edith gets a job instead because the family needs money. This makes Archie mad because he thinks that the husband should be working. There are also some flashback episodes. The first one is about the first time Archie and Michael meet. It is a very famous episode and Michael got the name "meathead" in it. In the third season the episode,"The Bunkers and the Swingers" won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The episode was about Edith an Archie not knowing that they agreed to change husbands and wives for a night with other people who do it as a job.
Later on, Archie is in a broken elevator with a woman who Archie thought was crazy, an African American businessman and a Puerto Rican man and women who is about to give birth. In season eight of the show Gloria and Michael move out of the house and move into their own house to raise their son but the house is very close to Archie and Edith's house. Michael and Gloria start to argue many times and they think they might get divorced. Michael looks to Archie for help but it does not work very much. They do stayed married for the rest of the show. Archie's ideas about transgender people are put to test when he saved a transgender person's life not knowing that they were transgender. Many important and controversial things happen in season eight of the show. During the episode "Edith's 50th Birthday" a man who is dressed up as a police officer tried to rape Edith. Edith fights him off but has a very hard time telling Archie about it. Another time Archie and Michael are locked in Kelsey's Bar together and they argue but become very close and Archie finally tells Michael that he loves him.[5] Later in the show Archie and Edith raise a young girl named Stephanie Mills who was abandoned by her father and her mother (Edith's cousin). Archie buys a bar with a friend and they own it. The story of All in the Family continued in Archie Bunker's Place[6] and the house is the main place with a new family named the "Cumberbatches" in the spin-off show 704 Hauser but the show was cancelled less than a month after it started.[7]
All in the Family is based on the 1960s British sitcom television show Till Death Us Do Part. Norman Lear said he read about the show in a Variety magazine. He thought the show was like the relationship that he had with his father. Norman Lear bought the rights to use Til Death Us Do Part and used the ideas of the show in All in the Family. Norman Lear is the creator of All in the Family. He would also add some of the things his father did into the show. CBS wanted to have the show but the show was going to be on ABC. There was two pilot episodes made. One was made on September 3, 1968 and called And Justice For All. The pilot episodes had different actors and actresss for Michael (Tim McIntire) and Gloria Stivic (Kelly Jean Peters) and the house they lived in looked different. Archie and Edith were named "Archie Justice" and "Edith Justice" instead of Archie Bunker and Edith Bunker. Micheal was named “Dickie” for the first pilot. Lionel Jefferson was played by D'Urville Martin instead of Mike Evans. For the start of the episode, Archie and Edith were singing, "Those were the Days" but the song was longer and shots of where they lived were shown but not them. Also Edith played the piano faster in this pilot episode then the rest of the show. The camera showed the door mat which said "Justice" before the episode started. The pilot was taped with three cameras so the people watching could see the characters feelings about things. This would be used for the entire show. Most other sitcoms used one camera but All in the Family was the first and more sitcoms used three cameras after. The pilot talked about many important issues instead of just one. The characters talked about race, welfare, antisemitism, and even different types of sausage. The ending credits of the pilot episode is the kitchen room with the party decorations up. Edith and Archie are singing the same song from the beginning as the credits roll.
ABC did not like the first pilot because they did not think Archie and Edith were good together but ABC gave Lear the money to make a second pilot. The episode was made on February 10, 1969 in Los Angeles and it was called Those were the Days. The second pilot episode was almost the same as the first pilot episode but in this pilot Gloria was played by Candice Azzara and Chip Oliver played Richard. Richard was the name of Michael Stivic's character and was named "Dickie" in the first pilot episode. D'Urville Martin played Lionel Jefferson again. Another difference from the pilot episodes and the rest of the show is that Edith can be rude to Archie at times and calls Archie,"Mr. Religion." For the start of this pilot episode, Edith and Archie are singing "Those were the Days" the same way it would be for the rest of the show. After Edith and Archie start to sing, shots of the neighborhood that they live in are shown but not Manhattan. The ending credits are Archie and Edith singing the same song but they are not shown. Instead the same shots from the opening song is shown but backwards. This was used for the rest of the show.
The pilots both had the same story. Gloria and Richard are making a surprise anniversary party for Edith and Archie. Gloria does not want Richard to argue with Archie. Their friend, Lionel Jefferson was fixing the toilet for them. When Richard and Gloria leave Archie and Edith come home, Edith is surprised to see the party. But when Richard and Gloria come back, Richard and Archie start to argue about controversial ideas. Gloria tells Archie that she is going to leave because they keep arguing but she does not. Lionel comes back to the house and Archie tries to show Richard that he likes African-Americans but insults Jewish people instead. Lionel and Richard play a joke on Archie and try to make him think that he is Jewish. Edith opens a present from Archie but he did not make it. She is very happy but Archie is confused. The episodes end with Archie insulting Richard.
This was the last pilot and it would be two years until the first episode of the All in the Family was made. Both of the pilot episodes were never put on television. ABC did not like the show because they thought it was too controversial and because another show, Turn-On was ended after one episode. They also thought that the people who watch ABC would not like Archie Bunker. Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin took back the screenplay and thought about making a movie with All in the Family and not a show because Norman and Bud has made good movies. Norman Lear had a meeting with United Artists about making movies and Bud had a meeting with CBS. CBS thought about getting All in the Family back. Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin agreed to make 13 episodes for the first season and CBS bought the show back.
The show was filmed at CBS Television City in Hollywood from 1971 to 1975 and then was filmed at Metromedia Square also in Hollywood, from 1975 to 1979. Tandem Productions was the company that produced the show. Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin created the company. Norman Lear wanted the show to be made in black and white but CBS would not let him. The furniture in the show did not have many colors in them this was because Norman Lear wanted the people watching the show to make it feel like they were looking at family photos. All in the Family was the first American sitcom to be recorded in front of a live audience. Each episode is 25 or 26 minutes long. CBS had a warning before each episode to warn the people watching that controversial topics would be talked about on the show, but they did it to make people laugh. CBS did this so people would know before the show started if they were going to be offended by what was on the show. Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers played Michael and Gloria instead and the first episode was put on television on January 12, 1971.[8]
All in the Family was not famous in the first season. But the show started to become famous when CBS had reruns of the first season on television.
All in the Family takes place in Astoria which is a neighbourhood in Queens, New York. Many episodes of the show take place at Archie and Edith's house. The address for the house of Archie and his family is 704 Hauser but the address is not real. The house is real and is in Greendale also in New York. The Bunkers live near New York State Route 25A which is where Kelsey's Bar is and where Archie Bunker's Place is set. Many of the places mentioned in the show are real. Like the high school that Archie Bunker goes too is a real high school in Flushing, New York.
Most sitcoms before All in the Family did not talk about controversial issues. All in the Family became very famous because it talked about controversial topics like race and sexuality but in a funny way. Many people liked the show because they thought the show was relatable for them because the show was about average people in the 1970s. Norman Lear used this when he made other shows like Sanford and Son. All in the Family won many awards for it's success. The chairs that Archie Bunker and Edith sit in and the table that is in between the chairs are on display at the National Museum of American History. On the table is Archie's favorite beer and a bowl to stop his cigar when he is done smoking. The hat that Archie wears on the show is also at this museum.[9]
During the 1972 United States presidential election, shirts, and buttons were sold that said "Archie Bunker for President."[10] In 1998, the United States Postal Service created a stamp that cost 33 cents and was about All in the Family.[11]
In the sound recordings of the Watergate scandal the then-U.S President Richard Nixon was heard talking about how All in the Family "glorifies homosexuality." He talks about Archie Bunker and calls Michael his "hippie son-in-law" but not does not say the show's name. Richard Nixon liked the show, having been mentioned many times in the sitcom and even been the plot of the second episode of the show. Nixon did not go on the show.[12]
The rapper, Redman says Archie Bunker name in some of his songs when rapping about cigars because Archie is very well known for smoking large cigars.[13]
Archie Bunker: "This country was ruined by Franklin Delano Roosevelt!"
Maude Findlay: "You're fat."
A main character is a character who is in almost all the episodes or is important to the story.
Supporting characters are characters who are in many episodes and help the main characters at times.
A recurring character is a character who is in only a few episodes but does not have a big part.
The opening theme song for All in the Family is played at the start of each episode. The song is composed by Charles Strouse and the lyrics were written by Lee Adams. Those Were the Days is sung by Archie Bunker and Edith. Edith is playing during the piano during the song. In the introduction many clips of Manhattan from the sky are used. The clips start to show the neighborhoods as it gets closer to the Bunker's house. The final clip returns to the Bunker's house and Edith and Archie finish singing. There are many shorter versions of the lyrics here is the longest one which was made for Atlantic Records:
Boy, the way Glenn Miller played
songs that made the hit parade
Guys like me we had it made
Those were the days
Didn't need no welfare state
ev'rybody pulled his weight
gee our old LaSalle ran great
Those were the days
And you knew who you were then
girls were girls and men were men
Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again
People seemed to be content
freaks were in a circus tent
Those were the days
Take a little Sunday spin
go to watch the Dodgers win
Have yourself a dandy day
that cost you under a fin
Hair was short and skirts were long
Kate Smith really sold a song
I don't know just what went wrong
those were the days![16]
In 1975 Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, Jean Stapleton, and Carroll O'Connor sung "Those were the Days" but changed the name to "These are the days." The song was for the live audience but was not but on television. The lyrics were different and it was about what was currently going on and realizing the changes. This was the only time that Reiner and Struthers were also singing with Stapleton and O'Connor.
Remembering You was the closing theme song for All in the Family. The song would play after each episode had ended and the credits were being shown. The song was composed by Roger Kellaway. The lyrics were never added to the show but Carroll O'Connor did sing them when he was an television. During the song the clips from Those were the Days would play but instead it would be backwards. It used to just be a piano playing but lyrics sung by Archie Bunker actor, Carroll O'Connor were added. In the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" of Family Guy this song was played for the end credits:
Got a feelin' it's all over now - All over now, we're through.
And tomorrow I'll be lonesome, Remembering You.
Got a feelin' the sun will be gone - The day will be long and blue.
And tomorrow I'll be cryin', Remembering You.
There'a far away look in your eye when you try to pretend to me,
That everything is the same as it used to be.
I see it's all over now - All over now, we're through.
And tomorrow I'll be startin' Remembering You.[17]
This is the family tree for the Bunker family. Archie and Edith have one daughter, Gloria who is married to Michael. They have one son named Joey. Archie also has a brother named Fred. The information about Archie's siblings do not work a lot. Early in the show Archie says that he has three siblings. But later on he says he was an only child. But there are episode after this that have Archie's brother Fred in them.
Sarah Bunker | David Bunker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Edith Bunker | Archie Bunker | Fred Bunker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Stivic | Gloria Stivic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joey Stivic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||||
Pilots | 2 | 1968 | 1969 | — | — | |
1 | 13 | January 12, 1971 | April 6, 1971 | — | — | |
2 | 24 | September 18, 1971 | March 11, 1972 | 1 | 34.0 | |
3 | 24 | September 16, 1972 | March 24, 1973 | 1 | 33.3 | |
4 | 24 | September 15, 1973 | March 16, 1974 | 1 | 31.2 | |
5 | 23 | September 14, 1974 | March 8, 1975 | 1 | 30.2 | |
6 | 24 | September 8, 1975 | March 8, 1976 | 1 | 30.1 | |
7 | 25 | September 22, 1976 | March 12, 1977 | 12 | 22.9 | |
8 | 24 | October 2, 1977 | March 19, 1978 | 4 | 24.4[lower-alpha 1] | |
9 | 24 | September 24, 1978 | April 8, 1979 | 9 | 24.9[lower-alpha 2] |
After the two pilot episodes from 1968 and 1969, the first episode of the first season of All in the Family was called "Meet the Bunkers" and was on television January, 12 1971. Most of the seasons had 24 episodes but the first season only had 13 episodes. There were nine seasons of All in the Family. In the episode, "Sammy's Visit" the longest laugh from the crowd happened when Sammy Davis Jr. kissed Archie during a photo. The episode was number 13 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. A special 90 minute episode was made in season nine for the 200th episode. The episode was called The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family. The last episode is called "Too Good Edith" and is used to start the story of the spin-off Archie Bunker's Place.
Five episodes of All in the Family won awards for the episodes:
Syndication is when a television program is being shown on a different television network then the first one it was one. CBS started to do reruns of All in the Family during the sixth season of the show on September 1, 1975. Viacom stopped this in September 1979 and let other television networks air the show. In the late 1980s networks like TBS had the show on. From January 3, 2011, to December 31, 2017, the show aired on Antenna TV. As of January 1, 2018, the show began to air on GetTV.
All in the Family is one of three shows ever to be number 1 in the Neilsen ratings five years in a row. The show was in the top 10 for seven of the nine seasons. 40.2 million people watch the show's last episode.[18]
Season | Time | Nielsen Ratings | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Rating | Households | ||
1 (1970–71) | Tuesday at 9:30–10:00 pm on CBS | No. 34 | 18.9 | 11,358,900[19] |
2 (1971–72) | Saturday at 8:00–8:30 pm on CBS | No. 1 | 34.0 | 21,114,000[20] |
3 (1972–73) | 33.3 | 21,578,400[21] | ||
4 (1973–74) | 31.2 | 20,654,400[22] | ||
5 (1974–75) | 30.2 | 20,687,000[23] | ||
6 (1975–76) | Monday at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS | 30.1 | 20,949,600[24] | |
7 (1976–77) | Wednesday at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS (September 22 – October 27, 1976) Saturday at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS (November 6, 1976 – March 12, 1977) | No. 12 | 22.9 | 16,304,800[25] |
8 (1977–78) | Sunday at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS | No. 4 | 24.4 (tied with 60 Minutes and Charlie's Angels) | 17,787,600[26] |
9 (1978–79) | Sunday at 9:00–9:30 pm on CBS (September 24 – October 1, 1978) Sunday at 8:00–8:30 pm on CBS (October 8, 1978 – April 8, 1979) | No. 9 | 24.9 (tied with Taxi) | 18,550,500 [27] |
All in the Family first season aired at 9:30 pm because more famous shows were aired at 8:00 pm. When a show is "aired" it means it is on television at that time. When the show started to be famous, CBS moved the show to 8:00 pm because more people would watch at that time. CBS moved the show to 9:00 pm but put the show back to 8:00 in the last season.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first six seasons of All in the Family on DVD from 2002 to 2007. Then in 2010 Shout! Factory released the seventh season of the show on DVD. In 2011, they released the eight and ninth season on DVD. In 2012 the whole show was released on DVD.[28]
DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
---|---|---|
The Complete First Season | 13 | March 26, 2002 |
The Complete Second Season | 24 | February 4, 2003 |
The Complete Third Season | 24 | July 20, 2004 |
The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | April 12, 2005 |
The Complete Fifth Season | 25 | January 3, 2006 |
The Complete Sixth Season | 24 | February 13, 2007 |
The Complete Seventh Season | 25 | October 5, 2010 |
The Complete Eighth Season | 24 | January 11, 2011 |
The Complete Ninth Season | 24 | May 17, 2011 |
The Complete Series | 208 | October 30, 2012 |
When a new show is created from a show that is already present, that is called a spin-off. All in the Family has the most spin-offs of any television show ever. There are even spin-offs of the spin-off shows. Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Archie Bunker's Place were successful sitcoms and Norman Lear and CBS decided to make more. But Gloria, Checking In, and 704 Hauser were not successful and were cancelled.[7][lower-alpha 1]
On May 22, 2019 ABC aired a television program special. The special was called Live in Front of a Studio Audience and new actors did an episode of All in the Family and Good Times. Comedian and television host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jimmy Kimmel and the creator of All in the Family, Norman Lear wrote the episode. Woody Harrelson played Archie Bunker and Marisa Tomei played Edith Bunker. The special was filmed in front of a live audience.[29]
These are the actors and the characters they play in All in the Family.[lower-alpha 2]
Cast | Character |
---|---|
Jean Stapleton | Edith Bunker |
Carroll O'Connor | Archie Bunker |
Sally Struthers | Gloria Stivic |
Rob Reiner | Michael Stivic |
Sherman Hemsley | George Jefferson |
Isabel Sanford | Louise Jefferson |
Mike Evans, | Lionel Jefferson |
Danielle Brisebois | Stephanie Mills |
Bea Arthur | Maude Findlay |
Betty Garrett | Irene Lorenzo |
Sammy Davis Jr. | Himself |
Liz Torres | Teresa Betancourt |
Allan Melvin | Barney Hefner |
Mel Stewart | Henry Jefferson |
Jason Wingreen | Harry Snowden |
Vincent Gardenia | Frank Lorenzo, salesman, swinger |
Estelle Parsons | Dolores Mancheney Fencel |
Bill Quinn | Van Ranseleer |
Gloria LeRoy | Mildred |
Burt Mustin | Old Man Quigley |
Candice Azzara | Gloria Stivic (second pilot episode) |
Tim McIntire | Dickie (first pilot episode) |
D'Urville Martin | Lionel Jefferson (both pilot episodes) |
George S. Irving | Russell DeKuyper |
Nedra Volz | Aunt Iola |
Jack Grimes | Mr. Whitehead |
William Benedict | Jimmy McNabb |
Francine Beers | Sybil Gooley |
Lori Shannon | Beverly LaSalle |
Vic Tayback | Joe Tucker |
Roger C. Carmel | John Bender |
Maxine Elliott Hicks | Mrs. Bradley |
George Wyner | Dr. Sidney Shapiro |
Archie Bunker: "Now, no prejudice intended, but I always check with the Bible on these here things. I think that, I mean if God had meant for us to be together he'd a put us together. But look what he done. He put you over in Africa, and put the rest of us in all the white countries."
Sammy Davis Jr.: "Well, he must've told 'em where we were because somebody came and got us."[4]
All in the Family is the first sitcom to have every actor who played the main characters win Primetime Emmy Awards for the show. The show also got nominated for many awards. A nomination is when something is picked with other people to maybe with something.
In 2013, the Television Critics Association gave All in the Family with its Heritage Award for its cultural and social ways it changed society.[31]
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