All in the Family (1971)

This show was way ahead of its time. It featured one of America's biggest, but most loved bigots, Archie Bunker. He was say anything that came into his mind, but people still loved him. It featured topics that, today, are considered not that big of a deal, but back then were said in soft, whispered tones, like women's rights, gay rights and more

Summary

-Archie Bunker is a working class man dealing with constant differences of opinion with his family over the many current issues of the day

Cast

-Caroll O'Connor: Archie Bunker

-Jean Stapleton: Edith Bunker

-Rob Reiner: Michael "Meathead" Stivic

-Sally Struthers: Gloria Stivic

-Mike Evans: Lionel Jefferson

-Isabel Sanford: Louis Jefferson

-Sherman Hemsley: George Jefferson

-Allan Melvin: Barney Hefner

-Betty Garrett: Irene Lorenzo

-Vincent Gardenia: Frank Lorenzo

Did You Know?

-Living in Italy at the time, Carroll O'Connor accepted the role of Archie Bunker only if producers paid for the flight back to Italy if the show was not done

-Compared to Archie Bunker, Carroll O'Connor's views were liberal

-The first toilet flush to be heard on national television was heard on this show

-There was an ongoing gag throughout the show about Edith's singing. In reality, Jean Stapleton was a highly trained and accomplished professional singer who worked in musical theater

-The easy-chairs Archie and Edith sat in are now on display at the Smithsonian Museum

-When Rob Reiner, who played Mike, realized he was losing his hair so quickly when the show aired, he started wearing a hairpiece through the first season

-Archie Bunker was always seen wearing his wedding ring on his middle finger

-Penny Marshall was considered for the role of Gloria Stivic because, at the time, she was married to Rob Reiner

-Initially, the show caused quite a stir because of the topics that Archie commented on. The ratings were so low that it was being threatened with cancellation. Then, seemingly overnight, the show started building a fan base during the 1971 re-run season. It was announced in August 1971 that the 1971-1972 season would be renewed

-According to one of the show's producers, Norman Lear, the nicknames and phrases heard on the show, including "Meat Head", "dingbat", "stifle" were inspired by words used by his own father when he was growing up

-Since Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal are good friends, that explains why Billy Crystal was chosen to play Mike's best friend on the "New Year's Wedding" episode

-Norman Lear had chosen Jean Stapleton to play Edith after seeing her perform in the Broadway Musical Damn Yankees, a reprisal of her role in the 1958 film of the same name

-Two of the actors considered for the role of Mike Stivic were Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss. Ford found Archie's bigotry too offensive and it's unclear why Dreyfuss didn't accept the role. Also, Penny Marshall was considered for the role of Gloria while Mickey Rooney was initially considered for the role of Archie

-On the way to the studios for pre-production, Rob Reiner picked up Mike Evans, who was hitch hiking, and asked him what he did for work. Evans stated he was an aspiring actor who had no experience. Rob arranged an audition for him to play Lionel Jefferson. According to John Rich, who directed this show among others, Evans didn't have the best talent in the audition, but still saw something in him and felt he would be a great choice for the role of Lionel Jefferson

-Despite the argumentative nature of Archie and Mike, Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner had become close friends over the years of making the show. Also, Reiner considered O'Connor both a surrogate father and acting mentor

-The exterior shots of the Bunker's house was filmed in the Glendale borough of Queens, New York

-Inspired by his father calling him Meat Head, Norman Lear gave that nickname to Mike Stivic and Archie would call him that

-This show inspired 7 spin off series. It includes: 1972's Maude, which, in turn, inspired 1974's Good Times. 1975's The Jeffersons inspired 1981's Checking In. 1979's Archie Bunker's Place, 1994's 704 Hauser and 1984's Gloria.

-Actor Gavin McLeod read for the role of Archie, but was doing so reluctantly. He was strongly against bigotry of all sorts and he felt that matters such as those were highly inappropriate in a comedy format. He also knew that producer Norman Lear had his mind set on Carroll O' Connor

-The unique accent that Archie speaks with was inspired by the various accents heard by Carroll O'Connor while growing up in Queens, New York and working the New York stages

-In reality, Carroll O'Connor was hugely different than Archie Bunker. He was highly educated, very liberal, intelligent and very giving with time and money. O'Connor stated he took this role to challenge himself to explore the mindset of this type of person

-Norman Lear said the only reason he wrote the show was to say that, at the end of the day, no matter what differences existed, in the end, people can still get along and come together

-Norman Lear stated he based Archie and Edith on his own parents

-This is the only sitcom in television history to address prejudice against Catholics

-The episode known as the "Draft Dodger" episode came on about the time the government disbanded mandatory service laws, stating that men must serve a mandatory term in the military

-Bill Cosby was one of the show's biggest critics. Along with Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, who worked on The Cosby Show, they both stated the show made racism a laughing matter and encouraged acceptance of bigotry by both blacks and whites

-The first openly gay character to appear on a television show was on this program, the episode "Judging Books by Covers". It was Mike's friend Steve. Despite the fact the word "gay" was never used, characters used nicknames to refer to it. Archie often said "queer" or "fairy" while Edith often said "pansy" or "flower".