Thanks, Eric, for correcting me. Bad memory of mine regarding this series. My apologies.
They were people tooâŚDick and Pat used to have an apartment at 4201 Massachusetts Avenue, NW when he was in Congress where, I assume, they watched TV as well.
Ronnie and Nancy used to eat dinner off TV trays while they watched the tube in the Family quartersâŚ
Whatâs real pitiful is that due to PC nonsense, All in the Family would not be allowed on network TV right now, even though it pushed a liberal agenda. Thatâs a sign of how absurd the PC crowd is. Sanford and Son is another show that would not be allowed as well.
1 Like
One of the first US comedies inspired by a British original - Till Death Us Do Part.
Like Archie, Alf Garnett entered our lexicon too.
Some didnât understand the satire here, either, and Warren Mitchell (like Carroll) was the polar opposite of his character in real life.
I do remember we were a bit snooty about the US effort (a tradition which carries on to this day with things like The Office) but I guess you wonât be surprised!
1 Like
Yes, Jean Stapleton was amazing. And as @BeattyCatâs reaction to her indicates, Edith was basically her creation, and not simply a departure from the UK original. Watch the first episode: Edith is a quietly put-upon, slumping, sullen sad sack. But within a very few episodes, sheâs become the innocently silly, exuberant, pure-hearted, infinitely loving character we all remember. A great, original, beautiful piece of work.
3 Likes
Yup, for the first few episodes, totally different, she indeed created it. And then when Archie Bunkerâs Place came along, she did not like some of the things her character did, so she split during the first season.
âMouth-to-mouth restitution,â he called it.
3 Likes
Ingeniously titled âAfterMASH.â I think they omitted the asterisks.
1 Like
I felt the same about âMAS*Hâ (Christ, thatâs hard to type on an iPad), which was so preachy, especially when it became âThe Alan Alda Show.â
1 Like
When the first season of Sesame Street was released on DVD in 2008, it came with a parental warning, "these early Sesame Street episodes are intended for grownups and may not suit the needs of todayâs preschool child."
2 Likes
I looked forward to this show every week. It was set in a part of Queens I grew up in, so that drew me in. It was only later that I learned what fine actors and people OâConnor and Stapleton were.
3 Likes
Youâve got to watch the MASH film, Sutherland, Gould, et al, to understand how diluted the TV series was. The film was subversive, also unPC, anti-war and hilarious
4 Likes
As a kid, I remember that episode. Had no idea it rattled a lot of peopleâs cage (up to and including then President Nixon).
This article set me off thinking about All in the Family during my lunchtime, and one of Archieâs lines came back to me. I almost laughed out loud.
Mike and Archie are arguing as usual, and Archie finds himself without a logical argument (also as usual). He sums it up by saying, âSticks and stones may break my bones, but you are one dumb Polack!â
That an ethnic slur like this could bring about outrageous laughter from a generally educated audience really shows you how AATF struck so many cultural chords simultaneously, allowing us to laugh at things we donât really consider funny. Now I want to watch some episodes.
Cling peaches in heavy syrup.
I didnât know President Lincoln was Jewish!
My family watched that show religiously.
Every Sunday?
1 Like
Seven savage Jews that wonât leave a scrap on your bones.
1 Like
And handsome and virile!
thereâs a local on air station, 17.2, in my area, Raleigh, NC that plays it and a lot of Learâs other shows.
hereâs their station finder
Great post, and a reflection of the times. Funny, in all other eras, it was the young people getting censored by the older generation. Now the young kids are so sensitive, they want to censor the older people. In general a pretty wimpy and whining generation, but in fairness Iâve seen lots of the young generation who are very hip and âget itâ. But overall a bunch of whiners who just want to cry âvictimâ and look for an excuse to whine. And reading racism into anything that involves a white person and a black person, even if it has zero to do with race.