Discussion: Why Norman Lear Thinks Richard Nixon Was So Scandalized By 'All In The Family'

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#34

This article set me off thinking about All in the Family during my lunchtime, and one of Archie’s 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, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but you are one dumb Polack!”

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 don’t really consider funny. Now I want to watch some episodes.

Cling peaches in heavy syrup.

#35

I didn’t know President Lincoln was Jewish!

#36

My family watched that show religiously.

Every Sunday?

1 Like
#37

Seven savage Jews that won’t leave a scrap on your bones.

1 Like
#38

And handsome and virile!

#39

there’s a local on air station, 17.2, in my area, Raleigh, NC that plays it and a lot of Lear’s other shows.

http://antennatv.tv/shows/

here’s their station finder

http://antennatv.tv/channel-finder/

#40

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 I’ve seen lots of the young generation who are very hip and “get it”. But overall a bunch of whiners who just want to cry “victim” 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.

#41

The series was actually great the first few years. Gelbart and Reynolds did the writing, and it was usually 3 stories going on at the same time, very funny. After Blake and Rogers left, less funny, and losing Frank it went way down. But the real key to the downfall was Alan Alda taking control of the show, that ego maniac ruined it.

Little trivia you probably already know, the only person in both the film and series was Gary Burghoff.

I miss early 70’s TV. Odd Couple and Barney Miller were also brilliant.

3 Likes
#42

You tube has a lot of full episodes. No commercials, plus the TV stations tend to take about 5 minutes out of each show for more commercials.

#43

Archie would have said “handsome and viral”…

1 Like
#44

The idea of a state arrival ceremony at the White House was first conceived by President John F. Kennedy in the spring of 1961. The ceremony evolved over time, and presidents have incorporated, altered, and omitted details. While President Kennedy had avoided the use of a brass fanfare, fearing they would be too regal, President Richard Nixon had new band uniforms with spiked helmets made (widely derided as ridiculous and too reminiscent of WWI German Uniforms), and began the tradition of brass fanfares for announcing the president. The spiked helmets were discontinued by President Gerald Ford, but the brass fanfares continued, courtesy of the United States Army Herald Trumpets.

1 Like
#45

Alan Alda got his when he lost his run for the presidency in The West Wing. :wink:

2 Likes
#46

I don’t watch it now, just see it flipping channels and sometime stop to show my kids the stuff I watch at their age that shaped my tiny mind.

#47

The best part of that fiasco was when Walt Kelly began dressing up Pogo’s “Spiro Agnew” hyena character in one of those uniforms.

2 Likes
#48

Age plays tricks on me, I thought Agnew’s character was a goat.

#49

Two “Likes,” MrComments. One for what Archie would have said and one for what Archie would have meant. :smiley:

#50

Exactly so. Of course, Alan was the bigger bore, but Wayne turns out to be the biggest boor.

#51

He didn’t say “virile.” He said “Magnificent.”

#52

Same here. I used to watch it on Saturday evenings and be awed at how daring it was. The next morning we would discuss it at Sunday school. The intro flyover shot is of Ridgewood and Glendale Queens, neighborhoods once represented by Geraldine Ferraro.

#53

Ridgewood is less than three miles from where I grew up. These towns are also in the general vicinity of where Kitty Genovese was killed in Kew Gardens. and it was a huge scandal, ca 1960

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