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Review & Description
From one of television's pioneering creators, Norman Lear comes one of the most beloved families in television history, the Bunkers, starring Carroll O'Connor as Archie, Jean Stapleton as Edith, Rob Reiner as Mike "Meathead" Stivic and Sally Struthers as Gloria. Television was changed forever the night of January 12, 1971, when the premiere episode of "All in the Family" debuted. This three disc set contains the first complete season. The show's central character, Archie Bunker, is a working-class family man who holds bigoted, conservative views of the world. His viewpoints clash with nearly everyone he comes into contact with, especially his liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (or, as Archie delights in calling him, "Meathead"). The two disagree about nearly everything: politics, minorities, sex, religion, economics, war, gun control, crime, free speech, women's rights, morality, philosophy and (so it seems) life in general. Archie's daughter, Gloria, often (but not always) sides with Mike, while his saintly wife, Edith, is the rock that holds the family together. Edith is as friendly, reserved, considerate and open-minded as Archie is bigoted, loud, rude and closed-minded; however, the love and faithfulness between them is undeniable. During the course of its remarkable eight-year run, All in the Family was nominated for an amazing 48 Emmy Awards, taking home 20 trophies with multiple wins for all of the lead characters as well as three wins for Outstanding Comedy Series. Numerous spin-off series resulted from All in the Family including the very successful "Maude" and "The Jeffersons." Boy, the way the Beaver played. Ricky Nelson made the hit parade. Voices they were seldom raised. Those were the days. And then, on January 12, 1971, America met the Bunkers, and sitcoms would never be the same. The Bunkers were TV's first dysfunctional family: blue-collar bigot Archie (the late Carroll O'Connor in his iconic role), his long-suffering but loving wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), "little goil" Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her liberal husband "Meathead" Mike (Rob Reiner). Series creator Norman Lear broke near every rule and taboo in adapting the British series "Till Death Do Us Part" for American television. The series pilot, "Meet the Bunkers," was a bracing shocker that dared to find humor in prejudice. Archie dispenses racial epithets and ethnic slurs. Mike and Gloria clearly have an active sex life, while Edith, in the pilot at any rate, is more "pip" than "dingbat." In its first season, the series refused to, in Archie's words, "stifle" itself, tackling such hot-button topics as homophobia ("Judging Books by Covers"), racism ("Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood"), feminism ("Gloria Discovers Women's Lib"), and the generation gap (the touching "Success Story," with William Windom as Archie's former army buddy, a successful man who is revealed to be estranged from his son). All in the Family was a rich human comedy. Brought to life by a peerless ensemble, these characters would come to feel like family. Their foibles produced some of television's biggest laughs. They could also make us cry, as with the heartbreaking "Gloria's Pregnancy." Another series landmark is the season finale, "The First and Last Supper," in which we meet Isabel Sanford's Louise Jefferson (but, hilariously, not her husband, George). All in the Family was an instant lightning rod for controversy but went on to earn the comedy Emmy Award in its first year. This three-disc set has no extras (future sets will hopefully contain commentary by Lear or surviving cast members), but each episode is presented complete and uncut, restoring the funny, sometimes touching codas that were cut for syndication. --Donald Liebenson Read more
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