All In the Family

‘‘The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show—in a mature fashion—just how absurd they are.’’ That was the disclaimer that CBS ran prior to the very first episode of All in the Family. The Norman Lear creation didn’t just push the envelope, it sealed and stamped it as well. But viewers kept tuning in week after week to see stories about previously taboo topics, such as menopause, rape, homosexuality, and race relations. Crack open a can of cling peaches (in heavy syrup) and enjoy this smelting pot of behind-the-scenes tidbits. 1. The Show Was Based On A British Sitcom. Norman Lear bought the rights to Till Death Do Us Part in the late 1960s after reading about the BBC series, which ran for 10 years beginning in 1965, in Variety. Alf Garnett (Warren Mitchell) was a working-class conservative who lived in London’s East End with his wife, daughter, and liberal layabout Liverpudlian son-in-law. Alf had opinions on just about everything and was quite vocal in his dislike of Americans, Catholics, homosexuals, and anyone else who was “different” than him. 2. Archie Bunker Was Originally Archie Justice. Lear thought that the BBC show’s set-up—a middle-aged, blue-collar conservative man who never hesitated to express his racist viewpoints, his doting wife, and his liberal daughter and son-in-law—could be mined for humor for American audiences. Justice for All, as the show was called in his original pilot script, starred Carroll O’Connor as Archie Justice and Jean Stapleton as his wife, Edith. Kelly Jean Peters and Tim McIntire rounded out the cast as Gloria and Richard (Meathead’s original name). ABC passed on the show, however; their main complaint being Archie and Edith’s lack of chemistry with the younger actors. Lear recast the roles with Candy Azzara and Chip Oliver, changed the name of the show to Those Was the Days and shot a new pilot, but ABC was still uninterested. 3. CBS’s Robert Wood Helped the Show to Get on the Air. It was Robert Wood who had helped the show get on the air. According to the market research, a younger demographic loved more socially-related and more cutting-edge shows. It was deemed as relevant enough as a replacement series. nytimes.com 4. The Future Wife of Rob Reiner, Penny Marshall, Almost Landed in the Role of Mrs. Stivic. The future wife of Rob Reiner named Penny Marshall almost landed in the role of Mrs. Stivic. She was summoned the role to do improve and read lines with Reiner. But, Struthers had been chosen. imdb.com 5. The Porches Did Not Match the Exterior of the Home in Queens. In considering the porch scenes and in looking closely at the exterior of the home in Queens, the porches did not match. The series emphasized that the porch had held several people. But before the original exterior filmed, it could not. thisoldhouse.com 6. All in the Family was the Most Important Television Series of All Time. The series became the most important of all minorities as well as for women. The public affairs are brought to light in a thought-provoking and comical way. It emphasized crazed situations, brash views, filmmaking techniques and envelope-pushing elements. dailymail.co.uk 7. The Show Received a Lot of Mail and Calls About the Theme Song. Before the first two seasons, many have asked and called to ask about the last line of the opening theme story. They had trouble understanding “Gee; our old LaSalle ran great.” It was then that the song was recorded in season 3. genius.com 8. The Debate on Sock and Shoe was Based on a Real-Life Incident. The habit of Reiner of putting a sock and shoe on one foot before dressing the other one is based on a real-life story. Reiner just related it to the writers, and it was included in the scene. youtube.com 9.The Show Also Featured a Complete Frontal Male Nudity. The show also featured frontal male nudity with a 3-week old baby named Joey Stivic. The show shattered a taboo in the year of 1976. The nudity was also germane and filmed to the plot. In that same year, an official doll which was physically correct was released. hyperactivz.com 10. Carroll O’ Connor Did Write the Lyrics before the Closing Theme Song. It was Carroll O’ Connor who initiated his lyrics. He received credit for being a co-writer. He approached Kellaway to share something that would make the instrumental better and more impressive. youtube.com 11. Four of the Episodes were Taped When on a Salary Dispute. There were salary disputes concerning O’Connor protesting over his working conditions and wages. The three episodes were filmed starting with “Where is Archie?” He claimed that the production owed him 64,000 dollars in back pay. britannica.com 12. The Viewer Backlash Did Not Actually Materialize. Extra operators had been hired to handle the onset of outraged telephone calls. Only a few viewers were offended. Americans embraced Archie Bunker. Campaign buttons and bumper stickers were all around. dvdtalk.com 13. CBS Aimed for Something Edgy and Within Reason. The network requested something that was edgy within reason. Homosexual terminology was kept to such a minimum the terms fairy and queer were also needed to be used sparingly. The regular fella was also preferred to be really “straight.” gettyimages.co.uk 14. Most of Archie Bunker Was Based on the Father of Norman Lear. Lear usually told his son he was the laziest kid ever. He was then called Meathead. The characters in the series seemed to be shouting all the time as the entire family seemed to speak in volume. pinterest.com 15. Rob Reiner Also Auditioned for the Main/Original Pilot. It was Rob Reiner who was paid for his time to audition for the main/original pilot. Nevertheless, he was turned down. As the 3rd pilot was already in production, Lear saw Reiner in another movie and gave him a chance. variety.com 16. Mike Stivic Role Was Also Offered to Harrison Ford. Many have no idea that the role of Mike Stivic was also offered to none other than Harrison Ford. Nevertheless, the latter turned it down since he felt that Archie’s bigotry was somehow too offensive. mumsnet.com 17. Scott Brady Was Also Offered with the Role of Archie Bunker. Scott Brady was also offered the role of Archie Bunker. He too had turned it down and appeared in the series as a different character. Who knew? www.pinterest.com 18. All in the Family Was the First-Ever Program on Television to Earn Emmys. With the active participation of the cast's members, the series became the first-ever on television to earn Emmy Awards, as it captivated the heart and the attention of all viewers. www.youtube.com 19. Vincent Gardenia Also Appeared in Several Episodes. Vincent appeared in several episodes. Right after that, he assumed playing the role of none other than Frank Lorenzo. jacksonupperco.com 20. Jean Stapleton Just Pushed through Her Role in the Series. Jean Stapleton just pushed through her role in the series. She was more than interested in it rather than starring in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in the year of 1971 where she played the role of Mrs. Teevee. imdb.com 21. ABC Originally Financed the Plot. The original pilot of the series was financed by ABC. Right after the screening of the 1st pilot, producers were given the money in shooting a 2nd pilot along with other new actors as Mike and Gloria's roles. hollywoodreporter.com 22. All in the Family as the First U.S. Series in Television to be Shot Infront a Studio Audience. This was shot before a live studio audience. There were only two performances that were shot. As per the version in broadcast, it combined the most impressive takes. This is exactly how the comedy series are shot today. pinterest.com 23. The Reformat of the Series Took Place in 1979. In 1979, the series was reformatted and was renamed 'Archie Bunker’s Place'. It captivated the attention of a lot of viewers and despite the sudden reformat, it became extremely popular. imdb.com 24. Easy Chairs are Now Put on Display. The easy-chairs that were once used by Edith and Archie in the famous series were put on display at the Smithsonian. Indeed, even the chairs held a remarkable place in the hearts of all. pinterest.com 25. The Jeffersons Were Still the Longest Running Series for 11 Seasons. The Jeffersons were still considered the longest-running series of 11 seasons compared to All in the Family. imdb.com Share this story on Facebook with your friends. And please enjoy our cast then & now of All in the Family: For more of these throwback videos, check out our YouTube Channel!