Here is our list of interesting facts about All in the Family
1). All in the Family is an American Sitcom which ran from 1971 to 1979. The creator Norman Lear had been watching a British show called “Till Death Due Us Part” and realized it bared a striking similarity to the relationship he had with his own father. This idea was developed into what would eventually be called “All in the Family”
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The Spinoffs
2. An All in the Family spin-off show called Archie Bunker’s Place ran from 1979 to 1983. It also starred Carrol O’Connor.
As many fans already know, this was not the first spin-off of All in the Family. The show Maude, starring Bea Authur debuted in 1972 and as a result, it inspired another spinoff called Good Times, featuring Jimmy JJ Walker. Goods Time premiered in 1974 and ran until 1980.
Most notably, the spin-off show “The Jeffersons” premiered in 1975 and ran for an incredible 11 years! It starred Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford (Sanford’s Emmy Award win in 1981 made her the first African-American actress to win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series)
Other spin-offs include the lackluster show “Gloria”, which ran for only one season. Another was “704 Hauser Street”, which featured a different family living in the Bunker’s former residence. What a bomb!
3. All in the Family depicts the life of a working-class stiff and his family. The show broke ground (and infuriated censors) in its outward use of issues previously thought unsuitable for a Network sitcom. These issues include racism, antisemitism, infidelity, homosexuality, women’s lib, miscarriage , impotence, rape, abortion, menopause, the Vietnam War, breast cancer and religion
4. The first season of All in the Family was not as popular as many people think. Viewers didn’t exactly know what to make of it’s content and it was touch and go as far as the show’s future was concerned. The producers plowed ahead and the rest is television history
A Record 5 Years on Top
5. All in the Family was the first show to top the Nielson ratings for an incredible 5 consecutive years!
6. The episode “Sammy’s Visit”, guest-starring the late great Sammy Davis Jr. was voted #13 on TV Guide’s Top 100 TV Episodes of all time!
7. The original theme song “Those Were The Days” was sung live before every show by stars Caroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton
Here are the lyrics:
Boy the way Glenn Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade
Guys like us we had it made
Those were the days
And you knew who you were then
Girls were girls and men were men
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again
Didn’t need no welfare state
Everybody pulled his weight
Gee our old LaSalle ran great
Those were the days
8. Carrol O’Connor co-wrote the closing theme song “Remembering You”
9. Former child star Mickey Rooney was Norman Lear’s first choice for Archie Bunker but Rooney turned down the role. He felt the show’s content was weak and predicted that All in the Family would be a flop. Sorry Mick but you were wrong!
Another actor up for the role of Archie Bunker was Vic Tayback (Mel from the TV hit show Alice). Although Tayback did not get the part, he subsequently appeared on All in the Family as a former friend of Archie’s looking for help finding a job. He did get a job and it turned out to be the loading dock foreman…Archie’s boss!
After the Show
10. The cancellation of Archie Bunker’s place did not stop Carol O’Connor from pursuing acting. He landed the role of Chief Gillespie in the acclaimed cop show “In the Heat of the Night”, which ran from 1988 to 1994. O’Connor won an Emmy award in 1989 for his performance
All in the Family Cast
- Carroll O’Connor – Archie Bunker
- Jean Stapleton – Edith Bunker
- Sally Struthers – Gloria Stivic
- Rob Reiner – Michael “Meathead” Stivic
- Danielle Brisebois – Stephanie Mills
- Sherman Hemsley – George Jefferson
- Isabel Sanford – Louise Jefferson
- Mike Evans – Lionel Jefferson
- Mel Stewart – Henry Jefferson
- Bea Arthur – Maude
- Betty Garrett and Vincent Gardenia – Irene and Frank Lorenzo
- Allan Melvin – Barney Hefner
- James Cromwell – Jerome “Stretch” Cunningham
- Liz Torres – Theresa Betancourt
- Billy Halop – Munson
- Bob Hastings – Tommy Kelsey
- Jason Wingreen – Harry Snowden
- Gloria LeRoy – Mildred “Boom-Boom” Turner
- Barnard Hughes – Father John Majeskie
- Estelle Parsons – Blanche Hefner
- Bill Quinn – Mr. Edgar van Ranseleer
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