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All in the Family: Season 03
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All in the Family [TV Series]
"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." With this carefully worded disclaimer, the CBS television network ushered in a new era of television comedy on January 12, 1971, with the premiere of All in the Family. Inspired by the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part, the series was proposed by producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin in early 1968, and a pilot episode titled "Those Were the Days" was commissioned by ABC. From the beginning, Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were "set" as leading characters Archie and Edith Bunker (original last name: Justice), though two unknowns were cast as the couple's daughter, Gloria, and son-in-law, Mike Stivic. Also from the beginning, it had been decided to retain the controversial nature of the original British series, with bigoted hard-hat Archie forever at odds with his flaming liberal son-in-law. Alas, ABC had just been burned by the hostile reception afforded another hot-potato project, Turn-On, and had lost its taste for controversy, even when Lear and Yorkin toned down the venom in a second pilot. But in 1970, CBS, in desperate need of a hit for its sagging Tuesday-night lineup, decided to take a chance on "Those Were the Days," which by now had been christened All in the Family, and had added Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner to the cast as Gloria and Mike. Worried that audiences might be unkindly disposed to Archie Bunker's incessant harangues against "hebes," "spics," and "coloreds," CBS prefaced the first episode with the aforementioned disclaimer. Though the opener ended up an anemic 54th in the ratings (due primarily to the decision by several affiliates not to air the program, or to reschedule it to a "fringe" time slot), the first All in the Family was the topic of conversation in virtually every household and place of business in America before the week was out. By the time the series began in its second season in the fall of 1971, All in the Family was CBS' top-rated program, a status it enjoyed for the next five years. Archie Burnker, a loading-dock supervisor who resided at 704 Houser Street in Queens, NY, was a firm and immovable believer in America, right or wrong (but mostly far, far right). Offsetting Archie's racial slurs, antediluvian political beliefs, and incessant malapropisms was his somewhat foolish but fundamentally good-hearted wife, Edith (or "Dingbat," as Archie designated her); his budding-feminist daughter, Gloria; and Gloria's long-haired, radical husband, Michael Stivic (aka "Meathead" and "Polack"), who while attending graduate school lived with Archie and Edith, and all but ate them out of house and home. In virtually every episode, an Issue (with a capital "I") was brought to the forefront -- gun control, the sexual revolution, homosexuality, religion, integration, rape -- with Archie taking the diehard conservative viewpoint, Mike assuming the liberal stance, Gloria siding with Mike, and Edith sitting on the sidelines making inane (but sometimes surprisingly sensible) comments. Usually, Archie would be hoisted by his own bigoted petard, but sometimes Mike would be trapped in the morass of his good intentions. Whatever the case, All in the Family tackled subject matter that only a few years earlier would have been rejected out of hand on network television, using language that likewise had seldom if ever been heard on the small screen. In this respect, All in the Family can be regarded as the single most influential situation comedy in television history. Over the years, Archie's character mellowed a bit, but fundamentally he remained the same opinionated jerk he'd been in the first episode. Through it all, however, one never doubted that the members of the Bunker family all loved one another dearly and intensely. In addition to the "core" regulars, several other recurring characters paraded past Archie's beloved easy chair: Lionel Jefferson (Mike Evans), a black friend of Mike and Gloria's who, much to Archie's dismay, became their across-the-street neighbor (Lionel's upscale black family would later be spun-off into their own series, The Jeffersons); Irene and Frank Lorenzo (Betty Garrett and Vincent Gardenia), who were every bit as broad-minded as Archie was not; Bert Munson (Billy Halop), an employee at the cab company where Archie moonlighted; Archie's co-worker and lodge buddy Barney Hefner (Allan Melvin); and Tommy Kelsey (Brendan Dillon, and later Bob Hastings), owner of Kelsey's Bar, Archie's favorite hangout. At the beginning of the 1975-1976 season, Gloria and Mike moved next door to Archie and Edith, and in December of 1975, Gloria gave birth to her first child, a boy named Joey. During the 1976-1977 season, Archie met yet another sociological opponent in the form of Puerto Rican boarder Teresa Betancourt (Liz Torres). And as the 1977-1978 season began, Archie made the momentous decision to quit his job and purchase Kelsey's bar, which he renamed Archie Bunker's Place. This season ended with Mike, Gloria, and Joey bidding farewell to Archie and Edith when Mike landed a teaching job in California. The Stivics' former sleeping quarters were taken over in 1978 by Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois), Edith's niece, who had been abandoned by her ne'er-do-well father. All in the Family per se came to an end with the final episode of the 1979-1980 season; thereafter the multi-award-winning series was known as Archie Bunker's Place. In addition to its prime-time run, All in the Family was seen in rerun form as part of the CBS daytime lineup from December 1975 to December 1979; and in 1991, selected episodes of All in the Family were run in tandem with a newer but much (much) less successful Norman Lear production, Sunday Dinner, which debuted and wrapped within a month. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Includes Seasons:
All in the Family: Season 03
Securely imbedded as America's top-rated series, All in the Family enters its third season with the greatest of ease. This season's episode manifest yields quite a few interesting guest appearances: Vincent Gardenia, later cast in the recurring role of Archie's neighbor Frank Lorenzo, is seen as a wife-swapping hedonist in "The Bunkers and the Swingers"; Michael Conrad, who went on to play the fatherly Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues, portrays the boisterous uncle of Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) in the two-part flashback episode "Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding"; and Gregory Sierra, later cast as Detective Amenguale on Barney Miller, shows up as a Jewish activist in "Archie Is Branded," the ending of which is one of the most chilling in the series' history; and another future Barney Miller regular, Ron Glass (aka "Detective Ron Harris"), is seen as a plumber in the Rashomon-inspired entry "Everybody Tells the Truth." In other noteworthy episodes, Gloria (Sally Struthers) is forced to endure the twin torments of attempted rape and police interrogation in "Gloria the Victim"; the usually pliable Edith (Jean Stapleton) joins Gloria in a walkout on their husbands in "Archie Goes Too Far"; and in "Lionel Steps Out," the Bunker's black neighbor Lionel Jefferson (Mike Jefferson) finally informs Archie (Carroll O'Connor) that there is a limit to the amount of jokes about his race that he will tolerate. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
All in the Family: Mike Comes Into Money
In this episode the ball starts rolling when Mike unexpectedly receives a 200-dollar inheritance. Archie wants Mike to hand over the money for household expenses. Instead, liberal Mike donates the 200 dollars to the presidential campaign of George McGovern. Like many another third-season episodes, this one was written by All in the Family story editors Michael Ross and Bernie West. "Mike Comes Into Money" was originally telecast on November 4, 1972 -- three days before McGovern lost to incumbent Richard Nixon (bad news for Mike, perhaps, but a bottomless source of satirical material for the series!). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Flashback - Mike and Gloria's Wedding, Part One
In the first episode of a two-part story, the Bunkers and the Stivics recall the wedding of Mike and Gloria. The pre-nuptial arrangements are complicated when stubborn Archie butts heads with Mike's equally stubborn Uncle Casmir (played by future Hill Street Blues co-star Michael Conrad). It's worth noting that the "flashback" Archie is even more volatile and reactionary than the present Archie Bunker viewers have come to know and -- er -- love. Written by series star Rob Reiner with Philip Mishkin and Don Nicholl, Part One of "Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding" first aired on November 11, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Flashback - Mike and Gloria's Wedding, Part Two
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the viewer is transported back to the day that Mike and Gloria were married. Not surprisingly, Archie continues his feud with Mike's formidable Uncle Casmir (a pre-Hill Street Blues Michael Conrad). Things come to a head when both Archie and Mike object to Casmir's insistence that the wedding ceremony be performed by a Catholic priest. Written by series star Rob Reiner with Philip Mishkin and Don Nicholl, Part Two of "Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding" first aired on November 18, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Mike's Appendix
Suffering an appendicitis attack, Mike is rushed to the hospital. End of story? Not quite: Mike's surgeon is a woman, a fact which sparks a "chauvinist vs. feminist" argument between Archie and Gloria. Much to Gloria's dismay, Mike agrees with Arch that a woman's place is not in the operating room. Ann Summers appears as Dr. McKenzie, with John Zaremba as the anesthetist. Written by Michael Ross and Bernie West, "Mike's Appendix" originally aired on December 2, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Edith's Winning Ticket
The Bunker household is turned on its ear when Edith announces that she holds a winning lottery ticket. An exultant Archie wants to go on an immediate spending spree, but Edith puts a damper on the celebration by revealing that the ticket actually belongs to Louise Jefferson. Only briefly daunted, Archie begins drawing up schemes to bilk the Jeffersons of the winnings. Written by Don Nicholl, "Edith's Winning Ticket" made its first network appearance on December 9, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Archie and the Bowling Team
Archie is thrilled when he is considered for membership in a championship bowling team. He is less thrilled to discover that his principal competition is a top-notch black bowler. Taking heart in the fact that the rest of the team is as bigoted as he, Archie is not quite prepared for the surprises in store. The script was written by former Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In gagmeisters Allan Katz and Don Reo, from a story by Don Nicholl. "Archie and the Bowling Team" first aired on December 16, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: The Locket
Edith is in a panic when she loses a valuable locket. Archie, however, is less concerned about the locket than in its long-range value. Hoping to purchase a new color TV set, Archie tries to persuade Edith to claim that the locket was stolen so he can collect a huge insurance settlement. Written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx (son of Groucho Marx), "The Locket" was originally scheduled to air on December 23, 1972, but was instead moved up to November 25. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Archie Goes to the Hospital
Problems on the job manifest themselves in a huge backache for Archie Bunker. Landing in the hospital, he strikes up a warm friendship with his roommate, who is separated from Archie by a transom. Unbeknownst to him, Archie's unseen new friend is a black man. Roscoe Lee Browne guest stars as Mr. Duval. Scripted by Don Nicholl from a story by Stanley Ralph Ross and Martin Cohan, "Archie Goes to the Hospital" first aired on January 6, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Oh Say Can You See
Middle-aged Archie can only envy the eternally youthful outlook of his friend and contemporary Bill Mulholern. He is especially impressed that the toupeed, flashily garbed Bill has managed to attract a sexy young bedmate named Tina. But by episode's end, Archie is made to realize how lucky he is to be spending his declining years with a loving wife like Edith. Arlene Golonka plays Tina, a role originally slated for Ann Elder. Scripted by Michael Ross and Bernie West from a story by Joe Kerr, "Oh Say Can You See" originally aired on January 20, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Archie Goes Too Far
Archie has often overstepped his bounds in expressing his dismay over Gloria's marital relationship with a "liberal meathead" like Mike. But never before has he expressed his mistrust of Mike in so extreme a manner as in this episode. Considering himself within his rights to search Mike and Gloria's room, Archie succeeds only in nearly tearing his family asunder -- and this time, even Edith lowers the boom on her husband. Written by Austin and Irma Kalish, "Archie Goes Too Far" first aired on January 27, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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All In the Family: The Complete Third Season [3 Discs] DVD

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