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All in the Family: Season 06
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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 06
The sixth season of All in the Family begins as Mike (Rob Reiner) and Gloria (Sally Struthers) move out of the home of Gloria's parents, Archie (Carroll O'Connor) and Edith (Jean Stapleton) -- and into the house next door. Not long afterward, Gloria discovers that she's pregnant, thereby opening up a whole new realm of story possibilities. Halfway through season six, Gloria goes into labor in an Italian restaurant, leading to a mad scramble to get the expectant mom to the hospital. Needless to say, everything is straightened out and the baby arrives, healthy and happy -- with proud grandpa Archie, decked out in blackface for a lodge minstrel show, beaming from the sidelines. Further misadventures surrounding Gloria and Mike's son, Joey, occur when the couple announces that they do not intend to baptize the baby, leading Archie to perform his own baptismal ceremony on the sly. Traditionally, the addition of a baby to the cast of a long-running sitcom is a sure indication that the series is in dire need of a ratings boost. This was definitely not the case with All in the Family, which had been TV's top-rated program for the past four seasons, and remaining securely in the number one slot for season six. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
All in the Family: Archie's Raise
In the conclusion of a four-part story arc, an increasingly paranoid Archie is still out of work due to a union strike, while Edith has settled into her new job with George Jefferson's dry-cleaning establishment. At long last, the strike is settled, and Archie is able to tell Edith to quit her job. But this is hardly an occasion for celebration; the "generous" terms of the new union contract leave Archie almost as bad off as before. Future Oscar nominee James Cromwell makes his first appearance as Archie's loquacious co-worker, Stretch Cunningham. Written by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Archie's Raise" first aired on October 5, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: A Very Moving Day
The sixth season of All in the Family got under way as Mike and Gloria prepared to move out of the Bunker house and into their new lodgings -- the old Jefferson house, right across the street. Adding to the excitement is Gloria's discovery that she is pregnant. But this may not be altogether good news; Mike has already gone on record insisting that he doesn't want any children. Written by Hal Kanter, "A Very Moving Day" originally aired on September 8, 1975, as All in the Family itself moved from its familiar Saturday-night time slot to a new Monday-evening berth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Alone At Last
Poised to move out of the Bunker household and into a place of his own, Mike decides to release five years' worth of pent-up anger by telling Archie exactly where to go. Alas, Mike is forced to eat his words -- due to some unexpected red tape, he will be unable to move into his new home for another week. "Alone at Last" was written by Hal Kanter and was the second series episode to be directed by Carroll O'Connor's longtime friend and professional associate, Paul Bogart. The program first aired on September 15, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Archie the Donor
Hoping to get in good with his employer, Mr. Sanders (Sorrell Booke), and thereby land a promotion to dispatcher, Archie makes a huge charitable contribution to his boss' favorite charity. Unfortunately, he also unknowingly signs a contract donating his body and vital organs to science -- and everyone knows how Archie feels about "giving" any part of himself to someone he doesn't know. Written by Bill Davenport and Larry Rhine, this was one of four sixth-season All in the Family episodes in which Sally Struthers did not appear due to a salary dispute. The episode first aired on September 22, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Archie the Hero
Archie basks in the adulation of his friends and family when, while moonlighting as a cabdriver, he uses mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save the life of an attractive passenger named Beverly LaSalle. But when the grateful passenger shows up at the Bunker doorstep, Archie is appalled to discover that "she" is a "he" -- a professional female impersonator. Lori Shannon makes his first series appearance as the cross-dressing Beverly. Written by Lou Derman, Bill Davenport, and Larry Rhine, "Archie the Hero" originally aired on September 29, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Mike's Pains
Resigned to the fact that he is going to be a father, Mike is likewise willing to go along with Gloria's "natural childbirth" plans. In theory, it sounds great, but when Mike begins to contemplate the notion of actually being present in the delivery room while Gloria gives birth, the old familiar qualms set in. The supporting cast includes Francine Beers as Sybil Gooley. Written by Lou Derman and Milt Josefsberg, "Mike's Pains" was originally telecast on October 6, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Chain Letter
An old sitcom plot line is given a fresh new workout in this episode of All in the Family. Receiving a chain letter from superstitious Edith, Archie and Mike laugh off the "dire predictions" catalogued therein and disdainfully throw the letter away. But then, both men experiencing an uncanny streak of bad luck. Future Benson star Robert Guillaume appears as the doctor. Written by Lou Derman and Milt Josefsberg, "Chain Letter" originally aired on October 20, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Mike Faces Life
While fondly recalling the opening theme music of The Milton Berle Show, Gloria and Mike receive a letter stating that Gloria has been fired from her job. Once Mike has come to grips with the fact that he will be forced to be the family breadwinner, a new plot tangent develops when Gloria's chauvinistic boss (George Furth) admits that he fired her because she is pregnant -- and then virtually dares her to do something about it. Carroll O'Connor does not appear in this episode. Written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine, "Mike Faces Life" first aired on October 27, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Edith Breaks Out
Edith is happy with her volunteer job at the Sunshine Nursing Home -- too happy, as far as Archie is concerned. Feeling neglected, Archie pulls out the old "woman's place is in the home" routine and demands that Edith give up her job. This time, however, Edith refuses to say "How high?" when Archie tells her to jump. James Hong appears as the waiter. Written by Lou Derman and Bill Davenport, "Edith Breaks Out" originally aired on November 3, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All in the Family: Grandpa Blues
In order to pass a company physical, Archie must lower his normally high blood pressure. This means that Archie must remain absolutely calm, no matter what the provocation. Unfortunately, the family is in the midst of debate over the naming of Gloria's baby -- and it's still two days before the physical. Often credited to Michael Ross and Bernie West, this episode was actually written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine. "Grandpa Blues" was first telecast on November 10, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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All in the Family: The Complete Sixth Season [3 Discs] DVD

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