“Good Times,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary on Feb. 8, suffered from an identity crisis during its six-season run on CBS. So much so, the lead actors — Esther Rolle and John Amos — would leave the popular second spinoff of ‘All in the Family”(Rolle would eventually return) because the sitcom changed focus.
Norman Lear ruled the airwaves in the 1970s. He blew up the conception of a family sitcom in 1971 with the CBS sitcom “All in the Family” which focused on a working class family from Queen lead by the bigoted patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor). During the first season, Bea Arthur guest starred as Maude, Edith Bunker’s (Jean Stapleton) favorite cousin who was the antithesis of Archie-outspoken, much married, ultra-liberal.
And after a second appearance on “All in the Family,” Arthur got her own series “Maude” in the fall of 1972. The breakout performer on that series was Esther...
Norman Lear ruled the airwaves in the 1970s. He blew up the conception of a family sitcom in 1971 with the CBS sitcom “All in the Family” which focused on a working class family from Queen lead by the bigoted patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor). During the first season, Bea Arthur guest starred as Maude, Edith Bunker’s (Jean Stapleton) favorite cousin who was the antithesis of Archie-outspoken, much married, ultra-liberal.
And after a second appearance on “All in the Family,” Arthur got her own series “Maude” in the fall of 1972. The breakout performer on that series was Esther...
- 2/8/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Norman Lear, who recently passed away at the age of 101, transformed the network television sitcom in the 1970s by confronting America's cultural contentiousness head-on and daring viewers to laugh at a bigot like Archie Bunker on "All in the Family" or the white-folks-hating George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons." People were more than ready to accept this challenge. "All in the Family" was the top-rated show on television for six of its nine seasons, while "The Jeffersons" ranked in the top 10 for four of its remarkable 11 seasons. Along with "Good Times," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "One Day at a Time" and "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear basically dominated the decade. It was a creative hot streak that's never been matched and one that Lear could never replicate.
After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...
After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...
- 12/24/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
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You would never want to hang out with Caroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker from "All in the Family" in real life. Still, golly if it wasn't enjoyable watching the cantankerous, intolerant family man butt heads with his outspoken progressive son-in-law Michael (Rob "The Meathead" Reiner himself) and his loving but equally liberal and often flustered daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), all while being doted on by his seemingly naive wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), who was really far wiser than Archie ever gave her credit for. Across nine seasons, audiences tuned in time and time again to watch Archie get his comeuppance, only to learn his lesson on Norman Lear's trailblazing 1970s sitcom.
Looking back in the wake of Lear's passing at the ripe old age of 101, it's all the easier to appreciate just how important "All in the Family" was...
You would never want to hang out with Caroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker from "All in the Family" in real life. Still, golly if it wasn't enjoyable watching the cantankerous, intolerant family man butt heads with his outspoken progressive son-in-law Michael (Rob "The Meathead" Reiner himself) and his loving but equally liberal and often flustered daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), all while being doted on by his seemingly naive wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), who was really far wiser than Archie ever gave her credit for. Across nine seasons, audiences tuned in time and time again to watch Archie get his comeuppance, only to learn his lesson on Norman Lear's trailblazing 1970s sitcom.
Looking back in the wake of Lear's passing at the ripe old age of 101, it's all the easier to appreciate just how important "All in the Family" was...
- 12/7/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
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