The 3-disk set includes 13 episodes:

Meet the Bunkers
Writing the President
Oh, My Aching Back
Judging Books By Covers
Archie Gives Blood
Gloria's Pregnancy
Mike's Hippie Friends Come to Visit
Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood
Edith Has Jury Duty
Archie is Worried About His Job
Gloria Discovers Women's Lib
Success Story
The First and Last Supper


"All In The Family " was set in a two-room home downstairs usually featuring dialogue between three people and a [meat-head], a.k.a Michael Stivic played by Rob Reiner. The daughter, Gloria, played by Sally Struthers, was boring in the subservient and domestic kind of way she approached life, until womens' liberation came to her doorstep.

The breadwinner, the stoic, sometimes passionate, father Archie Bunker played by the dearly-departed Carroll O' Connor, took television by surprise with his generalizing, condescending, arrogant and sometimes brash attitude he demonstrated to family, friends and later, customers he discussed.

"Dingbat" fans came out of every front-door threshold to walk or drive to the grocery stores, bingo halls and even churches, ready to honor in gossip/conversation about their favorite tolerant peace-ful loving homebody, Edith. Norman Lear wanted to seduce housewives devoted to their hard-working husbands with someone who had grace and even when called a 'dingbat' she acted the part, gracefully. Jean Stapleton, who was Mrs. Edith Bunker, performed a role of mother, wife and best friend perfect for the times that they were living in. Lets face it television drama and situation comedies were based on drama and humorous situations people could live everyday. So when it happened to another family, it was entertainment not reality.

Although many of the shows for me, shaped me cognitively-speaking, thinking about procreation, independence, singlehood, a career, ethical preservation and moral awareness. All this in my formative years, allowed my ego-based reality to steer away from categorizing like Archie was so famous for, or as much as possible. Michael also veered towards extreme if not irrational 'radical' assessments to things while old Archie stayed traditionally conservative. Not saying this is wrong, just his way does not work anymore because it separates us while liberating us but keeping us apart and not really together which is the opposite of harmony.

There were rare moments in which the stubborn streak in Archie waned and he could be gentle, soft-spoken, even emotional able to bring his audience to tears even when society looked down upon this act of weakness. A man for the most part, back then were expected to stifle emotion, specifically tears. Archie Bunker was not that kind of man.

He broke rules but maintained some strict religious, political, ethnocentric and moral expectations within his family. A touching connection between black persons and white persons was represented when 'bunkerism' took a step back and embraced the new culture into the neighborhood, without so much as even a pouting lip . . .

Leon Jefferson and the Jeffersons moving into the neighborhood in general, turned the show around giving us a new look at an old Archie, enlightened now. It was great to see even the strongest man holding a position precious can be shown that love is color-blind but nevertheless special.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older