tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post1542415718242811413..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Memory Bank: Archie BunkerJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-12321392420808348742012-12-05T21:33:01.999-05:002012-12-05T21:33:01.999-05:00If you knew what was good for you in the 70's ...If you knew what was good for you in the 70's in my household, you did NOT turn on 'All In The Family' while my father was home. I distinctly recall my father saying that "every damn S.O.B at work is a Archie Bunker, and he damn sure wasn't going to come home and watch him on tv!" So, needless to say, this show did not get much air time while I was growing up. However, the spin offs like 'The Jeffersons' was must see tv. Trenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00419980258148279356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-64316307620796350482012-12-05T17:40:30.191-05:002012-12-05T17:40:30.191-05:00I find myself disagreeing with your premise that A...I find myself disagreeing with your premise that Archie is likable because we know people like him (though I'd agree that we know people like him, and that makes him watchable, which is a different thing). I believe that Archie is likeable because even with his many faults, he is not a bad guy or villain. He does have good qualities, such as his love for his family. And it often seems to happen that his outward bigotries do not manifest on a personal level. Take for example, his relationship with Lionel Jefferson. Sure, an awful lot of that is because of how Lionel interacts with Archie (contrasted with how George interacts with Archie). And how he allows Michael to stick around even though they dislike each other (and I love how that relationship changes during the run, In his own way, Michael is as off-base as Archie). I think it's likely that that was a deliberate decision for the character. To have someone who's essentially a blowhard who does not particularly act on it in person.<br /><br />Another part of this likablility is probably that, even though he'd like to, it seems like Kramden-like, his schemes to personally hurt the ones he's bigoted against never seem to pan out. I'm pretty sure that if he had actually outed the lesbian teacher, for example, his likability would ahve evaporated quickly.<br /><br />And yes, Archie thinks he's the king of his castle, but we all know (and so does Archie, deep down), that it's Edith who rules the roost. She's got to be one of the best characters ever written. Sure, she's outwardly the ditz, but always comes through when necessary. Somewhere I read that one of the directions given to the writers was that when something happened, Edith's first reaction would be one of love. Somehow, she would find a way to love, and apply it to the problem. Isn't that great?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-29093736571756159072012-12-05T16:12:41.086-05:002012-12-05T16:12:41.086-05:00I've recently been watching All in the Family ...I've recently been watching All in the Family re-runs on one of my local TV stations, and the thing that really stands out to me (sometimes frighteningly so) is how relevant so much of the show remains even after 35 years. Archie's attitudes and ideas are still very much out there, and many of the issues the show addressed are still frustratingly unresolved...jasonhttp://www.jasonbennion.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-26251549921840300412012-12-05T15:25:01.618-05:002012-12-05T15:25:01.618-05:00John, very honest thoughts on the Archie Bunker ch...John, very honest thoughts on the Archie Bunker character. I think that those who were on the "ignorance train" definitely did not go onto watch The Jeffersons spin-off with George Jefferson's family. As a boy in the '70s, my family watched The Jeffersons regularly and much more often than All In The Family.<br /><br />SGBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com