Jean/Edith/Dingbat was marvelous! SOOOO funny, and Keef has it right, it was Edith’s humanity that was the show’s glue. Conveying emotions to Archie with just a look (something that takes really good actors), galloping across the room to answer the door, so loving and sweet and truthful that you can see why Archie married her.
Carroll O’Conner’s performance as Archie was also great, since it is not easy to make a bigot/racist/sexist funny. It would not have worked without Edith by his side (they did try solo Archie in spinoffs, milk it to death). I remember the scene where Edith was desperately trying to keep Archie from seeing a photo of Archie’s niece and Lionel (black friend of the meathead) on a date. At last, Archie settled in his chair, noticed the photo on the table next to him, took a GOOD LOOK so the audience KNEW he saw it, and he settled back in his chair to read his newspaper, and he started reading…
…and a few seconds later, his eyes OPEN WIDE at the audience. One of the best laughs on TV I ever saw.
P.S. We have all gushed. I used to do that at comic cons when I met certain writers and a certain gentleman cartoonist and the like, but I am sorta over that now. Kinda. Maybe.
One of the most brilliantly funny scenes ever on tv was Edith explaining to Archie how she managed to have an accident due to Archie’s love of cling peaches. “In heavy syrup!” Jean Stapleton was amazing. Thank you for this.
I love how someone accessed how I couldn’t draw Ms. Stapleton, but could easily draw Meathead. Meathead, Archie and Gloria were pretty one-dimensional caricatures, where Edith was so much richer–she couldn’t be cartooned easily.
I can’t find it on my cable. But I found lotsa clips on YouTube. For example, Edith’s Accident for the cling peaches, and the scene I mentioned in Lionel Steps Out.
Naturally, Jean was not actually like Edith. A reporter once asked Gracie Allen if Jack Benny was actually cheap. She answered, “Am I dumb?”
I remember my parents watching the very first episode of All in the Family. It was past my bedtime, but I sat by my bedroom door, which was open a crack, to listen.
I got to meet her once – she came to see the opening night of a show I was assistant stage manager on. So smart and funny and composed. She was the biggest celebrity in the audience, but it was like your Mom came to the show the way she talked to each one of us. Class through and through.
She was by far the best comedian on All in the Family, and perhaps on TV at the time, and perhaps before and since.
Maybe it would be easier to draw her if she was in a dune buggy? Everyone loves dune buggies.
Jean/Edith/Dingbat was marvelous! SOOOO funny, and Keef has it right, it was Edith’s humanity that was the show’s glue. Conveying emotions to Archie with just a look (something that takes really good actors), galloping across the room to answer the door, so loving and sweet and truthful that you can see why Archie married her.
Carroll O’Conner’s performance as Archie was also great, since it is not easy to make a bigot/racist/sexist funny. It would not have worked without Edith by his side (they did try solo Archie in spinoffs, milk it to death). I remember the scene where Edith was desperately trying to keep Archie from seeing a photo of Archie’s niece and Lionel (black friend of the meathead) on a date. At last, Archie settled in his chair, noticed the photo on the table next to him, took a GOOD LOOK so the audience KNEW he saw it, and he settled back in his chair to read his newspaper, and he started reading…
…and a few seconds later, his eyes OPEN WIDE at the audience. One of the best laughs on TV I ever saw.
P.S. We have all gushed. I used to do that at comic cons when I met certain writers and a certain gentleman cartoonist and the like, but I am sorta over that now. Kinda. Maybe.
That’s a great obit, Keith. You also reminded all of us who only saw her in All In The Family, that she wasn’t really like that!
One of the most brilliantly funny scenes ever on tv was Edith explaining to Archie how she managed to have an accident due to Archie’s love of cling peaches. “In heavy syrup!” Jean Stapleton was amazing. Thank you for this.
Ooo, I remember the cling peaches scene, or as Edith said after Archie told not to say “cling peaches” again, the “Hmm, hmm hmm!” Classic!
I love how someone accessed how I couldn’t draw Ms. Stapleton, but could easily draw Meathead. Meathead, Archie and Gloria were pretty one-dimensional caricatures, where Edith was so much richer–she couldn’t be cartooned easily.
Brother we could use another show like that again: those were the days…
They need to run all 208 episodes again today, to counter Faux “News”…
Jeanne Murray will be missed…
Oh, I forgot….that show would never run again in this “post-racial” society….sigh—
It runs of TV Land, no?
I can’t find it on my cable. But I found lotsa clips on YouTube. For example, Edith’s Accident for the cling peaches, and the scene I mentioned in Lionel Steps Out.
Naturally, Jean was not actually like Edith. A reporter once asked Gracie Allen if Jack Benny was actually cheap. She answered, “Am I dumb?”
George Lucas before prequels??? What prequels???
Some of us don’t support the cable/satellite companies… “Vive la broadcast!!!”
A two hour block of “All in the Family” episodes runs Wednesday nights on the “Antenna TV” channel.
This is carried by many cable channels, and also as a digital subchannel on broadcast TV.
This web page has a map of the broadcast & cable channels that have the service:
http://www.antennatv.tv/affiliates/
And if you have cable, it runs on TV Land.
* * *
Thanks for the memories, Keef!
I remember my parents watching the very first episode of All in the Family. It was past my bedtime, but I sat by my bedroom door, which was open a crack, to listen.
@Stefan Jones
Thanks!
….but i live much more than 40 miles from a participating broadcaster {sigh}
Gotta’ love that K-Street/congress mandated hi-def {now mostly UHF} broadcast that is so much weaker than the old analog VHF……
Vive la broadcast, anyway {still gettin’ my PBS on!}
I got to meet her once – she came to see the opening night of a show I was assistant stage manager on. So smart and funny and composed. She was the biggest celebrity in the audience, but it was like your Mom came to the show the way she talked to each one of us. Class through and through.