As a kid, I hated being asked by my grandfather to please change the channel on the television set. At that time, it was commonplace for a child to be that human remote control; however, that was not the reason I detested changing the channel.
It usually meant we were all being forced to watch HEE HAW or ALL IN THE FAMILY.
I could barely tolerate site of the Bunker home, Edith’s shrill, irritating voice, and Archie was the most obnoxious person. Gloria, played by actress sally Struthers, was like a drill through the skull.
A few years ago, a rerun of the show was on, and I was too lazy to pick up the remote control to change the channel. For some reason, Archie, played by the phenomenal actor, Carol O’Connor, was actually quite funny. I don’t always appreciated Jean Stapleton’s work as an actress, and suddenly, I found her role as eta to be masterful.
Apparently, I had hit an ALL IN THE FAKILY marathon. I watched over a dozen episodes. I was mesmerized by the talents of Carol O’Connor and Jean Stapleton. Brilliant.
ALL IN THE FAMILY is shown daily around my lunch hour. This afternoon, I am on my third episode of the day, and I am still reeling from the first one.
The screenwriters responsible for Archie’s lines must be some of the most incredible writers on the planet.
