Thank you for this.. my dad moved in with me in 2021, when his wife could no longer deal with the inconvenience of his dementia. I lost him, holding his hand with his last breath, Jan 25, 2022, 8:53 am. Watching Archie and Gloria let me finally cry today. Thank you.

Imagine donating your chairs to a Goodwill and then having them become arguably two of the most beloved chairs in American history.

This show may be 50 years old, but it's still relevant today. It's a classic!!!

Carroll O'Conner...was absolutely AWESOME. As an actor...as a human being. One of my all-time favorites.

I can't resist this. I'm in an SF gay bar one night talking about TV shows and I start singing, ''Boy, the way Glenn Miller played...'' And right behind me, someone does a perfect Edith: ''...songs that made the hit paraaaaade....'' Matt, this was an outstanding analysis.

At 88 years of age & being around since the birth of Television, All In The Family is my favorite sit com of all time!

I was lucky enough to know Carroll O'Connor and his wife in the late 80s, very early 90s when they filmed In the Heat of the Night in my hometown. And I'm an electrician who wired the home he stayed in during those year's. And would talk to him often while wiring other homes since we wired all the homes in this particular subdivision. And Carroll would go out walking his dog every day. Even had the beginning of an episode filmed at my home on Jackson Lake. With the character Bubba fishing on my dock, and his dog discovered a body buried on shore beside the ramp. Was 100° that day with Bubba wearing long pants and sleeves. It took all day just to film that opening. Don't know how they did it in that heat. But the one thing I remember most about O'Connor. He hated being called Archie. We'd be talking and everytime someone would call him Archie, so it must've happened every day. And he was quick to tell whoever it was that was a character and not him. Was crazy embarrassing, but I guess it had become a huge problem with people. ✌️❤️

"All In The Family" is an all-time classic-There will never be another show like it.

The episode where Edith was nearly raped made so many people aware that sexual assault wasn't about youth and sexuality, but a crime about dominance. And Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner was as good as any comedy pairing you can name. The goodbye scene where Mike tells Archie he loves him was so emotional, and they let Archie stay true to his character; he could never say such a thing back. The show was incredible and showed television comedy could reach towering heights.

My late cousin's Dad worked in Hollywood when All in the Family was being produced. He knew many involved in the production. He told this story. The producers use a comedian and others to get the audience up and "hot," so they'd reacted and laughed strongly. The first few episodes, the audience would grow cold immediately after the performances began. Someone finally thought to ask and the audience members mentioned they were disappointed to not see Stapleton and O'Connor perform the opening song. So, the show put a piano on wheels and rolled it out to start each show. Those performances weren't used as the opening was pre-taped, but the two performing live kept the audience cheering and laughing.

My father was much like Archie Bunker except for one thing, my father never grew. Watching that show was cathartic for me. I thank the creators, cast and crew. You made I huge difference in my life. Thank you for this video too it makes me feel good.

It's hard to imagine how a better documentary of this show could've been constructed and delivered. Just fantastic.

i’m a 21-year-old goth girl and i go on tangents to people about norman lear sitcoms.. thanks to your videos i found during the pandemic!!!! even though i knew these sitcoms already, i never knew their connections or what they meant, so thank you for leading me to this!

It’s impossible to overstate how important this show was. All in the Family, and M.A.S.H., shaped the sociopolitical views of a generation-at the same time as simply being beloved entertainment. Thanks for a great reminder of this

I was a latchkey kid when I was 11 at the end of the 70s. Every weekday afternoon, the CBC used to rerun the episodes. For me, the Bunkers were like the relatives I stayed with till Mom and Dad got home. It's hard for me not to see Archie and Edith, Mike and Gloria as family. There are still episodes of the show that can bring tears to my eyes.

I never knew about 98% of what you've covered about this show, and you did a brilliant job with all of it. It's really interesting all these years later, after having watched AITF as a child, to see what lengths everyone went through to create a responsible, important show...and you did a great job revealing it. Well done!!!

I was born in the latter part of the 70s. I grew up watching reruns of All in the Family in the 80s. Even as a child, I understood it. It’s still one of the best sitcoms of all time!

Nothing beats the Beverley Lasalle death episode. It was tough to watch, but Edith losing her faith, how much it hurt her, the whole deal, was wonderful TV .

The people who put this show together were nothing short of brilliant. My favorite TV show of all time.

I remember, as a young kid, watching that rape episode with the family, feeling awkward and uncomfortable... not because of the subject matter, but because of how awkward and uncomfortable the rest of the family felt with me, not knowing what rape was, in the room! A very powerful performance by Jean!

Any Matt Baume video about All In The Family is sure to be gold.

"Sure, but He's God! You ain't!" One studio audience isn't enough applause for that line.

I still watch All In The Family if I catch it on. Still makes me laugh, even though I’m sure I saw every episode. I cried a lil when I found out Carol O’Connor died. I felt so bad for him when he lost his son to drugs, it destroyed him. Great video. Thanks!

I am relieved to learn that things worked out for the enduring marvel that was “All in the Family”, a show that the whole family could enjoy.

Christmas of 1976.. I was 5 years old..my parents gave me an anatomically correct baby boy doll... now watching Matt's episode. I have discovered that I own the Joey Stivic baby. I had absolutely no idea I owned baby Joey... I still own baby Joey. I named him Patrick...

When Sally did the impression of herself having laryngitis on that TV interview, my brain went all ecstatic like "OMG that's Babette from Gilmore Girls!!!" - thank you for that 🙏😂

That story about the furniture is HILARIOUS, because, coincidental or not, almost exactly that situation went on to be the resolution to an episode of Frasier regarding Martin's ratty old lounge chair; one of my favorites!

Rob Reiner also played a guy named 'snake"on the Partridge family. He was Laurie's date

My grand uncle knew O'Connor due to his frequent visits to Ireland where he was better known for his stage roles. Appertently, he was very kind and great craic.

I loved watching this show as a kid. My whole family would sit in front of the TV and watch it, laughing all the way through it.

This show could make me laugh hysterically and literally choke me up like no other show ever has.

Thank you. I was 17 years old when this started airing and didn't own a television at the time. But 2 years later when I did get one this show spoke to me in ways that other shows never did. My ideas about Vietnam, bigotry anf racial injustice, women's non- rights, etc. My ideas were already formed at the time , but this helped me see a bit of the parental and the children's interaction side of the coin. My own father wasn't an Archie Bunker, but neither was he a loving, accepting,evolving Father as time went by. The fights, the arguing on this show were enlightening to me. Nothing ever shocked me at all and of course it was entirely funny. It's not until I'd grown much older and been through years of therapy that I began to understand the influence this TV show had on me: that families could have different opinions, argue and fight yet still be loved by one another. This was not the case in my own family, but I got a good takeaway from All In The Family, that it could actually happen in other families.

In my opinion, 'All in the Family" is the GREATEST Sit-Com ever. I remember watching it when it first began. It still makes me laugh all these years later. My Dad died in 1971 and right before he passed away, I remember him standing up and laughing so hard at the show that he was crying.

Wow... As a long-time All in the Family superfan, I just wanted to thank you for the incredible insight into this timeless program. I'm blown away by the research and detail that went into this video, and I thought I knew everything about its history and production. Not even close. Thank you Matt. Your reverence and respect of Lear and all involved in the show really come across.

For those of us white kids who grew up in the 50s and 60s, derogatory terms for other races, both white and black, was perfectly normal. Archie made many of us take another look at those bigoted parents, aunts, uncles, etc. who influenced our lives, as well as ourselves. The show was truly revolutionary in changing social perspectives, and exposing ignorance.

What an iconic show with incredibly talented actors, writers and directors. There are only a handful of TV shows which have had the immense impact which this show had.

Fun fact: The plucky little girl who was brought in for Season 9, Danielle Briesbois, grew up to join the New Radicals and have a big hit song with "You Get What You Give". And after that band broke up, she became a big pop songwriter for a time - she wrote Natasha Beddingfield's "Unwritten", Donna Summers' "Stamp Your Feet", and Halestorm's "Here's To Us", on top of songs for Kelly Clarkson, Paula Abdul, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, and the movie Begin Again.

I'm young but I absolutely love watching All in the family, One of the greatest shows

“Mom dented the fender and kids helped mom so that dad didn’t find out.” That really happened in my family. My mom drove 2 hours to Mexico, had the fender replaced, and didn’t tell my dad for over 20 years.

Norman Lear is a programming genius! “All in the Family” was a bold step, leading to a deeper state of comedy than had come before. We have a great deal to thank him for.

I see something about you and your work that I admire. You view everything and respond to all of it without condescension, back handed compliments and dismissiveness. I see so much of that with a lot of reviewers and want to thank you for humanizing those who lived in previous years and decades.

All In The Family and Married With Children: Two shows that industry insiders expected to fail, but reflected the bumps and bruises of middle-class American life so closely that the audience couldn't get enough of. Love these shows or hate them, you will think about them.

This was a great analysis of All in the Family, Matt. I remember watching it every week either with my grandparents or my family. I thought the addition of Maude as Edith's cousin and as a foil for Archie was brilliant; she could stand up to Archie like no one else could. Needless to say I became of big fan of "Maude" as well...

Carol O’Conner was a magnificent actor and a fine human being, to boot.

Jean Stapleton is just so good. Imagine if she did ‘Murder She Wrote’. Especially the one set in a ‘Drag bar’.

I grew up watching this show with my grandpa. First runs and reruns for years. There were times that my grandpa would ask me about things we saw in the show and explain things that I had questions about. Thanks to my grandpa, I learned a lot of life lessons before I needed them. No topic was too much to talk about and for that I thank Norman Lear and the entire cast of 'All in the Family' )and the spin offs) for giving me and my grandpa the opportunity to have the talks we had. Funny thing is, I always loved the Beverly LaSalle character and grew up being a loud and proud DRAG HAG!!!

This was amazing. Brought a tear to my eye, because I was a young boy when the show aired maybe six years old. My grandfather was an immigrant from Italy and barely spoke English and loved the show. I would watch it with him. I can’t wait to watch your other videos.

this was one of the greatest shows ever made and I still love it to this day. I wrote a letter to Jean Stapleton once and she wrote back. Like actually wrote back and I treasured that letter but I had a house fire later on and it was lost forever. These people really knew how to portray characters. The Jeffersons too, what awesome shows those were.

Sally is an amazing stage presence all over this country. She’s known as the mayor of Ogunquit here in Maine. She’s a legend wherever she goes.

The episode where Edith hits menopause is sooo freakin hysterical. 😂

All In The Family is America!! This show gives us America in both all of its flaws and all of its warmth.

I so much admire the way you do your podcasts. Your research is so thorough and amazing!

Norman Lear is now 101! May the Gods continue to bless him! He's one of the most important, greatest people ever

Jean Stapleton as Edith always reminded me of my maternal grandmother with a little less ditziness. ❤ Thank you Matt.

I love this show every time I watch it I feel like I’ve been with family I’m 86 years old and I think I’ve seen every episode and I keep watching and re-watching thank you😊

What s flood of memorable episodes. One of my favorites was when the Jeffersons joined the show. That was a blast. So many talented in one room. Thanks for the lessons and the laughs. Still happens when I see the reruns. Laughter is medicine for the bones. A merry heart enhances your countenance. Blessings. Hats off to Mr. Lear snd colaborators. Genious

In these divided times we are living now, this show if aired today would be a true blessing. We need to reconcile our differences. Thank you Matt for reminding us this. Terrific video!

Loved this! I grew up watching All in The Family in my youth. You did a great job telling the story of the show!

Boy did I pick the right week to watch this episode. RIP Norman Lear.

I screamed laughing at Joey Stivic boy doll. Wow!!! Thank you for that.

Though I was only six years old when All in the Family debuted, I can still recall lines from many of the episodes today. We watched it every week and it shaped who I became more than probably anything else from my childhood. Matt Baume's insight and ability to link multiple cultural events always impresses me but never more so than here. Just once I'd like to make it through one of his videos without sobbing. It's unlikely but, I'll keep trying. Great work!

I don't know why this episode hit me in the feels so much, Matt, but it did. Thank you!

This was just FANTASTIC. The narration, the back stage stories, the actors' histories, forgotten episodes. THANK YOU.

Jean was such a sweet heart and played Edith brilliantly.❤

Thanks! Great summary of a great show. I'm still watching it with my kids and grandchildren. RIP to all the dear actors who have passed away. You blessed us with so many laughs. Feel blessed Norman is still with us.

This show melts me into a puddle. Easily my favorite TV show of all time.

This was well done! I have loved this show since I watched it as a kid and have lost no love for it. It still makes me laugh too just as always. This documentary was a very well thought out insight and covered some of the most important details about the history of All In The Family. Thank you. ~JSV

Sally Struthers was the daughter of my dad's commanding officer in WWII. Her dad delivered my older brother and sister. They remember Sally when she was a toddler and her older sister.

Another great job, Matt! As someone who lived through the era, I remember what a profound impact All in the Family had on American TV and culture. Your exploration of that impact was thoughtful and insightful.

I watched All In The Family but I never saw the SA episode. But seeing Edith so scared brings a tear to my eye even now. She is such a soft unassuming character but she could be so brave when it mattered most 😢

This was the best documentary on the series I have ever watched. I thoroughly enjoyed it and shared it with family and friends. Thank you for reminding me how much I love this show (as well as the subsequent spin-offs). One of the most impactful shows of the 20th century that changed the direction of television forver!

I brought my senior-mom to our home during the 2021 lock-downs, and watching the re-runs of All in The Family was the only thing that made her laugh & smile. It was great! ❤

Omigod, I remember the disclaimer. It was on every show, and only made us want to see it more. Actually, I remember all the episodes. This was an awesome word to Americans.

"The Stivic's go West" (Season 8) should have been the final eisode of AITF! The last season was sub-par, though the final scene of the final episode where Archie tells Edith "he is nothing without her" was gold!

Thankyou, im watching thanksgiving 2023, im in my 50's. I grew up on this show, and the family I watched it with are all gone now. Watching your show, brought back so many memories.

This show was so influential, groundbreaking and unique. Lear had a very impressive career, with so many memorable shows. My dad loved this show and saw Archie as a hero. This video points out how he was not a hero, but a buffoon. It's good that he became more open minded as the show went on. It was impressive that Carroll was not typecast. He went on to star in another hit show, In the Heat of the Night.

Having grown up with this show because of my parents. I knew the ins and outs of all these characters. How they grew over the seasons and how they went for hard topics and always came out the other side better people. this episode made a straight man cry several times :'D Recently my peer group was talking about shows that have been canceled and that deserve it. somehow All in the Family came up and I got so mad I had to leave the room. I am not part of any marginalized group like the rest of the room was, so me defending that show came off very wrong. I just stopped and walked out of the room for a min. None of them have seen the show more than just clips and I have seen every episode many times. thank you so much for making this

Haven't watched the whole video yet, but wanted to comment on this now: I always felt that as the years went by, Archie Bunker did mellow a bit for different reasons. One, becoming a grandfather probably changed him. Two, the fact that his son-in-law finally got his own place and did work showed him he wasn't this lazy bum. The big thing though was when he got to buy Kelsey's bar in the then original final season. By having the opportunity he never dreamed he'd get due to his having to drop out of school at a young age to support the family and being therefore in a job where he couldn't advance beyond what he was at the company, he now was not as bitter about life, being his own boss. And as the bar expanded into a restaurant on Archie Bunker's Place, he mellowed a bit more with the 80's times and was doing things he wouldn't have done in the old days. He didn't change completely, no, but he was able to not stay the same forever in the series.

I've seen every episode of AITF many times. I was born almost 10 years after the show ended, but watched it often as a teen. It's true, most episodes are still relevant today.

So glad to have found your channel. Great content. Subbed & going into a binge of your other episodes . Thank you! 👍

Quick translation for all you non-Brits: "You Geordie Yobbo!" - Young man, I declare you a hooligan from the North-East of England (specifically Newcastle-Upon-Tyne). "Get off, I'm a Scouse" - You are very much mistaken Sir, I am in fact from the Liverpool area.

That was AMAZING. AITF is my GOAT. No-one does these break-downs like Matt. I teared up a few times. I going to binge this again.

"Do you need more money...?" me: "Sure, we all do." @58:21 And just like that, i flashback to being a kid watching that commercial with my brother, and us challenging each other to memorise that list of courses... which changed over the years, so it kept us attentive if we wanted to remain champion. In addition to the overall content being superb, the little treasure nuggets of nostalgia you always include really take each video to the next level of quality!

My favorite All in the Family moment goes back to when I was a little boy about 11 years old. I am now 60. I remember getting all choked up when I was 11 when Gloria and Mike moved . And Mike tells Archie on the porch you always think I hated you, but I loved you and they’re both about to cry. Even as an 11-year-old I got all choked up. And still to this day it’s a very sad scene for me to watch but I like it. What a great moment in all in the family history. Thank you, Norman Lear. And all the cast from all in the family for a wonderful wonderful TV series that lasted years it’s an icon.

One of the best documentaries about All in the Family I have watched. Thanks, Mr. Baume.

Great writing & editing! A wonderful story from Matt Baume! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎💟

I loved watching this show while growing up in the 70s. And it still holds up. The Vietnam War Christmas, Beverly LaSalle 's death and the attempted SA of Edith give me chills. ♥️

This is simply one of the best things I have seen on KZfaq....instant subscriber...

Oh how I love your videos Matt. This was a lot of nostalgia for me. I was a kid in the 80s and this show was in syndication and my parents watched this and Archie's Place on a regular basis. I remember on our family trip to DC they pointed out the chairs in the Smithsonian. Unfortunately I had some family members who said they were proudly like Archie Bunker, but now I see how that missed the point. I mostly remember bits and pieces of what I saw as a kid but now I'm tempted to check out more episodes as an adult. I was also happy to see references to two of my favorite 80s/90s shows In the Heat of the Night and Murder She Wrote. I think you could do a video on In the Heat of the Night because it took on a lot of serious issues, some episodes with more finesse than others. I don't remember too many queer topics on that show, but there was an episode that dealt with AIDS.

This is incredible, last week I was looking up an all in the family retrospective and here you have just dropped one!

M. Baume, this creation of yours is just spectacular. How well you must know the show, and you picked out -- and described the meaning of -- really precious scenes that I have loved myself or learned of now from you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I was touched to tears almost all the way through it.

I can't tell you how much I cackled when I saw King K. Rool flash on screen when you said "The Man with the Golden Gut"! 🤣 Also, that's like the perfect summation of my childhood: DKC1 and DKC2 during the day, and All in the Family reruns at night!

Great episode! Thank you for this. All in the family is legendary. Norman Lear made so many awesome shows that people still watch till this day!

Fantastic video. I was elementary school age at the time and my family watched it together religiously. It's only as an older adult that I can see how the show impacted me, even if I wasn't completely aware of all the issues raised.

Great content did not Realize that all in the family was such a groundbreaking show

This was a show that resonates even today. I grew up watching this show when it first came out and I remember how often it pushed the envelope when it came to touching very controversial topics back then. It really did lay the foundation other shows that followed used to discuss those topics at the time that were off-limits.

Thank you for putting this deep-dive together, it was very fascinating to hear such comprehensive info about the show's cultural context and importance for it's time! And much like All in the Family, I think you doing this video is very timely, too. It's astounding how we're back at the crossroads of mass cultural hysteria-fuelled censorship in creative media, again.... Speaking of, 16:25 . Current CEO's of streaming giants could really take a page outta his book!

Another poignantly delivered episode. Thank you for bringing back memories and giving depth to the history of the show.

You just jammed 50 years of history into one hour’s time…beautifully. You’re "episodes” are meticulously researched and presented. Thank you so much!

The one TV show that my mom, dad, sister and I would watch all together was…All In The Family! 😊❤