"All In The Family" - How Many More Seasons Will You Buy? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Temple]

Archie Bunker's Place (The Complete First Season) is out on DVD as of today. Did anyone get it? How's the video quality? Similar to seasons 1-5? I hope to be getting it soon.

 

[ElijahS]

Actually, you're wrong. Part of how CBS was able to get O'Connor to agree to a ninth season (and the four seasons of Archie Bunker's Place) was for there to be no audience when they shot the episodes (among other things, this is how Jean Stapleton was able to appear on-screen with herself in one of the ninth season's episodes). O'Connor wasn't crazy about acting in front of an audience, especially towards the end of the series' run.

To answer the question the thread poses, I plan on buying all of the remaining seasons, and possibly Archie Bunker's Place as well. I finally caught up this month with Seasons 3-5, so I'm ready now.

 

[Dan McW]

One thing I meant to mention in my earlier post: In the "live responses" seasons, the performers pause for audience laughter but frequently deliver their next line before the laughter subsides, obviously because they have no idea when the future audience viewing the tape is going to stop laughing! In the studio-audience years, cast members frequently would start to deliver a line but had to begin again because laughter from the previous line went on longer than they expected.

 

[David Rain]

The shark had been offically jumped once M&G said goodbye. That was a classic episode and should have been the very last one, which is what was planned to begin with. I won't be buying that season with what's-her-name. Cousin Oliver, I think it was.

 

[Brian Himes]

I plan on getting all 9 season of All In The Family. As for Archie Bunker's Place, well I'm sort of torn. I watched some of it when it was originally on and I just didn't care for it. After Mike and Gloria leave on All In The Family, things just weren't the same. I just never got into Archie's Place at all. The magic was gone.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I think season 6 is it for me. In my brain, AITF ends with the birth of little Joey. Who needs to see more? The whole sequence was one of the great classics in sitcom history; Archie in blackface holding his newborn grandson; it was simply hysterical and the show only went downhill from there.

After Mike dumps Gloria the show becomes sadder, not funnier. And after Edith dies, the show died with her. It's just too painful for the fans to accept a show without her. I can't stand those episodes, when he's just working at the bar. AITF is just one of those shows that suffered simply by trying to stay on the air forever...like Happy Days or ER...they're just too popular for their own good and the show continues long, long after the original concept is exhausted, in fact, removed from the series~!

 

[ElijahS]

Neither of those moments you mentioned were in AITF, though; the first was, to a degree, in the ninth season. The second didn't occur at all in AITF; rather, it was in the second season opener of Archie Bunker's Place.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

I bought Archie Bunkers Place for the 3 Edith Episodes and the Thanksgiving 2 Part where everyone is together. It's the only time to me the show ever felt the same.

But, I did enjoy those episodes enough to purchase the season. I haven't watched the others. I didn't like this show in general though.

 

[FrankPitt]

I'm done with buying AITF after Season 8. For me, while not terrible, the show loses its magic after Mike and Gloria leave.

That said, I'd totally spring for a bonus disc containing the following:

-All of Mike and Gloria's guest-appearances after Season 8.
-The "Death of Edith" episode of Archie Bunker's Place.
-The Gloria pilot.

Cheers,
-Frank P.