HTF REVIEW: "All In The Family" Season One (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[David Von Pein]

While I love Archie & Company ..... Is there anyone else in HTF-land that agrees with me on this point ..... That AITF went downhill in quality after the first 3 (maybe 4) seasons?

The writers I feel "softened up" Archie too much, and he became way to "whiny". This seems to be about the time Mike & Gloria moved out of the house. Just my opinion, of course, but I will stop buying the AITF Season packages after season #4.

It always seems that the EARLY seasons of a TV program are always the best! But, when you stop and think it over, this only makes sense. The writers have fresh & new subjects to write about in the early days....then it seems to run dry. Just natural I guess.

I'll bet that just about every TV show you can think of has deteriorated in quality after a certain length of time.

The Simpsons (which some say has gone downhill as well) is probably the best example of a show NOT slipping in its waning seasons.

A great example of slippage is The Andy Griffith Show! Those color shows (after Barney left) are just NOT very funny (IMO). You can't beat TAGS, however, from 1960 to 1964!

 

[James Miller]

I agree with you David... there are only so many great ideas for episodes. I think the Simpsons has gone downhill, same for Frasier, Drew Carey, etc...

And yes, once Mike and Gloria left, and Stephanie came on board AitF went downhill...

Evolution.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I don't get what the point of calling these bad transfers...it's obvious this is how the original tapes look and sound. There's only so much you can do with 30+ year old videotapes. If you look at these transfers only by comparing them to something originated on high-res 35mm, it's going to mislead people. There's already people convinced that these are bad transfers.
Please notice that all shot-on-video shows in color from this period look this way. (or worse)
I'm definately considering to pick up this box set since I was unfortunate enough to not be around when this show was aired originally.

 

[ScottR]

I remember watching All in the Family when it was originally on, and as I recall, it always looked muddy and bad. Videotape was not exactly a "perfected" technology back then...I'm sure it warped and other things even before some of the shows aired.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

ron you were a bit too harsh imo, I am sure they did the best they could do here.

Gentlemen, I absolutely played both sides
in that review.
While I bluntly pointed out that AITF is
the worst-looking TV series I have seen on DVD,
I made every effort to point out that the show
was recorded on tape in an era where 19" television
was the norm in most homes.
I am sure Columbia did the best they could with
this set, but it still does not change my opinion
of the way it looks.

 

[kevin_tomb]

Hey I remember watching all in the family in its day, and it even looked sorta bad then. RON your commments about looking green, brought back memories. The show always had a strange yellowish or greenish look to it even when originally broadcast. Im not sure if they did it on purpose or what but it made the house etc look really drab and kinda run down. Archies shirts never looked pure white either, kinda a off white yellowish look. What plays on late nite TV now looks even worse than when originally broadcast though....so maybe this show has just suffered a lot of degradation...sad to say.
But on the other hand isnt that what they should have done is remaster it or at least color and tint correct it??

 

[Jeff Adkins]

In fairness to the Larry Sanders discs, keep in mind that since these were a combination of film and videotape that the show was probably edited on video. So the final masters were probably done 10 years ago on D2 Composite as opposed to today's component digital masters. The only way to really improve the quality would be to go back and get the original film elements, retransfer them, and then re-edit the entire show. The discs look like 10 year old transfers because that's what they are.

Jeff

 

[Brian W.]

David, I agree that the show went to hell after Gloria and Mike left, but that was after 7 seasons, not a couple years.

I seem to recall the middle seasons as being the best. I have to say that the first four episodes on the Columbia House DVD were not that funny to me. I think it took the show a while to hit its stride.

My favorite episodes were when Gloria and Mike would have a big fight, particularly the one where Mike claimed he met a woman name "Floricia." Oh, my God, that was funny one. Especially when...

Mike says, "I'm leaving!" and Gloria says, "Oh, no you're not. I'm leaving!" They both run for the door, Mike makes it first, then Gloria stumbles back, hand to her head, quivering: "Oh...Michael..." Mike rushes to her, concerned, "Gloria, what's wrong?" Gloria sprints past him to the door, turns, sticks her tongue out -- "Blaaaaah!" -- and she's off like flash.

God, that was funny. I think that's my all time favorite episode.

 

[James Miller]

David, I agree that the show went to hell after Gloria and Mike left, but that was after 7 seasons, not a couple years.

Maybe that is the best proof that the Mike/Gloria seasons were the best... 7 seasons seemed like 2?



BTW, you mention you have the Columbia House DVD... please be sure to let us know the relative a/v quality of the new set when you pick it up.

 

[MatthewA]

I am looking forward to seeing the entire series on DVD and will gladly buy every season.

 

[Ryan L B]

since I am too young to know the awnser and they never play it on tv land or nick at night, but doesn't somebody die in the last episode. Please use spoilers for those who wanna wait.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

since I am too young to know the awnser and they never play it on tv land or nick at night, but doesn't somebody die in the last episode. Please use spoilers for those who wanna wait.

 

[Tony_I]

I can't wait to get my hands on this set, regardless of how it looks. Seasonal sets on DVD compared to "selected episodes" that Columbia use to pick... I'm sold on the new.
I also agree that the show lost it's stride somewhere in the middle of it's life. Strangly, not in that "nothing to write about" way. It was more like the show started to take on "issues" and took on a more serious tone(not good for a situation comedy). Perhaps the writing changed from all the slack the show got in it's earlier years?..
Thanks again for the review of the set Ron.

 

[David Lambert]

Matthew, you're wrong. That character survived into "Archie Bunker's Place", Read (WARNING: Clicking on this link contains spoilers!) Link Removed for details of that character's death and the reason behind it.

 

[Craig_T]

David, I agree that the show went to hell after Gloria and Mike left, but that was after 7 seasons, not a couple years.

He said when they "moved out of the house," which was at the end of the 5th season when they got their own place. They left for California after the 8th season.

 

[Jeremiah W]

Ron, can you compare the DVD quality to how they look/sound on Nick at Night?I hope the a/v is about the same

 

[Tony_I]

Craig, thanks for the information on when Mike and Gloria left the house. I knew it was somewhere "in the middle" of the shows life. I guessed around season 4. It's just been too long since I've watched the show and I even have access to a few of the shows on Columbia House VHS.
I now know that I'm sold on at least the first 3 or 4 seasons.
Also, the poor quality of the transfers won't hurt the show for me by any means, but then again, I love the material. Even if it's "taped off the air" VHS quality.

 

[Brian W.]

You're right. Thanks, Craig.

Personally, I still enjoyed the show just as much when Gloria and Mike moved into the Jefferson's old house -- I kind of liked the change -- so I'll buy all the episodes up through season 8, when they left. That last season with Danielle Brisbois was awful, and "Archie Bunker's Place" wasn't much good either.

In fact, "Cheers" is the only show I can think of that still worked after the departure of a major character. (I can't judge "MASH," since I never cared for the show -- too dry for me.)

 

[Brian W.]

Okay, I've compared the Columbia House and Columbia/Tri-Star DVDs, just the first four episodes (actually, "Archie Gives Blood" is episode #4 on CH).

I would say Columbia House looks a hair better -- but just a hair. The focus is slightly sharper on CH. They appear to use the same source material, though, because the dropouts are in the same places. The CTS episodes seem to improve slightly as the series progresses, though.

The difference is minor -- not enough to to continue to pay more for one disc than I did for the entire boxed set.

But one MAJOR beef with Columbia is there are NO CHAPTER STOPS WITHIN THE EPISODES -- not even at the commercial breaks. At least CH put chapter stops at the commercial breaks. What's up with that, Columbia?

 

[RobertR]

These comments on the AITF picture quality only re-emphasize for me how farsighted Desi Arnaz was to put I Love Lucy on 35 mm film.