Tuesday 13 December 2011

All in the Family: The Christmas and New Year's Episodes



Following up on my previous blogs about All in the Family, and in honour of its 40th anniversary, here’s a review of the Christmas and New Year's episodes that were made, in order of broadcast. I also review the episodes made for Archie Bunker’s Place.

All in the Family:

1.      “Christmas Day with the Bunkers” (1971, Season 2)

The first Christmas episode has Archie (Carroll O’Connor) acting like the Grinch in front of everybody. He even buys a Christmas tree reminiscent of Charlie Brown. He later chastises his neighbour Henry Jefferson (Mel Stewart) for dressing up as Santa Claus. This leads to a silly debate on whether Santa is black or white. Archie’s wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) realizes that he forfeited his Christmas bonus by sending a shipment of trees to London, England instead of London, Ontario, Canada. This is a good episode.

2.      “Edith’s Christmas Story” (1973, Season 4)

Edith has a health scare when she discovers a lump in her breast. Daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) encourages her to see a doctor, but Edith decides it would be best not to tell Archie about it. Gloria’s husband Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) overhears the conversation, and panics. The secret comes out when their neighbour Irene (Betty Garrett) falsely assumes that Archie knew. Archie shows empathy and affection when he learns that Edith is going to be okay.

3.      “New Year’s Wedding” (1976, Season 6)

Gloria becomes upset with Mike when he gets into the habit of making big family decisions without consulting her. When they can’t get a babysitter for their son Joey, Mike decides to have their friends get married at their house before the New Year begins, without Gloria’s consent. 
Trivia: It was during the taping of this episode that Reiner met guest star Billy Crystal. They have remained close friends ever since.

4.      “The Draft Dodger” (1976, Season 7)

In what may be the series’ best Christmas episode, Mike’s high school friend David surprises him just as the family is about to have Christmas dinner. David is invited to stay, along with Archie’s friend Pinky. A heated conversation ensues between Archie and David, who, reluctantly, tells him he is a draft dodger living in Canada. Pinky convinces David to stay when he tells him that his son was killed in the Vietnam War, and that if he were alive he would want to sit down with him. It makes for a very powerful moment, emphasizing the message of peace at Christmas time.

5.      “Edith’s Crisis of Faith, Parts 1 & 2” (1977, Season 8)

Drag queen impersonator Beverly LaSalle visits Edith and invites her and Archie to his new burlesque show at Carnegie Hall. Archie, who gave Beverly mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a Season 6 episode, doesn’t like the idea. However, things take a tragic turn when Beverly is clubbed to death by a gang of muggers. This causes Edith to question her faith in God. Her depression takes its toll on the family as Christmas approaches. Ironically, it is Mike the atheist who helps Edith restore her faith on Christmas Day.

6.      “Bogus Bills” (1978, Season 9)

Counterfeit money turns up at the cash register of Archie’s bar. Edith calls Archie from the police station to tell him she found some counterfeit cash in her purse. He later finds the culprit in the bar dressed as Santa Claus. Archie decides to let him off the hook, though he starts having regrets when he sees the shady customer drive off in a Cadillac.

7.      “The Bunkers Go West” (1978, Season 9)

Archie, Edith and their niece Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois) prepare to celebrate Christmas with the Stivics. Plans change, however, when Gloria calls from California to say that Mike’s injured back will prevent them from traveling to New York. Edith immediately decides that they will visit them instead.

8.      “California, Here We Are, Parts 1 & 2” (1978, Season 9)

The Bunkers arrive in Santa Barbara to visit the Stivics at their new home. Mike fakes a back injury to hide the fact that he and Gloria have separated. They get into an argument, prompting Gloria to hit Mike. Gloria tells her mother that their marriage is failing, and that she’s been seeing another man. Before Archie hears the details, he assumes that Mike is to blame. The story ends happily when the Stivics decide to work things out. 
Trivia: This is the last Christmas-themed episode of All in the Family.

Archie Bunker’s Place:

9.     “The Incident” (1980, Season 2)

A recently-widowed Archie and his newly-hired housekeeper Ellen Canby (Barbara Meek) are at the supermarket when a man verbally harasses her for being a black woman. Archie, in a rare show of liberalism, punches the man, a lodge brother. Archie is then threatened with expulsion from the lodge. Archie demonstrates, through this incident, that he respects Ellen and the help she gives to him and Stephanie.

10  “Custody, Part 1” (1981, Season 2)

Archie, still adjusting to life without his beloved ‘dingbat,’ reluctantly allows Stephanie to spend time with her wealthy grandmother, Estelle Harris (Celeste Holm). When they return from shopping, she tells Archie she wants to become Stephanie’s legal guardian, despite having been absent for most of her life. Archie’s refusal leads to a custody battle.

11   “Custody, Part 2” (1981, Season 2)

During a break in the hearing, Stephanie tells the judge she would rather stay with Archie than go live with her grandmother. The judge decides that though Archie is an “ignorant labourer” with fewer financial resources, he is better suited to meeting Stephanie’s overall needs. The judge wishes everybody a Happy New Year as he leaves the courtroom.

12   “Father Christmas” (1982, Season 4)

Archie surprises his niece Billie Bunker (Denise Miller) by inviting her father Fred (Richard McKenzie) over for Christmas. Billie, who is estranged from her father, opts to go skiing with Archie’s Jewish lawyer Gary Rabinowitz (Barry Gordon). Things reach a breaking point when Fred tells Billie the reason why her mother walked out on them so many years ago. Billie and Fred make amends, and she decides to cancel the skiing trip. 
Trivia: This is the last Christmas-themed episode of Archie Bunker’s Place. CBS cancelled it at the end of the 1982-83 season.

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