Rob Reiner remembers Jean Stapleton at the Emmys

My memories of Jean Stapleton

 

Jean Stapleton was one celebrity I had the pleasure of 'meeting' via Twitter in 2011. I've always been a fan of hers and of her Edith Bunker character on All in the Family (1971-79), one of my all-time favourite TV shows.

I was surprised when I discovered she had a Twitter account. She was 88 years old at the time, and had been retired for the past decade. Not being absolutely sure it was her official account or whether it was an imposter, I sent a message expressing my admiration for her. 

Six months later, I got a reply, and it made my day!

I wrote to her a couple more times after that. I told her how sad I felt when I watched the Archie Bunker's Place episode that dealt with Edith's death. She replied that by 1980, she felt the need to move on to other roles. I told her she did well, post-Edith, and liked her in the musical Something's Afoot (it was one of the first projects she took on after retiring the character). When she wrote about the time she met singer Etta James just before her death in 2012, I said I also liked her, and saw her perform once in Toronto. 

Shortly after we exchanged those messages, she closed her Twitter account. Stapleton died of natural causes on May 31, 2013, after living 90 wonderful years. I remembered her in a tweet the next day as "a sweet, classy lady." Rest in peace Jean, and Dingbat, xoxox.

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 40^th 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.

My 10 favourite episodes of Archie Bunker's Place

Following up on my blog on All in the Family, I thought I would count down my 10 favourite episodes of Archie Bunker’s Place. This series continued the adventures of Archie Bunker, from 1979 until its cancellation in 1983. In this series, Archie and Edith raise their step-niece Stephanie Mills (Brisebois) after her father abandons her. Most of the action, however, revolves around Archie’s bar and grill, where he forms an unlikely partnership with Jewish liberal Murray Klein, played by Martin Balsam.

Carroll O’Connor and Danielle Brisebois were its two main stars, along with a rotating supporting cast that included Balsam, Anne Meara, Denise Miller and Barry Gordon. Jean Stapleton plays Edith Bunker during its first season before moving on to other TV and film projects.

Though Archie Bunker’s Place may not be as remembered as its predecessor, it is entertaining and has its own set of charms worth recommending. Reruns have been airing all year on DejaView in Canada.

Here are my top 10 favourite episodes:

10. "Three Women" (1983, Season 4)

Archie takes Stephanie to visit her grandmother (Celeste Holm) and her catty housekeeper (played wonderfully by Night Court’s Selma Diamond). However, Archie is forced to stay when his truck breaks down. The visit goes sour when Stephanie gets upset at her grandmother for refusing to talk about her late mother. I like this one because it ties up loose ends on Stephanie’s past.

9. "The Return of Sammy" (1980, Season 1)

A fun reunion occurs when Archie meets up with Sammy Davis Jr. again, this time at the restaurant owned by Archie and Murray. Sammy arrives upon learning that Archie is raising Stephanie, whose mother was Jewish. Archie saves Sammy’s life when he chokes on a plate of ribs at the restaurant. Much of the story has clever references to Sammy’s previous visit in the classic All in the Family episode, “Sammy’s Visit.”

8. "Tough Love" (1981, Season 2)

Veronica Rooney (Meara), Archie’s cook, hits rock bottom when her frequent drinking starts to take its toll. Archie and Murray advise her to get help, but her drinking habit gets in the way and she almost loses her job. Archie is the one to apply tough love on her, creating intensity near the end. Veronica’s drinking problem is implied in other episodes, but this is the first of two where her alcoholism is dealt with head-on.

7. "Death of a Lodger" (1982, Season 3)

Don Rickles guest stars as a boarder for Archie’s pal Barney (Allan Melvin) when he has trouble paying the bills. The arrangement doesn’t work out however, and before Barney can convince him to leave, he dies. Rickles basically plays his comedic alter ego by supplying his trademark comic insults and put-downs.

6. "The Incident" (1980, Season 2)

During Archie’s first Christmas without Edith, his newly-hired housekeeper Ellen Canby (Barbara Meek) is verbally harassed at the supermarket 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.

5. "Reggie-3, Archie-0" (1982, Season 3)

Baseball star Reggie Jackson threatens to sue Archie when one of Archie’s staff accidentally damages his limo. Archie, who does not have insurance, spends much of the time trying to persuade Jackson to let him off easy. I sense that Reggie, like Sammy, was also a fan of All in the Family.

4 & 3. (tie) "Thanksgiving Reunion, Parts 1 & 2" (1979, Season 1)

Archie and Edith welcome their daughter Gloria, son-in-law Mike and grandson Joey back for a Thanksgiving reunion. Calamity ensues when Mike tells Archie that he was fired from his job in California for streaking in protest over the building of a nuclear power plant. This is the last time we see O’Connor and Stapleton act alongside their All in the Family co-stars Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers. It’s also the last time Reiner would play the Meathead.

2 & 1. (tie) "Archie Alone, Parts 1 & 2" (1980, Season 2)

This may be the most important episode of Archie Bunker’s Place, and also the saddest. The story begins a month after Edith dies of a stroke in her sleep. Archie’s decision to carry on living as though nothing happened hurts his relations with Stephanie, and with his colleagues at the bar. The most emotional moment is at the end, when Archie breaks down and admits he needs help adjusting to life without his beloved ‘dingbat.’ Edith was written out at the start of season two because Stapleton felt the character had reached its potential. Producer and show creator Norman Lear took the news hard. When Stapleton reminded him that Edith was a fictional character and not a real person, he said, “Not to me she isn’t.” O’Connor won Emmy and Peabody awards for this episode.

My All in the Family DVD collection (so far)