Who Ruined 'All in The Family?' Norman Lear? CBS? Carroll O'Connor? - Page 3 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 02-19-2012, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Ok, then what about the serial killer trying to kill Louise?

That episode, the KKK episode, and the episode when Florence wanted to kill herself I think are the only serious episodes of the show

Brian Damage · 02-19-2012, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

That episode, the KKK episode, and the episode when Florence wanted to kill herself I think are the only serious episodes of the show

I did forget about the KKK episode and have no idea about Florence wanting to commit suicide.

TVFactFan · 02-19-2012, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

I did forget about the KKK episode and have no idea about Florence wanting to commit suicide.

Yeah Florence wanting to kill herself was a season 3 episode. It was serious until George said...."If you want to kill yourself go right ahead"

LOL

jehobden · 02-20-2012, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Yeah Florence wanting to kill herself was a season 3 episode. It was serious until George said...."If you want to kill yourself go right ahead"

LOL

I thought he said "If you mess up my bathroom I'll kill you!". Either way, I remember the audience laughed at the line, and it probably helped break the tension a bit.

TVFactFan · 02-20-2012, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jehobden

I thought he said "If you mess up my bathroom I'll kill you!". Either way, I remember the audience laughed at the line, and it probably helped break the tension a bit.

He said that after she came out of the bathroom. His statement was half funny and then it ended in a serious way

"If you want to kill yourself you go right ahead, but you will be hurting someone who cares a lot about you."

He was talking about Louise. The audience laugh at the first part and then became emotional at the last part

WalterTheDrinker · 02-21-2012, 01:51 PM

Maude wasn't urban.

TVFactFan · 02-21-2012, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WalterTheDrinker

Maude wasn't urban.

I think it was, she was closed enough to the city

lucyandethel · 04-10-2012, 04:37 PM

When they stopped taping in front of a live audience and it no longer became about social relevance. In later years, they would do cheap sight gags and goofy one-liners. That just wasn't what the show was about initially. You can't change the format of show like that at any point. Frankly, I never understood how "Archie Bunker's Place" ran as long as it did. Without an audience, it was soooooooooooo sssssssslllllllllooooooowwwwwwwww.......

TVFactFan · 04-10-2012, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucyandethel

When they stopped taping in front of a live audience and it no longer became about social relevance. In later years, they would do cheap sight gags and goofy one-liners. That just wasn't what the show was about initially. You can't change the format of show like that at any point. Frankly, I never understood how "Archie Bunker's Place" ran as long as it did. Without an audience, it was soooooooooooo sssssssslllllllllooooooowwwwwwwww.......

I think the Move of Mike and Gloria next door helped contribute to the decline

scrapple · 04-11-2012, 09:04 PM

I think we're being too generous with AITF. The first four seasons were great, no doubt. But something happened after that. I think the directing went south big time. Instead of the show moving at a rapid clip, we started getting lots of mugging from the actors, and unnecessary facial close-ups. Everything just seemed to slow to a crawl. The fifth season decline was a little noticeable, and drastic after the sixth. Archie Bunker's Place wasnt even the same show, totally unwatchable.

704Hauser · 05-14-2012, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheMarkTexas

Back in the early 1990s there was a reunion special (it did get a VHS release but not sure if it has appeared on any of the DVD season sets as an extra).

Both Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were ready to call it quits when Rob Reiner and Sally Strothers left, however, before that season ended, CBS offered O'Connor and Stapleton a HUGE salary increase to do 2 more seasons.

It was only after Stapleton wanted to be on the show less and less (and explaining Edith's constant absenses had become tiresome for the writers) that Norman Lear stepped in and decided that since Stapleton wanted to leave for good, that would be a great stopping point for the show.

It was CBS who still wanted O'Connor to continue.

Owning all 9 seasons on DVD, I can confirm that the 20th Anniversary Special from 1991 has NOT been released on DVD.

It is available for viewing on YouTube though.

MikeL · 05-14-2012, 11:01 PM

i love this show true classic was intresting right to the 9th season did not care for that season to much without mike n Gloria it just not the same

OH Nuts! · 05-15-2012, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I think it was, she was closed enough to the city

(interesting thread-sorry I missed it until now)

Yes it was urban - Tuckahoe is roughly 15 miles from monolithic NYC. It's a suburb you can get do on a Metro North commuter train. I suppose someone could try to make the case that the show was suburban, but given that many eps had a character who came in from NYC, or referred to NYC, I'd classify it as urban too.

OH Nuts! · 05-15-2012, 07:44 AM

So who/what caused AITF (and its clone ABP) to jump the shark? IMO, it was a combination of things. First, Jean Stapleton leaving. She and Carroll were each like 40% of the show. The "show(s)" was never the same to me once Edith was "killed" off. Also, the Jeffersons leaving. Archie was also too mellowed out for my taste. I think the writing fell off as well. Add these together and you get an eroding show.

Pity they didnn't just go off the air on a high note like The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But in its heyday, AITF was magnificent.

TVFactFan · 05-15-2012, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

So who/what caused AITF (and its clone ABP) to jump the shark? IMO, it was a combination of things. First, Jean Stapleton leaving. She and Carroll were each like 40% of the show. The "show(s)" was never the same to me once Edith was "killed" off. Also, the Jeffersons leaving. Archie was also too mellowed out for my taste. I think the writing fell off as well. Add these together and you get an eroding show.

Pity they didnn't just go off the air on a high note like The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But in its heyday, AITF was magnificent.

Edith being killed off was after AITF.

05-14-2012, 11:01 PM	#42
MikeL Senior Member Forum Legond Join Date: Jan 05, 2005 Location: usa pennsyvania Posts: 4,301	i love this show true classic was intresting right to the 9th season did not care for that season to much without mike n Gloria it just not the same __________________ Tv And DVD Addict

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02-21-2012, 01:51 PM	#36
WalterTheDrinker Occasional Poster Member Join Date: Jan 19, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 21	Maude wasn't urban.

04-10-2012, 04:37 PM	#38
lucyandethel Forum Regular Member Join Date: Dec 18, 2009 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 411	When they stopped taping in front of a live audience and it no longer became about social relevance. In later years, they would do cheap sight gags and goofy one-liners. That just wasn't what the show was about initially. You can't change the format of show like that at any point. Frankly, I never understood how "Archie Bunker's Place" ran as long as it did. Without an audience, it was soooooooooooo sssssssslllllllllooooooowwwwwwwww.......

04-11-2012, 09:04 PM	#40
scrapple Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Feb 03, 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 33	I think we're being too generous with AITF. The first four seasons were great, no doubt. But something happened after that. I think the directing went south big time. Instead of the show moving at a rapid clip, we started getting lots of mugging from the actors, and unnecessary facial close-ups. Everything just seemed to slow to a crawl. The fifth season decline was a little noticeable, and drastic after the sixth. Archie Bunker's Place wasnt even the same show, totally unwatchable.

05-15-2012, 07:44 AM	#44
OH Nuts! Forum Celebrity Riding on the Cannonball! Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 41,102	So who/what caused AITF (and its clone ABP) to jump the shark? IMO, it was a combination of things. First, Jean Stapleton leaving. She and Carroll were each like 40% of the show. The "show(s)" was never the same to me once Edith was "killed" off. Also, the Jeffersons leaving. Archie was also too mellowed out for my taste. I think the writing fell off as well. Add these together and you get an eroding show. Pity they didnn't just go off the air on a high note like The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But in its heyday, AITF was magnificent.