I've been watching the season 5 DVD and I've noticed that in a couple of episodes, Al actually had money. I guess I never really paid much attention to this until recently, but it makes all those jokes about him making less than minimum wage or whatever seem pointless to me now. :lol: In one episode, the kids and Peggy are taking money out of his wallet and theres quite a bit in there and in another episode he gives Bud $20 so he can take his girlfriend out to dinner. The biggest surprise so far is when he gives Kelly $400 so she can go to modeling school. No way a guy who made next to nothing would be able to give his daughter $400, so to me, it wasn't that Al didn't make a lot of money or enough to get by, it was that his kids and his wife spent all the money he made. :lol:

I've been watching the season 5 DVD and I've noticed that in a couple of episodes, Al actually had money. I guess I never really paid much attention to this until recently, but it makes all those jokes about him making less than minimum wage or whatever seem pointless to me now. :lol: In one episode, the kids and Peggy are taking money out of his wallet and theres quite a bit in there and in another episode he gives Bud $20 so he can take his girlfriend out to dinner. The biggest surprise so far is when he gives Kelly $400 so she can go to modeling school. No way a guy who made next to nothing would be able to give his daughter $400, so to me, it wasn't that Al didn't make a lot of money or enough to get by, it was that his kids and his wife spent all the money he made. :lol:
I think you hit on it right there. All you have to do is watch the opening credits where Peg and the kids rob Al dry....even the dog. :lol:

They were able to save up a lot of money by forgoing a lot of non-essential luxuries..........like food! :lol:

They were able to save up a lot of money by forgoing a lot of non-essential luxuries..........like food! :lol:

I think Buck was really the only one who ever had any food. I was watching an episode earlier and Bud and Kelly were stealing his food. :lol:

They were able to save up a lot of money by forgoing a lot of non-essential luxuries..........like food! :lol:
BINGO!! Exactly! That is why plain and simple. :rofl: Al made money, but when it is taken out of your hands for non-essential items, then of course he is going to scowl and complain abt not making enough money. HE NEEDED MORE for those scavengers he called his wife and kids. :lol:

I've been watching the season 5 DVD and I've noticed that in a couple of episodes, Al actually had money. I guess I never really paid much attention to this until recently, but it makes all those jokes about him making less than minimum wage or whatever seem pointless to me now. :lol: In one episode, the kids and Peggy are taking money out of his wallet and theres quite a bit in there and in another episode he gives Bud $20 so he can take his girlfriend out to dinner. The biggest surprise so far is when he gives Kelly $400 so she can go to modeling school. No way a guy who made next to nothing would be able to give his daughter $400, so to me, it wasn't that Al didn't make a lot of money or enough to get by, it was that his kids and his wife spent all the money he made. :lol:


This is the second thread about this I have seen. His comments about his low pay and being broke was meant to be sarcastic humor. Not that he REALLY made less than minimum wage. Haven't you ever met someone in life who joked like that????

Also, as the seasons went by, the show changed quite a bit and it became less and less cartoonish. I loved the show much better the first few years, the jokes were way more "out there". After Amanda Bearse started directing episodes and having a lot of say in the direction of the show, it went downhill fast. I worked on one episode in the 80's and I went up to her to say hello and that I loved her role on All My Children. She completely snubbed me and and didn't even so much as acknowledge that I said anything to her. And I didn't interrupt her in any way, she was just standing there while we were having a take-5. I figured she must be a "man hater" or something. But you can really see the influence she had on the show's humor if you watch for it.

Just my opinion for whatever its worth.