Archie, Edith, Gloria, and Meathead--err Mike--are back once again for the seventh season of All in the Family! Norman Lear’s classic sitcom that wasn’t afraid to tackle the most controversial of issues returns to DVD, this time from Shout! Factory (the previous releases were all from Sony) in a three disc set containing all 25 episodes of the 1976-1977 season of the series. The series ran for nine years on CBS and was essentially a spin-off machine, spawning other series that were just as popular (if not more so), including The Jeffersons, Maude, and Good Times.

By now, Archie and Edith have taken on a boarder with Teresa, as Mike and Gloria have moved in to the Jeffersons old house next door with little Joey with them. The seventh season begins with a revelation that could break up Archie and Edith’s long-running marriage and Archie facing the prospect of being unemployed. Will they keep it all in the family and grow together? Find out in The Complete Seventh Season of All in the Family!

Read our review by skees53 here:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/allinthefamilyseason7dvdreview.html

Please post any questions or comments about this set.

Sounds good I gotta get this one. I have all the others that have been released.

Can't wait for my copy to arrive. I hope there is a short wait for Season 8 which has some of the best episodes including "Edith's 50th Birthday", "Edith's Crisis Of Faith", "Cousin Liz" and "Archie and the KKK".

Yes Robert, those are the exact episodes I am waiting for, too. I don't think I will bother will Season 9. I didn't care much for the turn the series took with the addition of Stephanie, and the focus on Kelsey's Bar.

For me AITF really ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California. I sort of consider Season 9 more an "Archie Bunker's Place" show.

Yes Robert, those are the exact episodes I am waiting for, too. I don't think I will bother will Season 9. I didn't care much for the turn the series took with the addition of Stephanie, and the focus on Kelsey's Bar.

For me AITF really ended when Mike and Gloria moved to California. I sort of consider Season 9 more an "Archie Bunker's Place" show.
That's funny. I've heard people say that about Season 9. I, actually, love Season 9, believe it or not. One of my all-time favorite episodes is the Christmas episode "Bogus Bills" (absolutely hysterical). Also love "Edith Versus the Bank" and "Barney, the Gold Digger" (with the wonderful Peggy Rea). :)

Before Shout releases Season 8 of All in the Family, they need to acquire The Jeffersons and release Season 7 of The Jeffersons.

Season 9 has some good eps like you mention "Oh my Dog"...classic line in Bogus Bills and again it continued the trend of the show becoming more of a sitcom with dramatic elements. I think that has to do more with the change in culture and the behind the scenes changes. You're so comfortable with these characters. The show still holds my interest even until the bitter end of season (13) in Archie Bunkers Place. I kind of consider season 9 of AITF to be one long pilot episode for Archie Bunkers Place. If they keep releasing them, I'll keep buying them.

I hate to burst everyone's bubbles, but there seems to be a scene missing, which takes place in the opening of "Archie's Brief Encounter Part 1". I remember seeing it when TV Land first aired the show in 1999. To the best of my memory, it goes like this. Archie's friends Whitey and Joe are sitting in the coffee shop, while Archie is in the restroom and they discuss Archie dragging them to the coffee shop several times to see the waitress Denise. She then approaches their table and referring to Archie, asks "Where's my Superburger with everything, and I mean EVERYTHING". Anyone care to elaborate on that?

Imad

While my bubble is intact you are correct!

I just popped my copy in that I burned off of tv and the scene goes like this. Can you tell us where the cut is at.

Right after credits in the diner:

Foley: Hey how do you like this Bunker eh? You know Whitey it's the third time this week he's dragged us over here to have lunch. He acts like he's got an interest in this joint.

Whitey: He has Foley man hey and here his interest comes now baby.

Denise: OK you're the BLT, Whitey you are the ham and cheese on onion roll. Where's Archie my super burger with everything and I do mean everything.

Whitey: Oh he's in the mens room making himself gorgeous just for you.

Foley: Hey Denise, what's Archie got that we ain't got eh?

Denise: What's Archie got that you ain't got eh? My Daddy's big blue eyes. (HEY NOW!*)

Cut to Archie in the bathroom...

Now when this episode aired on the network it was originally an hour, why it is split up in two parts is unknown on the DVD unless both of these are the syndicated episodes.

Similarly on season 1 of Archie Bunkers Place, the first episode originally aired as an hour and it too is split up in two parts on the DVD. The first part of that episode has little snippets of dialog missing here and there (I did have them in my off-air recording of that episode off of a local station so I do have it complete). I wonder if it will be a similar situation here with this episode.

This is a shame. I'll just hang on to my off air copy of this one so I have the scene (and any others yet to be determined that are missing). When Columbia House released the episodes they had the full hour lenght eps of Archie Gets the Business and California Here We Are from seasons 8 and 9. Hopefully they will be included in their original configurations if and when Shout! releases them.

I would not blame Shout! for this, they are only receiving what has been provided to them by Sony and unless you are really familiar with these episodes as hardcore fans like myself are, you probably wouldn't know these little bits were missing.

Overall however the series has been complete so while annoying, this won't keep me up at night. There is an episode in season 2 or 3, Archie and the Mob that has a little section cut out on the DVD yet was complete when it was part of the Columbia House tapes. I don't know why so many versions of things are out there.

*editorial comment, line not delivered in episode. :)

While my bubble is intact you are correct!

I just popped my copy in that I burned off of tv and the scene goes like this. Can you tell us where the cut is at.

Right after credits in the diner:

Foley: Hey how do you like this Bunker eh? You know Whitey it's the third time this week he's dragged us over here to have lunch. He acts like he's got an interest in this joint.

Whitey: He has Foley man hey and here his interest comes now baby.

Denise: OK you're the BLT, Whitey you are the ham and cheese on onion roll. Where's Archie my super burger with everything and I do mean everything.

Whitey: Oh he's in the mens room making himself gorgeous just for you.

Foley: Hey Denise, what's Archie got that we ain't got eh?

Denise: What's Archie got that you ain't got eh? My Daddy's big blue eyes. (HEY NOW!*)

Cut to Archie in the bathroom...

Now when this episode aired on the network it was originally an hour, why it is split up in two parts is unknown on the DVD unless both of these are the syndicated episodes.

Similarly on season 1 of Archie Bunkers Place, the first episode originally aired as an hour and it too is split up in two parts on the DVD. The first part of that episode has little snippets of dialog missing here and there (I did have them in my off-air recording of that episode off of a local station so I do have it complete). I wonder if it will be a similar situation here with this episode.

This is a shame. I'll just hang on to my off air copy of this one so I have the scene (and any others yet to be determined that are missing). When Columbia House released the episodes they had the full hour lenght eps of Archie Gets the Business and California Here We Are from seasons 8 and 9. Hopefully they will be included in their original configurations if and when Shout! releases them.

I would not blame Shout! for this, they are only receiving what has been provided to them by Sony and unless you are really familiar with these episodes as hardcore fans like myself are, you probably wouldn't know these little bits were missing.

Overall however the series has been complete so while annoying, this won't keep me up at night. There is an episode in season 2 or 3, Archie and the Mob that has a little section cut out on the DVD yet was complete when it was part of the Columbia House tapes. I don't know why so many versions of things are out there.

*editorial comment, line not delivered in episode. :)

The DVD version cuts to Archie in the restroom, singing "You're too Marvelous".

Imad

So what is the last part of the dialog at the table between Whitey and Foley before the cut to Archie in the bathroom?

If this is true, then this really stinks. I'm not blaming Shout but it is definitely disappointing to see this happen. This series hasn't caught a decent break on dvd since Season 1. Definitely not one of the better tv-on-dvd productions I've seen.

How about the episode Mike, The Pacifist? This episode runs under 24 minutes on the DVD. Anything cut from this one?

DVD edits aside, the seventh season will be the last one for me. I lost interest in the show from the eighth season forward, the final straw was the two parter where Edith is locked in the house with a rapist on her 50th birthday. Very depressing, I didn't like that at all. While there are a few good episodes in seasons 8 and 9, the last "classic" season of AITF is season 7.

I haven't received my copy yet so I couldn't comment on that. I wonder though. In syndication they episodes run about 22 minutes and change right? By 1977 wasn't network tv trimming back the amount of actual content time to make way for more advertising? Mike the Pacifist is a few seconds shy of 24 minutes which is the low end of running time for that set. (pt. 1) of Archie's Brief Encounter runs 25:01 according to the review and a cut line has already been identified. Who knows? :)

There may be little edits scattered thruout the episodes, someone who knows the series very well would know for sure. I have seasons 1-7, as far as I can tell the majority of episodes seem to be complete. I agree that All In The Family hasn't received the best treatment on DVD, edits aside, compressing 8 or 9 episodes per disc isn't a good thing. HelloLarry, please post here if you discover edits in any more episodes.

Will do. I did a transfer of my episodes I taped off tv not too long ago and assembled reasonably complete episodes. I figured it was better than nothing and you know how these things go. I said to myself that if I was going to do that and take the time, they for sure would officially be coming out. I'm pretty familiar with Archie's Brief Encounter as that is one I worked on a lot so I'll let you know.

These things aren't dealbreakers but it does make me wonder why so many different edits of these things seem to exist. When Columbia House released the season 8 opener "Archie Gets the Business" it was the way it originally aired on the network as a one hour episode (part 1 of Archie's Brief Encounter originally aired that way as well, you can tell how the episodes 'first' part ends when they just do a freeze frame on the kiss). I wonder when season 8 comes out if Archie Gets the Business will be the one hour configuration or another two parter. Edith's 50th Birthday is a one hour episode as well.

One odd thing about the DVD's I did notice, in season 5 the shows average about 24:50. In season 6, the shows average about 25:30. Then in season 7 the average time is back down to 24:50. Unusual.

Well, I got my copy today and I must say I am VERY disappointed. The video looks very strange. Not at all how the show usually looks. The movement is very strange. It's like they sped the time up or something. It doesn't look at all like the previous seasons. It's very cold instead of that warm sorta picture we are used to. I stopped watching it. I'd really like to return it but I'm not sure if they will accept it since it has been opened. Definitely waiting to hear a review of Season 8 before I bother ordering a copy.

I think the video quality in season 7 is excellent, they sharpened up the picture a little and enhanced the color. The movement appears normal, nothing looks to be time compressed or speeded up. The video quality in the previous seasons is soft and a little fuzzy.

In the season 7 DVD, the first episode is known to have an edit. That's unfortunate and I hope no other episodes are edited.

Well, I just learned this morning on TVShowsonDVD that Season 8 of All in the Family is being released on January 11, 2011. This is great. They are moving much faster than Sony, so surely they will finish up with Season 9 by next summer. The bad news is, still no word on The Jeffersons. After Shout releases Season 9 of All in the Family, hopefully they will also release Seasons 2-4 of Archie Bunker's Place in addition to The Jeffersons.

Well, I just learned this morning on TVShowsonDVD that Season 8 of All in the Family is being released on January 11, 2011. This is great. They are moving much faster than Sony, so surely they will finish up with Season 9 by next summer. The bad news is, still no word on The Jeffersons. After Shout releases Season 9 of All in the Family, hopefully they will also release Seasons 2-4 of Archie Bunker's Place in addition to The Jeffersons.

As much as I hope Shout jumps to Season 2 of Archie Bunker's Place after All in the Family Season 9, I'm not sure they will, since Shout might see ABP as a continuation of AITF and find it awkward to jump to Season 2. Besides, maybe if Shout Factory did re-release ABP Season 1, the mistakes made when Sony released it, could be corrected.

Imad

How about the episode Mike, The Pacifist? This episode runs under 24 minutes on the DVD. Anything cut from this one?

DVD edits aside, the seventh season will be the last one for me. I lost interest in the show from the eighth season forward, the final straw was the two parter where Edith is locked in the house with a rapist on her 50th birthday. Very depressing, I didn't like that at all. While there are a few good episodes in seasons 8 and 9, the last "classic" season of AITF is season 7.

Fortunately, one of my Columbia House videos has the episode, "Mike the Pacifist" on it, so I checked it and it appears to have the same runtime as the DVD version. So, I guess the episode is unedited after all.

Imad

Thanks to Shout! for releasing sn7 but I do notice a time compression issue. Once I get used to this picture quality I'll be okay with the set. 2011 seems promising with sns 8 being promised for January.

Aside from the one clip that has already been mentioned in Archie's Brief Encounter, the rest of the shows that I've seen seem to be complete. In fact, it is cool to see the footage in these episodes that has since been edited in syndication.

Just watched the Draft Dodger ep and it is not the original audio but the overdubbed version that played in rebroadcasts and syndication.

Archie calls the Vietnam War that "G*ddamn war" in the original broadcast but the version here uses more family friendly language. Maybe the original doesn't exist anymore.

Shout! should have included that little phrase "that some episodes may be edited" on the back of the package and also warned us that the eps are time-compressed.

As far as I know, seasons 5 and 7 don't have the little tag scene at the end of the episodes. But the tags are present in season 6. Maybe that explains why seasons 5 and 7 average 24:50 an episode, and season 6 shows average 25:30. In seasons 1 to 4, I think most of the episodes contain a tag scene.

I haven't noticed any problems with the video in the season 7 DVD, it could be my eyes aren't that sensitive to notice any quirks in the movement. The picture looks fine to me, video is enhanced compared to the previous seasons.

I'm wondering if maybe syndicated versions of the episodes were used for the 7th season DVD's, that might explain the edit in the beginning of Archie's Brief Encounter and the "politically correct" Draft Dodger episode. I don't think the original airing of Archie's Brief Encounter part 2 had captions at the beginning "last on All In The Family", "and now All In The Family continues". I'm speculating, but it appears those captions were added in later for syndication.

Someone on another board suggested that the video-problem is an authoring error. If you'll notice at the end of each episode, the Sony closing logo also looks "shifty" (for lack of a better word). So it doesn't seem to be the episodes but the way they were put on the dvd. One further note, if you have a "sharpness" setting on your tv (most tvs do), try fixing this setting and it reduces the "shifty" video substantially. I was all set to return my set because the video looked that bad, until I tried to fix the settings on my tv. The quality is much better once you fix this. :)

So Robert, do you turn the Sharpness setting right down to make it look normal? I'm at work now and can't pop it in and watch til later tonite.

So Robert, do you turn the Sharpness setting right down to make it look normal? I'm at work now and can't pop it in and watch til later tonite.
Sorry for not responding sooner Kasey. Just saw your post.

Yes, on my set I turn it down all the way. It may be different on different sets. However, on mine it made a difference. It's not so noticeable and actually tones down some of the bright spots that are way too bright. It makes it look more like a remastered version that isn't too different from the way we normally see the series in syndication. Let me know how it works for you. :)

As far as I know, seasons 5 and 7 don't have the little tag scene at the end of the episodes. But the tags are present in season 6. Maybe that explains why seasons 5 and 7 average 24:50 an episode, and season 6 shows average 25:30. In seasons 1 to 4, I think most of the episodes contain a tag scene.

I haven't noticed any problems with the video in the season 7 DVD, it could be my eyes aren't that sensitive to notice any quirks in the movement. The picture looks fine to me, video is enhanced compared to the previous seasons.

I'm wondering if maybe syndicated versions of the episodes were used for the 7th season DVD's, that might explain the edit in the beginning of Archie's Brief Encounter and the "politically correct" Draft Dodger episode. I don't think the original airing of Archie's Brief Encounter part 2 had captions at the beginning "last on All In The Family", "and now All In The Family continues". I'm speculating, but it appears those captions were added in later for syndication.


The series abandoned the tags by season 6.

With the exception of the first part of Archie's Brief Encounter, the episodes are complete, there are additional scenes in Archie's Brief Encounter that are not on the syndicated versions I have in my collection. I'm thinking that maybe ABE aired as two parts originally on the network in a one hour time slot as series sometimes do. Maybe they wanted to originally air it as a full one hour but had a commitment to say 24 episodes that season and if they aired it as one hour it would only count as 23 scripts so it was split in two. Just speculation. That surely would explain the presentation on this season 7 DVD. I do know for a fact that the season 8 opener "Archie Gets the Business" was a one hour show on the network as that is how it was presented on the Columbia House VHS when they released it. We'll see how they handle it on the DVD.

There is no other version of the Draft Dodger. AITF already broadcast the word Goddamnit in the first part of the 'We're Having a Heatwave' episode and the scene was definately recorded with the word intact. However since this aired on Christmas (or Chistmas Eve) the network asked that they pull back and dub over the line. The sad part is, any shock value aside, it does reduce the punch of the dialog a little bit when the overdub is placed in there, Archie's tone is just a little different. Still kind of a chilling scene to watch. That was the biggest blowup he delivered on the series in my memory where there wasn't any humor behind it initially. I know there is an interview somewhere (with John Rich maybe) where he discusses this scene. Would be nice if the original tapes existed prior to the overdub but I doubt they do.

Yes, it does play better when you decrease the sharpness on your TV.

The problem is still a little noticeable, but not nearly as much as when you are viewing with a sharp picture, as I normally do.

Let's hope Season 8 is not plagued by this oddity.

The series abandoned the tags by season 6.

With the exception of the first part of Archie's Brief Encounter, the episodes are complete, there are additional scenes in Archie's Brief Encounter that are not on the syndicated versions I have in my collection. I'm thinking that maybe ABE aired as two parts originally on the network in a one hour time slot as series sometimes do. Maybe they wanted to originally air it as a full one hour but had a commitment to say 24 episodes that season and if they aired it as one hour it would only count as 23 scripts so it was split in two. Just speculation. That surely would explain the presentation on this season 7 DVD. I do know for a fact that the season 8 opener "Archie Gets the Business" was a one hour show on the network as that is how it was presented on the Columbia House VHS when they released it. We'll see how they handle it on the DVD.

There is no other version of the Draft Dodger. AITF already broadcast the word Goddamnit in the first part of the 'We're Having a Heatwave' episode and the scene was definately recorded with the word intact. However since this aired on Christmas (or Chistmas Eve) the network asked that they pull back and dub over the line. The sad part is, any shock value aside, it does reduce the punch of the dialog a little bit when the overdub is placed in there, Archie's tone is just a little different. Still kind of a chilling scene to watch. That was the biggest blowup he delivered on the series in my memory where there wasn't any humor behind it initially. I know there is an interview somewhere (with John Rich maybe) where he discusses this scene. Would be nice if the original tapes existed prior to the overdub but I doubt they do.

Thanks for the information. When the 8th season comes out, I'll probably go ahead and buy it. Although I don't care for the Edith's 50th Birthday episodes, the season still has a number of good episodes ending with the Stivic's move to California.

Yes, it does play better when you decrease the sharpness on your TV.

The problem is still a little noticeable, but not nearly as much as when you are viewing with a sharp picture, as I normally do.

Let's hope Season 8 is not plagued by this oddity.
I'm glad it worked for you Kasey. I've been able to enjoy the set a whole lot better since discovering this setting. I must echo your thoughts about Season 8. It is actually one of my favorite seasons. So I really hope they can fix whatever malfunction occurred in Season 7's dvd set.