Carroll O'Connor Insisted That Edith Be Killed Off!?!? - Page 5 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dr. Thong · 12-09-2022, 10:11 PM

There are some on-demand episodes on the Crackle streaming app.

They only have episodes from the first three episodes and not all of them.

I did watch the full "Archie Alone" episode today, albeit with a lot of commercials.

Dr. Thong · 12-09-2022, 10:32 PM

This thread has been going on for over 11 years and it just dawned on me that this thread should be in the Archie Bunker's Place forum under 1980s shows!

BestTVever · 12-10-2022, 04:21 PM

I had to laugh at the first post on this thread. No disrespect to the OP. We were all moved by Edith's passing but she was a fictional character. Caroll was 100% right. Jean only agreed to appear in a few episodes of Archie Bunker's Place so the transition would be seamless. How could you explain Edith's absence? It would be dumb and out of character for her to divorce Archie and move out. It was the right move to do. It also had huge ratings for Archie Bunker's Place. It allowed Archie to be free and let other characters move in.

Dude111 · 12-10-2022, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

This thread has been going on for over 11 years and it just dawned on me that this thread should be in the Archie Bunker's Place forum under 1980s shows!

Ah man!!

Dr. Thong · 12-12-2022, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dude111

Ah man!!

sm95fan · 12-12-2022, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BestTVever

I had to laugh at the first post on this thread. No disrespect to the OP. We were all moved by Edith's passing but she was a fictional character. Caroll was 100% right. Jean only agreed to appear in a few episodes of Archie Bunker's Place so the transition would be seamless. How could you explain Edith's absence? It would be dumb and out of character for her to divorce Archie and move out. It was the right move to do. It also had huge ratings for Archie Bunker's Place. It allowed Archie to be free and let other characters move in.

Edith would have never moved out. She would have never have left Stephanie. So the only choice was the one that was made. It wasn't perfect but at least we got new characters; some worked like Billie and Estelle Harris, some didn't like Mrs. Canby and Katherine

Dr. Thong · 12-14-2022, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sm95fan

Edith would have never moved out. She would have never have left Stephanie. So the only choice was the one that was made. It wasn't perfect but at least we got new characters; some worked like Billie and Estelle Harris, some didn't like Mrs. Canby and Katherine

I'm sure Carroll O' Connor would have loved to do ABP with Jean Stapleton, but Stapleton was done with Edith after nearly 10 years, so yes, they did the right thing.

And think about it: If this were today, the network would probably have made O' Connor keep the All In The Family name for the show. At least by naming it ABP, it was its own thing.

Dude111 · 12-15-2022, 01:32 AM

I dunno what Edith was doing so wrong that he wanted her off the show.....

sm95fan · 12-15-2022, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dude111

I dunno what Edith was doing so wrong that he wanted her off the show.....

What she did wrong was not appearing enough. Her continuing absence was awkward to explain. Plus Jean wanted all of her appearances taped at once to free up the rest of the year to do other projects. This made it hard because the entire season was not mapped out that far in advance, and it made it impossible to incorporate unexpected changes later in the season.

Dude111 · 12-15-2022, 08:20 PM

Hmmmm perhaps.........

Duster76 · 12-16-2022, 12:46 AM

By the time we arrive at season 2, Carroll is wearing multiple hats including writing episodes, directing episodes, acting and producing a man for all seasons. As a producer he is responsible for the budget and that's the rub. Jean I'm sure was paid a premium to appear in a handful of episodes in season 1, plus there were additional production costs since all her episodes needed to be filmed during one time period. O'Connor as the producer has to ask himself one question, are the handful of appearances Jean will make worth the cost, are her appearances in episodes resulting in significantly higher rating than those episodes without Jean. These decisions usually come down to money, and business is business.

Dr. Thong · 12-16-2022, 01:32 AM

Bottom line is that Stapleton was burned out on Edith after 10 years and wanted to leave.

They had to kill her off.

While Norman Lear was no longer involved with the production, he did agree with the decision and endorsed it.

Some actors move on from a role because they've given all they can to it and need new creative challenges.

O' Connor kept the show going for three years afterwards until the cancellation.

End of story.

BestTVever · 12-17-2022, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Bottom line is that Stapleton was burned out on Edith after 10 years and wanted to leave.

They had to kill her off.

While Norman Lear was no longer involved with the production, he did agree with the decision and endorsed it.

Some actors move on from a role because they've given all they can to it and need new creative challenges.

O' Connor kept the show going for three years afterwards until the cancellation.

End of story.

Thank you. Exactly.
Jean was a trooper. All In The Family came to an end. Archie Bunker's Place was starting. How could you have Archie in that house without Edith. She agreed to try and make it a seamless transition which sort of worked. She never had to do that but was loyal to everyone.
Also her death gave the new show one of the highest rated shows for an episode.

Dr. Thong · 12-17-2022, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Thank you. Exactly.
Jean was a trooper. All In The Family came to an end. Archie Bunker's Place was starting. How could you have Archie in that house without Edith. She agreed to try and make it a seamless transition which sort of worked. She never had to do that but was loyal to everyone.
Also her death gave the new show one of the highest rated shows for an episode.

You're welcome.

And while this has been posted before, I noticed that after Edith's passing, the lighting in the Bunker house changed. It's darker in the episodes from season 2-4. I guess that was their way of indicating that a change had happened.

BestTVever · 12-17-2022, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

You're welcome.

And while this has been posted before, I noticed that after Edith's passing, the lighting in the Bunker house changed. It's darker in the episodes from season 2-4. I guess that was their way of indicating that a change had happened.

You know what's funny. There is a thread in the Archie Bunker's Place about how dark the house was. I woke up really early one morning last week and Archie Bunkers place was on Antenna TV at 430 am. It was season 4 episode 22 and the lighting was back full house. If you notice the ending of season 4 the lighting goes back to normal. I think there was some sort of stage lighting issue they thought would not impact the show since many scenes were at the bar. Check out those late episodes and tell me if I am wrong.

12-09-2022, 10:11 PM	#61
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,545	There are some on-demand episodes on the Crackle streaming app. They only have episodes from the first three episodes and not all of them. I did watch the full "Archie Alone" episode today, albeit with a lot of commercials.
	__________________ "Sunday has been cancelled due to lack of interest. That is all."

12-09-2022, 10:32 PM	#62
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,545	This thread has been going on for over 11 years and it just dawned on me that this thread should be in the Archie Bunker's Place forum under 1980s shows!

12-10-2022, 04:21 PM	#63
BestTVever Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2021 Location: Miami Posts: 1,874	I had to laugh at the first post on this thread. No disrespect to the OP. We were all moved by Edith's passing but she was a fictional character. Caroll was 100% right. Jean only agreed to appear in a few episodes of Archie Bunker's Place so the transition would be seamless. How could you explain Edith's absence? It would be dumb and out of character for her to divorce Archie and move out. It was the right move to do. It also had huge ratings for Archie Bunker's Place. It allowed Archie to be free and let other characters move in.

12-15-2022, 01:32 AM	#68
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 35,386	I dunno what Edith was doing so wrong that he wanted her off the show.....

12-15-2022, 08:20 PM	#70
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 35,386	Hmmmm perhaps.........

12-16-2022, 12:46 AM	#71
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,639	By the time we arrive at season 2, Carroll is wearing multiple hats including writing episodes, directing episodes, acting and producing a man for all seasons. As a producer he is responsible for the budget and that's the rub. Jean I'm sure was paid a premium to appear in a handful of episodes in season 1, plus there were additional production costs since all her episodes needed to be filmed during one time period. O'Connor as the producer has to ask himself one question, are the handful of appearances Jean will make worth the cost, are her appearances in episodes resulting in significantly higher rating than those episodes without Jean. These decisions usually come down to money, and business is business.

12-16-2022, 01:32 AM	#72
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,545	Bottom line is that Stapleton was burned out on Edith after 10 years and wanted to leave. They had to kill her off. While Norman Lear was no longer involved with the production, he did agree with the decision and endorsed it. Some actors move on from a role because they've given all they can to it and need new creative challenges. O' Connor kept the show going for three years afterwards until the cancellation. End of story.