Carroll O'Connor explains why Archie wasn't a lovable bigot in 1971 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 10-15-2022, 02:46 PM

Very interesting interview. He explains the show is a story of a man who is really a unhappy guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j4gjse35C8

Dude111 · 10-15-2022, 10:45 PM

Carrol was really unhappy??

Why?? Back then things were awesome!!

TVFactFan · 10-16-2022, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dude111

Carrol was really unhappy??

Why?? Back then things were awesome!!

NO, the show was about the story of a unhappy man named Archie due to his childhood and all the things happening around him

Not the actor, the character Archie

Yong Fang · 10-16-2022, 10:28 AM

I loved All in the Family.

Saying that, Archie could be mean, and was often unhappy. I never cared the way he treated his very loving wife, who would always run and greet him at the door when he came home. I never much cared for that Archie more or less treated his wife sometimes as a servant, as his cook especially (Where is dinner? Why isnt it on (my) table?) That can sort of be forgiven, back before the billionaires, corporations and the government screwed over the economy on purpose, only (usually) the man had to work and the wife stayed home as the "housewife" who did the cooking, shopping and cleaning. If I had a non working wife while I worked all day, I would want that also, although it would be perfectly fine if she wanted to work, even make more money, and we would shift roles. But if my wife was the housewife, I would be a lot more loving than I feel Archie was (especially in the earlier years).

But the man wasn't happy. Rather unpleasant a lot of the time. He had reason to be. He worked a difficult job doing manual labor all day, and lived in a house he probably was still paying on, and now he is supporting an adult man who married my dumb daughter, instead of the two just waiting until he graduated and got a career and a life. Looking back, Archie was right 95% of the time, Meathead gets 5% calling Archie on his racism.

GentlemanJim · 10-16-2022, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

I loved All in the Family.

Rather unpleasant a lot of the time. He had reason to be. He worked a difficult job doing manual labor all day, and lived in a house he probably was still paying on, and now he is supporting an adult man who married my dumb daughter, instead of the two just waiting until he graduated and got a career and a life. Looking back, Archie was right 95% of the time, Meathead gets 5% calling Archie on his racism.

100% accurate, IMO.

Apologists might be tempted to view the show through a modern lens and adjudicate Archie "in absentia", but personally I believe he was fairly happy with who he was. He just had issues with all the freeloading critics he was surrounded with, trying to tell him what to think.

Listening to the criticisms he often had for the Catholic church (just as illustration), he wasn't "upset" by their eccentricities, nearly so much as he was amused. And the fact that people around him having sensitivities could not share that sense of amusement, was where the shock value of the show was rooted

Dude111 · 10-16-2022, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

NO, the show was about the story of a unhappy man named Archie due to his childhood and all the things happening around him

Not the actor, the character Archie

Wow I didnt realise that!!

Thanx for the info Sol

10-15-2022, 02:46 PM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,044	Carroll O'Connor explains why Archie wasn't a lovable bigot in 1971 Very interesting interview. He explains the show is a story of a man who is really a unhappy guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j4gjse35C8

10-15-2022, 10:45 PM	#2
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 35,988	Carrol was really unhappy?? Why?? Back then things were awesome!!

10-16-2022, 10:28 AM	#4
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,073	I loved All in the Family. Saying that, Archie could be mean, and was often unhappy. I never cared the way he treated his very loving wife, who would always run and greet him at the door when he came home. I never much cared for that Archie more or less treated his wife sometimes as a servant, as his cook especially (Where is dinner? Why isnt it on (my) table?) That can sort of be forgiven, back before the billionaires, corporations and the government screwed over the economy on purpose, only (usually) the man had to work and the wife stayed home as the "housewife" who did the cooking, shopping and cleaning. If I had a non working wife while I worked all day, I would want that also, although it would be perfectly fine if she wanted to work, even make more money, and we would shift roles. But if my wife was the housewife, I would be a lot more loving than I feel Archie was (especially in the earlier years). But the man wasn't happy. Rather unpleasant a lot of the time. He had reason to be. He worked a difficult job doing manual labor all day, and lived in a house he probably was still paying on, and now he is supporting an adult man who married my dumb daughter, instead of the two just waiting until he graduated and got a career and a life. Looking back, Archie was right 95% of the time, Meathead gets 5% calling Archie on his racism.