Was Edith a dingbat?

[GeeBee]

Of course she was. What other type of woman would have put up with Archie?

[DarleneIllyria]

I think Edith did have her dingbat moments, okay, almost every moment was a dingbat moment. But sometimes Edith could just come up with stuff that really was good advice/thoughts/wisdom/etc.

[Mr. Television]

Yes and that's why she was so loved.

[GeeBee]

Oh, Edith was a great character and had her moments of wisdom. It's just ironic that the dinginess Archie always complained about was probably the only reason she hadn't left him years ago. I can't think of one TV husband who outdid Archie when it came to shabby treatment of a wife.

[ConservativeBalla]

She may be sort of book-smart but she's not, erm.... What's the opposite of it called? World-smart? Street-smart?

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by GeeBee
Of course she was. What other type of woman would have put up with Archie?

Yeah she was definitely a dingbat. Edith really showed she was a dingbat when she gave Louise Jefferson a lottery ticket that she paid for. geeBee i will bump up that post about the lottery ticket

[Viola_Fuss]

Originally posted by ConservativeBaller
She may be sort of book-smart but she's not, erm.... What's the opposite of it called? World-smart? Street-smart?

I think you're trying to articulate the expression "book smart, and people dumb" which refers to people who are educated, but not compassionate. Edith is neither book smart nor street smart (she's Archies wife and that's her focus in life). But she's very people smart and knows how to bring out the best in Archie Bunker and pretty much everyone else around her. She was certainly a very beloved woman.

[AB]

It seems kind of bad calling her a dingbat, she was so good-hearted and kind. But she did have some strange behavior at times.

[TJL]

Originally Posted by annball1957

It seems kind of bad calling her a dingbat, she was so good-hearted and kind.

I agree.
Edith Bunker was a kind hearted soul who was a wonderful neighbor and saw the good in all people.
Heck, she saw that there was good in her husband, an angry bigot the likes of which the TV universe had never seen.
Sure, Edith may have seemed "simple," but she had her moments of clarity and at times seemed the only person in that crazy houshold that was the most grounded.
In my opinion Gene Stapleton is one of the most gifted actresses ever to stand in front of a televison camera. She was the perfect foil for Archie, but at the same time she managed to take her "dingbat" character to amazing heights.

Edith will never be a dinbat in my book.

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by TJL

I agree.
Edith Bunker was a kind hearted soul who was a wonderful neighbor and saw the good in all people.
Heck, she saw that there was good in her husband, an angry bigot the likes of which the TV universe had never seen.
Sure, Edith may have seemed "simple," but she had her moments of clarity and at times seemed the only person in that crazy houshold that was the most grounded.
In my opinion Gene Stapleton is one of the most gifted actresses ever to stand in front of a televison camera. She was the perfect foil for Archie, but at the same time she managed to take her "dingbat" character to amazing heights.

Edith will never be a dinbat in my book.

Totally agree! Edith was the sweetest, purest, kindest soul you can find. Almost like a "human puppy".

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by TJL

I agree.
Edith Bunker was a kind hearted soul who was a wonderful neighbor and saw the good in all people.
Heck, she saw that there was good in her husband, an angry bigot the likes of which the TV universe had never seen.
Sure, Edith may have seemed "simple," but she had her moments of clarity and at times seemed the only person in that crazy houshold that was the most grounded.
In my opinion Gene Stapleton is one of the most gifted actresses ever to stand in front of a televison camera. She was the perfect foil for Archie, but at the same time she managed to take her "dingbat" character to amazing heights.

Edith will never be a dinbat in my book.

Well said, TJL! I couldn't have said it better myself.

[Janice]

I personally wouldn't call Edith a dingbat. She was sweet, compassionate, understanding and could often cut through to the core of an issue with a simple sentence. With that said, Edith could be waaaaaaayyyy out there at times. I've never known anyone in my entire life who could act so dimwitted and off the wall. The way she babbled on sometimes was insane. Funny but wacky, no doubt. Sure, Edith was wacky most of the time. It's as if she was in her own little world. She sure was loveable though.

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by Janice

She sure was loveable though.

Does anybody remember the first 2 episodes? Edith wasn't quite a dingy as she got. She was a little more abrupt. I think the producers/writers got a bit of feedback after those shows, or maybe just saw it themselves that Edith had to "soften" a bit in order to be truly likeable against Archie's personality. It was then that she got really dingy in her remarks. As the show progressed, she seemed then to offer really sound, good advice on occasion.

I loved it when she'd point out to Mike why Archie did things and that he might be jealous of Mike's education. As smart as Mike thought he was, it was clear that he'd never thought of that and have a bit of compassion for Arch.

Edith might not have been book smart, but she knew "people" and was an expert at handling them. Hey - anybody who could handle Archie on a day to day basis can handle any personality!

[TVFactFan]

The fact that she loan Louise money to buy a lottery ticket and wasn't going to get half of the winnings from Louise made Edith Bunker a Dingbat

[TJL]

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

The fact that she loan Louise money to buy a lottery ticket and wasn't going to get half of the winnings from Louise made Edith Bunker a Dingbat

Then you've missed the point entirely.

Edith did kind and generous things because that was her nature. She never thought about herself.