The big blogs all have theme days, and I need to get in step.
I have a plan to start Tuesday Shoe Review, in which I’ll blog footwear worthy of note. I have a great pair of shoes — boots, really — that I planned to write about tonight. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring home the cable to download photos from my camera, and i can hardly do a shoe review without a photo, can I?
So for today, we’ll instead have TV Tuesday, a new recurring theme in which I’ll write about TV shows that changed my life.
Actually, that’s all blather to introduce something that actually did affect my life. Today I saw this photo:
(via “If Charlie Parker Were a Gunslinger….“)
All in the Family was one of few sitcoms showing on TV when I was growing up, so I didn’t appreciate how unusual it was. And of course I couldn’t guess how influential it would be, how it would affect me and the way I thought, how it would change how sitcoms worked. For me then, it was just funny.
It still is funny. Here’s a stellar episode — the one where Maude (played by the amazing Beatrice Arthur) is introduced as a prime opponent to Archie.
Cousin Maude’s Visit: part 1 | part 2 | part 3
* Well, the Tuesday Shoe Review thing is real. I’ll start next week. !!
I watched reruns of All in the Family off and on in high school (when I discovered I can do a decent Edith Bunker impression, my one secret talent), but I don’t think I ever saw any with Maude. It’s weird to see Bea Arthur as someone else other than Dorothy on Golden Girls.
I think I liked Maude better than I did All in the Family. To me, Bea Arthur’s character on Golden Girls always seemed like an extension of the Maud character — less outrageous but ultimately having similar principles. But maybe it’s because I just found it weird to see her as someone else than Maud.
The AitF theme song is still one of my top 5 favorites of all-time.
Ahh, those were the days. Sitting together as a family, laughing, enjoying the moment without texting and checking email during commercials. Thanks for the memories!
Happy New Year!
Judy
I don’t think I appreciated how different this was from other TV until I was older. This and M.A.S.H. broke serious ground for everything that came after.
Ah, watching this reminds me so much of my grandfather and grandmother who always reminded me of Archie and Edith back in the day. Except seeing it now, it also kinda pinpoints how much my own father is turning into Archie. The mannerisms and ways of speaking are uncanny. I wonder if he realizes he’s channelling Carroll O’Connor?