Yeah, I believe both of Mike’s parents were killed in an accident. He was raised by his Uncle Casimir, who appeared in an episode played by Michael Conrad, who later portrayed Sgt. Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues. I believe Mike at one point thanked Arch for being the father he never had.
Mike had very little back story. He mentioned a brother-in-law who was an attorney in an early episode- no idea if this was his sister’s husband or perhaps his Uncle Casimir’s son-in-law, but other than his uncle none of his family ever made an appearance or even got referred to.
Edith mentioned her brother and sisters in an early episode but the only relatives ever seen were Maude and an aunt (played by ubiquitous “little old lady” actress Nedra Volz, though she went to weddings and funerals of relatives. Her “niece” Stephanie joined the cast later when Mike & Gloria moved away though she wasn’t actually a niece or grandniece but, IIRC, some sort of an in-law or distant cousin.
Archie’s backstory also changed a bit- his father (David) was referred to as living in the pilot linked and the pilot shown though his mother (Sarah) was long dead, though later it was established as canon that both of his parents were long dead. In an early episode he Edith mentioned his sister Alma and brother Fred, though later he was referred to as an only child (though this may have been a slight at his brother), and still later there were episodes with his brother Fred and his niece. He had several cousins mentioned or seen in the early seasons- he wasn’t close to any of them (especially the one who died in his attic).
The “Shoe-booty” episode was the most in depth about Archie’s childhood and parents. It was also largely improv from O’Connor and Reiner.
Did anybody notice how much different the house was in the first pilot? The living area is pretty much the same but the room is L shaped with the kitchen in the recess. There’s also an enclosed porch, which actually makes the house more consistent with the one used for exterior shots.
Back in the ‘90s Norman Lear produced a (deservedly) short lived sitcom called 704 Hauser Street starring John Amos as the man who lived in Archie’s home after he sold it. In a flip-flop of the Archie-Mike dynamic Amos was a liberal former civil rights activist with a son who was a conservative yuppie law student. Nothing was really said about what had become of Archie save that this family now owned the house and French Stewart played Joey Stivic in the pilot episode [he drops by to see his grandparents’ house but doesn’t say anything about his mother or Archie’s current whereabouts). Much was made of the fact that it used the same set as the original which had been in storage for years, but as the new family was supposed to be better off and the wife was a caterer the kitchen was completely modernized and save for the staircase and doors there wasn’t really anything recognizable. (First ep.) According to imdb only 6 episodes were filmed and I don’t think even that many aired.
Interestingly Amos’s character’s name on 704 Hauser was Ernie Cumberbatch. Archie mentions having had a black friend once named Cumberbatch in the pilot. That can’t be a coincidence.
I had always found the show dated (Except in its initial run of course) until this last Decade. sure the fashion and technology had changed but suddenly a lot of the political issues became very familiar. Change Vietnam to Iraq, and Nixon (pre watergate) to Bush and the show seemed to become relevant again.
The Economic down turn, and change from republicans to Democrats with Mike having to defend the new president when he seemed to be struggling with a failing economy.
Am I crazy or does any one else see the parallels
I agree that it was far more dated in the 1980s than it is now. The conservative-liberal gap, which has never gone away of course, is as sharp and divisive now as then; in better economic times it didn’t come up so much in day to day life.
One thing I liked was that All in the Family didn’t do the lazy trick of writing an amount on a piece of paper when making an offer or talking about salary (who does that?). You know Archie paid $14,000 for 704 Hauser Street sometime in the 1950s and the blockbuster offered him $35,000 in 1971 which was an absurd amount; I’ve no idea how much half of a Queens duplex would go for today but I’m guessing if it’s got a roof and an electrical outlet anywhere in metro NYC $35,000 would be laughed at even as a downpayment. You also learn that Archie’s job as foreman paid- sometime in the Irene Lorenzo years (so early 1970s) $5.50 per hour. While it definitely dates the show it’s actually fascinating to see what inflation has done in the past 40 years, which isn’t really that long of a time. (Of course $5.50 per hour would have been an amount that people in the 1930s could have only dreamed of when guys risking their lives working on the Golden Gate Bridge were paid $8 per day and gladly traveled to California to get it.)
Speaking of Irene Lorenzo: I was watching the very long (4 hours I believe) 1999 TV Legends interview with Carroll O’Connor- those things are fascinating- and he was amazingly frank about the series and about his dislike of Norman Lear. When asked about Irene Lorenzo he said he loved Betty Garrett but the character was “empty” and he had big arguments with the writers about her, and Vincent Gardenia basically had a primadonna fit about being brought from New York occasionally to play Frank Lorenzo only to find his character had two lines and those not good. (Personally I’d think an actor would be delighted to be flown across the country for high exposure/high pay/easy work but apparently not.)
Jean Stapleton was also interviewed; she and O’Connor both spoke in effusive praise of the other, but they told irreconcilably different stories about the decision to “kill” Edith.
O’Connor isn’t modest about taking credit for creating Archie which from all I’ve read is true: he was based loosely on Alf Garnett and writers and Lear (who was not a writer) developed the character but O’Connor took it in new directions and made him a lot more complex. In that interview he says he had a love-hate relationship with the character and spoke of his open contempt in real life for poor people who are conservatives, basically calling them too stupid to vote. (O’Connor was not a flaming liberal but he was more libertarian than conservative; for those who don’t know he was also from a wealthy and highly educated family.)
Stephanie isn’t even a blood relative of Edith. She only comes into “Edith’s” family through Floyd being the son of a “step” relative of Edith
No, totally. Like the episode where both Archie and the Jeffersons don’t want a Puerto Rican couple to move into the house the Lorenzos ended up buying. I can see the same thing happen today with a gay couple. And the themes of unemployment/downsizing are very relevant.
According to IMDB, Kelly Jean Peters and Candy Azzara went on to long, if not especially notable careers and continue to work today. Tim McIntire (the son of character actors John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan) had his career and life shortened by drug and alcohol abuse. As for Chip Oliver, it looks like that failed pilot was his only credit.
Which isn’t surprising- he was terrible. No comic timing at all.
Is it just me, or does O’Connor seem vaguely annoyed by the interview?
Well, he wasn’t in a happy place: health problems (diabetes eventually cost him his feet), his son’s death a few years before, general old age and what-not, he was probably tired and cranky. OTOH there are no more in-depth interviews than these guys give and he gladly answered the questions.
It was cool seeing him slip effortlessly back into Archie Bunker several times during the interview (usually when quoting an episode). He had wanted to bring the character back for some specials in which Archie was supplementing retirement income driving cars (slightly more upscale than cab driving) and the specials mainly monologues, but never came to fruition.
Well he wasn’t an actor he was a professional football player
I found the second one a lot funnier, even if it was mostly the same jokes. The first one just seemed boring until Lionel came in. It must have been the timing, They really tightened it up in the second pilot.
I searched and found the actual aired episode, and I’m watching it now. But I can’t really rate it, since the jokes are too stale for me to judge. But the orange juice is oddly, well, orange–almost neon bright. They made Mike less of freeloader by adding a line about Archie agreeing they could stay there. I also noticed that New Lionel doesn’t do as good a “stupid black” accent, and they screwed up the timing on the joke when he left. and Mike smiling at the end was better, even if it did require remembering that Mike had picked out the card. We didn’t know whether Archie got it or not–much better for his character.
And yes, I did note that the God thing got incredibly shortened from the second pilot on. But I think it went too long without a joke. Though the president = God thing was hilarious.
We actually saw a few more of Edith’s relatives. There’s her cousin Amelia, who shows up at least two times (once when she sends Edith a mink, and again when she tells Edith she’s divorcing her obnoxious wealthy husband (who, in his first appearance, was played by Richard Dysart, famous for L.A. Law’s Leland), and is I believe the cousin referenced whenever Edith goes to Scranton. We meet two more aunts (I think they’re aunts) when Edith goes to a wedding where she’s looking forward to seeing her cousin Roy (but turns out he was never really a cousin). And then, most infamously, there’s Edith’s cousin Liz (the Lez), who I admit we never meet before she dies, but we do meet Liz’s partner, Veronica.
Mike has another uncle besides Casimir – there’s the uncle who died and left him $300, which Archie hopes Mike’ll give to Archie, but instead Mike gives it to the Democrats. Ouch. 
That was actually a touching episode. Today Edith’s reaction (letter Veronica keep the tea set) would be expected on TV but this was long before gay couples were accepted on television as anything other than comedy fodder and it may have been the first time ever one was shown to mourn when the other died.
I was so completely totally on Archie’s side in that one. If he didn’t give it to Archie then at least start a savings account, buy your wife some clothes or a TV set for the family or something. Instead you give it to a doomed campaign where it’s a drop in the river and that you know is going to piss off the guy who literally puts the roof over your head and food in your stomach. Mike was a jerk.
You mean “a can of mmmhhh mmhhhhh… in heavy seeer-up”.
This is the first episode that aired with everyone in their right places. It’s such a difference, even when they basically say the same words.