I record all of the All In The Family episodes on my DVR, and enjoy watching them even though they are ancient and somewhat “dated”.
I still laugh along at Archies’s attempts at explaining his “philospophies”, and still choke up when he has those moments of “humanity” (for lack of a better word).
I believe he was recently voted the top comedic actor of our time, and I must say I agree.
What went on in his private life and the stoic way he dealt with it just endears him to me that much more.
I still remember how cutting edge that show seemed at the time. It confronted racism and bigotry like no one had dared before, putting it right there in front of you and forcing one to acknowledge it’s existance.
For a time, there was something about Archie I just couldn’t put my finger on. Then, one day it dawned on me… he was nearly the spittin’ image of my dad but him being the least racial, most educated man I’ve ever known, it took awhile to make the association.
Norman Lear always seemed like a good answer to your dream dinner guest list.