All In The Family
Friday, June 15, 2012 at 5:40PM
As I mentioned in a previous post, I worked at CBS Television City in Los Angeles as a young man. The years were 1969 through 1972. During that time, many very popular shows taped there, including Carol Burnett, Glenn Campbell, Jim Nabors, Merv Griffin… and All in the Family.
I remember the buzz surrounding All in the Family when it was in rehearsal. We heard that it was ground-breaking television and it would keep the censors busy.
At first, it seemed unlikely that CBS would air it, as CBS had canceled The Smother Brothers Show just a few years before because they were too “edgy.” Now came All in the Family.
I sat in the studio and watched some of the rehearsals for All in the Family and became friendly with Jean Stapleton who played the “dingbat”, Edith Bunker. She told me privately that CBS had only ordered three episodes of the show and she didn’t think the network would dare to actually put it on the air.
The day of taping, CBS staff members had to go to The Farmer’s Market next door to recruit audience members. No one had ever heard of Jean or Carol O’Connor, who played her husband, Archie. And the network was trying to keep the show under the radar until it decided if it would actually air it.
I stood through the taping of the first episode, and heard the audience laugh in disbelief. NO ONE had ever heard any language like that on network television and people were absolutely incredulous.
I too was incredulous. But to CBS’s credit… the show DID air… and it made television history.
Do you think any network would attempt a show like that today? Don’t you wish they would?