Five Facts You Likely Never Knew About ‘All in the Family’

One of the first times politics and cultural unrest were major themes on scripted television was in none other than “All in the Family,” a sitcom whose central family members held diametrically opposed life views. The show’s outspoken main character, Archie Bunker (famously played by Carroll O’Connor), was a stereotypical working-class conservative in Queens, New York — while his son-in-law, Michael Stivic (played by Rob Reiner, before he became a director), was an equally passionate liberal.

Touching on everyday issues that impacted Americans back then (and still do) — including the Vietnam War, race relations, the differences between Republicans and Democrats, and so much more — the show was a smashing success. In all, it lasted nine seasons (from 1971 to 1979) and 205 episodes.

Archie Bunker remains one of the most memorable television characters of the 21st century, and “All in the Family” continues to influence the sitcom format. With that in mind, here are five facts you may not know about one of the most influential sitcoms of the 1970s.

1.) It produced seven spinoffs. Just because a television show is a success with audiences does not guarantee a spinoff is going to be a hit. A prime example would be the “Friends” spinoff “Joey” (“Friends” lasted over 200 episodes — while “Joey” got the ax before airing just 40).

However, “All in the Family” ended up producing an unprecedented seven spinoffs; a few were highly successful.

“The Jeffersons” is the best-known and most successful of those spinoffs, as it lasted for 11 seasons. However, “Good Times,” which was itself a spinoff of “Maude” — a spinoff of “All in the Family” — was another hit show that lasted for six seasons.

Some other shows that are considered spinoffs include “Checking In,” “Gloria,” “Archie Bunker’s Place” and “704 Hauser.”

Related: Five Facts You Likely Never Knew About ‘MAS*H’

2.) It was based on a British sitcom called “Till Death Do Us Part.” While “All in the Family” produced many hit spinoffs, it was also based on existing work. The premise came from a British sitcom called “Till Death Do Us Part.” The show aired from 1965 to 1975 and featured a man named Alf Garnett, a right-wing reactionary who hated socialism.

He lived with his wife, Else, as well as his daughter, Rita, and her husband, Mike, a socialist.

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3.) The producers once threatened to kill off Archie. Can you imagine a version of “All in the Family” without Archie Bunker? Hard to believe, but that was nearly a reality.

During 1974, Carroll O’Connor walked out of the job for three weeks while negotiating his contract and work conditions. As a result, four episodes were shot without Archie.

Producer Norman Lear then threatened O’Connor, saying if they did not come to a deal, he would kill off O’Connor’s character; so never mind the chance to come back to work! It’s an eerie thought, but it proved effective in negotiation.

4.) The producers originally wanted Mickey Rooney to play Archie. Imagine how different the show would have been with such a casting decision.

Norman Lear’s original idea for Archie was Rooney. He knew Rooney’s manager and used that connection to reach out to Rooney to pitch the character to him.

However, Lear made the mistake of describing the Archie character as “a bigot.” After hearing that word, Rooney was not interested. He told Lear, “Norm, they’re gonna kill you. They’re gonna shoot you dead in the streets,'” according to Entertainment Weekly. He then pitched his own show to Lear about a Vietnam vet who was a private detective.

Rooney’s extreme prediction was incorrect — and the show became a massive success with O’Connor as Bunker.

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5.) The show featured the first toilet flush on network television. This may sound trivial — but it’s an indication of how far television has come in the last 50 years.

In 1971, Archie Bunker made history during the first season of “All in the Family” by flushing a toilet; it was the first network television show to feature the sound.

Back then, that was considered taboo for television — but what Archie did would be considered nothing less than harmless today.

Bonus fact: Rob Reiner wore a hairpiece. No, that was not Reiner’s real hair for most of the time he was playing Archie’s son-in-law. From the second season on, the actor wore a hairpiece. As a director, he embraces his bald head these days.

Tom Joyce is a freelance writer from the South Shore of Massachusetts. He covers sports, pop culture, and politics and has contributed to The Federalist, Newsday, ESPN, and other outlets.