Boy, the way the Beaver played. Ricky Nelson made the hit parade. Voices they were seldom raised. Those were the days. And then, on January 12, 1971, America met the Bunkers, and sitcoms would never be the same. The Bunkers were TV's first dysfunctional family: blue-collar bigot Archie (the late Carroll O'Connor in his iconic role), his long-suffering but loving wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), "little goil" Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her liberal husband "Meathead" Mike (Rob Reiner). Series creator Norman Lear broke near every rule and taboo in adapting the British series "Till Death Do Us Part" for American television. The series pilot, "Meet the Bunkers," was a bracing shocker that dared to find humor in prejudice. Archie dispenses racial epithets and ethnic slurs. Mike and Gloria clearly have an active sex life, while Edith, in the pilot at any rate, is more "pip" than "dingbat." In its first season, the series refused to, in Archie's words, "stifle" itself, tackling such hot-button topics as homophobia ("Judging Books by Covers"), racism ("Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood"), feminism ("Gloria Discovers Women's Lib"), and the generation gap (the touching "Success Story," with William Windom as Archie's former army buddy, a successful man who is revealed to be estranged from his son).

All in the Family was a rich human comedy. Brought to life by a peerless ensemble, these characters would come to feel like family. Their foibles produced some of television's biggest laughs. They could also make us cry, as with the heartbreaking "Gloria's Pregnancy." Another series landmark is the season finale, "The First and Last Supper," in which we meet Isabel Sanford's Louise Jefferson (but, hilariously, not her husband, George). All in the Family was an instant lightning rod for controversy but went on to earn the comedy Emmy Award in its first year.

Cast and Characters

• Caroll O' Conner as Archie Bunker
• Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker (1971-1980)
• Sally Struthers as Gloris Bunker Stivic (1971-1978)
• Rob Reiner as Mike Stivic (1971-1978)
• Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson (1973-1975)
• Betty Garret as Irene Lorenzo (1973-1975)
• Vincent Gardenia as Frank Lorenzo (1973-1974)
• Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson (1971-1975)
• Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson (1971-1975)
• Mel Stewart as Henry Jefferson (1971-1973)

Broadcast History, Episode Guide & TV Schedule

First Telecast: January 12, 1971
Last Telecast: April 8, 1979
Number of Seasons: 9
Number of Episodes: 202
Original Network: CBS

Theme Song Lyrics and Intro

"Those Were the Days," by Strouse and Adams, sung at the opening of each show by Archie and Edith

Boy the way Glen Miller played Songs that made the hit parade. Guys like us we had it made, Those were the days. And you knew who you were then, Girls were girls and men were men, Mister we could use a man Like Herbert Hoover again. Didn't need no welfare state, Everybody pulled his weight. Gee our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.

Listen to theme song:

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