All In The Family (DVD) Review

The #1 Nielsen rated program from 1971 to 1976, All In The Family is quite simply one of the greatest television programs in history. Inspired by The Honeymooners and The Flintstones, All In The Family features its own loud-mouthed, opinionated blowhard sporting a hidden soft and sensitive side. Like Ralph Kramden and Fred Flintstone, Archie Bunker fulfills his role to absolute perfection, and the result is TV magic. Well-written and outright hilarious, All In The Family broke ground in the 70's with its willingness to tackle all the social issues and societal taboos of its day. Topics included racism, bigotry, sexism, homosexuality, death, and other namby-pam, socialist and liberal-feminist ideals (or at least that's how Archie would put it!) A titan among television sitcoms, All In The Family spawned a pair of shows which topped the ratings in their own right - Maude and The Jeffersons…

Carroll O'Connor plays the role of Archie Bunker, the titular head of the Bunker household. Loud and crass, Archie freely dispenses his bigoted remarks and ignorant comments from the living room of his Queens, New York home. Joining Archie is his loving and ditsy wife Edith (Jean Stapelton), his beautiful and progressive daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her ultra-liberal husband Mike (Rob Reiner) whom Archie refers to as "Meathead". As Gloria and Mike's modern ideas clash with Archie's old school beliefs, all hell breaks loose in the Bunker household, but the Bunkers don't spend all their time arguing as they're inevitably held together by the immutable bond of love…

The All In The Family DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Meet the Bunkers" in which it's Edith and Archie's anniversary, and Edith manages to drag a reluctant Archie to church. Meanwhile, Mike and Gloria work overtime to create a celebration the Bunkers will never forget… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Archie Gives Blood" in which Archie refuses to participate in the blood drive because he's afraid of having his blood mixed with that of another race, and "Edith Has Jury Duty" in which Edith's conviction to hold steadfast as the lone juror in favor of a defendant's acquittal proves correct when the true culprit comes forward…

Below is a list of episodes included on the All In The Family (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Meet the Bunkers) Air Date: 01-12-1971
Episode 2 (Writing the President) Air Date: 01-19-1971
Episode 3 (Oh, My Aching Back) Air Date: 01-26-1971
Episode 4 (Archie Gives Blood) Air Date: 02-02-1971
Episode 5 (Judging Books By Covers) Air Date: 02-09-1971
Episode 6 (Gloria's Pregnancy) Air Date: 02-16-1971
Episode 7 (Mike's Hippie Friends Come to Visit) Air Date: 02-23-1971
Episode 8 (Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood) Air Date: 03-02-1971
Episode 9 (Edith Has Jury Duty) Air Date: 03-09-1971
Episode 10 (Archie is Worried About His Job) Air Date: 03-16-1971
Episode 11 (Gloria Discovers Women's Lib) Air Date: 03-23-1971
Episode 12 (Success Story) Air Date: 03-30-1971
Episode 13 (The First and Last Supper) Air Date: 04-06-1971