Archie Bunker's Bicentennial Minute

@Lila15 nobody's forgotten that. The idea started out that way but he soon was the most popular character in America.

Like Meathead wasn't a cliche' (what else could Reiner be). But, gee, who was the more liked character as the show went on?

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@Slade I know. My father used to watch it, and he told me there were "Archie Bunker for President" buttons. But most people who watched All In the Family weren't agreeing with Archie, they were laughing at him. Norman Lear wrote the character to be as stupid and obnoxious as possible to portray conservatives as bigoted clowns.

I know a guy on here whose wife's grandfather was the propmaster at CBS for many years, and he knew all of the stars. According to him, Carroll O'Connor was nothing like Archie Bunker in real life. He was a very kind and decent man. Jean Stapleton, on the other hand, was a real prima donna who treated the makeup artists and other production staff like garbage.

The joke with Meathead was how Archie had always heard Polish jokes (which apparently were big back then) but had never known an actual Polish person. What I can't figure out is why Meathead was Polish, when his last name, Štivić, is Croatian. Croatia is nowhere near Poland. It would be like confusing a Canadian with a Guatemalan.

@Lila15 Yes Carol O'Conner was a low key and decent guy. A Shakespearean trained actor

The libs in his shows aren't much less cartoonish. Everybody on the Jeffersons were outrageous stereotypes

Cool thing is that, arguably, the 2 biggest TV stars of the 70's - O'Connor and Jack Lord, grew up together in Forest Hills, NY. Undoubtedly they acted together in kids and HS productions

Lord's real name is even more Irish than O'Connor's

@Slade Definitely, the liberals on those shows are caricatures.

I didn't know that about O'Connor and Lord. Lord's real name was John Joseph Patrick Ryan, which is definitely very Irish. But if O'Connor spelled his name Ó Conchúir (the modern Irish form), that would definitely have been even more Irish! Lord would have had to go by Ó Maoilriain (Irish version of Ryan) to beat that.

Most Irish surnames in the U.S. have been anglicized. Ronald Reagan's name is the anglicized version of Ó Riagáin, and Kennedy is the anglicization of Ó Cinneide. Even though Joe Biden's ancestry is Irish, his name isn't. "Biden" is an English name derived from the French word "boton," referring to button-makers.

@Lila15 Lord was the first choice to play Capt Kirk but he rejected the role. Good thing too since he comes off so serious.

I love how Lord, after years in Hawaii, never completely shook his Queens accent. You can hear it in Hawaii 5-O

Forest Hills also produced the Ramones (5 Jewish guys) and many other performers

@Slade I didn't know that about Captain Kirk. William Shatner is so iconic in the role, I can't imagine anyone else playing it.

I didn't know that about the Ramones, but then, that's way before my time.

I think Irish names are cool. Irish is a beautiful language if you've ever heard it. Enya's native language is Irish.

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@Lila15 Lord and Dr Spock together would be too serious and the show never would have had the campiness.

Another Forest Hills prodigy is the iconic rappers the Sugar Hill Gang. Back when rap was fun.

My friend played playground basketball with them and they'd rap while playing