Richard is too preppy somehow. And Gloria was too big and healthy. She’s supposed to be sort of frail. No, you’re right. There’s something too perfect- looking about the two in the pilot. I like the final casting better. Mike looks like the hippy he’s supposed to be. If a girl marries her father, opinionated troubled Mike is the best choice. And have you seen the other pilot? That Gloria was way off, though her husband was as hippy as Mike just not as smart.
I've made the same observation over the years. Especially as I approach that age! I don't know if we're actually aging slower. Or that the quality of life has improved Back about that time when you hit 50. You were DONE. Look at Aunt Bee vs. The likes of Susan Lucci or Joan Collins!
Agency in Repose yes, and something in the food supply in America has been doing it for 50 years or so. I don’t think lives are any easier. People have been stuck in stressful and political jobs in that time period and unhappy marriages.
I just watched to see the set changes. The set designers really improved this cluttery set to the one we all know. Amazing how they opened it up so the actors could move more freely but still somehow managed to keep the feeling of the musty closed up dated house. It was all done in sepia tones to resemble an old photograph. The house always conveyed Archie's personality of not wanting things to change. I always had the feeling Archie and Edith's house hadn't changed one bit since they moved into it in the late 40s until we saw it in the 70s. And Archie was completely fine with that. If the world changed outside, at least he could come home to where nothing changed.
Her character was more closely modeled after the character in the British version in the beginning. She didn't really become the Edith we remember until about halfway through the first season
Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were MADE for these roles! Genius! Can't see anyone, but them in these roles. But Gloria and Mike (Richard in the pilot) were the icing on the cake. Without Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner the show would not have been the same. The four of them worked magnificently together. So glad the two actors in this pilot were not chosen.
Glad Norman Lear replaced the Mike and Gloria characters with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, The acting of the original couple was terrible. They seemed like novice actors.
Chip Oliver was too much of a gentle giant.he lacks the force and fire of rob reiner.chip Oliver gives a sincere performance.he is a big man.but he is a gentle giant.a lil Abner or Jethro bodine type.candace azzara isn't bad as Gloria.she is petite and cute with lovely blonde hair.she has that feist and little girl appeal and style.but she comes off as kinda rough around the edges.where as Sally struthers was both feisty and vulnerable too.azzara doesn't come off as totally vulnerable.had azzara been cast as Gloria she wouldn't have been bad.but the Gloria and Mike relationship would have been different.candace azzara Gloria is certain aspects different than Sally struthers.the sparring between Mike and Gloria would have been different had azzara and reiner would have been Mike and Gloria.had azzara been cast as Gloria.the relationship between Archie and Gloria would have been different.the sparring too.but Candace azzara is appealing as gloria.who knows what it would have been like had it been her and rob reiner.i think those two would have been a vibrant team and a good match.but not in the same league as Sally struthers and rob reiner.struthers Gloria was different in certain aspects than azzara.candace azzara kinda looks like Meredith macrae.
Thank you so much whomever uploaded this timeless treasure. AITF is my second-favorite program of all time after I LOVE LUCY. I was born the year before this pilot was taped. I have NEVER seen any of the pilots and enjoying seeing and hearing the differences and similarities with how the show eventually turned out. My opinions: Those Were the Days was a better title. The eventual SET was better. Archie's chair was better later on. The family name change from JUSTICE to BUNKER was a tremendous improvement. ARCHIE JUSTICE would have too heavy-handed. The actors who played DICKIE (horrible name in the age of NIXON) and Gloria and Lionel could not compare to ROB REINER, SALLY STRUTHERS and the FIRST Lionel. They changed Dickie/Mike from an Irishman to a POLACK (much better for jokes), and it was interesting finding out MEATHEAD was used from the start. This program was VERY topical but also ahead of it's time. It would be every bit as relevant today in the age of TRUMP (could very easily imagine ARCHIE as a MAGAT) and in the age of Black Lives Matter. Racism is still alive and well in America, and not only in the south. Timeless program acted brilliantly by the late, great Carrol O' Connor and Jean Stapleton whose characters were iconic and indelible from the start. May they RIP.
I never knew it, but its cool seeing D'urville Martin as the original Lionel. He directed Dolemite, and he was just played by Wesley Snipes in My Name is Dolemite.
Wow it's really cool to see the original pilot. I've seen the actual episode and recognize the dialogue. It feels more like a play than a tv show. You can feel the difference in the acting with the actors playing Mike and Gloria. They seem more like stage actors. They don't have the same relaxed presence that Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor have. Talk about pros. You feel like Archie and Edith are real while the other two feel like they are acting. The same chemistry wasn't there as it was with Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner.
So the Bunkers original last name was “Justice” and Michael’s name was originally “Richard” (Dickie)! I never knew that! Glad they kept the name “Meat-Head”. I’m glad that the writers kept tweaking the character of Edith and the actor change out of Gloria and Michael were needed. I thought the actor playing Lionel was pretty good..he just needed to relax into his character more and trust his natural ability and not do what he thought Lionel would do. This was so much fun to watch the actors characters developing. Thank you!
The verse of the theme song that was heard in the two pilots and not in the series or the version released on Atlantic Records went: Had my 12-tube radio, Loved the Eddie Cantor Show, Now where did all that beauty go? Those were the days.
I just watched the 3rd pilot prior to this one. While the script is the same, its glaringly obvious the roles of Gloria and "Meathead" HAD to be recast, otherwise the series wouldnt have been made. The actors playing Edith and Archie were outstanding from the very start.
The actress who played the daughter later played Rodney Dangerfield's hapless wife in the hilarious movie Easy Money in 1983. That movie had you laughing from the opening to the closing!
meathead was played by ralph "chip" oliver in this pilot. he was a professional football player for oakland for 2 season. 6'2 ' 220 linebacker. a stud in those days.
I'm so glad Norman Lear was such a perfectionist and kept recasting Mike and Gloria. The 1st 2 sets of them were terrible! The 1st Mike looked like a hippie caricature and the 2nd looked too clean-cut and his hair was too short - looked like someone Archie should've liked. What made this show so brilliant was the incredible 4-person ensemble and it just wouldn't have been the same with these mediocre actors. It just goes to show how much individual actors bring to their roles and transform them. Even the facial expressions of all 4 actors (including Struthers and Reiner) could communicate so much without saying a word, and the use of tight close-ups highlighted this. Sometimes they'd have conversations using just facial expressions. Now that's acting.
@@joejones6007 The son-in-law in this pilot was played by former Oakland Raider, Chip Oliver. His family lived down the street from me when I was a kid. I was friends with his little brother, Ronnie. Not that anyone asked...just putting in my two cents worth.
@@jusssayin480 In the late 60s if my hair even looked like it was touching my ears, my father told me to get a haircut...in THAT voice. Oddly, my parents didn't give any thoughts to what I wore, but my hair better not touch my ears or collar.
@Twammington Twammleberry Yeah but they would seem normal, so the funny hysterical stuff would never exist in the show if they were cast. Still miles better than 1968 pilot which was just insanely boring. But Rob Reiner and Sally made the show good by having them in there
As Harlan Ellison pointed out in his LA Free Press column "The Glass Teat," the reaction to the taping from the audience was unanimously favorable. But Elton Rule and Leonard Goldberg (President and Programming head at ABC ATT) lost their nerve and took it off the 1969 schedule.
I can see why ABC passed. This was intense for 1969. Even today, you don't hear "GD" on TV. And Gloria was retucking her shirt after she and Dicky got it on upstairs. "All In The Family" was ahead of its time when it was launched in the early 70s. This pilot was way ahead of its time in 1969.
In my opinion, the casting of Reiner and Struthers was likely the best choice; however, it should be noted that, like new shoes, performers usually "break in" and develop the chemisrty that eventually defines the project as a whole. This is largely true in any performance enterprise (think bands, series television, cinema, even radio and internet content). I enjoy focusing on technical matters, whether performance differences from cast or design changes/errors from production, so it was interesting to see the first and second pilots back to back. I wonder how many viewers noticed the address error on the front door in pilot 2 @ ~3:47 (407 NOT 704 Hauser Street). Also noticeable in the opening sequence of the actual series, post-pilot, is the absence of a front porch attatched to the "Hauser Street" dwelling.
@@keonta81 Interesting you should mention that. I read about a couple of years back that Martin Luther King had the heart of a 60-year-old. Not surprising, considering all he had to put up with. I'm 57, and am probably physiologically about five to seven years older myself. Emotional problems do take their toll on a person.
This was a great remount of the original pilot. They had more time to live with the material so its much sharper and funnier. I really enjoyed D'urville Martin's portrayal as Lionel. He should've been kept onboard for the series.
I actually like Candace Azzara in this. I was never crazy about Sally Struthers, just used to her. Not crazy about this nobody Chip “Dickey” guy. Rob Reiner’s Mike owns this role.
This Edith is similar to the Edith of most of the first thirteen episodes in the winter/spring of 1971. Less upbeat, slightly cynical, not as devoted to Archie. The transformation into the more beloved Edith came between seasons one and two. My guess is that the producers felt the show was a too dark and harsh. The slightly revamped Edith gave the show some lightness.
They do not write them like this anymore. The seventies may have had there ups and downs, but All in the family, broke the mold, even when those hard times showed its uglyness they pulled together and laughter was just around the corner. Those truly were the good old days. Mr. Lear you out did yourself on this show, thank you.
Tv Land showed this pilot as a special sometime in the late 90's. I recorded it on video tape. It was so cool to watch back then before You Tube and the internet!
One major deficit in Reiner's acting however was his accent. Meathead was supposed to be from Chicago but he had a New York accent almost as thick as Archie and Edith's. At least Chip Oliver's accent was passably Midwestern if not precisely Chicagoan.
They shouldn't have put that Chicago angle in there, I don't know what purpose that served. I wonder if Rob Reiner tried to curb his accent, he could of just went full with the New York accent.
@@Joe-oi7bn Yeah, the only time his origins mattered at all was when his uncle Casimir came in from Chicago to attend Mike and Gloria's wedding -- and he had a New York accent too. Maybe they intended to make his origins a bigger plot point but never got around to it and/or realized it didn't matter to the broader theme of the show, but for all the difference it made, Mike and Uncle Cas could have just as well been from Yonkers. And to my Midwestern ears, Mike's accent was pretty "full New York" -- maybe not old-school blue-collar Queens like Archie and Edith but still unmistakably New York.
The Chicago information is mentioned again seasons later in the flashback episode of how Mike and Gloria met. So it was still rarely mentioned. My parents were from Manhattan like Jean Stapleton. Carroll O'Conner is said to have been born in Manhattan but it also says he's from the Bronx. I hear my parents and aunts and uncles in all the characters on the show.
The Jefferson's didn't move in next door till the third season. It took them awhile to figure who was gonna play George. But the Jefferson's turned out to. Be A dam good show too
Norman Lear always wanted Sherman Hemsley for George, but he was acting on stage in the musical "Purlie," which had a long run on Broadway and then a revival soon after, making him unavailable for the part for two years. Lear held the part of George open for him until he was available, with Mel Stuart playing Henry Jefferson.
Youbetcha I'm sure you had sunscreen, fruits, vegetables, weren't expected to live in a world in which 30 was old, which is how people look at even that age in older shows & films. You knew about smoking, drinking, all of that. People of that era went through world wars, stress, not hearing from family for weeks to months at a time when growing up. Also, the film & makeup at the time tended to "age" people.
"Guys like us" became "Guys like me" in this one. I like the official better, with US! I like the official Mike and Gloria and a less sassy Edith, the changes made this show a lot better!
@@melaniemills4505 true, but Rob didn't have to become the whiney little snowflake he is today. At least Sally stayed out of politics for the most part. So, as of right now, I still like her.
@Dean I’m immensely amused that @Picture Perfect identifies with Archie and can’t recognize that he’s someone who’s not to be admired and Lear was a liberal making fun of those types. 😂
I was born exactly 18 days after this pilot was filmed. This show would later become one of my all time favourite shows. After viewing this, it’s easy to see there wasn’t much chemistry with the actor/character playing Richard. The actress playing Gloria wasn’t as bad, but still not much _”oomph”_ from her too.
@@howie9751Once you get locked in to a regular role on tv, it's harder to get movie roles.he had a long lasting career and lots of recognition for his work. Not to mention the money 😂
Mid 40s looked older back then. There was less emphasis on staying youthful looking, particularly on TV. The Bunkers were supposed to be in their mid 40s. In fact, I believe Edith was in her early 40s, since she turned 50 in season 8.
I just watched the previous pilot, and only laughed once or twice with that one. This time, even though it was nearly identical, with only subtle changes in dialogue delivery, I laughed a bunch of times. The Archie character was more refined as well.
I did the same thing, back to back. The pacing was much better with this one. But I liked the first GLoria and Richard better. These two reminded me of Suzie and Jerry from The Mothers in Law! No edge to either of them ..
What I find interesting is the Gloria in this episode has a NY accent, Sally Struthers did not, but Rob Reiner whose character, Mike, was supposed to be from Chicago, had a NY accent, not a Chicago accent.
These are the 2nd ones. Reiner and Struthers were the 3rd couple cast for the daughter and bf. They thought Reiner looked a little too old and too big for Struthers but his delivery and his father eventually landed him the part
I never knew this existed, and I watched the show when it first aired. It's a tribute to Carrol O'Conner's and Jean Stapleton's acting skills that the Archie and Edith characters seem to have been fully developed even in the pilot.
Wonderful to see this version. Honestly, Carroll and Jean were perfect, I wasn’t impressed with the choice of other actors. .. but the trial / pilot is what that’s all about; what works what doesn’t.
For the longest time I couldn't figure out why the third pilot worked so well where the first and second pilots failed -- what made the chemistry that much better? That question really puzzled me as I couldn't stand Meathead as portrayed by Rob Reiner. And then it finally dawned on me -- that's EXACTLY why the the third pilot worked. Alas, as flawed as Archie was, the audience could still sympathize with him because they wanted to punch Meathead in the throat just as much as Archie did.
Good thing this show wound up on CBS and not ABC! CBS was in its heyday as the Tiffany Network, while ABC was anything but and this would most likely never have been the smash hit that it became, as All in the Family.
So interesting to see this. You can tell they were making changes from the first pilot and this is closer to what we saw on the air. The first pilot had a Mike that was a bit too similar to Carroll O'Connor's energy on screen so seems they tried this actor for how he contrasted with Carroll. The Gloria here is definitely closer to Sally's portrayal.
Never thought I'd be grateful for Rob Reiner and Sally Shruthers.
I feel the same way, in a strange kind of way.
Lionel was better cast as well. I didn't care for this actor.
Love this show!!! Forever!
They were both good actors in their own right. Just miscast.
I like what Reiner did with his character so much more than this!
There never could have been the same chemistry between Archie and Richard as there eventually was between Archie and Michael.
Not too sure about that....but no denying the electric chemistry between O Connor and Reiner.
You're 100% right. The 4 actors in the series were absolutely perfect. Their chemistry, delivery, even facial expressions and body language.
Amen
I disagree this guy stinks
Richard is too preppy somehow. And Gloria was too big and healthy. She’s supposed to be sort of frail. No, you’re right. There’s something too perfect- looking about the two in the pilot. I like the final casting better. Mike looks like the hippy he’s supposed to be. If a girl marries her father, opinionated troubled Mike is the best choice. And have you seen the other pilot? That Gloria was way off, though her husband was as hippy as Mike just not as smart.
Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton were only about 45 in this. Let that sink in for people that don’t think we’re aging slower than ever!
Right
I've made the same observation over the years. Especially as I approach that age! I don't know if we're actually aging slower. Or that the quality of life has improved Back about that time when you hit 50. You were DONE. Look at Aunt Bee vs. The likes of Susan Lucci or Joan Collins!
@ Yes, he did very well as Chief Gillespie.
Agency in Repose yes, and something in the food supply in America has been doing it for 50 years or so. I don’t think lives are any easier. People have been stuck in stressful and political jobs in that time period and unhappy marriages.
Stella smith late 50’s, that’s the youngest Boomers today! Many of them are still pounding away!
Carrol is only 45 here. When I was a kid watching this show in the 70's I thought he was an old man.
Redd Foxx was 48 or 49 when he started playing Fred Sanford, and he looked at least 65 back then.
Jean must be in her mid-to late thirties..
@@jamesavdelis6610 Jean was only 38 in 1969 Amazing! I thought she look like my grandmother.
@@jamesavdelis6610 No, she was 1 1/2 years older than Carroll O'Connor, so she was also in her late 40s when she started on the show.
It’s odd to think that WW2 vets were middle aged.
As soon as I heard the intro my mind was transported back to the 70s. Wish I had a time machine because I wouldn't give 2021 a second glance. Cheers.
If you ever find a time machine, please take me with you. I much prefer then over now.
My mind transported to the 40s
Me either.
1969 WHAT A YEAR. WHAT TIMES. AN AMERICAN WALKED ON THE MOON AMERICA WAS WAS WONDERFUL BACK THEN. CEPT FOR VIETNAM. SHALOM
Funny how 2021 is much like the '70's-- bleak with wars (Vietnam & Cold War), pollution (The Great Lakes)... well at least the buffalo came back!
Wow! I’ve seen the other pilot but never this one. Thx for posting
I just watched to see the set changes. The set designers really improved this cluttery set to the one we all know. Amazing how they opened it up so the actors could move more freely but still somehow managed to keep the feeling of the musty closed up dated house. It was all done in sepia tones to resemble an old photograph. The house always conveyed Archie's personality of not wanting things to change. I always had the feeling Archie and Edith's house hadn't changed one bit since they moved into it in the late 40s until we saw it in the 70s. And Archie was completely fine with that. If the world changed outside, at least he could come home to where nothing changed.
Wow, that was perfectly said.
The pink candles and his chair were the same
Edith is more blunt and expressive here than in the regular show All In The Family
The sarcastic "Mr Religion, here" is also in the first episode of the series.Yes.
yeah, I like the character she evolved into better
She was also a bit more direct in the first few AITF episodes. She fine-tuned her portrayal in those first shows to the Edith we know.
Her character was more closely modeled after the character in the British version in the beginning. She didn't really become the Edith we remember until about halfway through the first season
At 12:51 Edith rolls her eyes in response to Archie's tirade, which is out of character for her.
I like the way Carroll was into his Archie character at the beginning telling Jean to start the music.
Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were MADE for these roles! Genius! Can't see anyone, but them in these roles. But Gloria and Mike (Richard in the pilot) were the icing on the cake. Without Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner the show would not have been the same. The four of them worked magnificently together. So glad the two actors in this pilot were not chosen.
I hated when Rob and Sally left at the end of season 8. The show just wasn’t the same without them.
I thank God I never saw the pilot/show with these two clowns in it. Mickael and Gloria where perfect!!!!
Glad Norman Lear replaced the Mike and Gloria characters with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, The acting of the original couple was terrible. They seemed like novice actors.
The Hitman didn’t you watch it before writing your comment?
I didn’t hate the actor who played Lionel, he actually holds up against Archie in this episode. I could have seen him in the role.
When people could laugh at themselves. THOSE were the days
Indeed
I am so glad they got rob and sally!!!!
Whats wrong with these 2? I think there good.
@@wilchambers1401 not so much
👍
@@wilchambers1401 they're awful.
Chip Oliver was too much of a gentle giant.he lacks the force and fire of rob reiner.chip Oliver gives a sincere performance.he is a big man.but he is a gentle giant.a lil Abner or Jethro bodine type.candace azzara isn't bad as Gloria.she is petite and cute with lovely blonde hair.she has that feist and little girl appeal and style.but she comes off as kinda rough around the edges.where as Sally struthers was both feisty and vulnerable too.azzara doesn't come off as totally vulnerable.had azzara been cast as Gloria she wouldn't have been bad.but the Gloria and Mike relationship would have been different.candace azzara Gloria is certain aspects different than Sally struthers.the sparring between Mike and Gloria would have been different had azzara and reiner would have been Mike and Gloria.had azzara been cast as Gloria.the relationship between Archie and Gloria would have been different.the sparring too.but Candace azzara is appealing as gloria.who knows what it would have been like had it been her and rob reiner.i think those two would have been a vibrant team and a good match.but not in the same league as Sally struthers and rob reiner.struthers Gloria was different in certain aspects than azzara.candace azzara kinda looks like Meredith macrae.
Thank you so much whomever uploaded this timeless treasure. AITF is my second-favorite program of all time after I LOVE LUCY. I was born the year before this pilot was taped. I have NEVER seen any of the pilots and enjoying seeing and hearing the differences and similarities with how the show eventually turned out. My opinions: Those Were the Days was a better title. The eventual SET was better. Archie's chair was better later on. The family name change from JUSTICE to BUNKER was a tremendous improvement. ARCHIE JUSTICE would have too heavy-handed. The actors who played DICKIE (horrible name in the age of NIXON) and Gloria and Lionel could not compare to ROB REINER, SALLY STRUTHERS and the FIRST Lionel. They changed Dickie/Mike from an Irishman to a POLACK (much better for jokes), and it was interesting finding out MEATHEAD was used from the start. This program was VERY topical but also ahead of it's time. It would be every bit as relevant today in the age of TRUMP (could very easily imagine ARCHIE as a MAGAT) and in the age of Black Lives Matter. Racism is still alive and well in America, and not only in the south. Timeless program acted brilliantly by the late, great Carrol O' Connor and Jean Stapleton whose characters were iconic and indelible from the start. May they RIP.
Topical as the program was in the 1970s, in terms of its themes ALL IN THE FAMILY was timeless.
whoever.
Hey there! I never got around to reading "In Cold Blood," but liked your performance in "Murder By Death." BTW: are you still dead?
@@Tre404u 6:35 😅
Wow I never saw this. Really great. Thank you for posting.
I never knew it, but its cool seeing D'urville Martin as the original Lionel. He directed Dolemite, and he was just played by Wesley Snipes in My Name is Dolemite.
Great info.Thanks.
I've only seen the Dolemite with Eddie Murphy
Seconded, great info - will check out Dolomite , thanks!
All in the Family was so far ahead of its time! Caroll O’Conner played Archie Bunker Masterful! Watching this 50 years later is amazing
He wasnt Bunker here though. It was Archie Justice
Wow it's really cool to see the original pilot. I've seen the actual episode and recognize the dialogue. It feels more like a play than a tv show. You can feel the difference in the acting with the actors playing Mike and Gloria. They seem more like stage actors. They don't have the same relaxed presence that Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor have. Talk about pros. You feel like Archie and Edith are real while the other two feel like they are acting. The same chemistry wasn't there as it was with Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner.
These 2 were stumbling over their lines and the furniture, and looked uncomfortable in their roles.
@@riverraisin1 The guy playing Lionel isn't exactly Mike Evans either.
Perfectly said! 100% agree.
This was actually the second pilot
The Mike and Gloria characters keep bouncing back and forth being Dry. One will be dry( Bad Acting ) then the other will get dry.(Bad Acting).
So the Bunkers original last name was “Justice” and Michael’s name was originally “Richard” (Dickie)! I never knew that! Glad they kept the name “Meat-Head”.
I’m glad that the writers kept tweaking the character of Edith and the actor change out of Gloria and Michael were needed. I thought the actor playing Lionel was pretty good..he just needed to relax into his character more and trust his natural ability and not do what he thought Lionel would do. This was so much fun to watch the actors characters developing. Thank you!
2nd pilot was just good as the original pilot but then Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton can carry anything.
The verse of the theme song that was heard in the two pilots and not in the series or the version released on Atlantic Records went:
Had my 12-tube radio,
Loved the Eddie Cantor Show,
Now where did all that beauty go?
Those were the days.
1969??? HOLY HEAVENS!!! THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES!!!
I'm glad they recast Mike, but this Gloria seemed more like a real Queens girl.
she was a wonderful actress- cant remember her name . Did so much TV in the 70s and yes a real New Yorker
@@Happyharold666 Candice Azzara
@@scanner973 wow! I didn't even recognize her and I've seen her in FATSO ( Dom Deluis movie) dozens of times. She's a great actress and pretty too.
Gloria wouldn't have worked with a NYC accent. I'm glad they recast her.
I just watched the 3rd pilot prior to this one. While the script is the same, its glaringly obvious the roles of Gloria and "Meathead" HAD to be recast, otherwise the series wouldnt have been made. The actors playing Edith and Archie were outstanding from the very start.
Wow best quality of this I've seen yet ! And with slate at beginning
The actress who played the daughter later played Rodney Dangerfield's hapless wife in the hilarious movie Easy Money in 1983. That movie had you laughing from the opening to the closing!
She also played The girlfriend in ‘Fatso’
Easy Money and Fatso, great movies
THANK YOU! I was trying to figure out where I'd seen her before
Candice Azzara. Also in Pandemonioum.
Candice Azzara
Carroll O'Connor was brilliant as Archie Bunker from day one! Of course in this pilot he was Archie Justice.
Had to be Bunker.
I believe it was originally called "And Justice for All."
Wasn't it taken from a British show titled "Till Death do us Part"?
@@TheBrooklynbodine Actually it was just called "Justice For All."
@@thecawdsquad875 OK, thanks.
O’Connor was flawlessly spot on from the very beginning. 👏👏
meathead was played by ralph "chip" oliver in this pilot. he was a professional football player for oakland for 2 season. 6'2 ' 220 linebacker. a stud in those days.
Never heard of him, but still watching. 👍
...And not bad on the eyes today.
@Lovie Bryant jim brown, dick butkus, berney casey
Still a stud. His body is fantastic
And a horrible actor.
Same Lionel from first pilot just no glasses. His name is D’Urville Martin. He was pretty good.
Lionel is Willie Green from Dolomite
He also played an Ali-like boxer on THE MONKEES whom Davy had to fight.
He also played the bus driver in the watermelon man
@@jehobden THAT’S where I remember him from! He did a great caricature of Ali, spoke in rhyme.
I'm so glad Norman Lear was such a perfectionist and kept recasting Mike and Gloria. The 1st 2 sets of them were terrible! The 1st Mike looked like a hippie caricature and the 2nd looked too clean-cut and his hair was too short - looked like someone Archie should've liked. What made this show so brilliant was the incredible 4-person ensemble and it just wouldn't have been the same with these mediocre actors. It just goes to show how much individual actors bring to their roles and transform them. Even the facial expressions of all 4 actors (including Struthers and Reiner) could communicate so much without saying a word, and the use of tight close-ups highlighted this. Sometimes they'd have conversations using just facial expressions. Now that's acting.
The two unused pilots had two Richards, not Mikes
@@joejones6007 The son-in-law in this pilot was played by former Oakland Raider, Chip Oliver. His family lived down the street from me when I was a kid. I was friends with his little brother, Ronnie. Not that anyone asked...just putting in my two cents worth.
His hair really wasn't too short for 1969 mainstream America.
@@leegarza3605 cool
@@jusssayin480
In the late 60s if my hair even looked like it was touching my ears, my father told me to get a haircut...in THAT voice. Oddly, my parents didn't give any thoughts to what I wore, but my hair better not touch my ears or collar.
Thank God they changed Gloria and the Meathead.
Exactly 👍 if those two crap actor's weren't replaced " All in the family " would've been doomed !
Bad actors, Norman Lear must have seen that
@Twammington Twammleberry Yeah but they would seem normal, so the funny hysterical stuff would never exist in the show if they were cast. Still miles better than 1968 pilot which was just insanely boring. But Rob Reiner and Sally made the show good by having them in there
PLUS MIKE EVANS AS LIONEL
@@jasminejones9937 Right, they were sooooooo blah
Oh I can still hear my mom laughing out loud at Edith's high pitched voice! Miss you, mom.😀
mine too. She'd laugh every week when she hit the high notes on the song at the intro
@@MJ-oi5wb That was my mom! The neighbor's said they could hear her from across the street! 😆
Her voice is THE reason why I could never watch more than a few minutes of it!
Crazy that if ABC had picked it up right away, would have already been halfway into the third season by 1971 when the show finally premiered on CBS.
As Harlan Ellison pointed out in his LA Free Press column "The Glass Teat," the reaction to the taping from the audience was unanimously favorable. But Elton Rule and Leonard Goldberg (President and Programming head at ABC ATT) lost their nerve and took it off the 1969 schedule.
Chip Oliver was a football player. His only role I believe. Way too clean cut and good looking for the role
Thank God for the cast changes!!!!
Agree! I would have never watched this, with this cast!🤮
@@linedancer23 same!
I can see why ABC passed. This was intense for 1969. Even today, you don't hear "GD" on TV. And Gloria was retucking her shirt after she and Dicky got it on upstairs. "All In The Family" was ahead of its time when it was launched in the early 70s. This pilot was way ahead of its time in 1969.
Right im surprised Archie said that in 1969
Agreed
they say goddamn on tv today.
I was only 4 1969. But I've seen movie and television from that era and I've seen much worse than this.
Hawkeye said "son of a bitch."
Rest in peace, Archie...we miss you.
In my opinion, the casting of Reiner and Struthers was likely the best choice; however, it should be noted that, like new shoes, performers usually "break in" and develop the chemisrty that eventually defines the project as a whole. This is largely true in any performance enterprise (think bands, series television, cinema, even radio and internet content). I enjoy focusing on technical matters, whether performance differences from cast or design changes/errors from production, so it was interesting to see the first and second pilots back to back.
I wonder how many viewers noticed the address error on the front door in pilot 2 @ ~3:47 (407 NOT 704 Hauser Street). Also noticeable in the opening sequence of the actual series, post-pilot, is the absence of a front porch attatched to the "Hauser Street" dwelling.
Except Chip Oliver had never acted before and didn't know what he was doing. Reiner was already an accomplished actor when he joined the cast.
The actress playing Gloria here, looked more like Jean Stapleton. Sally Struthers looked more like Caroll O’Connor.
Agreed
Never thought about that, but yeah.
She looks like a young Anne Meara to me
Yes, Struthers had O'Conner's chubby cheeks and eyes.
@@melvawages7143 She looks like Helen Hunt to me
Carrol O Connor was only 44 here
That's not far from my age now
He looks so much older.
Really ? Shit he looks close to 60 !
@@jasminejones9937 people aged different back then. Martin Luther King was 39 when he died and looked so much older
@@keonta81 Interesting you should mention that. I read about a couple of years back that Martin Luther King had the heart of a 60-year-old. Not surprising, considering all he had to put up with. I'm 57, and am probably physiologically about five to seven years older myself. Emotional problems do take their toll on a person.
This was a great remount of the original pilot. They had more time to live with the material so its much sharper and funnier. I really enjoyed D'urville Martin's portrayal as Lionel. He should've been kept onboard for the series.
At least Archie looked more like his "normal" self; in the original 1968 pilot his hair looked like Herbert Hoover's.
No awful toupee
And he was a lot slimmer in the 1968 pilot. In this 1969 pilot, Archie was the normal "pudgy" shape we now know and love!
Mister, We can use ANOTHER man like Herbert Hoover AGAIN...
@@melvawages7143 Reminded me of when Tom, from Tom and Jerry had a toupee lol!
No wonder Mike and Gloria were replaced. No chemistry.
The man playing Mike was retired football player trying to start an acting career.
I'm not used to Dickey or Edith not being a dingbat lol. But, thank god Sally and Rob replaced these two.
Lionel also .
@@Jay-vr9ir The Lionel we all know was the best. I loved the way he always set up Archie lol.
I actually like Candace Azzara in this. I was never crazy about Sally Struthers, just used to her. Not crazy about this nobody Chip “Dickey” guy. Rob Reiner’s Mike owns this role.
This Edith is similar to the Edith of most of the first thirteen episodes in the winter/spring of 1971. Less upbeat, slightly cynical, not as devoted to Archie. The transformation into the more beloved Edith came between seasons one and two. My guess is that the producers felt the show was a too dark and harsh. The slightly revamped Edith gave the show some lightness.
I agree, and Mike Evans
Never saw this. The show would never had been a hit if they hadn't got Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers
Chip Oliver, who played Dickie, was a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders 1968-1969...
...Great looking guy too.
And 55 years later...
same conversations.
That whole "damn" speech was used in Season 4 in "We're Having a Heatwave" Part 1.
They do not write them like this anymore. The seventies may have had there ups and downs, but All in the family, broke the mold, even when those hard times showed its uglyness they pulled together and laughter was just around the corner. Those truly were the good old days. Mr. Lear you out did yourself on this show, thank you.
love this show, watching the complete series, and did not realize there were so many shows I did not see as a kid. Still so relevent today..
Harlan Ellison was in the audience for this taping and raved about it in his Los Angeles Free Press column, "The Glass Teat."
I'm very happy they didn't go this way, I don't think it would have ever worked
Apparently, ABC didn't either. Maybe that's why they passed on it.
Of course it wouldn't have worked. It was horrible.
So glad they brought in the new Gloria and mike because these original actors were horrible!
👍
I disagree about Gloria.
Watching this and the state of politics today's makes you realize shit never changes. We're still debating the same stuff today
@one man gang...Well said‼️
Thinking the same thing 52 years later.
One of my favorites shows!
Tv Land showed this pilot as a special sometime in the late 90's. I recorded it on video tape. It was so cool to watch back then before You Tube and the internet!
This is a piece of tv history!
Im Glad they recast the other actors.
Rob Reiner could act circles around this guy!
And much more convincing with the arguments with Archie.
One major deficit in Reiner's acting however was his accent. Meathead was supposed to be from Chicago but he had a New York accent almost as thick as Archie and Edith's. At least Chip Oliver's accent was passably Midwestern if not precisely Chicagoan.
They shouldn't have put that Chicago angle in there, I don't know what purpose that served. I wonder if Rob Reiner tried to curb his accent, he could of just went full with the New York accent.
@@Joe-oi7bn Yeah, the only time his origins mattered at all was when his uncle Casimir came in from Chicago to attend Mike and Gloria's wedding -- and he had a New York accent too. Maybe they intended to make his origins a bigger plot point but never got around to it and/or realized it didn't matter to the broader theme of the show, but for all the difference it made, Mike and Uncle Cas could have just as well been from Yonkers.
And to my Midwestern ears, Mike's accent was pretty "full New York" -- maybe not old-school blue-collar Queens like Archie and Edith but still unmistakably New York.
The Chicago information is mentioned again seasons later in the flashback episode of how Mike and Gloria met. So it was still rarely mentioned. My parents were from Manhattan like Jean Stapleton. Carroll O'Conner is said to have been born in Manhattan but it also says he's from the Bronx. I hear my parents and aunts and uncles in all the characters on the show.
The Jefferson's didn't move in next door till the third season. It took them awhile to figure who was gonna play George. But the Jefferson's turned out to. Be A dam good show too
The jeffersons were in the 1st season with the characters loniel, lousie and henry. George appeared in the 3rd season.
@@quitapearson3560 so I was partly right
Norman Lear always wanted Sherman Hemsley for George, but he was acting on stage in the musical "Purlie," which had a long run on Broadway and then a revival soon after, making him unavailable for the part for two years. Lear held the part of George open for him until he was available, with Mel Stuart playing Henry Jefferson.
Carol O'Connor was 45 in this pilot. I'm 45 now, and I don't think I look this old.
Youbetcha I'm sure you had sunscreen, fruits, vegetables, weren't expected to live in a world in which 30 was old, which is how people look at even that age in older shows & films. You knew about smoking, drinking, all of that. People of that era went through world wars, stress, not hearing from family for weeks to months at a time when growing up. Also, the film & makeup at the time tended to "age" people.
wow, how have I never seen this, with different Michael and Gloria? Same plot as the one I saw on TV as a kid
"Guys like us" became "Guys like me" in this one. I like the official better, with US! I like the official Mike and Gloria and a less sassy Edith, the changes made this show a lot better!
Glad 'All in the Family' became the winner.
Man this really makes you appreciate Rob Reiner lol
The thing is.....Rob Reiner didnt have to act very much....he seems to be pretty close to the character in his beliefs and stances even today.
This guy was better looking
THANK GOD THIS WAS HIS ONLY ACTING CREDIT.HE WAS IN FACT A LINEBACKER WITH THE OAKLAND RAIDERS
@Hart Smith your ignorance is showing
Amen, Frank Osso.
To think, if either one of the 1st sets of "Gloria" and "Meathead", Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers may not have had careers like they did.
All in the Family may also not have been the hit that it became if Reiner and Struthers had not played Mike and Gloria. 🤔
@@melaniemills4505 true, but Rob didn't have to become the whiney little snowflake he is today.
At least Sally stayed out of politics for the most part. So, as of right now, I still like her.
@@chitownphxman So instead of laughing AT Archie, you laughed WITH him. Puts you in the tiny minority of most viewers.
@Dean I’m immensely amused that @Picture Perfect
identifies with Archie and can’t recognize that he’s someone who’s not to be admired and Lear was a liberal making fun of those types. 😂
This show was ahead of it's time, it would be tame now.
I was born exactly 18 days after this pilot was filmed. This show would later become one of my all time favourite shows. After viewing this, it’s easy to see there wasn’t much chemistry with the actor/character playing Richard. The actress playing Gloria wasn’t as bad, but still not much _”oomph”_ from her too.
"Committin' insects in the family"
i still wish we had those days.
To bad you need ariche
Carol o'connor was a grade A, top-shelf actor
If he was he would have had more movie roles.
@@howie9751Once you get locked in to a regular role on tv, it's harder to get movie roles.he had a long lasting career and lots of recognition for his work. Not to mention the money 😂
Edith was 45 and Archie was 44 (August 1924)
that's crazy. I am 53 now and look nothing like that now. Archie looks 60
@@locutus1126 Yep
˙How old are the Bunkers supposed to be. They look like they are mid 60's and yet in real life. They were mid 40's in real life right?
Mid 40s looked older back then. There was less emphasis on staying youthful looking, particularly on TV. The Bunkers were supposed to be in their mid 40s. In fact, I believe Edith was in her early 40s, since she turned 50 in season 8.
Clearly showcases how Carol O’Conner was the foundation to the success of the show.
Most definitely. He was hilarious from Day 1.
Jean Stapleton too--come on! But Rob and Sally were perfect for supporting roles.
@@lemurianchick
Yes, of course!😎
The line Archie said about saying "God Damn It" was used in the first episode in the 3rd season (1973) of AITF
I just watched the previous pilot, and only laughed once or twice with that one. This time, even though it was nearly identical, with only subtle changes in dialogue delivery, I laughed a bunch of times.
The Archie character was more refined as well.
It's all in the delivery! :)
I did the same thing, back to back. The pacing was much better with this one. But I liked the first GLoria and Richard better. These two reminded me of Suzie and Jerry from The Mothers in Law! No edge to either of them ..
@@bkynbiker19 and where do I find this previous pilot you refer to?
@@ameerordimly1449 Here on UA-cam
@@bkynbiker19 yeah..you found it? You have link?
Whats the title to search?
The actor playing Richard is built like a linebacker and called him pop!
He WAS a professional football in the NFL.
just realized their last name is justice.
What I find interesting is the Gloria in this episode has a NY accent, Sally Struthers did not, but Rob Reiner whose character, Mike, was supposed to be from Chicago, had a NY accent, not a Chicago accent.
Every Dad I knew as a kid. Hard working and hard witted.
Thank God they changed the "kids"lol
yes....these 2 are dull.
These are the 2nd ones. Reiner and Struthers were the 3rd couple cast for the daughter and bf. They thought Reiner looked a little too old and too big for Struthers but his delivery and his father eventually landed him the part
@@thomasstephens9947 that’s good info didn’t know! Thanks
I agree Edith is too easy, Gloria is too much of a push-over, and I think the guy is just NOT Mike.
Those living room chairs do look like the chairs that are in the Smithsonian and are national treasures.
This is still a great script! I love it!
They cut the "link vs. Patty" sausage argument from the first pilot.
I never knew this existed, and I watched the show when it first aired.
It's a tribute to Carrol O'Conner's and Jean Stapleton's acting skills that the Archie and Edith characters seem to have been fully developed even in the pilot.
"Sorry kid, they went with Rob Reiner". Boy, I bet that hurt.
Wonderful to see this version. Honestly, Carroll and Jean were perfect, I wasn’t impressed with the choice of other actors. .. but the trial / pilot is what that’s all about; what works what doesn’t.
And this was the second pilot. The first pilot had different actors for Mike and Gloria, too. Just as bad.
@@shandi4114 Richard and Gloria.
This was terrific! It seemed very natural and they let Archie swear! Hilarious.
Rob Reiner was a much better actor than Dickey. He was more in Archie's face and expressive when debating or arguing !
The Reverend Felcher in his ivory shower 🤣🤣🤣🤣
And the .50 cents comment? In the one that’s aired it was $1.00
What a great find.
For the longest time I couldn't figure out why the third pilot worked so well where the first and second pilots failed -- what made the chemistry that much better? That question really puzzled me as I couldn't stand Meathead as portrayed by Rob Reiner.
And then it finally dawned on me -- that's EXACTLY why the the third pilot worked. Alas, as flawed as Archie was, the audience could still sympathize with him because they wanted to punch Meathead in the throat just as much as Archie did.
Simply the best intro to any TV show in history. And 7:05 The most Risqué line for that day, surprised it got past the sensors. For 1969.
This was better than the original pilot but the casting was better for the cbs pilot. Rob, Sally and Mike Evans made the best casting.
Good thing this show wound up on CBS and not ABC! CBS was in its heyday as the Tiffany Network, while ABC was anything but and this would most likely never have been the smash hit that it became, as All in the Family.
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers were obviously more suited for the roles of Mike and Gloria.
It's funny that they did this three different times with slight differences in characters each time.
So interesting to see this. You can tell they were making changes from the first pilot and this is closer to what we saw on the air. The first pilot had a Mike that was a bit too similar to Carroll O'Connor's energy on screen so seems they tried this actor for how he contrasted with Carroll. The Gloria here is definitely closer to Sally's portrayal.