Product Details

• Actors: Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, Mike Evans
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: June 21, 1994
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302240840
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,852 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Long before 1990s sitcoms made dysfunctional families fashionable, America had Edith and Archie Bunker. Every week as the war in Vietnam raged on, they could be counted on, seated at the piano, singing of the good old days as they welcomed America into their fractured-fairy-tale home for another episode of All in the Family.

Equal parts comedy and social commentary, All in the Family offered a televised mirror to a nation struggling to redefine itself in an increasingly complex world. The show shocked and seduced, arousing its audience as it continually reflected society in ways unprecedented and still unequaled.

Norman Lear, the show's creator, hosts this 20th anniversary best of the Bunkers, offering scenes from the finest and funniest episodes: Archie slinging ethnic slurs, Meathead Mike ranting on Richard Nixon, Edith and Archie confronting his impotency, and Edith learning of the lump in her breast. These and many more highlights remind how the show scandalously addressed topics taboo at the time, yet undeniably present in everyday life.

As the warning screen indicated when the show made its debut: The program you are about to see seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show--in a mature fashion--just how absurd they are. Indeed. --Stephan Magcosta

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special, April 20, 2001

By	Dave (Cliffside Park, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

Whatever I try to write about this show will not credit everyone involved enough to do the show justice but I will do my best. Everytime I see the repeated episodes on Nick at Nite I can remember watching those same repeated shows with my parents in the 80's when I was just a kid. The nostalgic feeling I get is unlike anything I have experienced watching television. The show strikes a nerve in all of us that can't occur watching any other TV program or movie in my opinion. Archie was brilliantly created by Norman Lear and directed as perfectly by Hal Cooper. Jean Stapleton may be one of the best actresses in entertainment history. Her ability to play a character like Edith had to take all her strength and talents because it was done perfectly. Rob Reiner's and Sally Struthers' characters will never be duplicated by any TV couple now and forever. The show's stories were the most powerful messages any sitcom has achieved and will never be achieved again. The rape episode when Edith overcame the situation could have won an emmy on its own for best actress. Another example of this with regard to Edith is when she stood up to Archie about her working at the senior citizen's center. Archie could have won emmies on single episodes many times over. The two we can never forget and must never ever forget is the Christmas episode with Mike's friend who was a draft dodger sharing the dinner table with not only Archie in Archie's house but Archie's friend who lost his son in the war. The performance put forth by Archie in this episode will never be duplicated by any actor in a sitcom again. The other stand out performance has to be the emotional roller-coaster we are put through when we find out Edith has passed on and see Archie express his sadness like no other actor will do more perfectly again on any tv show for the rest of eternity. Their are countless episodes that will never be recreated again. It is not because they are dated like I've seen some comments reflect it is because no one can perform at such a high level like the entire cast and crew did on this show for years. They made us laugh, cry, think, hope, question, philosophize, regret, love, hate, sympathize, and much much more. Most of all they left a mark on our lives like very few people in their position will ever do again throughout the course of our life while we and the entire population of the world are alive on this planet. In closing all I can say is: "THOSE WERE THE DAYS."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best TV Show of the 1970's, April 8, 2000

By	Grahame R. Davis (Ottawa, ON (Canada)) - See all my reviews

All in the Family is the best show of the 1970's, and possibly the greatest comedy show of all time. This tape highlights the funniest moments of the program, but to truly appreciate the genius of All in the Family, entire episodes must be seen. I personally have on video nearly every episode of this wonderful show. It is amazing that throughout a run of almost an enitre decade, virtually every episode was thought-provoking, shocking, heart-warming, and most of all, side-splittingly funny. The characters of Archie and Edith Bunker are permanently stamped on the landscape of American television. Archie, outrageously bigoted, was deep down a caring and thoughtful man, who occasionally shows his ability to be a man of intense compassion and love, especially for his loving and loyal wife Edith. Archie was capable of acts of incredible stupidity and calousness, but when his family was in trouble, he always came through. It is a program that will never be replicated, and can simply never be topped. It is a portrait of a narrow minded man and his innane, backwards beliefs, but it managed to capture a nation of loyal fans. Watching just a few episodes of All in the Family (some of which are available from Amazon.com on video in their entirety) only serves to emphasize how truly dull and unimaginative American television has become. All in the Family is likely the best situation comedy ever on television, and certainly one of the best programs of any sort ever. This video showcases some of the best moments, but only scratches the surface of this magnificent show.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great synopsis of the series as a whole, August 27, 2001

By	A. Sarkar "ajs-bookseller" (Houston, Tx United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This video has loads of scenes from many different episodes of All in the Family; with emphasis on everything from Archie's prejudice to Edith's ever-present kindheartedness and innocence to Meathead's liberalism and Gloria's squeaky voice, with Norman Lear, the castmembers, and some fans/naysayers of the show interspersed in between. This trip down Memory Lane is well worth the money! The only thing that is not in the video is any appearance or mention of the little girl named "Stephanie" played by Danielle Brisbois. "Joey" does make a few appearances; when Archie "baptizes" him and when Gloria and Mike decide to "move out West" with Joey in tow and say their tearful goodbyes.