Customer Reviews

All in the Family - The Complete Seventh Season

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

After what seemed like an eternity, "All In The Family-Season 7" FINALLY arrives on DVD on October 5, 2010. Sony distributed the first six seasons of this landmark televison sitcom, but after 2007 that studio refused to release the last three remaining years. Thankfully, "Shout! Factory", a studio known for putting out classic shows on DVD, has bought the rights to the last three years of "All In The Family" and is dedicated in releasing seasons eight and nine.
This wonderful set will come in three dics and feature all 23 episodes from the 1976-1977 season; two of those shows are hour long episodes. This was the year that many things happened to the Bunkers: Archie nearly had an affair on Edith; unemployment hits the Bunkers hard; Archie finds out he needs surgery; Gloria thinks she may be pregnant again; and Teresa moves in with the Bunkers. The sixth year also featured the best Christmas epsiode in "All In The Family's" history entitled "The Draft Dodger" where upon Archie discovers, at that Bunker's Holiday dinner, one of Mike's friends has moved to Canada to escape being drafted into the Vietnam War.

The following is a list of season 7 episodes along with their airdates:

1. "Archie's Brief Encounter-Part 1", Sept. 22, 1976
2. "Archie's Brief Encounter-Part 2", Sept. 29, 1976
3. "The Unemployment Story-Part 1", Oct. 6, 1976
4. "The Unemployment Story-Part 2", Oct. 13, 1976
5. "Archie's Operation", Oct. 27, 1976
6. "Beverly Rides Again", Nov. 6, 1976
7. "Teresa Moves In", Nov. 13, 1976
8. "Mike and Gloria's Will", Nov. 20, 1976
9. "Mr. Edith Bunker", Nov. 27, 1976
10. "Archie's Secret Passion", Dec. 4, 1976
11. "The Baby Contest", Dec. 11, 1976
12. "Gloria's False Alarm", Dec. 18, 1976
13. "The Draft Dodger", Dec. 25, 1976
14. "The Boarder Patrol", Jan. 8, 1977
15. "Archie's Chair", Jan. 15, 1977
16. "Mike Goes Skiing", Jan. 22, 1976
17. "Stretch Cunningham, Goodbye", Jan. 29, 1976
18. "The Joys of Sex", Feb. 5, 1977
19. "Mike The Pacifist", Feb. 12, 1976
20. "Fire", Feb. 19, 1976
21. "Mike and Gloria Split", Feb. 26, 1976
22. "Archie the Liberal", March 5, 1977
23. "Archie's Dog Day Afternoon", March 12, 1977

I consider that Sony should immediately issue the remaining three seasons in a single release, out of respect and decency towards those who have purchased the first six seasons and have desperately waited more than a year for the release of season seven. I believe that those two considerations are not part of their corporate values.


ADDENDUM (November 2010)
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Finally got my copy today. Contrary to some comments made by other reviewers, I found the DVD of great quality.

I am glad that Shout Factory took over the realease of the missing seasons. Can't wait for the release of seasons 8 and 9.

In my book, this is probably the best season of All in the Family.

What in the world is taking so long? It's just getting longer and longer. It seems like the best shows take the longest to get released. It makes no sense to me at all. I love this show, and I always will. Long live Archie Bunker ... If they would ever release this season???? And, don't forget seasons 8 and 9 too. It will probably be 2011, By the time we all get to enjoy ALL the seasons!! Anyways, Let's all hope this comes out soon !!!

It's about time that someone had the courage to complete the task that Sony was too weak to complete. Bravo to The Shout Factory for continuing the release of one of the best sitcoms ever made. Actually, All in The Family may be THE best sitcom ever made. It was the first to look at real life situations. It dealt with race, sexuality, gender issues, violence, sexism, etc.

I hope the Shout Factory takes on another controversial (although not as controversial) show, i.e., Maude. Maude was great, and if it were not for You Tube, we'd be robbed of many of the episodes. Also, I hope Shout Factory completes The Jeffersons.

Bravo!

Finally!!! What the heck has taken so long to release All in the family season 7 ? I'm glad they are finally releasing this series. I hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for the rest.

A huge THANK YOU to Shout Factory for securing the rights to the rest of the classic ALL IN THE FAMILY TV series. I never thought that we would see the rest of the series released to DVD after Sony dropped the ball on us a couple years ago. I have pre ordered and am anxious to add this volume to my collection and complete the rest of the series once those volumes are available. Shout Factory is a company that other studios could learn from! Thanks again and I hope they will pick up the rights to another disfunctional family TV show, MAMAS FAMILY, which also seems to have been abandoned following the relase of Season 1. Thanks to Shout and companies like it, there is always hope for future releases of abandoned seasons of your favorite TV shows!

First of all, let me just note that I'm glad to see that this seventh season of All In The Family was released at all after such a long wait (and production company shift) since season six. Though this season lacked the comedic bite of the first 4-5, it still is worthwhile to take a look at.

The major shift in this seventh season is a (general) move away from the heated Archie/Meathead political "debates" and towards more societal/family matters, such as grandson Joey, women's liberation, and even Archie and Edith's sex life. I have to give kudos to Norman Lear for doing this, as he realized that using the "same old rhetoric" just wouldn't work.

Here's the problem: those societal issues just aren't as funny as the political stuff. Archie vs. Mike was the stuff of legend, while the more personal topics are interesting, but don't provide that laugh-out-loud punch. At times it is there, but those moments are much too few and far between.

I liken it to "The Office" in terms of quality. The first 4-5 seasons of that show were pure hilarity, a sixth was spotty, and (beginning with the seventh) it started to lose its gold standard. That is almost EXACTLY the pattern of this show as well.

However, it did not decrease to a point where I won't be purchasing the eighth go-'round early next year or anything like that. I'll still be around to watch the Bunker/Stivic hilarity.

A big "Thank you" to Shout! Factory for picking up the ball that Sony dropped in regards to completing the release of "All In the Family" on DVD. And added kudos for the decision to keep the packaging graphically consistent with Sony's earlier releases. My only hope is that Shout! Factory might make the effort to include extras on the remaining seasons (something that Sony did not bother to do).

I can't understand why Sony hasn't finished releasing this Classic hallmark of television history. It's been two years since the release of the Sixth season. We've been patient since the initial release of the first season in 2002. Now sony has double dipped on the first Season with it's inclusion in The Norman Lear Collection instead of giving the fans (and themselves in profit terms) what they want.
Does Sony not want to make money?...Im CERTAIN this isnt the case. Is there an issue with distribution rights?...that doesn't seem to be the case considering the above mentioned re-release of the first season in the new Norman Lear Collection.
So I dare ask again...WHAT'S THE PROBLEM!!....RELEASE THE REST OF THE SERIES AND MAKE A PROFIT!!!...EVERYBODY WILL BE HAPPPY!!!

I incorrectly mentioned in my review for the season 6 set that the Bunkers rent Gloria Bunker Stivic's(Sally Struthers) former bedroom to a Hispanic woman named Teresa Betancourt. That happens this season. Archie(the late great Carroll O'Connor) had been laid off from his job as a loading dock foreman and relied on Teresa(Liz Torres,recurringly) for his income. Edith(Jean Stapleton) was making little money at her job at the Sunshine Home,an assisted living facility occupied by disabled elderly people. Other great moments this season is where Archie,against his son-in-law Mike "Meathead" Stivic's(Rob Reiner) wishes,had Joey,Mike's and Gloria's son,now a year old,baptized in Archie's church. Not knowing Archie's beloved chair,that he had for 28 years,had a weak leg,Mike(without his moustache) accidentally breaks it just by sitting in it. Archie was so devastated by his broken chair,which Mike has(the weak leg) repaired. Gloria found it so funny seeing her husband for the first time without his moustache(since the series began Mike had it,with or without a beard). Mike grew it back shortly after shaving it off. The Bunkers and the Stivics are on a train with an annoying vagabond on board. The other episodes are great.