Customer Reviews

All in the Family: Complete Sixth Season

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is beyond ridiculous at this point. Millions of fans have anxiously awaited the release of these DVDs. What is the hold up?! Is Sony not planning on releasing the rest of the series?! Why release 6 seasons and stop there? Is Sony prepared to refund customers who paid good money for half of a series? I know that I did not start collecting these DVDs just to be left with an incomplete set. There isn't even any talk about a future release date, no news at all. What IS the problem? I think this is a digrace and I'm pretty much done with Sony. Customer satisfaction is obviously not a priority.

The rate at which these seasons are being released is so pitifully slow it detracts from ones enjoyment of the series. It took 5 years to get to season 6, and there are still 3 seasons to go, not to mention 3 additional seasons of Archie Bunker's place which have yet to be released. Let's go with the remaining seasons so I can enjoy them before I retire!

NBC loves to hang the moniker "greatest ____ ever" on its TV shows as if saying so makes it so. First, The Cosby Show was the greatest sitcom ever, then Seinfeld, then Friends. Of course, according to NBC, ER is the greatest program in the history of television, so we all have to discuss comedy programs in and of themselves. If NBC spent nearly as much time creating good new shows as it does in shamelessly overhyping their old shows, they probably would still be ahead of CBS in the ratings.

For my money, no sitcom will ever top the great All in the Family in any respect -- acting, writing and overall influence. To get an idea of what dire straits TV comedy was in before All in the Family, take a look at an episode of one of the other sitcoms that was on the air at the time: Family Affair, The Brady Bunch, the last, sad days of Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies. The country had grown up, but television sitcoms had stayed rooted in the same dated themes of the 1950's and 1960's: either sterilized white bread families or gimmicky hocus pocus that took the place of the quality writing of classics like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Subjects like Vietnam, flower children, drugs, poverty, racism, homosexuality and rape were taboos.

Enter Archie, Edith, Mike and Gloria who dealt with all those issues and more head on in every episode. While Carol Brady scolded her children for saying the word "stinker," Archie Bunker held a lengthy dissertation on the phrase "god damn it." While Samantha Stevens was still dealing with her wacky witch and morlock relatives, the Bunkers were coming face to face with a transsexual. While the perpetually backwards residents of The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres discussed barn dances and pig raising, the Bunkers talked about the bombing of Cambodia and Watergate.

To be sure, Archie Bunker was a caricature -- a personification of all the old time, outdated prejudiced values that were so out of step in the early 70's. Creator Norman Lear's political perspective is cleary on the side of Mike and Gloria Stivic rather than Archie or Edith. However, Lear, who modeled the character of Archie on his father, wisely gave Archie Bunker a good soul. It's clear that deep down, Archie is a good person who can't deal with the changes in his life and the country without lashing out angrily at them.

The supreme achievement of All in the Family is that it takes all that anger and controversy and makes them funny. In the episode where the Jeffersons move into the neighborhood, for example, Archie's bigoted opposition to letting a black family could have made the situation ugly and very, very unfunny. However, Archie's opposition and fear is lampooned, making the point that discriminating on the basis of race is ridiculous. It's certainly deeper and more meaningful than Soup Nazis or finding out which two members of the Friends ensemble will sleep with each other next.

In addition, the cast is probably the best ever assembled for sitcom with the possible exceptions of The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Carroll O'Connor as Archie, Jean Stapleton as Edith, Rob Reiner as Mike Stivic and Sally Struthers as Gloria are absolute magic together and still manage to convey how much they love each other even while they argue about and disagree about everything. In addition, the supporting cast would later include so many great actors and actresses as so many great characters that All in the Family would spawn five spinoffs. A true measure of how much the characters come to mean to the audience is in the episode "Gloria's Pregnancy." When Gloria miscarries, Archie goes to comfort her. Even though he can't find the right words to say, the look that passes between Archie and Gloria is extremely moving and touching. The characters yell and scream the most horrible things at each other, but when push comes to shove, they are a real, loving family.

No matter how much NBC and other networks may hype their sitcoms as being the best ever, All in the Family will always be king. The show made television grow up and meet the issues of the day head on while still making the audience laugh and care.

Hooray! It had been almost a year since Season Five was released, with no sign of Season Six on the horizon...until now! I'm giving this title a five-star rating despite the fact that I know it will be plagued with picture imperfections and will almost certainly contain no extras. Why? Because this release, despite those minor frustrations, will afford me the opportunity to view yet another season of this classic show in the original CBS broadcast versions, as opposed to the horrendously butchered reruns shown on TV Land!

It's getting exciting now, since we're getting closer to the end. With each additional season, the chances of getting the rest of the show released keep getting better and better. Please be sure to support this season, as doing so will let Sony Home Entertainment know that we want ALL of the seasons on DVD!

The 1975-76 season,the sixth of All In The Family,begins with Gloria Bunker Stivic(Sally Struthers) and her "Meathead" husband Michael(Rob Reiner) "movin' on up" to a place of their own in their former next-door-neighbors' home,occupied by George,Louise and Lionel Jefferson who had moved to a "dee-luxe apartment in the sky" in Manhattan(George's brother Henry even lived with them for a while). Another major highlight is Gloria giving birth to her and Michael's son Joey. I incorrectly mentioned this in the review for the season 5 set. Gloria's father Archie(the late great Carroll O'Connor),coming from a minstrel show in blackface,and her mother Edith(Jean Stapleton) arrive at the hospital in time to meet their new grandson. Archie accidentally entered a room occupied by a female patient who had long blonde hair like Gloria. The horrified woman phoned for help("There's a big fat black man in here!"). Also there's one episode where Edith was upset with Archie because he hardly romances her and takes her anywhere anymore like he did when they were dating. So she goes to "where the action is". That place is Kelsey's Bar,the neighborhood pub in the Bunkers' and Stivics' hometown of Queens. Archie had been laid off from his job as a loading dock foreman and invites a Hispanic woman named Teresa Betancourt(Liz Torres,recurringly) to rent one of the bedrooms in the Bunker home(Gloria and Mike previously slept in that bedroom,she also used it as a growing-up child) for income. I also mentioned incorrectly in the season 5 set that Archie has his own chair in the Stivics' home like he has in his own house. We see Edith in the Stivics' home for the first time since she bid adieu to Louise Jefferson just before her big move to Manhattan with her husband George and their son Lionel during season 5,bringing on the premiere of The Jeffersons. I don't think we saw Archie in that house previously,but we saw him standing outside it in a season 1 episode talking to former resident Jim Bowman(the late pre-Frank Lorenzo Vincent Gardenia). The other episodes are great. This CBS sitcom was still in the Top 10 in 1975-76 along with The Jeffersons,AITF's "grandchild" Good Times and two other CBS sitcoms,M*A*S*H and Rhoda(spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show). I dedicate this item to the memory of O'Connor(August 2,1924-June 21,2001).

THESE ARE GREAT!
THIS WILL REALLY TAKE YOU BACK AND MAKE YOU LAUGH SO HARD YOU WILL CRY!
ONE OF THE BEST TV SHOWS EVER!

The 1975-1976 TV season would be "All in the Family's" last year as the highest rated series on American network televison, culminating five years at the top. The sixth year was a good one: the acting remained strong and vibrant, and the scripts were first-rate. The bulk of the season dealt with Gloria and Mike becoming first-time parents making Archie and Edith grandparents. It's a fun year from the first episode when we learn Gloria is pregnant to the two parter that deals with the delivery of little Joey.

This year would also be the first not to feature Jean Stapleton in a few shows and her absence is noticeable; when you watch these few shows, sans Edith, you realize how important Edith was to the canvas of the series. Billy Crystal also has an appearance in one of the episodes, but for me the highlight of the season is the show called "Archie, the Hero" where Archie states to the family he gave CPR to a woman in the cab he was driving. However, the woman turned out to be a transvestite!

24 episodes are included and there are no bonus features.

I absolutely love this show. It takes me back to my childhood where my father (very much like Archie) would sit and watch with me. I can't wait to get the entire collection ! Fans, keep ordering these DVD's as they become available to show that we really do want the ENTIRE collection.

Welcome to 1975/76, no more Vietnam War, Family Viewing Hour commences, pushing AITF to a later time slot, and Archie, Edith, Gloria and Mike are no longer living under the same roof. This brings down the show a bit in quality, not saying it's gone sour grapes, by all means buy this if you loved the first 5 seasons and want more, but just saying be warned for a noticeable, but not overly large drop in quality. Gloria also gives birth to her first and only child, Joey, this season.

1. The Very Moving Day (8/9/75): On the day they move out, Gloria announces to Mike that she is pregnant, Mike is worried but Archie and Edith are delighted. 7/10
WARNING: For some of the more conservative viewers, the topic ab*****n is referred to.

2. Alone At Last (15/9/75): First night for Mike and Gloria in their new house, with no utilities because Mike forgot to turn them on! 9/10

3. Archie, The Donor (22/9/75): While going for a higher-earning job, Archie donates his organs to science, and becomes frightened when he finds out. 8/10

4. Archie The Hero (29/9/75): One night driving Bert Munson's cab, Archie saves the life of a woman, not knowing she's a transvestite. 5/10

5. Mike's Pains (6/10/75): Mike wants to be with Gloria in the delivery room when their baby is born, but on hearing advice from none other than Archie, has second thoughts. 7.5/10

6. Chain Letter (20/10/75): Back luck strikes Archie after he refuses to pass on a chain letter delivered to him. 7/10

7. Mike Faces Life (27/10/75): Fed up with having to fix everything in the house by himself, Mike is further angered when Gloria loses her job over her pregnancy. 9/10

8. Edith Breaks Out (3/11/75): Fed up of Archie's constant orders to stop, Edith stays a volunteer at the nursing home. 6.5/10

9. Grandpa Blues (10/11/75): Worried about a physical and his impending grandfather status, Edith, Gloria and Mike attempt to play calm for Archie. 6.5/10

10. Gloria Suspects Mike (17/11/75): One of Mike's students has been receiving extra "lessons" from him, making Gloria highly suspicious. 7.5/10

11. The Little Atheist (24/11/75): A brawl brews at Thanksgiving over unborn Joey's religion - Archie and Edith insist on him being raised as a Christian, whilst Mike and Gloria believe he should make up his mind when he's old enough. 9/10

12. Archie's Civil Rights (1/12/75): One night driving Munson's cab, Archie uses tear gas against a mugger, which turns out to be a crime itself. Archie must then defend himself in court.10/10

13. Gloria Is Nervous (8/12/75): Nine days overdue, Gloria is extremely distressed and lashes out on Mike. 8.5/10

14. The Birth of the Baby, Part One (15/12/75): Gloria goes into labour while Mike and herself are at a restaurant celebrating their last night as a twosome. Meanwhile, Archie is trying to bail out of his lodge's minstrel show. 10/10

15. The Birth of the Baby, Part Two (22/12/75): After a traumatizing experience in a phone booth and many, many contractions, Gloria gives birth to a healthy baby boy.10/10

16. New Year's Wedding (5/1/76): Mike is making too many decisions in his marriage without consulting Gloria, even allowing the wedding of his best friends. 7/10

17. Archie The Babysitter (12/1/76): Mike and Gloria go out one evening, and with Archie disapproving of their choice of babysitter, Archie chooses to babysit Joey himself... at a poker game. 5/10

18. Archie Finds A Friend (26/1/76): A Jewish man lures Archie into a business deal, but Edith is strongly against investing a large quantity of their money. 8/10

19. Mike's Move (2/2/76): Mike is up for a promotion that involves moving to Minnesota, but he loses it to a black man of equal qualifications. 9/10

20. Archie's Weighty Problem (9/2/76): A fight between Archie and Edith erupts over Archie's new diet, which Edith strictly enforces. 10/10

21. Love By Appointment (16/2/76): Gloria is very busy with housework and caring for Joey, frustrating Mike as he does not spend enough time with her. 7/10

22. Joey's Baptism (23/2/76): Mike does not want Joey baptized, much to Archie's dismay, so Archie sneaks him down to church and does it himself. 7.5/10

23. Gloria and Mike's House Guests (1/3/76): Archie and Edith stay the weekend at Mike and Gloria's house, with the usual family arguments taking place until a sudden change that is too good to spoil in this review. 9/10

24. Edith's Night Out (8/3/76): Fed up with Archie's negativity to nights out, Edith goes to Kelcy's Bar alone and makes friends with the regulars. 8/10.

Average rating for first season: 7.88/10
Average rating for second season: 9.03/10
Average rating for third season: 9.25/10
Average rating for fourth season: 9.27/10
Average rating for fifth season: 9.19/10
Average rating for sixth season: 7.96/10

And one word to Sony if you ever read this: Please release Seasons 7-9 of All In The Family on DVD! I, amongst many other fans will buy them!
Along with the lower average rating for this season, this explains why I have only given this season four stars.

I grew up watching "All in the Family". And have never outgrown my love for Archie, Edith, Michael and Gloria. "All in the Family" is brave, honest, funny and sad at times as well. I've passed my love of "All in the Family" on to my children and co-workers. I highly recommend Season 6 of "All in the Family"; don't hesitate to purchase and watch the first 5 seasons as well. On a slow TV day I put in a DVD and chuckle while relaxing to Archie and the gang.