I watch allot of old school stuff, some of them are of his making. He will be missed but never forgotten resting well forever in peace. Will be praying for his and his family and friends.

He used storytelling very effectively to get us to examine our prejudices and faults. RIP!

Lear had the instinct for choosing and adapting shows from across the pond and make them feel 'native', without dumbing them down from the originals. But it took three attempts to get All In The Family on air; Harlan Ellison recounted in his essays on television how he was present for the live taping of the first pilot in 1969, and while he thought it was a brave and quality show and most of that audience loved it, Ellison could tell from the attitude and negative feedback of just a few that a network wouldn't have the guts to pick it up that year. "One of these days I'm going to ask Lear if he still believes in Santa Claus."

Nice caricature and memorial.

Added "Real" to tv sitcoms.

With lesser star actors, Archie Bunker, George Jefferson, and Fred Sanford would have been difficult to tolerate in their bigoted or cantankerous ways. Carroll O'Connor, Sherman Hemsley, and Redd Foxx added a sense of sympathy and good comic timing to make their characters last for a long series run. Archie Bunker did utter slurs and insults often but he was not a vicious, overly threatening individual and was a frustrated 1970s working stiff...he loved Edith, Gloria, and even Meathead Mike and did get along with the Jeffersons eventually and was comically clueless when Lionel Jefferson, Mike , Gloria, and even Edith poked fun at him. George Jefferson was egotisitical and somewhat insufferable as one who became wealthy from his chain of dry cleaning establishments and moved up to his apartment in the sky...but he does love his wife Louise and got along with the mixed married Willises and eccentric neighbor Mr Bentley. Fred Sanford was cranky, selfish, and sneaky but he did love his son Lamont and tried to do his best to please him...and let loose some great insults towards Bible-thumping Aunt Esther.

I remember the episode when Edith died, Archie was utterly distraught over her death "You wasn't supposed to die before me!" And when Archie was being his racist self and Sammy Davis Jr popped in and Archie was playing fanboy before Sammy, asking for a photo and on the take, Sammy kissed Archie on the cheek and Archie looked shocked! Later the show Archie Bunker's Place, where Archie ran a bar, it did poorly. (Much like 'After MASH')

And In Maude, I remember the time Maude got pregnant, I believe in her late 40s, And she and Harold were both nervous and a bit scared. And Maude making the then controversial decision to have an abortion cause she felt bring up a child at her age would have been bad overall for the kid.

And Fred's "AHHm Comin' Lousie!!" *chest clutching* every time Lamont or Esther said/did something to irritate Fred. I oddly still remember Fred getting his ears cleaned out of built up ear wax and how shocked his was suddenly hearing what people were actually saying behind his back.

Well, not that poorly -- "Archie Bunker's Place" ran for four seasons after the original "All in the Family" ended. (And the episode you're thinking of, where Edith died off-screen, was actually the 1st episode of season 2 of ABP -- the original series ended because Jean Stapleton wanted to leave the show, but she agreed to come back and make a few appearances in ABP's first season to help make the transition to the new format, with the understanding that her character would be written out before the next season started.)

Fred's wife's name was Elizabeth not Louise.

"Oh this is the big one! Look out Louise, I'm coming to join ya honey!"

There was a good later All in the Family episode where Archie is recruited by a Ku Klux Klan styled White Supremacy group. Archie did attend a meeting (thinking their organization was for neighborhood improvement) and was horrified that the group will target the Jeffersons next door. Archie stood his ground to protect his neighbor by saying he has African-American blood in him...from a blood transfusion from a gallbladder operation.

He's "Movin' On Up" to the great, de-luxe apartment in the sky. :)


(sorry, couldn't resist). :P

This was back in the day that sit-coms mattered!

This is just my personal view, so don't jump all over me for it, ok?
I no longer watch the re-runs of "All In The Family" since I just don't like watching them.
All they do is yell at each other.

Only one episode of "All In The Family" is worth re-watching, and that was the episode where Archie got locked in his basement and got drunk.

The shows were innovative of course, for their time.

But nowadays I no longer watch any sitcom.

He also flew a number of air combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe, I was told.

Daaaaaamn! One man affected more peoples lives than most politicians! That's POWER!

I've seen many of those shows in reruns.
Brilliant work that addressed many of the social issues of each era from the point of view of the middle classes.
He really had a knack for it.

Lear was great at that!

It all started somewhere. He's an integral part of TV culture.

And he did it all without making it "preachy."

A far cry from what writers today can do, that is, if they even have the guts to even try. Or even a studio exec with the brains to even allow it.

So true.

One the last truly great old-schoolers
Godspeed to you good sir

Watched many of his TV shows. May he rest in peace.

This guy was truly a sitcom genius.

My grandparents loved All In The Family!