There have been several TV classics that lasted long runs, and there are also spin-offs or follow-up shows of those series that aren’t as well known as the source material.
In 1979, the long-running All In The Family became Archie Bunker’s Place. The series still starred Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton, who had been with All In The Family as Archie and Edith Bunker since 1971. The original show changed a bit in 1978 when Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner departed as Gloria and Mike, and the show had already become quite different in their absence. Soon the focus on the Bunker household was put in the back seat while a newer direction for the show took place primarily at Archie’s Place, the bar that Archie had purchased that was once known as Kelsey’s. Martin Balsam was brought on as Archie’s business partner.
If you have seen only All In The Family, though, you may not have seen the one, final time the Bunkers and the Stivics completely reunited — O’Connor, Stapleton, Struthers, and Reiner. They get back together for Thanksgiving and it’s just as chaotic as the best episodes of the original series. “Archie’s Thanksgiving” ran for an hour on November 18, 1979.
As most things are, the episode can be seen as YouTube, and we’ve embedded it below. If you really like it, Season 1 is available on DVD for under $15 on Amazon.com.
Happy Thanksgiving from us at KSiteTV.
