"Meathead" on Muppets Tonight
All in the Family was an initially controversial but long-running CBS sitcom, created by Norman Lear. It focused on the bigoted, uninformed Archie Bunker and his clashes with his family and neighbors (many of whom represented the very groups he despised). The series ran from 1971 until 1979, and was then reworked as Archie Bunker's Place (with wife Edith written out as having died at the start of the second season) until 1983. The series also launched many spin-offs (and spin-offs of spin-offs), notably The Jeffersons, Maude, and the short-lived Gloria.
Muppet Mentions[]
- In the seventh season episode "Archie's Chair" (1977), Mike and Edith are going into the living room:
- Mike: Ma, do you have any coffee? And Ma, do you mind if I drink it in the living room? I gotta catch Sesame Street.
- Edith: I thought that was for little kids!
- Mike: Yeah, it is but they got a great show on today about the letter Z. Besides I heard that Big Bird's gonna lay an egg today.
- In the eight season episode "Super Bowl Sunday" (1978), two hold up men rob Archie's bar. One accosts buxom waitress "Boom Boom," pointing to her cleavage and saying he thought he saw something green: "Whaddaya got, one of the Muppets in there?"
References[]
- Edith Bunker is among the many wrong guesses that Count von Count makes (and counts) in a game of "Guess Who?" in Episode 0899 of Sesame Street.
- All in the Family is one of the TV shows Miss Piggy suggests she and Kermit watch instead of a documentary about "Nepotism in the TV Industry" in the March 28, 1986 The Muppets comic strip.
- Rob Reiner, who played Mike Stivic (referred to by Archie Bunker as "Meathead") was caricatured twice on Muppets Tonight. In episode 103, a Rob Reiner Muppet conducts screen tests for When Harry Met Sally with Billy Crystal. Referring to his transition from sitcom actor to director, the Muppet complains "And the next one that calls me 'Meathead' is gonna get it!"
- The puppet was reused for the Frogketeer Robbie, featured in episode 105, in a reference to The Mickey Mouse Club. Robbie's shirt, however, proclaims his name as "Meathead."
Connections[]
- F. Murray Abraham played a clerk in "The Unemployment Story" (1976)
- Paul Benedict played Harry Bentley in "The Jeffersons Move on Up" (1975)
- Theodore Bikel played Alvin Klemmer in "Love Comes to the Butcher" (1978) and "A Girl Like Edith" (1979)
- Peter Bonerz directed four episodes of Archie Bunker's Place (1979-1980)
- Andy Borowitz wrote three episodes of Archie Bunker's Place (1982)
- Roscoe Lee Browne played Hugh Victor Thompson III in "The Elevator Story" (1972) and Jean Duval in "Archie in the Hospital" (1973)
- Vinnette Carroll played Dr. Wynell Thatcher in two episodes (1976)
- James Cromwell played Stretch Cunningham in three episodes (1974)
- Billy Crystal played Al Bender in "New Year's Wedding" (1976)
- Charles Durning played a detective in "Gloria the Victim" (1973)
- Henry Fonda hosted "The Best of All in the Family" (1974)
- Sherman Hemsley played George Jefferson (1973-1975; guest, 1978)
- James Hong played a Chinese waiter in "Edith Breaks Out" (1975)
- Judith Kahan played Lorraine in "Stalemates" (1978)
- Cleavon Little played Coke in "Edith Writes a Song" (1971)
- Rich Little voiced Richard Nixon in "Writing the President" (1971)
- Michael Loman wrote four episodes (1976-1978)
- Will Mackenzie played Reverend Shaefer in "Unequal Partners" (1977) and directed the Archie Bunker's Place episode "Gary's Ex" (1982)
- Robert Mandan played Mr. Morrison in "The Taxi Caper" (1973)
- Anne Meara played Veronica Rooney on Archie Bunker's Place (1979-1982)
- Bernadette Peters played Linda Galloway in "Gloria Suspects Mike" (1975)
- Charlotte Rae played Lillian Henderson in "Where's Archie?" (1974)
- Don Rickles played Al Snyder in the Archie Bunker's Place episode "Death of a Lodger" (1982)
- Doris Roberts played Marge in "Edith's Night Out" (1976)
- Jean Stapleton played Edith Bunker (1971-1979)
- Jerry Stiller played Carmine in Archie Bunker's Place episodes "Veronica's Ex" (1980) and "Relapse" (1982)
- Sally Struthers played Gloria Bunker-Stivic (1971-1979; guest, 1982)
See also[]
- "All in the Family" (Sesame English episode)