Rating: 
Summary: Those were the days...
Review: A television landmark, ALL IN THE FAMILY, was "must see" in my house every Sunday night from 1971-79. I was very young when the show first went on the air, but thanks to syndication, I have seen every episode. It was quite a bold move for creator Norman Lear to have a sit-com deal with many issues that, up until then T.V. wouldn't even think about discussing. Through working class bigot, Archie Bunker, (the great Carroll O'Connor) an entire nation began evaluating hot button topics in a whole new light. Topics like racism, abortion, politics, religion, rape, guns, and sexuality were dealt with, nothing was off limits. Edith (Jean Stapleton) was the perfect counter to her husband, often making the most sense by being smarter than your average "dingbat". Their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and her husband Mike (Rob Reiner) round it all out with their Liberal side of things. The use of humor and the real depiction of family life still make this series relavant. Sure some of it may seem dated but a lot of it is not I am glad this T.V. series first season is now available on DVD uncut and commercial free. A true classic to be enjoyed and cherished by everyone. The 3 disc set has all 13 episodes of season one and no extras Even without extras the set is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Funniest show ever made.
Review: I bought two sets, one to play over and over, and one to put away in case something happens to the first set. My only complaint is that they should have included the pilots. I'm ready to buy the remaining seasons. I just hope they don't take forever to release them. If you like the show, this is a must-have.
Rating: 
Summary: BEST INTENTIONS
Review: I was so happy when I heard plans of releasing the first season of All in the Family on DVD. However, the release is a bit of a disappointment. The DVD has no special features -- I was hoping that there would be some interviews, outtakes, featurettes, the original pilot -- none of which are present. All in the Family isn't getting the treatment it deserves.The audio and video are fair. Granted, the tape has had some wear and tear over the years, but the picture seems a little too soft. Also, a big problem -- the dvd will not play on my Phillips Magnovox 825 DVD player. I must play it on my laptop. Bummer. So, if you a fan of the show -- snatch it. The quality of the show makes up for the lack of quality in the video and lack of features.
Rating:
Summary: A blue collar bigot makes television comedy relevant
Review: When "All in the Family" premiered on CBS on January 12, 1971, "TV Guide" introduced it as "A Lighthearted Look at Prejudice," warning viewers "Situation comedy takes a giant step with this adult social satire." In retrospect, even that declaration is an incredible understatement. Other than the "Texaco Star Theater," which made Milton Berle "Mr. Television" and sold millions of television sets, there is not another show in the history of television as significant as "All in the Family." Before its abbreviated first season there were "idiot" situation comedies like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Hogan's Heroes," and "My Mother the Car." After "All in the Family" came relevant shows like "Maude," "The Jeffersons," and "M*A*S*H" and nobody doubts that it was AITF that changed the rules of the game. Produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, "All in the Family" was based on the British series "Till Death Do Us Part." The family in question were the Bunkers, which consisted of bigoted Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), his kindly "dingbat" wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton), their naively idealistic daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her husband, Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner), an argumentative liberal "meathead" who sorely tries Archie's deeply conservative soul. Archie Bunker was unlike anything ever seen on television: he held every negative racial or ethic stereotype in the book and used slurs never before heard on television. But the series also dealt with serious issues. "All in the Family" is the only television series in history to finish 1st in the Nielsen's five years running and all four stars won multiple Emmys in their respective acting categories. Included on this DVD are the thirteen episodes that made up the first season, when the show was a mid-season replacement: (1) "Meet the Bunkers," written by Norman Lear, where a surprise anniversary party for the Bunkers is just another excuse for Archie and Mike to have a fight; (2) "Writing the President" finds Mike and then Archie writing President Nixon on the state of the Union; (3) "Archie's Aching Back" finds Archie hiring a Jewish lawyer to get a large settlement in a minor traffic accident; (4) "Archie Gives Blood," although he is afraid his blood will get mixed with those of a different race; (5) "Judging Books by Covers," thinks one of Mike's friends is gay, but it turns out that it is one of Archie's drinking buddies instead; (6) "Gloria Is Pregnant," but suffers a tragic miscarriage in the first television show I remember making me cry; (7) "Now That You Know the Way, Let's Be Strangers," has Mike inviting a hippy friend to spend the night; (8) "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood" despite Archie's efforts to keep a black family from buying the house next door; (9) "Edith Has Jury Duty" in a sitcom version of "12 Angry Men"; (10) "Archie Is Worried About His Job" and nobody can sleep that night; (11) "Gloria Discovers Women's Lib" and angrily leaves the house when Mike refuses to treat her as an equal partner; (12) "Success Story" finds Archie reevaluating his definition of success when he runs into an old Army buddy; (13) "The First and Last Supper" has the Jeffersons coming to dinner at the Bunkers, except husband George (who is not seen until season 3) refuses to enter the house of his white neighbor. "All in the Family" is one of the greatest television series of all time and I do not know of two many television critics or historians who do not have it down as one of the five best situation comedies ever aired. Too bad this DVD does not include the two failed pilots Lear put together for ABC, but the greater shame is that this is a bare boned edition with just the episodes. Yes, they are uncut, but a show as culturally important as "All in the Family" would certainly be worthy of commentary from the talented actors, writers and staff who changed television forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Meathead may be a person of very little quality...
Review: but ALL IN THE FAMILY on DVD won't be or will it? I almost always wait until I own a DVD before I review it so I can give a detailed account of everything that is on it, so I decided to come back and update my review since I just received this DVD set today. Obviously the show is 5+ stars in quality but my 3 star review is for presentation on DVD. I had already heard that this DVD set was going to be a "bare bones" set with no extra features. In my opinion, that was a bit of an understatement. First, there are NO extra features - NO commentary, behind the scenes, interviews, photo galleries, and not even bios of the cast. Second, there is no "play all" episodes feature or "scene selection". So you have to select the episode you want to watch each time and you can't skip to the beginning scene instead of watching the opening "those were the days" song. The sound is english mono which didn't really surprise me but I did have to turn up the TV a little more than normal. The subtitle options are english and spanish. The packaging is a "tri-fold" case (like Fawlty Towers) which I kind of like because its compact. The discs are clear on the surface which will pick up fingerprints very easily. Concerning the content itself, this set features the first season - consisting of 13 episodes on three discs. Discs 1 & 2 have 4 episodes each and Disc 3 has 5 episodes. The set could have easily consisted of two discs, especially with the absence of any extra features. The episodes in this set (as titled from the included booklet)are: 01. Meet the Bunkers
02. Writing the President
03. Oh, My Aching Back
04. Judging Books by Covers
05. Archie Gives Blood
06. Gloria's Pregnancy
07. Mike's Hippie Friends Come to Visit
08. Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood
09. Edith has Jury Duty
10. Archie is Worried About his Job
11. Gloria Discovers Women's Lib
12. Success Story
13. The First and Last Supper I hate to say it, but in terms of presentation of this DVD set, those involved sort of "dropped the ball". I think that the sound and transfer could have been better. Also only 4-5 25 minute episodes on each disc without anything else on the discs? I feel that it was rushed out on 3 discs for profit reasons and it wasnt given the care and presentation it so deserved. 3 disc sets are fine (see other popular shows on 3 discs) if they have a good amount of extras. I really hope that Season 2 is released with much more care and features! At the top of this package it says "The Emmy Award-Winning, Ground-Breaking Series" - Well any series worthy of that label deserves much much more in way of features and design. ALL IN THE FAMILY deserves this not only because of it's importance in television history and the memory of Carroll O' Connor, but for the many fans who will cherish owning the series in digital form. Don't get me wrong this DVD set is still much better than the VHS compilations wether you buy them or tape them off television, but thats to be expected right? Its DVD! This DVD set can easily be recommended because well its DVD. That and because this is the only way you can get the "unedited", commercial free, complete first season of ALL IN THE FAMILY. So if you can rejoice in that alone (and you really don't have a choice if you want this show) then I say order yours today. I had to have one or else I would've felt like a "weird wolf"!
Rating:
Summary: Hope this is the first of many sets
Review: I think this is scheduled for March release. Let's hope Columbia Tristar hurries up and releases all seasons of this classic show! If you're watching ALL IN THE FAMILY on TV Land now, the episodes are severely edited ... it'll be great to have all of them, in order, uncut and complete on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: GROUNDBREAKING
Review: TV shows began to veer into social territory in the 1970s, especially "All In the Family". Carroll O'Connor played Archie Bunker, the epitome of everything liberals despise. In turning him into a cartoon character, and also because O'Connor's acting skills were extraordinary, they came close to overshooting their mark and making Bunker more popular than creator Norman Lear, a liberal's liberal, wanted him to be. Since that meant success and riches, however, Bunker was allowed to develop his own little cult of personality. Bunker liked nobody except the Republicans and Nixon. He was a New York construction hardhat, like the ones who cheered Nixon. His venom was directed at blacks, Jews, Puerto Ricans, Orientals, Europeans, Catholics, gays, Democrats, liberals, Communists, and everybody. The assumption was that he was a Protestant of English or Irish origin, but the writers wrote in his complaints for "drunken Irishmen" and "fag Englishmen." His view of God was that if you did not believe in Him you were a Communist, but beyond that little was explained. His son-in-law, Rob Reiner, ate him out of house and home, exasperating Bunker with liberal nostrums. His wife, Edith, was a dunce who did not stand up to him unless the writers decided that night's episode would feature women's rights, but the next time out she was back to her mousy self.
Bunker's "castle" was constantly invaded by a host of blacks, women, Hispanics and other minority-types from the New York "melting pot," all of them smarter than Arch and able to run rings around him intellectually. The only characters outside of Edith who stooped to his low IQ were his dumbass white bowling and lodge pals. The show worked, for one thing, because after years of racial intolerance, white America was ready to loosen up, laugh at themselves, and accept a little affirmative action comedy at their expense. It also worked because Bunker developed a cult status that Lear had not predicted. There were those who agreed with his views, and sitting at home these Joe Six-Packs spent the 1970s yelling, "You tell 'em, Arch." (...)
Rating:
Summary: get into all in the family
Review: 13 episodes not good dvd extras
Rating:
Summary: Super
Review: Nothing beats this show. Archie was recently rated the number 1 television character of all time by Bravo for a reason (Edith was number 12). Highly recommend since the re-runs that are seen on various TV stations are chopped by about 2 1/2 minutes a piece.
Rating:
Summary: All in the Family - The Complete First Season
Review: If you like All in the Family, then you'll enjoy these DVDs which are now available to enjoy at home anytime.
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