Episodes like this are what made All in The Family a successful show. Well acted,well directed,it tells a simple but powerful story.
6 Reviews
Powerful story
richardskranium15 August 2018
Money can't buy happiness
stones7818 July 2012
Forgive the tired expression above, but it fits nicely in regards to this fine episode, which boasts familiar face William Windom as Eddie Frazier, a wealthy used car magnate who visits Archie and pals after many years. Windom gives a fine performance, as both a happy and sad man, as he's happy to see his friends, but sad that his son refuses to see him after many years; look for other slightly familiar faces in Len Lesser(Billy), who played Uncle Leo from Seinfeld, and George Savalas(Kojak), who plays Joe. Before Eddie comes to the house, Archie tells Mike how rich and funny he is, and every time Eddie cracks a joke, Mike gives a fake, hearty laugh, and he does it quite a few times that it started to annoy me, mainly because it was so forced and not funny. As the group is in awe of how much Eddie is worth, and how much he paid for certain things, Eddie's having a serious and sad conversation on the phone with his son, begging to see him, but is refused each time; Eddie admits he's made mistakes in the past, but his son still refuses to see him, as Eddie gets emotional on the phone, and Mike gets to witness this, to which Eddie tells Mike, "he wants me to stay the hell away from him", and you can see how good an actor Windom is, and you can also see how this show is much better than others. The conclusion has the group laughing with Eddie, although Mike is in no laughing mood, as Eddie forces the laughter.
Seen it many times. Always a treat.
vitoscotti10 October 2021
William Windom should of won an Emmy for his performance. Archie sees Eddie has problems. But, he hangs on to his hero worship. We see a young "Uncle Leo" (Len Lesser). Mike shows a sympathetic side, other than his radical liberal persona. A rare non screaming episode.
Eddie The Go-Getter
ShadeGrenade27 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Archie is thrilled to receive expensive gifts from his old army buddy Eddie Frazier ( William Windom ), now a successful car salesman. He is even more delighted when Eddie decided to pay him a visit.
Mike does not want to meet Eddie as he despises millionaires. But he and Gloria cancel their planned trip to the movies.
The following evening, Eddie shows up, along with a couple of other of Archie's army pals, and a drunken, joyous reunion ensues. Eddie is very much the life and soul of the party, laughing and cracking jokes.
However, Mike overhears Eddie's telephone call to his son, and sees the millionaire in an entirely different light...
'All In The Family' was the American version of Johnny Speight's 'Till Death Us Do Part'. Though the latter was enormously popular in Britain, the former never caught on here. Only 41 of the 202 episodes were screened by the B.B.C., mostly in late night slots ( ironically, the inferior spin-off 'Gloria' was allocated a decent time slot on B.B.C.-1 in the mid-eighties! ).
The late Carroll O'Connor was superb as the Trump-like 'Archie Bunker', as were Jean Stapleton as his dingbat wife 'Edith', Rob Reiner as his left-leaning son-in-law 'Mike Stivic', and the lovely Sally Struthers as daughter 'Gloria'. Sensing that the original was too abrasive for prime time U.S. television, writer/producer Norman Lear softened the Bunkers' characters, making Archie in particular more likable.
'Success Story', the penultimate episode of the first season, effectively combines comedy and pathos, boasting a touching performance from William Windom as 'Eddie'. Only Mike knows that the millionaire is unhappy because his son refuses to have anything to do with him. A storyline such as this would not have been used by Speight; despite their similarity, there was clear blue water between the shows in terms of their respective approaches to comedy.
It is strange why a quality sitcom such as this is nowhere to be found on retro channels, yet the vastly inferior 'Friends' is endlessly re-screened.
Funniest moment - Archie taking the call from Eddie. Handing the phone to Edith, he dashes upstairs. Then we hear a toilet being flushed! ( another groundbreaking aspect of the show, incidentally )
Mike does not want to meet Eddie as he despises millionaires. But he and Gloria cancel their planned trip to the movies.
The following evening, Eddie shows up, along with a couple of other of Archie's army pals, and a drunken, joyous reunion ensues. Eddie is very much the life and soul of the party, laughing and cracking jokes.
However, Mike overhears Eddie's telephone call to his son, and sees the millionaire in an entirely different light...
'All In The Family' was the American version of Johnny Speight's 'Till Death Us Do Part'. Though the latter was enormously popular in Britain, the former never caught on here. Only 41 of the 202 episodes were screened by the B.B.C., mostly in late night slots ( ironically, the inferior spin-off 'Gloria' was allocated a decent time slot on B.B.C.-1 in the mid-eighties! ).
The late Carroll O'Connor was superb as the Trump-like 'Archie Bunker', as were Jean Stapleton as his dingbat wife 'Edith', Rob Reiner as his left-leaning son-in-law 'Mike Stivic', and the lovely Sally Struthers as daughter 'Gloria'. Sensing that the original was too abrasive for prime time U.S. television, writer/producer Norman Lear softened the Bunkers' characters, making Archie in particular more likable.
'Success Story', the penultimate episode of the first season, effectively combines comedy and pathos, boasting a touching performance from William Windom as 'Eddie'. Only Mike knows that the millionaire is unhappy because his son refuses to have anything to do with him. A storyline such as this would not have been used by Speight; despite their similarity, there was clear blue water between the shows in terms of their respective approaches to comedy.
It is strange why a quality sitcom such as this is nowhere to be found on retro channels, yet the vastly inferior 'Friends' is endlessly re-screened.
Funniest moment - Archie taking the call from Eddie. Handing the phone to Edith, he dashes upstairs. Then we hear a toilet being flushed! ( another groundbreaking aspect of the show, incidentally )
The great Eddie Frazier
gregorycanfield19 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Eddie Frazier is another "good friend" of Archie's, that appears in only one episode. Eddie is one of Archie's war buddies, now worth millions. Interestingly, every time Archie mentions Eddie's net worth, it's a different amount. It started at 5 million, and went as high as 60 million. While Archie thinks the world of Eddie, Mike pegs him as a corrupt business man. When Eddie shows up, it's clear that he's not what Archie thinks he is. He is also not quite what Mike thought he was, either. Eddie has a son who wants nothing to do with him. Mike turns out to be the only person Eddie can relate to, or is even honest with. Mike feels genuinely bad when he realizes the problem between Eddie and his son. The look on Mike's face is priceless. One of the most powerful scenes in the series. Great episode. I've never seen William Windom give a better performance.
The audience had input on the script?
ssvhbb25 April 2024
I was 18 in 1971 and moved from Idaho to Los Angeles to start my adult life. A friend of mine had a brother working in a supermarket there, and we'd connect sometimes. One day, he said: "A customer just gave me tickets to a live taping of a new show...tonight. Do you want to go?"
As a small town kid I was thrilled. The show was new, and I had never seen an episode yet. The actor who played Lionel sat directly behind me and was introduced to the audience. During the taping, a controversial line in the script came up. It was whether William Windon's character should say about his Christmas card that he had The Christ Child in a Cadillac, or the Three Wise Men in a Cadillac.
I will never forget what happened next: They stopped the taping, and the actors and Norman Lear came out, sat on the edge of the soundstage, dangling their legs just feet in front of me, and engaged the audience in which line should be in the show...they asked for OUR feedback! After a brief discussion and a gauging of the audience preference, the Three Wisemen line was selected, the lights went down, the actors took their places again and completed the scene.
For a 18 year old from a small town in Idaho, it remains an indelible memory...not only getting to be there but interacting with the actors and producer, being asked to express an opinion, influence a TV show.... It was an extraordinary night for me, I'm not sure who from that cast or crew might read this, but I'll bet they remember it too. Mr. Lear, the incredible cast and crew changed television and society for the good with this show. I'll never forget it.
As a small town kid I was thrilled. The show was new, and I had never seen an episode yet. The actor who played Lionel sat directly behind me and was introduced to the audience. During the taping, a controversial line in the script came up. It was whether William Windon's character should say about his Christmas card that he had The Christ Child in a Cadillac, or the Three Wise Men in a Cadillac.
I will never forget what happened next: They stopped the taping, and the actors and Norman Lear came out, sat on the edge of the soundstage, dangling their legs just feet in front of me, and engaged the audience in which line should be in the show...they asked for OUR feedback! After a brief discussion and a gauging of the audience preference, the Three Wisemen line was selected, the lights went down, the actors took their places again and completed the scene.
For a 18 year old from a small town in Idaho, it remains an indelible memory...not only getting to be there but interacting with the actors and producer, being asked to express an opinion, influence a TV show.... It was an extraordinary night for me, I'm not sure who from that cast or crew might read this, but I'll bet they remember it too. Mr. Lear, the incredible cast and crew changed television and society for the good with this show. I'll never forget it.
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