Rob's character, Michael Casimir Stivic, was a Polish American from Chicago. Mike was orphaned at a young age when his parents were killed in a car crash. Mike married Archie's "little girl," Gloria (Sally Struthers), and he moved into the Bunker home to save money for his college education. The Stivic character was an American version of Mike Rawlins, the Trotskyist son-in-law in the British original Till Death Do Us Part. The American Mike was softened for U.S. audiences. He was definitely a social liberal, but he was by no means a communist or a radical revolutionary. In fact, he often mentioned people such as Ralph Nader as his strongest influences.
The liberal Mike and the conservative Archie were always at odds. Archie called him "Meathead" to show his disdain for his political views, such as his opposition to the war in Vietnam. The first time Archie used the moniker "Meathead," he accused Mike of being "dead from the neck up." Their arguments exposed the cultural and political divide in America. They also exposed Archie's bigotry and his ignorance in a humorous way.
Yet, Mike's flaws were also exposed and the two men had what can only be described as a love-hate relationship. Although Archie frustrated his son-in-law, Mike still cared deeply about him. It was Archie's wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton), who enlightened Mike about her husband. In one episode, she told Mike that Archie was envious of the fact that he had an education and a promising career ahead of him. She pointed out that Archie was not highly educated and did not have promising future prospects. It was always Edith who shared the wisest words.
I still watch episodes of All in the Family on YouTube. Norman Lear's show changed the face of American television. It dealt with societal issues that had never been dealt with on American TV before. I was deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. Rob and Michelle, rest in peace!
- Joanne
No comments:
Post a Comment