Justice for All

Fifty-seven years later, this hidden gem has hardly aged!

The audience is introduced to the series' dynamic in this pilot (as any good pilot is supposed to do). The miserable patriarch of the Bunker family, Archie, struggles to find value in a changing world, & longs for days gone by where he fit in. His primary source of tension is his daughter's boyfriend, whom he allows to live in his house on Long Island. A progressive activist, he clashes with Archie over almost everything. Archie's wife, Edith, functions as a referee.

As an experimental pilot, only Carroll O'Connor & Jean Stapleton remained when the series kicked off for real. Having seen this, I think I now would have preferred Kelly Jean Peters over Sally Struthers in the role of Gloria, & Tim McIntire over Rob Reiner. Oh well.

Given what a nauseating, break-neck decade it's been at the time of writing, I am thankful that Archie wouldn't live to see the way things are nowadays.

This is obviously a curio, if you're any kind of fan of the series. It's also pretty bad. Archie wears a toupee here. Why? The family name is "Justice." Why? Meathead's character is named "Richard," and he's Irish rather than Polish. Why? We have Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton, but even they can't make this pilot work. The other 3 actors are genuinely bad in their respective roles (refer to my heading). Most TV episodes or movies that were "lost" for decades might just as well have stayed lost. This pilot is no exception.

This is the first pilot for what became "All in the Family". Apparently the network didn't like some of the cast so they had different actors play Gloria and Richard (later changed to Mike). In particular, this Gloria seemed VERY New York Italian and the later incarnations were more middle America and ethnically ambiguous. D'Urville Martin played Lionel in both pilots--the one and "Those Were the Days" (the second pilot). By the time the first actual episode came along ("Meet the Bunkers"), Richard/Mike, Gloria and Lionel were the actors we are now familiar with and more likable than the pilot actors...though perhaps this is more due to familiarity.

The episode itself is essentially the same as in the second pilot AND the first episode. It's Archie and Edith's anniversary and the kids make them a nice brunch. But, not surprisingly, Richard and Archie get to arguing about race and then later about the existence of God. And, like these two other episodes, Archies racial slurs are a bit more frequent and vulgar than you'd hear in later episodes.

Overall, very similar to the second pilot but perhaps a bit grouchier and more harsh. Watchable and interesting...particularly if you are a fan of the later series.

A few other things to note...the family is named 'Justice' in this one and the opening song is VERY different towards the end and Richard/Mike is Irish (as he is in the second pilot)....oh, and Carroll O'Connor is sporting a toupee!