S1.E2

Writing the President

Episode aired Jan 19, 1971
TV-PG
26m

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Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, Carroll O'Connor, and Jean Stapleton in All in the family (1971)

Archie learns that Mike has written to President Nixon to criticize his policies. So Archie takes pen in hand and writes his own letter of praise.Archie learns that Mike has written to President Nixon to criticize his policies. So Archie takes pen in hand and writes his own letter of praise.Archie learns that Mike has written to President Nixon to criticize his policies. So Archie takes pen in hand and writes his own letter of praise.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

443

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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8vitoscotti

Archie loves his country

Mike eggs Archie on again. Mike's not a real contributor to society. Wonder how realistic that a father would take any guff from a freeloading son-in-law? Gloria idolizes her Mike. I think Edith tolerates Mike for Gloria's sake. Rich Little's Nixon surprisingly weak. Very good 2nd episode with some good laughs.

Jimmy_the_Gent4

Archie And Mike Write To Nixon

Both Archie and Mike send letters to the White House with their differing views.

A very good early episode. It begins with Archie coming home and tasting a spoonful of something on the stove, he then finds out it was Gloria boiling one of Mike's shirts! Then Archie and Mike get into an argument over what to watch on TV. Archie wants football highlights and Mike wants to watch a PBS documentary on pollution with Jack Lemmon, guess who wins. Then they talk about actors with Archie complaining about liberal ones like Lemmon, Paul Newman and Marlon Brando (he calls him Marlo Brandon). Mike then insults John Wayne which gets Archie furious. Edith says Archie would lay down his life for the Duke but not for her. Edith is less high pitched here than she was later, more world weary and with dry sarcasm. Mike then tells Archie he is sending a letter to President Nixon to criticize who he is handling the country. Archie decides to send a letter praising Nixon. There is an unusual fantasy sequence when the family watches Nixon on TV calling Archie Bunker one great American. The series would get better by the next season, but this is one of the best 1st season episodes.

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Trivia
This episode was produced as a second pilot with the permanent cast. When the show was finally picked up, CBS wanted this one to be the show's opening episode (since it contained fewer racial epithets than "Meet the Bunkers", as well as the network execs being nervous about the pilot's blatant implication that the Stivics are about to have sex at the episode's start), but Norman Lear insisted that "Meet the Bunkers" had been written to show "360 degrees" of Archie Bunker and should be shown first. A fierce debate ensued minutes before the airing of the first show of the series; Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin threatening the CBS executives that they would do no further work on the show if "Writing the President" were shown first. CBS finally relented, literally at the last minute.

Quotes
Michael 'Meathead' Stivic: You know what you can do with your John Wayne.
Archie Bunker: What about John Wayne? And before you say anything, let me warn you when you're talking about the Duke, you ain't just talking about an actor, you're talking about the spirit that made America great.
Michael 'Meathead' Stivic: Are you kidding? Ma, is he kidding?
Edith Bunker: He'd lay down his life for the Duke. For me, no, the Duke, yeah.