But...Aw Jeez, Edith...John Carroll O'Connor, born August 2, 1924, died way back on June 21st, 2001. These days, when people talk about a CLASSIC SITCOM, they mean "Friends" or "Big Bang Theory." Anyone even remember "All in the Family?" Are any stations actually running what was then a controversial and is now a very UN-PC show?
Back in the day, "All in the Family" was the #1 show and it made a star out of an obscure character actor, one who actually DIDN'T talk with a New Yawk accent. O'Connor admitted that he cobbled the Archie Bunker voice with a little help from listening to Jimmy Cagney and Jackie Gleason. After several years, O'Connor seemed to tire of being identified with Archie, and tried to remind people that he was an ACTOR, not a personality.
One thing that helped was when he added lyrics to Roger Kellaway's "All in the Family" end theme, and performed it as the dapper Irishman he actually was. The opening sentiment: "Gotta feeling it's all over now, all over now, we're through. And tomorrow I'll be lonesome remembering you..."
Here, all dressed up in a tux, something Archie Bunker never owned, he sings "Remembering You."
Fortunately for O'Connor, after he milked the show for constant wage hikes, and ultimately got his own solo "Archie Bunker's Place," he was able to move on to a completely new character, the Southern sheriff on "In the Heat of the Night." Nobody seemed to find it jarring that a Southern accent was sliding out of Archie Bunker's mouth. That's how good of an actor he was.
Back when there was such a thing as vinyl, and no such thing as piracy, two "All in the Family" soundtrack albums arrived in stores, and O'Connor issued his own album, "Remembering You," which was mainly a collection of 30's hits with spoken introductions for each song. And if you're nostalgic for the ragtime piano instrumental version, it was committed to vinyl a few times...here by Ray Coniff and his band.
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