When Junk Becomes 70's Modern Art - Archie Bunker loses his chair and finds it in a modern art museum

If you've ever watched "All in the Family", you know how much Archie Bunker loved his precious chair. He didn't want anyone else to sit in it. Unfortunately, his son in law, whom Archie calls "Meathead", broke the leg on Archie's chair. Where does it eventually end up? You'll see in this video how it ends up in a modern art museum. I enjoyed looking at the 70's modern art in the museum, but what was even more fun was Archie and Edith's reaction to the different works of art. Priceless! 

If Archie's character had been on TV over the last decade and seen the popular trends in antique stores, I can imagine how he would have reacted in an antique mall if he had seen a piece of furniture that had paint chipping off everywhere and looked as though it had been beaten up. He would have probably wondered what the big hunk of junk was doing in the store and why nobody had repainted it. Then, he would have seen the price tag and the word "shabby", which he would have agreed with. But, if he glanced further down and saw the price, he would have gone off on a furious rant.

Now, imagine if he saw an old wooden chair with a crack in the wood on the seat and a darkening of the color on the arms and seat. Archie would have probably wondered why a "broken chair" was being sold. If he checked the price tag, he would have seen something like "primitive chair with aged patina". And he would have probably gone bonkers! I can imagine him saying something like, "Primitive?! My parents had a chair like that! What am I, a caveman?! What's this about a patina? The chair has stains on it and belongs in a dump! At that price I can get a nice, new chair without a crack already in it!" 

Oh, I wish that show was still around! I'd love to see Archie's reaction to a lot of what has gone on over the last decade, and what is going on today too. What would Archie think of reality shows like "Jersey Show" or "The Bachelor"? What would Archie think about Facebook? Can you imagine the kind of updates he'd have on his Facebook page if he had one? The incorrect words would be hilarious to read! I don't think he would be an "internets" user though. He would probably be afraid of what was happening to the world because of the viruses being spread all over by the "interwebs". 

How would Archie have reacted during the last election? Would he have voted at all? I think he would have been uncomfortable voting either way because of his prejudices. Meathead would have probably gotten a kick out of how Archie would be feeling backed in a corner because of Archie's own prejudices.

"All in the Family" was brilliantly written in a way that made people understand how ridiculous Archie sounded in his prejudices. It made people at home look inward and question their own way of thinking. I think of it as one of the best sitcoms of all time. It not only made people laugh, but it inspired conversation in people at home about the different ideas of people in that family. 

Carroll O'Connor played the part of Archie Bunker better than anyone else ever could. In real life, he was nothing like Archie, but he was so in touch with Archie's character that it's easy to get lost in that show and forget that they were actors. The whole family was cast perfectly. 

Sadly, Carroll O'Connor passed away nine years ago. So, we'll never get to know how Archie would have reacted to the last decade. We missed out on his character in the 80's and 90's too because the show was cancelled in 1979. But, the show started in 1971 and lasted right through until the end of the 70's, and I'm thankful for that. What would the 70's be without it? "All in the Family" did make a difference. 

Happy Birthday, Carroll O'Connor!! He would have been 86 today. 

Thank you to AITF789 for posting the All in the Family video clip on YouTube. If anyone would like to see what happens next with Archie's chair, look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7r6_WYWtrE&feature=related

The first seven seasons of "All in the Family" are available on DVD. The final two seasons have not yet been released.