I was a boy when I first saw this skit and knew exactly what Archie meant. And to this day (I'm now a middle aged man) this sticks with me. Nearly a half century later, from time to time when I get dressed in the morning, I think if this. Unreal...
The subtext to All In the Family was Michael was alone and really needed a family (Mom and Dad). Despite Archie ragging on him a lot, he knew Archie was making the ultimate sacrifice for him (as Archie was not rolling in the dough). The leaving for CA episode and the farewells said it all. The best sitcom ever produced.
I saw in an interview with Rob Reiner that this was actually improvised in rehearsal when Rob Reiner as Mike put his shoes and socks on the way he did it. Carroll O'Connor saw that and started improvising. Rob Reiner just went with it and that's how this classic scene came about. Amazing!
Every time I would put on my socks and shoes for years I would think about this scene. Of course I did it the right way, a sock and a sock and a shoe then a shoe.
Actually, the way it came about (at least according to Rob Reiner, who played the Meathead) was that apparently Rob Reiner puts on his socks and shoes that way in real life. He did that in this scene in rehearsal. Carroll O'Connor saw this and started improvising this conversation. Rob Reiner went along with him and the rest is TV history.
I really hate to break this to you, but Jews have been in the entertainment business since the modern entertainment business was created. David O. Selznick, a Jew, produced Gone With The Wind. People like Irving Thalberg, Louis B. Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn were the heads of major movie studios back in the early part of the 20th century, all of them Jewish. Just sayin....
Carol was a far left liberal in real life but made Archie a real person from his generation. Archie had some silly ideas but was confused in a changing world. Best was when Archie and George Jefferson both were bigots about interracial marriage. Or when they teamed up to keep a PR out of their neighborhood. I remember that thinking. Racism makes strange bedfellows.
Not true. Near the end of the series Meathead abandoned Gloria for another woman he met at college. That freeloader showed his true colors. Sad but true....
So insanely simple and hilarious and brilliant. Even though we're in a somewhat golden age of television now, you don't see much on TV that's this satisfying.
All my life I have thought of this skit every time I put my shoes and socks on (or should I say socks & shoes!). Thanks for posting this. Now I can show it to my husband instead of just trying to explain it to him!
+Sue G This has got to be my favorite skit of all time. I, too, think of it as I put mine on. Left sock, right sock, left shoe, right shoe for me each and every time...Archie would be proud of me! Carroll O'Connor was one great actor, and nobody had a more expressive face than he, especially the eyes. He is sorely missed.
This was one of my favorite episodes...I remember seeing this back in the 70s when I was growing up...and til this day, I still negotiate with myself as to what I should put on first...my sock, or my shoe...Hilarious!
This is one of the most memorable episodes. Every time I'm rushing and putting on socks I think of this episode. This was all ad-lib...that was talent back then.
Mike just wanted to be weird to PROVOKE Archie!! Being a liberal myself, I will readily admit that many of the hang-ups that Mike had, were ridiculous and hypocritical. I'll always remember when he was so adamant about not creating any children, rather adopting one. BUT......he would NEVER wear a condom. And when Gloria became pregnant, Mike was so upset about that, so she told him, if he didn't want anymore children, he needed to get a vasectomy. He resisted so vehemently.
The way I heard it, Mike started putting on the shoes and socks that way in rehearsal and Carroll O'Connor started improvising. Rob Reiner went along with it and the rest is TV history.
@@Kragatar Then you've never seen pre 70's TV, have you? "All In The Family" was "groundbreaking" and controversial because it took on taboo subjects (toilet flushing) that wouldn't ever be on TV. Oh, and "All In The Family" was based on the British series "Till Death Do Us Part". Alf Garnett makes Archie Bunker look downright "liberal".
@@dangelo1369 I was talking about post-90's shows being overly politically correct and lacking in character. The old stuff was great. Though it is true I haven't watched enough old shows. Didn't watch a very big variety when I was a kid, and once RU-vid came along I ended up getting rid of my TV because I only watched it a few times a year, lol.
I remember an episode where Mike put the roll of toilet paper backwards! Archie had a fit! LOL Also an episode where Mike drank a glass of water from the bathroom sink! LOL
Mike was right. No "sock sock shoe shoe' has yet been able to explain to my how it makes sense to raise the same foot twice, except to say "that's just the right way", which means nothing
I sent this to my father recently because this was one of his favorite moments from the show back in the day. He said he laughed just as hard at it now as he did back then.
This scene, to me, epitimized the entire relationship between Archie and the Meathead. It was classic nonsense, and sheer fun. Thanks for posting this!
I just loved this when I saw it for the first time on AFRTS in West Germany around the time of the end of the Vietnam War. Myself, I do the sock-and-a-sock thing, always have, but I was amused by Archie's volatile opposition to anyone doing things their way, and not his, especially when there was no material difference in outcome. My dad was very much like O'Connor's character, but a LOT less friendly, and sometimes I did something the way he didn't like just to piss him off, maybe trigger a literal (not figurative!) hopping mad tantrum. Then, when I laughed at the absurdly comical spectacle that he presented, the ensuing beating didn't matter- I had won.
One of the best bits of all time. Right up there with "Who's on First?" Maybe even better because I think of it EVERY time I put on socks and shoes. Personally, I'm a "one foot at a time" person.
I will reiterate as a Black Woman, I LOVE..... A.I.T.F.!! However, Archie's INSISTENCE about HIS way being THE right way, simply because he was the only wage earner in that household, showed in "Neon Lights.....," how uneducated he was. Mike on the other hand, although College educated, was always too INSULAR to realize that arguing with Archie, was a task in futility!!
I thought: What’s funnier than a bunch of people commenting on a clip from a tv show, discussing which character they agree with? Then I decided it must be me- ‘cause I’m taking the time to read all of the comments!!!!!! It WAS a funny show and this was one of my favorite scenes!!! And I’ve done it both ways!!!LoL!!
