Product Description

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/03/2006 Run time: 620 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37248 in DVD
• Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
• Released on: 2006-01-03
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .55 pounds
• Running time: 621 minutes

Amazon.com
Expecting anything resembling growth from Archie Bunker is like asking the sun to rise in the west: it ain't gonna happen. Accordingly, the most unrepentantly incorrigible character in TV sit-com history is his old self throughout this three-disc box set, which includes all 24 episodes from the fifth season of producer Norman Lear's All in the Family. Which is to say that Archie (played brilliantly as always by Carroll O'Connor) is an irascible, intolerant, sexist, ignorant, cheap misanthrope. Funny, too.

Still, a few subtle changes are apparent. For one thing, this was the mid-'70s, the Gerald Ford era, and after the tumultuous Richard Nixon years, things were a little mellower… sometimes even Archie. Sure, he's still a guy with a blue collar and red state politics (on Nixon and Watergate: "He did not lie. He forgot to tell the truth"), a bigot ("the whole place is locked up tighter than a Jew's purse") and a master of malapropisms ("that's the crotch of the problem"). But Archie's political arguments with son-in-law Mike "Meathead" Stivic (Rob Reiner) are fewer and farther between; in fact, the overall tone of the show seems a bit lighter, with more outright slapstick humor, and the almost constant bickering is less shrill than before. That's a welcome development, as are the occasional moments when Archie reveals that he might even have a heart.

Season Five also finds George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford) and son Lionel (Mike Evans) moving out of the neighborhood (the pilot for The Jeffersons is one of the episodes here), while daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and Meathead move into the Jeffersons' house next door at season's end. But perhaps the most notable change is Edith's gradual willingness to stand up to her husband. She's still a dingbat, but her assertiveness and confidence show through from time to time, especially in the hilarious episode 18 ("All's Fair"), in which Edith, coached by Mike and Gloria, learns how to engage Archie in a fair fight.

Although the box set contains no bonus material, it does include a "Best Of" episode with highlights from the first 100 shows, hosted by Henry Fonda, of all people. And look for future Oscar winner James Cromwell in the recurring role of Stretch Cunningham, one of Archie's co-workers. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

This is the Season Where "The Jeffersons" Move On Up!
All right! I've been waiting a LONG time for this one. This is the season where George and Louise Jefferson will "move on up" to the dee-luxe apartment in the sky. Those of us who were only 2-1/2 years old when this episode originally aired will now be afforded the opportunity to see it in it's original CBS broadcast entirety! Of course, the pilot for "The Jeffersons" is not at all the only good thing that you will get if you buy this season. "All in the Family" was still in fine form at this point with all original players intact, fussing and fighting their way through all kinds of situations and keeping you well entertained for hours upon hours!

Hopefully the glitches that plagued the Season 4 set will not be present here, but if they are bear in mind that videotape does NOT age well. With or without the minor imperfections, we should just be grateful to get our hands on this uncut TV classic in a format that will not deteriorate any further than it already has. It definitely beats the hacked-to-pieces versions that TV Land airs! It's nothing short of shameful how much of the show has been removed over the years to make room for so many more commercials than it was meant for! Supporting these box sets will give the studio faith to keep them coming, and eventually those heavily edited syndicated versions will be made obsolete.

Awesome!!!
Season 5 is one of the best of all! Archie and mike are still doing what they do best....arguing about anything and everything. The best part of the whole season is when Archie finds out that the meathead has bought the Jedderson's old house next door...Arch's expression is PRICELESS!!! I'f you buy this set u won't be sorry

All in the family-Season 5.
If you like to laugh this is a must see.I have all 5 seasons and each one is as good as the season it followed.Archie-Edith-Mike& Gloria there is not a better foursome in T.V. history.Get it,sit back and enjoy.