Lionel’s Engagement: A classic All In The Family Episode.
This landmark episode is not only one of my all time favorite episodes of All in The Family but also, in my opinion, one of the funniest episodes in sitcom history from beginning to end.
Synopsis: The Bunkers are invited to Lionel’s engagement party for his upcoming marriage to Jenny Willis, who comes from a mixed marriage. Her father, Tom (called Louis in this episode), is white while her mother, Helen, is black. This bothers Archie and really, really, really bothers George.
What makes this episode so incredibly classic to me is just how brilliantly and organically funny it is to put Archie Bunker and George Jefferson in this perfect situation where they’re forced to deal with an interracial family such as The Willises. They’re both in shock that Jenny’s father’s white and It’s glorious to watch each of their reactions:
Everyone in the cast was in top form this episode, especially Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Carroll O’Connor, Mike Evans and Zara Cully as Mother Jefferson. This was Zara Cully’s first appearance as the iconic mother in law from hell. As shown above her classic telling off of Archie really showed where George got his fierce attitude and no nonsense smack downs from. If you noticed the Willises are cast differently and Tom Willis even has a different name (Louis) but even though the casting of the Willises on the actual Jeffersons show was a perfect fit, this casting wasn’t too shabby, and I have to say I like Louis’ handling of George and Archie’s ignorant reactions and attitudes towards him and his wife. He did it with class, and you gotta love when he asks Louise to dance to break the tension. Smooth operator that Willis.
Here’s to Yesterday:
I could do an entire article analyzing and breaking down the characters of Archie and George, in fact, I think I will, but for now I’m gonna quote my good friend Jay Moriarty, who just so happened to write the great book Honky in The House, who broke down the differences quite eloquently between Bunker and Jefferson in Chapter 16 of his book:
Archie Bunker- At best, a lovable buffoon. At worst, an ignorant bigot.
George Jefferson- At best, a hero. At worst, a workaholic intent on providing his family with not only the necessities but the finer things in life.
Those are the differences that divide them, but the scene above also highlights how both men’s prejudices are rooted in one key factor: They’re both middle aged men set in their ways and used to the world they grew up in where blacks and whites didn’t mix, especially not romantically. How ironic that their prejudiced toast “Here’s to yesterday” is what unites them. It’s a classic moment in a truly classic episode.
If you haven’t watched this episode before I suggest you check it out on Get Tv whenever it airs next because you will laugh til you cry. Take care, folks and here’s to yesterday.