All in the Family (TV Series) Edith Writes a Song (1971) User Reviews

Classic Ep!

[Greatornot · 10/10 · 3 May 2009]

Cleavon Little of Blazing Saddles fame and Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son, were superb , as a couple of hiding out thieves in the Bunker house. Debate of the day was gun for the house or Submission of Ediths song. Archie versus the rest of the family. Archie bought a gun with the cookie jar money while the rest of the family voted for Ediths entry. Coming home to find the thieves after going to a movie with the family. Archie was in a jovial mood for a change because it wasn't one of those movies where people are jumping in bed at 3 or 4 at a clip. What a surprise coming home. Even the electronic dogs could not stop these thieves. This episode was full of one liners and Archie the 'monitor' could not stop Edith from singing her song. Incidentally , Edith singing this song , may have been one of the top 5 funniest scenes in sitcom history.Watch for the expressions on the various characters faces as she is doing so...Simply priceless. View this one and be prepared to laugh nonstop.

Killer.

[butt_spray · 10/10 · 15 September 2011]

I'm in a personal quest of watching all AITF shows in order. I'd never seen this one, and I literally had tears at this one. Little is funny as always, but I never really thought Wilson was that good of an actor until I saw this. I loved Sanford and Son, but couldn't help thinking about how good it really would have been had he been acting more like this!

Not only did they pretty much put Archie in his place, they really put Mike in his place - which is something I'm kind of surprised that the writers allowed to happen.

One of the best AITF's I've ever seen.

Sanford's son breaks into Bunker's house

[gcanfield-29727 · 8/10 · 23 August 2020]

Cleavon Little got top guest billing over Demond Wilson. This not withstanding, it may be unclear how you're supposed to interpret the events here. Having two black guys break into the house tends to confirm the stereotype Archie believes. I wasn't impressed when the crooks criticized Archie's bigoted remarks. They were intruders. They didn't belong there, and had no right to criticize anything. Everyone was initially against Archie for wanting to use the "family pot" for home protection, rather than for Edith's terrible song. The resulting break-in did not prove Archie wrong. Also, the crooks ultimately giving back what they were going to steal and just walking out-not believable. Some ambiguity in this episode. Exactly what is the "message"?

What if Archie got the loaded gun first?

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 14 October 2021]

I always liked how Cleavon Little pronounced "bigot", and "liberal".

Who looked more foolish? Archie's bigotry? Or Mike's liberal view he understands what living in the ghetto does to a man? Investing in Edith's song not a good idea.

Not a great fan of the stereotypes ~

[cranvillesquare · 7/10 · 4 March 2024]

I remember seeing this show in the early 1970s when it first aired. Watching it a second time last evening (3-3-2024) only brought back and reinforced my fifty-year-old reactions to the performances of all of the characters. Cleavon Little and Demond Wilson were cringeworthy as the juke-jiving, overacting black thieves (think Jimmie Walker in "Good Times") and Rob Reiner wasn't far behind with his treacly, over-compensating white 1970s liberal persona who would bend over backwards to show compassion. "I know what you've gone through??" - who did he think he was kidding? I was just a teenager in the early '70s but even I knew condescension when I saw it.

I give this a 7 only because I thought Jean Stapleton was a riot, singing that ear-piercing "song."