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Jean Stapleton pushed All in the Family writers to develop stories about equal rights

By: Catchy Comedy Staff    Posted: August 21, 2024, 8:52AM

Let it be known that Edith Bunker is one of the best sitcom characters of all time, and never gets enough credit for how lovable she really is.

To be honest, if you had to pick a friend out of the Bunker family, you'd feel best if you had Edith at your side. She's endlessly loving and supportive and will stand by the people she cares about through thick and thin.

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Moreover, Edith gains a reputation as a sweet, but dimwitted, "dingbat," left at the mercy of Archie's awful decisions.

However, lasting fans of All in the Family understand that as the series progressed, Edith gained more agency, and just because she didn't voice her opinions frequently doesn't mean she didn't have any.

Part of Edith's progression as a character was, of course, thanks to the All in the Family writers and series creator Norman Lear. However, Jean Stapleton, who played Edith throughout the entirety of All in the Family and quite a bit of the follow-up series, Archie Bunker's Place, also had a hand in developing the character.

Lear had previously stated that Stapleton was integral in the development of Edith's voice, but in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Stapleton revealed that she actually pushed for more stories centered around gender issues.

As Stapleton herself became educated on these issues, she felt that it was important for Edith to go on the same journey.

"For two or three years I was pressing to have things on the show that would dramatize the issue of equal rights," she said. "And then in 1976, I served on the National Committee for Observance of International Women's Year, and I was able to provide our writers with research material that enabled them to write scripts along that level."

Stapleton's instincts were spot on, and the series gained recognition for bringing to light an oft-discussed issue in society. So let's tip our hats to Edith, and Jean Stapleton too! 

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