Edith Bunker

Edith Bunker is a fictional 1970s sitcom mom on All in the Family, played by Jean Stapleton. She was the wife of Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, and mother-in-law of Michael "Meathead" Stivic.

Related Topics:
1970s - Sitcom - All in the Family - Jean Stapleton - Archie Bunker - Gloria Stivic - Michael "Meathead" Stivic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Edith was the voice of reason and rock of understanding, often contributing a unique perspective to a topic. She was decidedly less conservative than Archie (e.g., she was good friends with her neighbor, Louise Jefferson, while Archie was always at odds with her and husband, George, and she acknoledged that she'd voted for President Jimmy Carter in one of the later episodes). But even though her opinions sometimes sharply differed from Archie's, she was intensely loyal to her husband, often stuck up for him and stood by him in his time of need. Edith was hardly the sharpest member of the family and could be a tad slow on the uptake, but she was certainly the happiest and wisest character on the show. For example, in the episode in which she learns that her now-late cousin Liz was actually a lesbian with a life-partner, Edith is at first a little shocked at the revelation, but quickly throws her arms around Liz's life partner and warmly accepts her as Liz's "true next-of-kin," giving her the tea-set she would have legally inherited from Liz's death. Edith was extremely popular because she is easily the sweetest character on the show, unconditionally loving everyone she knows and also managing to keep high spirits even when she faces tragedy.

Related Topics:
Louise Jefferson - George - Jimmy Carter

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When All in the Family premiered in 1971, Edith was a housewife. In 1974, to help bring in extra money to the Bunker household, Edith got a part-time job as a caretaker at the Sunshine Home. She later was a partner in Archie's business, Archie's Place, the tavern he purchased in 1977.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Edith was most known for her shrill voice (her trademark "Oh, Aaaaaaaaaah-chie!" became very popular among viewers) and her flighty demeanor. The latter character trait caused Archie to call her "dingbat". However, Archie truly loved his wife and wanted what was best for both of them. He was intensely protective of her and became upset at even the thought of losing her (a point driven home in the episode "Too Good Edith," one of the last of the original All in the Family episodes, in which Edith becomes seriously ill while frantically helping Archie cook Irish dinners for a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the bar).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Archie's worst nightmare came true in 1980, on the re-titled All in the Family spin-off (or, continuation series) Archie Bunker's Place, when Edith died of a stroke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jean Stapleton had wished to leave her role (in interviews, Stapleton has stated the role of Edith had reached its potential). The 1980-1981 season premiere of Archie Bunker's Place acknowledged Edith's death (which had occurred a month before), and focused on Archie's denial and later grieving over Edith's death. The memorable episode ends with Archie alone in the bedroom in which he finds one of Edith's slippers, at which time he mourns her passing.

Related Topics:
1980 - 1981

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~