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| Season 8, episode # 21 | ||||
 Archie's estranged brother Fred (Richard McKenzie) tries to smooth over differences that occurred between them long ago in "Archie's Brother" in Season 8 (ep.#21) | ||||
| "All in the Family" episode | ||||
| Note: | alternately titled "The Brother" | |||
| Series: | All in the Family | |||
| Network/Country: | CBS-TV / USA | |||
| Air date | February 26, 1978 | |||
| Production code | 821 (8x21) | |||
| Written by: | Mel Tolkin & Larry Rhine | |||
| Directed by: | Paul Bogart | |||
| Guest starring: | Jason Wingreen Danny Dayton Richard McKenzie | |||
 IMDb:
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Archie's Brother | |||
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Archie's Brother was the 21st episode of Season 8 of All in the Family, the 178th overall episode in the series. Written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine, the episode, which was directed by Paul Bogart, originally aired on CBS-TV on February 26, 1978.
| "Archie's Brother" | ||
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Synopsis[]
Before an operation, Archie's estranged brother Fred tries to smooth over differences that occurred between them long ago.
Storyline[]
Archie's brother Fred shows up at the Bunker house after being estranged for twenty-nine years. Archie reveals Fred was a liberal union organizer, Mike laughs at this, he can't believe Archie's brother is a "commie pinko" but the reason for their estrangement was due to Fred not attending their father's funeral.
It's also revealed that their father apparently favored Fred, seeing him as the one with "brains" and that their dad saved money up and paid for Fred's college tuition, as he saw Fred as the one who had potential of going to college and "becoming somebody" and that Archie was not only seen by their father as "dim witted", also, that he called Archie, ironically, what he loves to call Mike: a "meathead", as he saw Archie to be the "duller" one of the two, the one who would have to get a job straight out of high school and become a working stiff; Archie recalls that their dad once told him "if they put your brain in a bird, it would fly backwards", as Fred convinces Archie, as they then both agreed that their "Dad was nuts!"
Anyway, Archie, still enraged at Fred, stubbornly refuses to reconcile with him but reconsidered his position on the matter when he opened and then read the contents of a letter that Fred gave him and told him not to read until three weeks after he left, as they seem to mend fences when Fred reveals that he's due up for a major operation (which he revealed in the letter), as he wanted to try to make amends with Archie, as he agrees to visit Archie and Edith again after the operation, provided that it's successful and everything goes well.
Did You Know?[]
Goofs[]
- Continuity
- It's stated that Archie hasn't spoken to Fred in 29 years, but in the Season 3 episode "Lionel Steps Out" (#5), Archie talks to Fred on the phone, in the episode, it was intimated that Archie and Fred had a close relationship and that Fred "always wanted to be like him", according to Archie, but in this episode, Fred is not only a liberal thinker who got under Archie's skin, they had seemed to have a "sibling rivalry" that dates back to their childhood.
- In the Season 6 episode "Archie Finds a Friend" (#18), Archie states that he is an only child, which also contradicted the "Lionel Steps Out" episode in Season 3. However, it is revealed again in this episode that Archie has a brother.
Cast (in Credits Order)[]
Main Cast[]
- Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker
- Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker (credited only)
- Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic
- Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic
Guest Stars/Recurring Cast[]
- Jason Wingreen as Harry Snowden
- Danny Dayton as Hank Pivnik
- Richard McKenzie as Alfred "Fred" Bunker, Archie's brother
More External Links[]
