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| Season 1, episode # 5 | ||||
 Archie is irritated at Mike's offbeat friend, Roger (Anthony Geary), whom he thinks is gay, but later he gets the shock of his life when he learns that his friend Steve, a "macho" former college football hero, is actually gay in "Judging Books by Covers" in Season 1 (ep.#5). | ||||
| "All in the Family" episode | ||||
| Series: | All in the Family | |||
| Network/Country: | CBS-TV | |||
| Air date | February 9, 1971 | |||
| Production code | 104(1x05) | |||
| Written by: | Burt Styler & Norman Lear | |||
| Directed by: | John Rich | |||
| Guest starring: | Billy Halop Bob Hastings Philip Carey Anthony Geary Linn Patrick Billy Sands | |||
 IMDb:
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Judging Books by Covers | |||
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Judging Books by Covers is the fifth episode aired during the first season of All in the Family, and the fifth overall episode of the series. Written by Norman Lear and Burt Styler, and directed by John Rich, it was originally scheduled to air on February 2, 1971, but first aired on CBS-TV on February 9, 1971.
| "Judging Books by Covers" | ||
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| Also see: | ||
| Full Credits | Transcripts | More Images |
Synopsis[]
Archie is irritated at Mike's offbeat friend, who dresses and behaves in a way which leads him to mistakenly conclude that he is gay but Archie soon learns that one of his best friends is gay.
Plot summary[]
Archie thinks he knows a homosexual when he sees one and when Mike invites his flamboyant photographer friend Roger (Anthony Geary) to the Bunker household, Archie automatically assumes that Mike's friend Roger is a "flamer". Retreating to the safety of Kelcy's Bar, Archie chooses to spend some time with his "he-man" pals, notably his old arm-wrestling crony Steve.
Did You Know?[]
Trivia/Notes[]
This early episode scores not only by radically reversing the usual stereotypical expectations but also with the casting of two future ABC Daytime soap opera stars: the fluttery Roger is played by Anthony Geary, who later plays heartthrob Luke Spencer on General Hospital, and the ostensibly "safe" Steve is played by Phillip Carey, who later stars as Asa Buchanan on One Life to Live.
Ironically, Rob Reiner and Anthony Geary, who guest starred as Roger, would die close together in December 2025.[1]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker
- Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker
- Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic
- Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic
Recurring characters/cast[]
- Billy Halop as Barney (as Bill Halop)
- Bob Hastings as Tommy Kelsey
Guest starring[]
- Philip Carey as Steve (Archie's old friend)
- Anthony Geary as Roger (Mike's friend) (as Tony Geary)
- Linn Patrick as Jerry
- Billy Sands as Nick (as Billie Sands)
- Two unnamed boxers/referee on TV (uncredited)
