Thursday, May 30, 2024

Jewish Humor: “You outta try it, it’s better than ham” [All in the Family] [Media Notes 125]

From the YouTube page, in turn taken from here:

"A Perfectly Imperfect Eulogy: Archie Bunker’s best friend, Stretch Cunningham, died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and he is asked to give a eulogy. Feeling he is over his head, he enlists his son-in-law, the Meathead, to help him write the eulogy. Mike himself is an atheist, but Archie convinces him to include mentions of Jesus Christ, trying to be sensitive towards Stretch’s faith. What Archie does not know is that Stretch was Jewish.

The show, “All in the Family,” famously dealt with social issues. Racism was among the regular topics. They wrestled with black-white relations, anti-Semitism, and related concerns. But Stretch was his best friend, making it all beyond mere tolerance. He loved Stretch.

When Archie approaches the podium, he realizes his written eulogy is inappropriate and does his best to adjust. He wings it in a very Archie Bunker style.

There are layers here. All in the Family was developed and produced by Norman Lear, whose parents were of Russian-Jewish descent. It co-started Rob Reiner, son of Carl Reiner, who was a major force as an actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter in the early years of television and for years after. With that in mind, think about the name of the show, All in the Family.

All in the Family

H/t Dan Everett.

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