Why All In The Family's Sally Struthers Struggles To Watch The Show Today
Few things could bring out Archie Bunker's softer side like his "little girl" Gloria. Caroll O'Connor's cantankerous, Queens-born working man ruled the Bunker household with an iron fist on "All in the Family" (one that was often wrapped around a can of beer). He would frequently shout down his son-in-law Mike (Rob Reiner) whenever those two went toe-to-toe over their personal beliefs and rarely blinked before steamrolling over his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), who deserved some sort of medal for her remarkable patience. This is also what made it so satisfying on the too-rare occasions when Edith figuratively body-slammed Archie by sticking up for herself.
If anyone could get Archie to play nice without having to bend his arm behind his back, though, it was Gloria (Sally Struthers). She had her mother's sweetness, but also her father's stubborn streak. That, coupled with her increasingly feminist outlook over the course of the series, made her both a worthy rival for Archie and someone he cared deeply for beneath all his bluster. They would quarrel the same as anyone else in their home, yet, as Archie famously told Gloria on her wedding day, she was "still [his] little girl and always will be."
The relationship between O'Connor and Struthers' onscreen counterparts extended off-camera. As Struthers told Closer Weekly in a 2021 interview to commemorate the show turning 50:
"In 1968, my own father passed away. I was still feeling bad and fatherless when I got this show. Carroll and his wife, Nancy, turned out to be as parental with me as he was in the show. Carroll gave me advice, he laughed at my antics, he hugged me all the time — and he introduced me to my husband [William Rader]! So I gained a father again by doing that show."
All in the Family was very personal for Struthers
Struthers and her co-stars were ready to wrap up "All in the Family" before O'Connor was, but not because they'd grown sick of the show or hated their characters. She, Reiner, and Stapleton all came back to help the O'Connor-led sequel series, "Archie Bunker's Place," find its footing in its early seasons, with Struthers eventually returning to headline a short-lived spinoff show of her own titled "Gloria." Fleeting as her time was reprising Gloria after "All in the Family" ended, Struthers remained in touch with O'Connor and Stapleton for the rest of their lives. As you can imagine, that also makes revisiting the series hard for her today.
Struthers affirmed as much when asked if she remembered filming the show's final episode:
"Yes. It was emotional, but it wasn't sad. I didn't have any idea at the time how much I would miss it. Whenever I see an episode on TV now, I stop for a second, but as soon as I see Carroll or Jean, I get so sad that I have to change the channel."
You don't need to take Struthers' word for it. Her genuine affection for her onscreen parents (and her own personal Meathead, too!) manifested itself in their chemistry on the show. It's the same reason why "All in the Family" went through two whole failed pilots and seemed destined for the scrap heap, right up until Struthers and Reiner came aboard. Norman Lear's cherished sitcom pushed boundaries like no American comedy series before it, but its cast provided it with the heart it needed to keep viewers coming back for more, no matter which of the characters' politics they agreed with. Even now, with the way Struthers talks about O'Connor, Archie's "little girl" is still bringing out his softer side.