Edith Pushes Herself To Her Limit (ft. Jean Stapleton) | All In The Family

[@lisalynnmarie2448]

Jean was such a great actress that I could actually feel how tired she was. Norman really was a genius, right down to the tiniest of details, especially making the "bruise" on her leg seem real. I don't remember doctors making house calls, though. It's understandable she didn't want to continue making another season, but the way she was written off the show was fitting for Edith's character, and I'd like to think Jean had quite a say in that. This episode, decades later, still make me weepy!

[@GalaxyTheCrazyQuilt]

Same here.. she resembled my mom and it made me sad when she was in pain because it was like seeing my mom in pain and Jean was also just a wonderful actress which coincidentally was my mom's middle name😔😢

[@lisalynnmarie2448]

@@GalaxyTheCrazyQuilt Aww, I'm sorry for your loss! My mom's been gone 3 years now, and it's never easy. I agree with you, she was a wonderful actress. I only wish I had been able to see her on Broadway!

[@GalaxyTheCrazyQuilt]

@@lisalynnmarie2448 same here 😔and my condolences to you as well 🙏. My mom passed away in 2018 and I miss her so much 😔

[@lisalynnmarie2448]

@@GalaxyTheCrazyQuilt Thank you so much! My dad passed away in 2015, then my mom in 2020 😔 But watching this show brings back so many happy and hilarious memories of being too young to understand the jokes lol Plus, my dad used to called me "little girl" too. Your screen name reminds me I wish I could afford plastic surgery 🤭

[@lindakluth5611]

They still did up until the seventies in Illinois.We went to my aunt's as the doctor was coming.

[@Venomous_471]

45 years and this episode still gets to me😢

[@BobRooney290]

at least they had each other. you cant say much about today's times.

[@Venomous_471]

@@BobRooney290 💯💯

[@backagain5216]

@@BobRooney290Yes you can. 20+ years, getting better and I simply can’t ask for a better woman.

[@nolagirl2458]

@@Venomous_471 me too 😢

[@michelebenedosso3899]

Me too… 😢

[@ladynfsoffice]

Edith represents all the old school housewives who did and would do just what did..she pushed herself until she couldn’t go any further. It saddens me watching this because it’s obvious Archie is so driven to have this party he ignores her low energy. He didn’t catch the hint when she asked him to hire a caterer either. Bless her heart 😢

[@xreediculousx]

it's almost like it was scripted.

[@howie9751]

@@xreediculousx Thank you. Great show but sometimes it was awfully contrived.

[@nolagirl2458]

@@xreediculousx By these comments you would think this was a real family!! Ppl are nuts! This show was great & touched on many topics way before they were on tv!

[@susangirardi3655]

Or based on reality

[@EsterKunin-zs2dw]

It hurts me sooooo much to see Edith in pain and sick. Thankyou, Archie!😢😮

[@Citizen1910]

@@EsterKunin-zs2dw aren’t you a crazy one?

[@valeriefriesen7086]

He worked her like a mule

[@Citizen1910]

@ Carroll O’ Conner worked hard in his roles and Jean Stapleton did too. However, Edith and Archie are fictional characters. Jean Stapleton tan around like that for a paycheck.

[@CarolMacDougall]

Love from Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA!❤

[@Noah-yw6uv]

Love from AMERICA!

[@Citizen1910]

@@CarolMacDougall I’m so sorry. Such a depressing place.

[@ninaharper6282]

Archie was such a self absorbed putz!

[@mircat28]

Thank the writers and Mr OConnors acting skill.

[@BexareagleCheryl]

Also when you live a life subservient to your spouse, he/she learn they can be that way. It’s part of the dynamic.

[@kalimbaayinde25]

@@mircat28no, most men are self absorbed.

[@ruthmiller1406]

Im shocked that the show went on without her. ..even tho she said it was just a character! No one ...and I Mean no one could do or replace jean Stapleton as the naive.... Yet.... gentle .... Strong...... Gifted. . Edith! She was very brilliant no matter what roles she played! She also portrayed "Eleanor Roosevelt". Wow!

[@kvetadaigneault7037]

it was never the same at all, she made the show

[@cherylcantrell2426]

❤ hey you know that Edith was so beautiful of a person so loving.i wish I had a friend like her.❤😢

[@cherylcantrell2426]

Thank you 💕

[@carolemayer6467]

I'm Lucky!! I do!! have a friend like that!! And her husband is a gem too!!

[@waynehoxit9782]

Extremely sad scene 😔😢

[@richardpodnar5039]

"....that Gloria Steinway woman...." Priceless!😅😊😂

[@marcosozzi749]

Awsome show. I know it was merely acting. However, Edith & Archie played their parts very well. I miss those old-fashioned sitcoms. The stuff being produced these days simply doesn't have the same warm & fuzzy feeling. 😂😂😂

[@billrobbins5874]

He takes a nap and is all refreshed while she's working. Can't understand why she would be tired. Sad but true. A great sitcom. ♥️

[@Scottsteaux63]

Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleto were one of the finest comedy teams ever.

[@jennyjones3978]

I could watch this over and over and still cry everytime❤️😢

[@kathconserv]

me too

[@ruthmiller1406]

This episode had me in 😭😭😭! I truly believe This probably triggered her stroke!!!!! She worked as a house wife.....until the day she died!! She never had a break....even after Mike & Gloria moved out!!

[@nettienewsom9506]

She didn’t have a stroke she had breast cancer. Edith had phlebitis

[@ruthmiller1406]

Ok .. according to the storyline ..she died of a stroke!! I still say she worked herself to death..... tryin to take care of Archie!! Maybe he was partly responsible! But we'll never know! Jean Stapleton shared in interview why She decided to leave ... She was 1 of Hollywood's finest actresses. .. I didn't know her until "all in the family"!!

[@deborahrotondo7792]

yes, house work can kill you. Shame on Archie for not seeing how tired his poor wife was.

[@amydoran9987]

She did not die on this show. She died on the spin off, Archie bunkers place in season two.

[@ruthmiller1406]

And Then When He finally Found Out What Was Wrong....he did Get Very Angry! Accusing her of being selfish & Not telling him! That's how much love they had 4 Each Other! " Wedding vows......the part that says .." For Better For Worse"!

[@marabaraboo3687]

That man was too much..

[@jb6712]

Then you were the perfect target audience! You bought into the plot 100%, despite it being nothing but a sitcom, and that was exactly what Norman Lear wanted people to do.

[@lady_of_the_funk]

Archie was so selfish and didn’t let Edith tell him that she was sick.

[@yvonnerahui8729]

That's how the lines read! In the show he was shown as selfish. Maybe her real death was due to stresses which may have included the pressures of the show..but really..remember this is a show you have watched..and Archie is a fictional character played well by Carroll O'Connor.

[@carolemayer6467]

Edith didn't want to tell him! She never wanted him to no!!!

[@lady_of_the_funk]

@@carolemayer6467 He didn’t allow her to tell him.

[@jb6712]

So you're another one who bought into the plots and got so wrapped up in the characters that you believed they were real. Hilarious that Norman Lear could have figured that out so perfectly, that there are gullible people who can't watch tv and just realize it's nothing more, nor less, than cheap entertainment. He knew what he was doing!

[@maestro80smusic93]

I am currently staying with my elderly mother while she is in home hospice for cancer. I can feel how Edith is struggling, and watching this, I'm seeing not Edith, but my mom as she struggles to get through the day. This is heartbreaking for anyone with a loved one facing a terrible medical issue...

[@ms.chocolatecandy]

Archie totally disregarded Edith and disrespected her. He didn’t realize it until she passed.

[@keithharris19061]

Archie was selfish and self-centered. People talk on how sweet and how he just loved her and he cried with the world when she died. Well, his type of love loved her right to death. He only viewed her as a work horse and maybe pin cushion. Once she was dead he probably went back to the waitress he cheated on her with.

[@brendahopkins6102]

This is my husband to a tee!! Go go go!! Wouldn't miss me unless I was dead

[@KenMartin-ey3ri]

In Archie's defense, Edith never told Archie she told him of the doctor's diagnosis. He didn't know how serious her condition was. Archie wasn't the best person, but he did love Edith in his own way. Had Edith told him of her condition, maybe Archie would have catered the party, and not forced Edith to be on her feet. Yet, she didn't. Archie is the product of the environment, that he is raised in. There are many YT videos, where Archie's family life, before Edith, is exposed, especially in the later years. I don't want to get into a TLDR: situation. 1. Where Archie and Mike are trapped in the basement of the bar. 2. Where he and his brother have a heart to heart talk at the bar. I digress. Had Edith not been, of the same generation, and learned her role from the women in her family. She may have been more forthcoming about her condition. I want to say there were a few episodes where she actually stood up to Archie. It has been decades since I watched the show, so I cannot guarantee my information is correct. I think, had Edith told him of her condition, he would have relented and catered the party. Or had she told him a white lie and said that she talked to her current doctor's father (as Archie didn't think the son was a very good doctor), and that she needed to be off of her feet, as much as possible, Archie would have probably relented. Just my two cents.

[@nsnopper]

Well, it was just a show, and the events were laid out by the script writers, but the lesson is a good one. Archie would never listen - really LISTEN - to anyone, but especially Edith. I find myself yelling at the screen: ARCHIE WILL YOU SHUT THE F*** UP AND LISTEN TO THE LADY! But, that was Archie throughout the whole series. And even with his flaws, many of us still loved the character. Because, as Lionel Jefferson once said: “Archie doesn’t know any better.” The way the writers were able to weave humor and tragedy, laughter and tears, joy and sadness together was art. And many really cared about these characters, even Norman Lear. When he asked Jean Stapleton about the impending death of the beloved Edith, she responded that Edith was “just” a character. Ah, but Edith was so much more. 🎶Those were the days.🎶

[@EsterKunin-zs2dw]

Poor Edith. Archie works her to the bone and almost kills her. Then, after the fact, he's yerribly sorry and days he can't live without her. Archie, a little too little, too late.😢😢

[@OneWayDesigns]

Archie was too selfish to listen to what Edith was trying to tell him. He didnt know how to shut up and listen.

[@GameparkGames]

To be fair he isn't smart and she was giving hints at a point his mind was already preoccupied... she should have been straight up honest about it

[@OneWayDesigns]

@@GameparkGames I understand what you're saying, but she had already cook all of the food and he still expected her to serve it all. She told him she needed to stay off her feet. She tried to tell him repeatedly but again, he was too selfish to even try to listen to Edith. It doesn't take one to be smart to listen to someone.

[@su-rv2uq]

@@OneWayDesigns I agree. He wouldn't have cared. She did tell him she didn't want to go, that she was tired, but he didn't listen. It was all about what he wanted her to do.

[@michaelleeannspringer3247]

Couldn't stand him!

[@whosthisguy7333]

One thing I love about this scene is that for as selfish and wrapped up in himself Archie is in the episode the second he hears a note of distress in Edith's voice he immediately drops everything to see to her.

[@uptoolate2793]

You caught what most people missed.

[@bdavis4099]

Yes! It reminded me of the time my mother found a gun in our basement (a few months after a burglary). She said my dad's name and he flew down those stairs!

[@susangirardi3655]

Because he doesn't want to lose his slave.

[@elizabethmorrison1538]

Because he needs her to tend to the party and serve😢😢😢

[@cherylmangrum4942]

Wow by the comments you would think their characters were real! That is how good Norman Lear and the actors were.

[@scottnichols3685]

Truly one of the saddest moments on sitcom TV from my childhood, right up there with Joe leaving Rhoda

[@natiliee.s.5476]

Both Edith and Archie irritated me so badly in this episode. Edith for being the weak push over that she always is. Archie for being the somewhat bully he always is. She knew how very sick she was and did not put her foot down and tell her husband no. They have been married for over 25 years and the fact that he couldn't tell that something was wrong with his wife is just pathetic. Self-absorbed and treated his wife like his personal servant. I can never get through this episode.

[@allisontaylor1818]

Amen and thats what Norman Lear wanted alot of women were treated this way back then and some still are

[@GameparkGames]

I think you should give Archie a break, I've been in similar situations myself and trust me when I say you don't see the decline. I lost 3 members of my family to Cancer, my grandfather the the last of the 3 to go and even after going through the loss of 2 others before him I still couldn't see it and some jerk thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of us together and in the photo I'm smiling because I was getting a photo taken of me and my grandfather and in that photo he looks like death... I didn't see it at the time but I see it now and I get disgusted anytime I happen across that photo. At the time I knew he had cancer but I didn't see him as for himself, I saw him as what I've always seen him and that's me knowing, Archie in this situation didn't know she had problems and even with her hinting at the problem (not outright telling him) he was preoccupied to notice the hints, He saw his wife as the person he always seen. I feel bad for the both of them here

[@GameparkGames]

@@rustic-haven It's been 8 years since I lost him and it feels like no time at all passed, I wake up in a panic sometimes thinking about him and the others I lost. I didn't have a father growing up and he was the closest I had to a father figure, losing him was hard.

[@cathylindeboo.9598]

​@@GameparkGamesI' 5:12 m so sorry... 😥

[@joycekenyon8745]

@@GameparkGamesI’m in

[@hanwellhanwell]

ohh my god so sad she kept telling him i dont want to do what ever im too tired and he kept making her what a shame

[@EyeofRa1133]

It's hard for me not to look at Archie as responsible somewhat for Edith's passing.

[@ChariCole-c2t]

She didn’t tell him the truth.

[@BlackNightJack]

She could have been a better wife.

[@SpiderxPunk]

​@@BlackNightJackYou're kidding, right? Or are you just a mega dingbat?

[@autumngrace8541]

​@user-ro2vb8by7u she tried to tell him, but he would accept that Dr Junior Shapiro knew what he knew. Don't shift the blame. She should have flat out said no and laid in bed and ignored the narcissist shaming.

[@autumngrace8541]

​@@BlackNightJack hope you're kidding....its only a show. However, life lessons are available.

[@buckeyehockey1979]

Edith and Archie are from a different time. Things were very different. She should have told him the whole truth. But she was raised to do everything for her husband. You can't look at a couple from this era and hold them to the standards of today. It was a much different time.

[@lynnpooh54]

breaks my heart

[@reiahnnajackson3353]

Should have hired a caterer to help cook it the way Edith cooks it. I wish she wasn’t a pushover for him in this episode. Heck, she even walk out to have fun at a bar one time.

[@stcroixliberal]

Reminds me of my grandfather

[@Liz-cmc313]

Incredible show.

[@MatteBlack2024]

Can’t watch this period of the show. I was so fond of Edith’s character I can’t bear to watch her decline.

[@lisalynnmarie2448]

I pretty much was in my early teens when Sally and Rob's characters were written out of the show. I didn't watch it much, really, when they moved next door and once Joey was born. It just wasn't the same. I didn't even know Archie HAD a housekeeper until watching some of these clips!

[@cherylflanagan]

He was responsible because Edith was trying to tell him but Archie refused to listen to her.

[@yumestationZ]

Edith tried to tell him and should have just refused to do anything till he listened to her. But Edith is a people pleaser and Archie was very self absorbed and an overbearing bully. I can understand how helpless she felt. Even if she didn't know she had a condition before, he was working her to the bone for his own selfish reasons....and after all that cooking he wanted her to get dressed up and serve the food too. He took more of a victim role then he deserved when they talked about the situation.

[@marialucchese7579]

😢 Many men are still like Archie.

[@canalesworks1247]

In Achie's day it could be understood as an error. Now it would be unforgiveable.

[@SheniceSays214]

Him saying that he has her doing it all means he knew that his wife was overextended herself on purpose he knew, and he kept pushing her.

[@AA-ct7cb]

Yes Archie was a narcissist.

[@jaybarnes8034]

Everyone should have cooked some of the cabbage.

[@clark7474]

This kind of makes me mad. Edith is only 52 in this episode. They make 52 seem so old.

[@mindcontrol67]

I'm 56 and it seems as they do project that, but I certainly don't feel old.

[@clark7474]

@mindcontrol67 Same, I'm 57 and I'm not at all old.

[@shannonquinn8687]

If you grew up during the Depression like Edith's character did, you'd feel old too. Different generation, different life experiences.

[@ameliawilder28]

Well, stress ages you. Being a housewife is not walk in the park. As well as people can have underlining conditions that age them and make them feel very sick. 50s is young, but many people just look older due to drugs and alcohol, an illness, or genetics.

[@hypnos9336]

some people look old for their age. she was one of them. also it was a different time and like someone else already mentioned, stress does a number on a person

[@trj2010]

These videos are so sweet...

[@erikasmith8894]

Archie ran her ragged and didn't care to see how exhausted she was. Why are some men like this? They expect us to do all the work but not take breaks? I'm sick with many illnesses and my ex made fun of me and called me weak and useless for being so sick I couldn't get out of bed. He would mock me crying in pain, it was awful and I felt so alone. I finally left him after I got tired of the physical abuse. No one deserves to go through all that.

[@u.s.m.c.fewproudthemarines2987]

❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@sandyjuntunen4088]

He's proud of her, and her cooking! He wanted to show her off & celebrate with her.

[@melanieamber1973]

Oh my I literally hurt in my legs watching her try walk

[@justme6767]

I grew up on this show ❤❤

[@leslievanduzee9282]

This made me so angry with Archie, asshole and so self centered.

[@mircat28]

Well written well acted.

[@parakeet8157]

So beyond heartbreaking 💔 pushing herself to the limit😢

[@terri348]

All of you forget that Edith never told Archie she was sick. The doctor had to tell him.

[@jackietrujillo9612]

Archie too advantage of Edith always was his maid. Now she died and he is alone. lts his fault.

[@mircat28]

Maybe that saved some lives!

[@jeanettecollazo9616]

She has a blood clot and she passed away from it soon after 😢

[@pepperpower1652]

Loved this show! Edith looks like my mom😢 My mom passed away!

[@marime1969]

I met her once and she was so sweet.

[@su-rv2uq]

Archie was such a jerk.

[@Duke-fu5xt]

Archie treated his wife Like a piece of crap

[@laurielahr9401]

I hated that episode when it first aire! I still do today!

[@KBdoubleE]

According to this episode, Edith had the ailment and kept it from Archie, because she didn't want him to worry. To be honest, Archie was not responsible, he had no idea how long she had it .

[@sonyaashford3595]

Me either 😮😢

[@KarenLee-m4o]

Yep he killed her no question on it.. my grandmother used to watch the show.. but after they killed her off ..she quit watching it ..she also quit watching it because of his Prejudice hatred toward people.. against black people Jewish people Asian people and so on.. when he started to do that my grandmother quit watching the show..

[@HopeLaFleur1975]

There was only her and Archie🙄

[@nancygibson4380]

Really it was only the narcissist Archie. Darn him. Darn him. Selfish bastard.

[@PeggiBiden]

This is the way I'm treated

[@laurie113]

Then leave

[@PeggiBiden]

@@laurie113 not that easy

[@PeggiBiden]

What do I do go live in a shoe box

[@Laura-tp8wz]

I am so sorry.

[@CusterJ1954]

My Edith😢💔Aww poor Archie 😢

[@greekteka]

Archie never deserved her.

[@MayThereBeWorldPeace]

💔💔💔💔💔

[@jenbig99]

This is why some women are opting out of getting married

[@RoseRedd-k4b]

Archie is a real jerk, and Edith you need to speak up for yourself sweetheart.

[@outoftheforest7652]

I grew up with this but never saw this episode...

[@Arfarf69]

Today is a joke, these shows have meaning and emotion behind them being made, shows today suck! Don’t get me started on the last season of GOT

[@Theresa7353]

That happened in my family 😢

[@connerhuston2613]

ARCHIE wasn't very observant (among other things) You could look at Edith and tell she was tired and especially when she said "I have to stay off my feet " He should have said something to the effect what do you mean you have to stay off your feet is anything wrong? Are you OK ? But NOOO Not ARCHIE he pulls her (Not hard obviously) and scoots her out the kitchen and turns away not only looking tired but she TOLD Him she was tired. What an idiot SMH

[@stuartwise5709]

With all due respect, as touching as the last scene is, given the way Archie treated Edith through 9 seasons, disrespecting and insulting her and overall controlling her, who would call that love and what does love mean to him? How many us would tolerate such treatment for 30 years? Jean Stapleton said she left the show bec the character went as far as it could for her but Norman Lear could have evolved her into a stronger person but that probably would destroy the chemistry. Sorry, but a few tender moments do not redeem a stupid, self-centered and detestable Archie.

[@ESSER02]

You don't understand that Edith knew that Archie's behavior was a front.

[@stuartwise5709]

@@ESSER02 This is fiction. In real life, front or no, who wants to be treated like that and call it love?

[@Roheryn100]

@@ESSER02A front for WHAT ? 😂

[@stephenallsman8913]

Well, she was a ding bat 😆

[@angelalake200]

He was in denial.😢

[@peterscheid67]

Take advantage of..

[@johndalton3180]

Jean Stapleton had agreed to appear in a limited number of episodes per season of Archie Bunker's Place. In the first year of that show, she did six episodes. It was never announced that she'd cut back her episodes so viewers began to wonder what was up, and it became awkward for the writers explaining where she was every week. Norman Lear made an effort for Stapleton to come back and do all of season 2, but she stood by her willingness to only do 6. So, the decision was made to kill Edith off, off screen, in episode 1 of season 2. I have to say, that show really wasnt very good.

[@laurie113]

I hated Archie in this episode.

[@waynehoxit9782]

❤😊 was there a main reason Edith felt so much pressure just asking

[@mircat28]

Blood clots

[@jje984]

I'm struck by how many of Edith's scenes portray her as emotionally constipated.

[@DaddysBrat2024]

Its Archie's fault she died!

[@dianekeller7534]

Just like a man it's all about him

[@LaboO-u1h]

My parents are Archie and Edith Bunker 😢

[@lindaangus2307]

Not that it would have mattered but Edith should have told Archie how sick she was but Archie was so pushy and Edith never said "no".

[@patriciaadams-rl4iz]

This was so painful to watch. They were the tops on the show.

[@scottjohnson9225]

My wife of 40 years recently passed. I find myself trying to figure out what I did wrong and what I did right. In her last year or better, I did feeding, washing, bathing, diapers, medical care, etc. What did I do wrong. I will never know.

[@dianemccamy2568]

Think he knew that😢

[@susangirardi3655]

This is how it's always been. And boy, are they pissed that women won't do it anymore.

[@nassauguy48]

A lot of people think Edith was little more than a sycophant to Archie, but that was not at all true. She stood up to him (and usually won) on the bigger matters, and her politics were very different from those of his. Unlike Gloria, who embraced every leftist cause after she married Mike so as just to please him, even though it was against her original belief system. And to think that she considered herself to be a feminist?

[@marklaborde3199]

Jeez Archie! Give her a Break Man

[@carolbaker579]

That hurts every time I watch it. Edith Bunker was saint and Archie didn't know how good he had it.

[@barbarakilman271]

Was it just me, or was the set different?

[@susangreene6105]

This one was sad.

[@georgemurphy2579]

I loved and hated him altogether.

[@jrpacer6355]

It's a TV Show people not real people

[@catherinegillespie3045]

I never seen this episode but Archie can be so selfish and inconsiderate at times

[@doreenjohnston7672]

hated the episode it showed how some men are just all about self like many I know in my life time

[@code-52]

This happened to my best friend. 😢 When I got to the house. Her husband was jerking and yelling at her to move her feet. She died soon after. Then a year and a half later. He drank himself to death. I don't think it's was the guilt. I think it was self pity.

[@ritacontreras7146]

Was Archie character being a narcissist husband?

[@bethgott9768]

Identity shown RAPE ATTACK ..why? we stuck up for Danielle ..women ....what can you do with them.

[@levelheaded5965]

Yeah Archie was was an awful man

[@JackieClayborn]

This episode of piss me off Archie

[@hkburrows]

I haven't seen clip of this series yet, that's remotely funny. I just don't get it. What's so funny about a beaten down woman, being bullied by a pig of a husband?

[@karenmiller9894]

Never liked this show. He was an abusive narcissist!