Beverly La Salle's Final Appearance in Edith's Crisis of Faith.
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- In the last Culture Cruise video, I talked about how the show All in the Family introduced Beverly LaSalle, presenting a female impersonator as being worthy of love and respect at a time when TV tended to depict queer people as mere punch lines. But Beverly was also one of the first queer characters on television to come back for more than one episode, growing closer to the Bunkers over the course of years... until her storyline took a dark turn.
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All in the Family also has an episode about gay marriage: • When Gay Partners Beca...
How Sitcoms Handled Homos in the 70s and 80s: • How Sitcoms Handled Ho...
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"Beverly tackled them, he saved my life...'" yeah, the character dies, but was depicted doing something heroic. An LGBT character who died saving someone else from violence. Unheard of in the 70's.
Facts!!
Really upends the "tragic queer" trope that was prevalent at the time. Tragic, but in this case heroic. Unlike other LGBT characters of the time, Beverly's difference is not what killed her, it's how others perceived her difference.
@@fmcgucket3076 Its still kind of a common trope nowdays
@@jesusramirezromo2037 I think early work like this set the mold for how we see it used today. Less sad Children's Hour bullshit, more heroic, more likely to be a catalyst for change than self-righteous smugness. Still problematic as shit, but less so than it had been.
And the fact that she was built like a former linebacker.
And still made a convincing woman.
I think the reason why Edith is more severely affected by Beverly's death than the others is because she didn't see Beverly as being weird or strange and just saw her as a person.
It's funny how usually in the show Edith is depicted as being not the brightest of the Bunker household but occasionally she shows that she might be the smartest one of them all.
Mason Allen She certainly was the kindest of the Bunkers
Proof that emotional intelligence is worthwhile
@@FreyaEinde Couldn't agree more! So much for the "facts over feelings" mantra that keeps being chanted all over the place these days, lol. 😀
+Chocolate "All over the place"? Really? Where have you heard that? I certainly haven't heard it before.
@@Serai3 It's a rhetoric that's mostly used by those of right leaning politics/the right-wing/conservatives as a way to dismiss the plight and struggles of marginalized groups who call out systematic oppression and other injustices, both past and present. Another phrase that is used is "facts don't care about your feelings". They see our outrage as just "emotions" and not "cold hard facts" whenever the left/liberals/progressives engage in discussions about the injustices against minorities that have gone on and continues to go on in this country, even when we do use statistics and FACTS to back up our claims. I know I could have worded this MUCH better, but I am too tired to change it, and this is the best I could do. I'm sorry, lol. 😌
“Heterosexuals are exhausting” truest sentence ever
I mean, who has the TIME, in this economy?
sorry
Agreed
As a heterosexual, can verify.
"Humans are exhausting" Fixed that for you.
This will sound silly but I think Beverley LaSalle was the pivot that turned me from an LGBT empathizer to an ally. Back in the late 80's/early 90's, Nick at Nite aired all 3 Beverley episodes relatively closely within a short period of time. I was young, fourth grade, maybe, when I first saw Beverley. I believe she was the first drag queen I'd ever seen. On TV, she was fun and interesting, but, most of all, she was a very nice lady. I never saw this character as "different" as most people imply when speaking of LGBT persons. She was a kind of brave I had never known; unapologetic and comfortable. Unfortunately, my father and grandmother are not queer supporters and I grew up hearing about them in the most awful ways. While that sticks with some people, this had a very different effect on me. I'm Black. Their hate speech against LGBT persons often sounded like hate speech against people like me. I recognized people's dislike of me as a black person because I was different and I could empathize with LGBT persons being marginalized for basically the same reason. It made me mad as a child and even more so as an adult. But, Beverley, her story made me sad. I felt like Edith. Beverley was a fresh take on personal ownership of self that is not often displayed on TV and less seen in real life. For me, Beverley recognized and understood people would judge and dislike her for how she lived her life and she did it anyway. Beverley was happy as herself, asked not for permission and made no apologies. And, in this grand acceptance of self, the Bunkers, Edith, saw her as a person and came to love her as family. As a child of my upbringing, this was a contradiction. Anyone diverting from family ideals and societal norms was outcast, lonely and an all around terrible person. Yet, here was Beverley; an outwardly good person and received as such. She was a very nice lady. Then she died. I, like Edith, wondered why she died; why people ignorant to their own cowardice felt empowered to act with such righteous blindness. To me, Beverley was a leader. A fictional character, yes, but a leader in her own right. Today, I work with LGBT youth who survived what Beverley didn't. I try hard to keep alive in them what ignorance tried to take. Thank you for this video.
@siobahn smith That is absolutely wonderful! As a bisexual black woman in her late twenties, I went through a sort of similar upbringing as you did (it got way better, but with time). It's amazing how people like to devalue the impact that fiction has on real people and the messages that viewers can take from their media (fiction does reflect reality after all). Fictional or not, media has always had a huge impact on each generation that has gone by and that's just a fact. I hope you continue to help and inspire the LGBTQA+ youth that you work with! I wish you all the best! 😀👍💕
siobhan smith
That was so deep. Beautifully said.
Siobhan, thank you. This post of yours has touched me to tears, a 42 year old gay man who was also fortunate enough to survive what Beverly didn't, all the way back in the 1990s when I was still just a kid, more than once. Years later its still hard for me to forget and can leave me feeling a little cold at times. But hearing messages like this from people like you helps to warm me back up.
Norman Lear and his writers were soooo far ahead of their time. But . . . I am reminded of the intolerance on the LGBT issue every time I read the CZcams comment section on a Mayor Pete interview. Sadly . . . that intolerance is still out there . . . as ignorant as ever. Seriously . . . I'd like to do a study - just go through a couple hundred "anti LGBT" comments and highlight the profound ignorance. They make Archie Bunker look like Einstein.
can i just say i love your soul? you're a good one :)
The gal who played Edith knocked it out of the park. I've never even watched this show but her performance got me crying.
The late, great Jean Stapleton!
Molly Pop that’s right - she was so amazing in the attempted rape episode
Jean Stapleton was amazing, I totally grieved when she passed, though I'm glad that she lived such a long and successful life. I'm pretty sure that when I was little, Edith was family member to my wee heart!
Shadow Croix - Jean Stapleton was a professionally trained stage Actress. 8 shows a week to a live theatre audience. She could consistently give a great performance as Edith on a tv 📺 show and did
@@SM-ov5rf In the part 2,of that episode, I thought that Sally Struthers was fantastic! She gave Edith strength to go and report her attacker.
It's weird how right wing boomers and such use Archie Bunker in their intolerance memes when he was far more "progressive" than that. Might be because they never actually watched the show and only know of him through those same memes.
That's true -- people really see what they want to see.
Yeah and he was always in the wrong. I don't think the show ever sided with his bigoted views or gave them any credibility.
The show had a gift of letting him be wrong, but also sympathetic. And Mike, who was pretty much the mouthpiece for producer Norman Lear's views, was also not only allowed to be wrong, but was often so stubborn, he couldn't see when he was wrong. That was the real beauty of this show; characters weren't drawn as caricatures of their politics, despite being a heavily political show. They were drawn as people, with strengths and failings.
I don't know that I agree with you that Archie was secretly progressive. He was ultimately a right wing conservative voting against his own best interests, but the show always made a point of exposing his beliefs as wrong. That being said, Norman Lear has talked publicly about how conservatives loved the show because Archie spoke their views, and they didn't see Archie as the bigoted loser the way Lear intended.
All this being said, Archie's character "softens" during the run of the show. You learn about his abusive childhood, and how his upbringing made him into the bigot he is on the show. Further, episodes like this one emphasize that Archie does still have a small empathic center, so his abusive father didn't turn him into a total narcissistic sociopath.
People love to say All in the family was politically incorrect and nobody complained. I alway ask, if blacks and gays complained would anybody have cared? Would anybody have listened? I don’t recall anybody in my family thinking Archie was so great and tolerant. People just want any excuse to continue their bad behavior. Plenty of offensive stuff was on the air back in the 70’s and blacks couldn’t do shit about it. You think we liked seeing slaves, pimps and hoes and maids on tv representing us? Hell no in case you were unsure.
Jean Stapleton was sensational. She played a character that could easily have been an annoying caricature but she made her so real with never a false note. Her grief for Beverly was so authentic.
Yes, she's extraordinary. Hits you right in the feels
Edith really was the soul of that show. Archie dealing with her death in the spin-off is so sad I've only been able to watch it once.
It really is devastating. Apparently Norman Lear had a really hard time letting her character go -- Jean Stapleton was like "she's not real" and he was like "to me she is."
@@MattBaume from what I hear. Jean Stapleton was a coldhearted bitch.
@@TheGoauldApophis No, she was simply pragmatic.
Edit: and one hell of an actress.
I was shocked that they even tried to continue.
@@TheGoauldApophis Really? Where did you hear that, hmmm?
I've never seen a full episode of All In The Family, but I'll admit Edith's horrified silence upon Beverly's death had me sobbing.
She's just amazing. You can't take your eyes off her.
@Thou SwellBest sitcom EVER. Period. I was born in 1960, so All in the Family shaped my whole adult life. Many times I watched it with my parents -- and we were all enriched.
born in 1978 so saw them in reruns it was a great show
Every American should watch at least one season of All In The Family; it's such a groundbreaking & edgy show. To this day, it still forces us to think about social issues that we need to change. Norman Lear really hit it out of the park with this show! It's as relevant today as it was back in the 1970s.
@@MattBaumeOne of my most favorite moments from All In The Family was at the end of the episode in which Beverly died. The scene is of Edith opening up a Christmas gift from under the tree and reading the card aloud, revealing that the gift was from Beverly.
Edith was so utterly lovely. I've a hard time thinking of a character who is as fundamentally decent as she was. She was the heart of that show - it wasn't hard to love her.
I've always questioned whether Edith Bunker was at least somewhat inspired by Lola Delaney (played by Shirley Booth) from the 1952 film Come Back Little Sheeba. Jean Stapleton was an amazing actor.
+Aaron Lockhart "All in the Family" was based on a British sitcom called "Til Death Do Us Part".
The heart *and* the soul ......
And yet a character that suffered the most. She had no prejudice towards anyone, she was kind and forgiving, even though the show portrayed her mostly as not the always brightest and absent minded, she was the most reasonable and understanding person on the show. Tbh, Mike, Gloria and Archie can usually get on your nerves, but not Edith. She was almost raped, killed, was the listener for every family member, kept the home from falling apart, and didn't even got a proper: Thank you.
Her death was tragic, and I can't believe how they could kill her off, even though Jean Stapleton wanted to quit the show, they could easily cancel it. Cause without Edith, the show lost the humor, the heart and the soul.
Always loved her
The actor who portrayed Beverly LaSalle was born Don Seymour McClean, and his stage name is Lori Shannon. Born May 18, 1938, and (so sorry to say) but he died of a heart attack in San Francisco, on February 13, 1984. He was 45. R.I.P., Don/Lori (Beverly). WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH.
I really wish he was still around. Imagine the stories he must've had.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
So familiar too... was Don / Lori the murder victim from Joe Allen bar in "No Way To Treat A Lady" as well?
@@PollyW326 I believe that was Kim August
This episode was aired when I was in high school as a boy struggling with my own sexuality and more importantly gender identity TV characters like Beverly were a breath a fresh air. When I saw this episode I cried, I`m crying as I watch this video about it. I know Beverly was fictional, but Lori Shannon who played Beverly was real and died in 1984, RIP Beverly, RIP Lori. Even though I`m not a drag queen in those dark days of the 70s Beverly gave me something to hope for. Matt thanks for showing this I forgot all about Beverly.
Yeah. Lori Shannon died of a heart attack at the age of 45 in real life. Between her and Divine heart attacks took away some of the best drag queens of the 70s and 80s far too early.
There was a second Beverly episode. Beverly wasn't actually in it. She was coming to visit, but a group of thugs attacked and murdered her. The idea that she was murdered for being who she was absolutely broke Archie. One of my favorite episodes.
I forgot too
@@TheGoauldApophis Yes she was. It was toward the end of the first part of the two part episode. She was at their house before it happened. Michael got attacked, too.
@@erikbunty2016 That's right. One of the greatest moments in television is Archie Bunker breaking down and decry the idea of people hurting other people because of who they are.
I almost forgot I was watching an actress watching Edith during her scenes of grieving. I didn't even see the full episode and it was breaking my heart.
She put her everything into her portrayal of Edith .
She was legit a phenomenon to watch on that show. The heart of a very progressive show
The part where Beverly looks at Edith, shocked that she said she was like family just tears my heart out. She looks like she needed and longed to hear that so badly. Too many people can relate.
Thank you so much for this. I like that you don't just watch these and say how homophobic people were in the '70s. You look at the cultural context and give it a real resonance. Thank you Matt.
@D Mc Well, there were a LOT of homophobic people back in the 70's. I mean, I get what your saying about how there was so much more to this than just the prevalent homophobia, but just mentioning the homophobic society from that time wouldn't be a bad thing. It's an important part of our history and should be adressed.
@@sadtitties222 If you look at the trans community it's still going on today. I think there should be positive stories, but also acting like "bury the gays" is just outdated means erasing some real and frightening issues.
Matt, I love Culture Cruise, and this one had me crying like a baby at work...
Isn't it amazing how powerful All in the Family was? So impressive how well it ages.
@@MattBaume I've been rewatching All in the Family for years now. I view it as a sort of cultural time capsule, a benchmark that we can use to gauge our cultural progress (or lack thereof).
One need only look at Archie to realize that Trump voters have been a part of America for a very long time.
AT WORK, darn you.Matt, thank you for the love and care you put into your media analysis.
Matt Baume this show was ahead of the time. And they handled Beverly so beautifully.
Me too
An interesting early television treatment of gays is Season One Episode Five, "Judging Books By Covers" from 1971, in which Mike's friend, a "limp wristed" intellectual turns out to be straight, and Archie's football playing friend turns out to be gay. A great example of how groundbreaking All In The Family was in its early years.
I can’t remember if that episode had been profiled in this channel before, but yes, that is an important episode dispelling the notion that all gay men act alike.
I think the “bury your gays” trope was used here had a higher purpose. It allowed the audience to feel empathy for people who many saw as monsters at the time.
Indeed dear. ❤️
Dylan Simon It’s not so much about hiding it as it is about why it’s used and who it centers.
@@judethaddaeus9742 Exactly. It'a always for a 'noble cause.'
"Nuri Ben" That is mainly an idea from someone who probably was not around at the time. A lot of people who were born well after the 1970s may think that presenting gay characters on TV was absolutely taboo and forbidden and non-existent anytime before the late 1990s ( roughly), but it is like saying that there were no black characters on TV before the 1970s. (I recall hearing sometime in the early 2000s that there had never been a TV show featuring a black female character on TV (especially a heavy-set black female character), but what about Esther Rolle ? Also what about Diahann Carroll who played as "Julia" back in the late 1960s? The fact is that gay characters were depicted and certain TV shows got a lot of mileage from gay characters even if those gay characters were not depicted in the most outright way.
@@obscurelyvague US TV had Black characters almost from the very beginning. Hattie McDaniel starred in a show called Beulah in 1950. It was a fairly racist show from what I hear. It was based on a radio show in which the character was played by a White man, and they replaced the lead actress twice in three seasons. But she was always a Black woman.
And there was also the TV version of Amos and Andy, also full of racial stereotypes, and several shows with Black supporting characters, such as Rochester on Jack Benny.
There weren't enough Black characters and they were often stereotyped, but they did exist. And it's the same with Queer characters, at least once the '70s began. Rare and stereotyped at first, but gradually improving over time.
I give Edith a lot of credit as a character. She's so accepting of all different kinds of people as long as they're doing the right thing. She's trying, which is a hell of a lot more than a lot of people manage.
Also, I'm one of the Marylanders who voted to legalize marriage equality!
I was--maddeningly--slightly too young to vote back in '08, but just hearing it referenced made me proud all over again of all the work we Marylanders, LGBTQ+ and allies alike, did to make that happen. Thanks for voting--my high school friends and I campaigned hard!
Edith's character is a wonderful portrayal of sincere Christian love. She may not get everything right, but her motivation for everything she does comes from a genuine belief in the universal humanity and value of everyone, no matter who they are. If only more religious people today would follow her example.
I'm only half way through this and I'm crying over a character in a show I've never seen.
lmao same!!!!!! i had to pause at the half way point, and pull myself together!!
I do like his assertions of "I gotta go back and change". Makes it more realistic for RL drag queens.
And a rarity in sitcom depictions of drag. (As it's usually more treated as trans than a performance; even today....)
For real! You never see anything like that even on Drag Race.
Ya, crossdressing and trans are very different after all
*CoughFriendsCough*
@@TheCinderfang Crossdressing and Drag Queens are different as well. You could say the all Queens do technically "Cross dress" but not all cross dressers are queens. Unfortunately the term has a bad connotation because of it's use as an insult and Trans women being mislabeled as "cross dressers" there in also giving the term a bad taste even though its a neutral word.
@@hitmewithyourvan6662 What's the difference? Honest confusion here, never knew there was one.
I'm crying too... Jean Stapleton was a master actor.
When I was a kid, she was the main reason I would watch the show, she was amazing.
Yes! She sure was! Her resume starts on Broadway and carries over to television and film media. She should have her own special acting award. Her work is a class by itself.
I remember this so distinctly. My entire family watched this, and we all cried. That, in itself, is so meaningful.
I remember watching this episode as a kid. I didn't see Beverly as different, just as a human being like Edith. That's the way children and people like Edith view others. Hate is something that is taught. I'm very thankful my parents taught me to love others just because as humans we all deserve love and understanding.
I find it strange that people today seem to think of All in the Family as " That show with the bigot main character " I've had to explain the show to people that that's not what it was about.
Yeah it's so much more than that! The show really covered EVERYTHING that was happening at the time. By today's standards it feels a little heavy on the "very special episode" but it kind of invented that trope, along with many other things we just take for granted on TV today.
Um, it's not just nowadays. That's how the show was known commonly even when it was airing. It's amazing how many people didn't get the whole point of the show was that Archie _changed._
My mom is one of those people, but she has a bit of trouble seeing nuance. Or anything outside of her own world view.
I was able to tell Archie was the butt of the joke by age 11, and I'd sneak and watch the show in reruns while she was at work.
+Molly Pop Yeah, it is sad that the show has been reduced to a bunch of misleading memes. With the whole "binging" thing these days, it would be great if some younger people discovered AitF and binged it. They'd see the development of all the characters, and how they all grew and changed. But I guess that's too much effort. Too many zombie and murder shows to glut on, I guess.
I also like that there was enough intelligence in the scripts and general approach to the show that it wasn’t always black-white. The draft dodger episode being a key example. Sure, Archie is an ass in that episode but at the same time he has a personal point about why he’s so mad about the draft dodger. With Pinky (and Edith) as peacemakers. The show represented the complexities of human life and dealing with a changing society.
Beverly LaSalle's death really hit me hard when I watched this as a kid.
I remember watching these episodes at 13. Even now, 40 years later, Beverly's death still hits me as well.
After my brother, who was straight, died I watched the Christmas episodes and they helped me. If Edith Bunker could be mad at God it must be OK to be mad at God
When I was a teenager (1980s), the pastor's wife told our VBS class that it's ok to be mad at God- He's all-powerful, He can take it.
Oh Edith. Such a pure and open heart.
I've not seen these episodes but Edith's face when they told her Beverly was dear...... I don't think I've ever teared up more quickly in my life..... that was powerful and heartbreaking
Hey, have you seen the _Two and a Half Men_ episodes with openly trans characters? They were surprisingly tolerant: one showed a trans _man_ as early as 2004 (who ultimately gets the woman he’s into), then there was a trans woman who appeared for two back in 2010 (who also got with the woman she was into-yes, an actual transbian on TV). Even the juvenile jokes felt (at least to me, a person who’s never really lived as something other than their assigned gender) as friendly ribbing rather than actual malice.
Oh wow that sounds really impressive, considering the show! I'll definitely check it out.
2.5M may have been full of juvenile nonsense, but its attitudes about people were surprisingly tolerant and progressive. Considering that the main characters are a hypersexual guy who really doesn't care what or who someone is so long as he can make an attempt to fuck them, and his brother who is a "wimp" and pretty much the opposite of a "man's man", and yet is the moral heart of the show, it's not surprising that bigotry wouldn't have much of a place. Plus, it was one of Chuck Lorre's shows, and he's not known for being any kind of bigot.
2004. 😂
@@MattBaume I loved that episode. I first saw it ten years before I came out as a trans man, and I kept finding ways to sneak back and watch it without recording it. (In retrospect, that should've told me something.) I mostly loved that, even though the main characters were obnoxious, childish creeps, they never deadnamed him, criticized him for coming out, or used any slurs against him. While there is that whole "Would I date a trans person?" thing that cishets love and way too many genital jokes, it was still a big deal.
@@Serai3 90% of 2.5M was making fun of Charlie Sheen.
Watching this after attending a trans day of remembrance vigil is really emotional. “They’re either getting mugged by strangers or murdered by friends” is still so relevant. In the last year, there have been 331 recorded murders of trans people. We’re disproportionately affected by violence even today. Very progressive of this show to acknowledge that.
My gosh, these episodes were fantastic. I'm of the mind that Norman Lear is arguably the great writer in TV history (and the fact that he's still politically active is amazing). Of course, a lot of it is the brilliance of Jean Stapleton. She really made you feel every emotion she had. The same episodes without her might not have made the audience care nearly so much about Beverly. Even distilled into these clips I was bawling.
Of course, it is incredibly frustrating that this became a trope, but All in the Family not only did it first, they did it better than just about anyone.
12:45 in, and I'm taking a brief intermission for reflection. All in the Family was generous to dedicate two episodes to this character arc completion. The impact is sincerely felt.
Also, "it needs must be remarked," this is one of the most powerful, resonant episodes of Culture Cruise to date. So much to reflect on, not least of all how far we haven't come from these times, and how hard it is for generations who grew up slowly seeing gays and lesbians recognized, cannot transpose those lessons onto newly front and center groups like trans and non-binary.
All in the Family knows how to yank at your heart strings about as well as This is Us; but because it wasn't every single episode it becomes more effective when they do depict tragedy and loss. Archie dealing with the loss of Edith is an episode that has me crying in public just thinking about it. I'm crying right now thinking about it. I've never seen these episode of Beverly before though I used to watch the show all the time as a kid, and these retrospectives have been eye opening and enlightening, while this episode here just through your video has me also grieving alongside Edith.
Thanks for saying what I wanted to say but didn't have the strength after watching ghis.
I didn’t think I’d cry, but I did! 😭 Love these episodes Matt!
I know I did too..
People still get mis-gendered in 2019. The fact that they got so much right in the 70’s has me almost in literal tears right now
Red IsCrazy as a Transgender woman I do myself daily.
don't bink that sucks that it still happens. The world needs to realize that ALL women are women. I hope the people close to you know that and don’t misgender you. *hugs*
Well, Beverly wasn't really transgendered she was a crossdresser or transvestite. So technically he or she depending on how she dressed wouldn't have been misgendered necessarily.
John Kimber And you’re straight
It’s similar to how the Oscars and several other shows were more diverse in the 90s compared to the 2010s. Clearly we’ve got a lot of work to do!
Wow Jean was an amazing actresses, she did this on a comedy sitcom wow
Isn't it incredible??? This was before sitcoms had overdone the "Very Special Episodes" trope -- all in the family, and Edith in particular, basically invented it.
I watched this episode with my family. We were shocked and devastated at the death of Beverly. Edith carried the audience’s grief.
Holy crap I cried when Edith was actually saying the stuff about not going to church. I know how it feels to question my own faith because of being gay and the burden I carry with it.
I never really loved the reruns of this show, but Edith is one of the kindest most beautiful characters ever created for TV.
This has me bawling my eyes out.😭
Same. I'm a mess after watching this.
RIVERS OF TEARS. Oh Beverly.
Edith was, is, and will always be my favorite TV Mom/Wife.
I started crying around 16:10 because I was just. So hit by the passion I heard in their voices
I know you wrote this 2 years ago, but same. The anger in Amber Hollibaugh's voice really got the tears flowing. Queer solidarity is so so important
That scene with Beverly being told she’s family got to me. That is amazing . I truly don’t know how the heck they happened in the 70s
From a old women in the 70s the sentence: "good love everyone" made me cry in 2019.
There is such a mix of emotion this brings...between Edith’s love for Beverly, the public reaction to Harvey Milk, the need for riots to fight for basic human rights (to just live and exist)...it just underscores how debased humans can be (and still are). Reality is sometimes too much to handle for long periods of time. People suck sometimes. Mean people suck all the time.
When the doc said he was dead and when Edith had that look, my face was covered in chills.
Harvey Milk was such a fine individual. His death was so unecessary. I'm still sad.
The thematic through-line about how anger intertwines with grief and how it can be a positive force both personally and in the world is *chef-kiss*
I was a kid living in the Bay Area when Harvey Milk was murdered, even as a kid, I was angry and dismayed at what occurred as my mom had many gays friends.
Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were both amazing actors. This two-parter is a master class of acting through expression and silence, of timing and emotion. Add in the theme that is relevant still today.
I know of the show, but I’ve never seen it. I had heard that Archie was a very close minded and not progressive individual. But the fact that this episode exists is a beautiful thing. Thank you for reviewing it.
"I'm sorry, he just died "
Bedside manner is apparently dead too
It's real. No stupid fake fluff needed.
Matt. I'm seventy-one, a retired, disabled veteran and gay man. I have PTSD from being in a Greek prison during the 1974 Cyprus war and Athen's coup. This was a tough clip for me to watch. I managed only because of your sincerity. Thanks buddy. I have thirty years of San Francisco under my belt, 1977 to 2007. I'm in Saint Louis now. Keep up the great work.
5:08 To misquote Eric Andre: “How could you say something so controversial yet so true?”
11:00 the reaction to the words "just because he's different" is so... Perfect, meaningful, and a way of saying that it is not comforting nor a justification to Beverly's, that just makes it worse. Every time I reach this part of the video I'm bawling my eyes out
I'm sobbing so much. What a moving episode and jeez, I can't believe such an episode came out so long ago. What a powerful episode and Beverly is an amazing character. God, I keep wiping my eyes.
Oh gosh I'm glad you found it so moving -- Beverly really is an amazing character, and the show did such a fantastic job with her storyline. I don't love where it ended up, but given the time it's just incredible that she was on TV at all.
@@MattBaume I agree. Given when this aired it's amazing. I didn't even know about the episodes until I watched your video and I was so surprised. I too don't like that they killed her, but Edith's reaction to someone apart of her family dying is just so real and I'm impressed the episode aired at all given the time.
18:58 I mean, yeah, but it's very clearly nothing like gay characters just showing up & dying, she had an actual presence & character, one that ended to raise awareness, all that good stuff about humanization you just talked about would've never happened without her dying
I remember watching the episode about Beverly's death and I cried. Now I'm crying again. Beautifully acted and written, and for the time it was incredible the respect given to the subject matter. Great video.
I watched this show with my parents when I was in my early teens. My Mom was a lot like Edith, she was a sweet person who loved everyone. Both of my parents were against racism and homophobia, kind of rare for E. Texas at that time (or any time in Texas). This show opened many heartfelt conversations in our family. I remember these episodes, and that we all cried when Beverly died.
Oh man Edith sounds exactly like my grandma. She died about ten years ago but listening to that raspy Brooklyn accent is actually getting me emotional
And THIS is why we loved Edith Bunker.
"Can you imagine a sitcom today, having such a long-stretch of silence?"
"Bazinga!"
The episode when Archie and Mike get locked in the pub and get drunk. Archie as shares that he was physically abused as a child .
The look on Mike's face is haunting
I'm sixty years old...Beverly's episodes came out during my formative years. They stuck with me and gave weight to my beliefs as I shook off my culture religious upbringing. Even as a kid I never truly accepted the idea of one's level of humanity being tiered.
It may not occur to people born long after AITF's heyday, but Edith Bunker was one of the most beloved characters of that era. Nobody else was quite like her.
I'd love to see an episode about Howard and Ed, the gay couple on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. They were on TV around the same time as these episodes, and have conflict with one another over whether to come out to their neighbours and whether to get married. My take on their story line is that their story arc centres on the gay characters and their emotional lives, rather than serving as a device for the growth of the straights. It's also surprisingly light on any display of affection, which might be more a function of the TV censors in the mid-70s than the vision of the producers, but it would have been nice to have seen more dimension to their relationship than just their conflict. They were recurring characters for twenty or so episodes in 1976, but were eventually written out of the series, and I don't remember if they ever explain why or if their characters just disappeared.
I love this channel, by the way. One of the best things on the Internet. :)
I think of "Chuck" on "Happy Days", who was only there for the first few episodes, and then...vanished! He was never even referred to in future episodes. Weird!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reminding me of this priceless gem.
I was born in 1960, and the influence of All and the Family (and indeed, all of Norman Lear's classic shows if the '70s) had a HUGE influence in forming opinions, beliefs, and standards that have shaped me till this day.
Just look at Beverly's face during that triumphant wig reveal! Pure delight.
I did resent her death. It was a high cost to explore Edith's crisis of faith, one that could have happened in any one of a number of ways.
The only positive thing is how it elevates Beverly LaSalle...most of us will never have to face a situation where we would risk or give our life for the loved ones of a sister. Bev didn't hesitate, or even consider that she might have become in that instant a human lightning rod for hatred and death. I can't imagine it would have mattered. In that sense, Bev and Edith shared the sort of soulfulness and selfishness of character.
Matt, another excellent critique. I grew up watching the sitcoms and dramas of the 70's. I remember Beverly very well. Edith Bunker had one of the purest hearts of any character on tv ever. Fascinating watching the history of how gays were portrayed and thus treated by society over the generations. Thanks for the great work. Stay Strong, Be Well, Keep Safe, Keep Rockin It Out Your Way! BTW . . .lookin cute sailor boy!
In a way, Lori Shannon is kind of like a bizzaro Divine. (Not in how they were as people but how they're portrayed in the media) Divine was protrayed as this tasteless, unapologetically trashy person with no sense of self integrity and excercises her lack of one at every opportunity in her iconic role in Pink Flamingos. But in Shannon's iconic role of Beverly, she is very tasteful, respectful to herself and others, and has such a strong sense of pride in who she is. She's just as confident and brave as Divine was in Flamingos, but with a sense of class and self worth. It's interesting how drastically different they were, despite gaining popularity the same way. RIP you beautiful queens.
Wow. This was powerful. I agree with Edith whey she said we are all God's children and no one should be treated as if they are a threat. Thank you for posting!! Great video!!
She's so ahead of her time!
@@MattBaume I agree. I started to cry when Edith and Archie (spelled wrong lol) got the news that she died and felt like I was given the bad news. That episode was done well.
I was in my teens during the show's run. It was a pretty amazing contrast to most of TV at the time. It was considered 'radical' by many on the christian right.
And it would never be aired today. Thank God for reruns, or there would be very little good tv.
They aired Beverly's death today Get TV. Breaks my heart every time. RIP Lori Shannon, who played Beverly on the show and the magnificent Jean Stapleton.
RIP Lori Shannon (born Don Seymore McClean) who died very young at 45. 💞 Beverly LaSalle was a great character for AITF.
Edith’s “what good does it do?” in response to being told to go to church might be one of the closest-to-home lines I’ve ever heard
Powerful. I cried watching this.
Side note, that one article that said the resolution of Edith's crisis of faith wasn't convincing.
I mean, it's a sitcom of the 70's. They were going to reset at the end of the episode.
From what you showed, I'm glad they left it ambiguous if her crisis is totally resolved or not.
It looks like maybe after the end of the episode Edith still needs to stew about how these events fit into her worldview, as anyone would. That's very real to me.
Star Trek Discovery killed off a gay character and realized their mistake and went through a lot of stuff to unbury him and bring him back to life.
I’m 37, I’ll be 38 on June 13... I have loved this show since I was a child... I came out in 1998, my Sophomore year of HS. I cry every single time I watch this episode. Also, I’m Roman Catholic, went to Catholic school all of my life so the religious bee gets me teary-eyed too... this episode was played so extremely well...
Also, I live in Baltimore, Maryland.. we are an absolutely amazing state. I hope you get a chance to visit Mount Vernon in Baltimore City, that’s our LGTBQ district, we call it the « gaybourhood »
As a US history teacher, this is such a wonderful source for teaching the history of gay liberation.
I really want to thank you for the passionate coverage of a very important topic. You’ve helped empower me to cover this subject with honor and respect.
You are so valuable!!! Thank you so much Matt.
I'm just shook and broken in tears with edith's reaction. It is really raw and real.
I was just watching your Murphy Brown 'Anchorman' video when I got the notification for this one. I've only been subscribed for a few weeks and I have been binge watching your videos and I have learned so much about gay culture and gay history. Thanks so much for being an awesome teacher!!
Awww thanks! Glad to have you aboard!
“And extremely 70s Chinese restaurant” 😂
Nice Work Matt Baume! I was 17 when this aired and I remember feeling so moved, watching it with my parents who loved Beverly LaSalle. I truly think it made it easier for me to come out then. But I agree, its basically about the straight person- Beverly's death underlines Edith's and Mike's goodness; like many African American characters are used to "uplift" white characters in film.
This story line had such a HUGE impact on me when it aired. I was a teenager living in a ultra conservative rural area with a father who had hated me because I was a "queer". This was life changing for me and my own self image. Edith was forever a hero for me, as was Normal Lear.
I loved Beverly LaSalle. She was a character so well written, acted and costumed that it was difficult to think of her as a fictional character. I watch a lot of old tv and frankly the "All in the Family" episodes with Beverly are my favorites in that series. Who can see Beverly and not want her as a sister? She's got the kind of personality and charm that draws you in and the kind of spirit that makes you want to stay around her. You know... those rare people you can absolutely relax around, not just your body but your mind and emotions as well...because you know THIS is a person so direct, so honest and so genuine that everything you feel and everything you are is safe with them. Someone...the writer or the actor or maybe both...was almost certainly inspired by someone just like Beverly.
Well done. Ya know, All In The Family is so timeless. It is amazing how that show speaks just as much volume today as it did in the 70's. It possibly speaks MORE NOW than then.
Can you talk about crazy ex girlfriend? I love their depiction of queer folks.
[spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 upcoming]
also darrell and white josh are the cutest couple
Matt, this is the best posting you have ever made. This was so heart wrenching to watch that I am still crying two days later. I never saw these episodes whilst growing up so will have to go back now and watch them. Thank you for posting this.
Omg Ediths face just broke me
This is amazing, thank you. I received a better education growing up in front of the TV than I remember, and I remember watching these episodes multiple times. I’d like to think that these episodes subconsciously contributed to my open minded attitude when my youngest came out as non-binary trans. I thought I was ready for anything, but I didn’t even know what that meant. Now, I do and I’m thankful that they’re safe at Simmons University and in a loving relationship.
Thanks for this I saw the first episode when I was 21 and never forgot it. I'm so glad to see it again, especially the following ones I had never seen. Those actors were geniuses
Well I didn't expect to be crying at a clip from _All in the Family_ today, so that was a surprise. Great work on this one, Matt!
I really went from happy tears cause of Edith and Beverly's relationship to sad tears because of their death (murder).
"Heterosexuals are exhausting." As a heterosexual, I can confirm.
This episode is an example of the concept of "tropes are not bad." This one instance created a powerful and dynamic story that humanized a queer person, and showed the horrendous consequences of homophobia. The second part focused on Edith and her reaction to it, because the intended audience was not the LGBTQ community. They already understood the tragedy. It was the mainstream culture that needed to feel that pain, so it was a mainstream character that experienced it. In this one instance, what would become the "Burry your gays" trope was used positively and powerfully.
But that does not excuse ALL uses of the trope. In th VAST majority of its uses in media, it isn't affirming, or beautiful, or cathartic; it's just degrading, and treats marginalized people as props for the edification of the mainstream. Which is basically the definition of being marginalized. Does the trope need to go away? In its current form, absolutely. But the story that it does tell, when used right like in this episode, is still a valid story that occasionally needs to be told. So, in my far-from-expert opinion, it should be in the writer's toolbox, but only a a very specialized tool that does a very specific job under specific, limited circumstances. And if you're not under those specific circumstances, trying to do that specific thing, you should probably let it slide. Kill off the named straight white dude for dramatic effect (you'd be surprised how little that actually happens, them being central protaganists all the time).
I didn’t expect to be so invested in the characters shown in brief scenes of a show I’ve never seen; I am crying for Beverly and Edith right now, that’s pretty powerful!
I used to watch All In the Family on Nick at Night as a kid and missed the few Beverly episodes, so watching this really struck a cord with me, especially when Edith reminds me a bit of my mom.
Onions. Why are there always onions? I lived in Sacramento when Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk were assassinated. Seeing it again was a bit much.
As far as gays being killed off, I "thank" the Hays Code for much of that. Patricia Nell Warren's groundbreaking novel "The Front Runner" manages to conform to the code in part even though it gave birth to an international network of running clubs.
8:02 - thank you for pointing out that rejection (and worse) is still a major concern. Things are better in some ways, but not across the board yet.
Even though I'm not gay or bisexual, I can relate to this alienation. Was bullied serverly most of my school time, due to my autism and my passion for voiceacting. Was assaulted, beaten and demeaned. The worst action was being forced to kiss the shoe of my bully, just for the cause of getting my lunch returned to me. These deeds have truely formed my personality, as an adult. Been suffering from anxiety and depression eversince. I'm finally on the path of positive progression.
I support civil rights, by being forthcomming towards everyone. Pigmentation, sexuality and otherwise.
This video really touched me! Thank you deeply, for inspiring me
Thanks for the good cry... I remember Beverly fondly from these shows, growing up in the 70s, and I totally forgot or missed that Christmas episode... that was like a gut punch out of nowhere - made all the more real by Jean Stapleton's performance.