The Best Episodes of All in the Family

Stephanie's father, Floyd, finally arrives with a devastating proposition for the Bunkers: They can keep Stephanie if they agree to pay him $1000 cash!

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: Mel Tolkin

On Archie's St. Patrick's Day Party at the tavern, he discovers that Edith is terribly ill after doing a lot of cooking for him. Sidney comes to the rescue and is able to save Edith before it's too late and he also tells Archie that he knew about her illness before and so did Edith. Sidney mentions that he did tell Edith to stay off her feet, but obviously, with the cooking for Archie, she didn't listen to his instruction. Archie visits Edith upstairs and is disappointed that she didn't get rest instead of doing something for his party. Instead of leaving to host it, Archie falls asleep in the arms of his lover, Edith.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: N/A

One of the classic episodes in the series, Sammy Davis Jr. plays himself, a passenger in Archie's taxi cab who has inadvertently left his briefcase behind. Arrangements are made to retrieve the briefcase at the Bunker house. As usual, Archie displays his ignorance and bigotry, but Sammy plays along. Before Sammy has to leave, Munson decides to have the two pose for a picture. HE KISSES ARCHIE!!! Archie is too astonished to say anything.

Director: John Rich

Writer: N/A

Edith is suddenly moody and irritable with the approach of menopause.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Burt Styler

Edith unwillingly invites a pair of wife-swapping swingers to dinner when she responds to a newspaper ad for pen pals.

Director: John Rich, Norman Lear

Writer: Michael Ross, Lee Kalcheim

The family attends Lionel's engagement party, where his parents discover that one of his fiancé's parents is white.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Michael Ross

The clash of two worlds explodes in this episode. Mike's friend is a Draft Dodger and it is Christmas dinner and unbeknownst to Archie this guy is sitting at his Christmas dinner table. The guy is exactly everything Archie hates about Mike's generation. On top of this Archie's friend is also spending Christmas dinner with the Bunkers and he lost his son to the war.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: N/A

The Bunker house is the scene of many tearful good-byes when Mike and Gloria finally leave for California.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller

Archie scorns one of Mike's effeminate friends, unaware that one of his own beer-drinking buddies is a well-adjusted gay man.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Burt Styler, Norman Lear

Archie wakes up to find a swastika painted on his front door.

Director: John Rich

Writer: N/A

Archie gets a rude shock when the tall,classy dame whose life he saved in a taxicab turns out to be a man.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: N/A

When Edith tells the story to the family in tears, Gloria and Mike believe she should report to the police while Archie fears Edith will be the one going to jail. Two weeks later, Edith is still ironing sheets for no reason and keeps running upstairs when someone knocks on the door. Gloria tells her dad to give her some TLC (Tender Loving Care). But while he does so, Gloria gets a call from the policemen asking her to identify the rapist. Edith fears. But with convincing, Archie takes Edith to the police stations.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller

Edith's religious faith is shaken after her friend female impersonator Beverly LaSalle is brutally murdered by street thungs at Christmas.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller

Louise Jefferson makes her first appearance, through husband George will remain an offscreen character for another two seasons. Their son, Lionel, had been a regular visitor to the Bunkers since the pilot episode, when the writers discovered how effective the street-smart black youth was at gently letting the air out of Archie's sails.

Director: John Rich

Writer: N/A

On the Stivic's first wedding anniversary, the family recalls the day Archie and Michael met.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Rob Reiner

A priest pays a call to reward Edith's honesty for leaving a note on his car after she accidentally dents it with a large can of clind peaches.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Michael Ross

Everyone in the family is sick, so Edith calls Cousin Maude to help out.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Michael Ross

It's -Rashomon-Bunker-style when the family recounts vastly different versions of the same disastrous encounter with a pair of handyman in the Bunker kitchen.

Director: John Rich

Writer: N/A

Locked in his cellar with a bottle of vodka,Archie spends a long night contemplating his life through the haze of a drunken stupor.

Director: John Rich

Writer: N/A

Louise Jefferson returns for a visit at the Bunker's place to ask Edith if she can sell her (Louise's) former house. Edith doubts but Archie makes her agree so that they (mostly he) can choose white people to move in. When Edith sells the house to a couple and she invites the lady to her house, Archie realises that the woman is black and so is her husband. But Archie isn't disturbed when he finds out that the man is a cop, which could be good for Archie's safety.

Director: Paul Bogart

Writer: Mel Tolkin

The Jeffersons arrive for dinner at the Bunkers'--minus husband George, who refuses to socialize with his white neighbors.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Jerry Mayer

Archie buys a gun to protect his family, but a pair of burglars hold the family at bay with Archie's own pistol.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Lee Kalcheim

Archie gets caught in an elevator, along with a pregant Puerto Rican and her husband, an aging hippie, and an erudite black businessman.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Alan J. Levitt

Mike childishly refuses to accept criticism during an informal group-therapy game.

Director: N/A

Writer: Michael Ross

Archie unwillingly passes George Jefferson a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.

Director: John Rich

Writer: Woody Kling