Archie Bunker is an unforgettable TV character. His angry and subversive humor redefined TV sitcoms. He’d be wrong and bold, yet he was still a hilarious character.
In this compilation video, you can see just how effortlessly funny Norman Lear was with this role. The actor put everything he had into making this cranky husband and father a comedic marvel.
In season 9, episode 8, Archie listens to Edith talk about her family. Archie then starts pretending he’s taking drugs from the medicine cabinet. He performs an elaborate pantomime.
As Edith continues talking, Archie pretends to kill himself with medicine. He collapses on the table. Edith ignores Archie’s boredom and tells him to listen, so she doesn’t have to explain again.
In season 7, episode 6, Archie is in the hospital. He’s speaking with a nurse who takes a phone call in front of him. Archie winces in pain at having to listen to this conversation.
As the nurse mentions food, Archie groans in agony. The nurse tells him to be quiet. As the nurse continues talking about food, Archie remarks that he may vomit all over her uniform.
The nurse is speaking in Spanish. She says over the phone that she’s dealing with someone who is a ‘gringo loco.’ She then hangs up the phone with a smile.
The nurse gets stern with Archie as she asks for his insurance. Archie says he has Fidelity, but he doesn’t pronounce it correctly. The Spanish nurse, however, pronounces it perfectly.
In season 1, episode 5, Archie argues with his daughter Gloria and son-in-law Michael. They’re discussing a unique trick you can perform with a chair. Archie can’t figure out how to pull it off.
Gloria shows him how to pull off this trick with a chair against a door. Archie still can’t do it and thinks it’s a trick chair. He goes to get another chair.
While Archie gets another chair, Edith tries to do the trick and pulls it off quickly. The audience claps. Archie is aggravated.
In season 3, episode 11, Archie has a story about farts on the subway. He tells Edith about how much he hates riding subways. He describes a man talking to his non-existent daughter.
Archie says the hobo behind him on the subway had beans for lunch. Edith asks how Archie could know that. Archie, being silly, says he could tell by how the hobo smiled at him.
In season 2, episode 3, Archie is in jail. Being trapped in a cell with young people, he begs the officer to let him out of jail. Archie tries to show off his American flag pin, but it doesn’t impress the officer who thinks Archie is trying to sell it.
Archie argues he’s an American and shouldn’t be in jail. He insists he’s not like the other people in prison. The officer tries to see if Archie thinks the police are arresting the wrong people.
Archie tries to be nice, but the officer finds Archie hypocritical. The officer tells Archie not to hide behind the flag to disparage cops. Archie then remarks to himself, ‘Overpaid knucklehead.’
In season 2, episode 12, it’s a showdown of Archie vs. Maude. Maude wakes up the house for breakfast. She yells upstairs with a cheerful song for everybody to come downstairs and eat.
Maude sings her way over to Archie, sleeping on the couch. She then pulls away Archie’s pillow and demands he eat breakfast. Archie says he heard her and ‘so did every moose up in Canada.’
Maude explains that she’s only present in the house for Edith. She then tells Archie he can eat her breakfast or live off his fat. Archie rubs his head in dismay as the audience laugh.
In season 5, episode 22, Archie and Mike share a bed. The two do not get along, so this is a recipe for disaster.
Mike gets into bed with Archie as the audience laughs. Mike says goodnight, but Archie wants to tell him something. Archie says this is the goofiest thing that has ever happened in his house.
Mike says this has to work, and Archie tells Mike to move over. Mike says there’s no room and starts thrashing about in the bed. Archie tells him to stop it.
The two argue that they always sleep on sure sides with their wives—Archie counters by saying that Mike is now sleeping in a bed with a guy who owns it.
In season 4, episode 24, Mike tells Archie and Edith about his good grades in college. Archie is impressed and then hears that Mike can get a fellowship. Archie asks excitedly if it’s in another township.
Gloria, however, corrects Archie. She says Mike is staying at college to get his master’s degree. Archie winces in annoyance as the audience laughs.
‘He’s staying on at school,’ asks an angered Archie. Mike confirms this, but Archie asks again. Edith is excited, but Archie asks the question yet again.
Mike explains that you need a master’s degree these days. Archie is still in a blind rage about Mike staying at school. An enraged Archie then states he should get a fellowship on a funny farm.
In season 4, episode 10, Archie is trapped in a cellar. Tired, Archie records his last will. He slurs his words as he talks about leaving Edith his house.
He states he’ll leave Mike his records. Archie then says he’ll leave Gloria his living room chair.
He then states his will for Mrs. Lorenzo, ‘who killed me.’ Archie only makes a raspberry sound into the microphone.
In season 3, episode 5, Archie sits in his chair reading the paper and drinking. He briefly spots a picture of a black man on his table. He doesn’t think anything of it at first.
Archie’s eyes then go wide upon the realization. The audience is already laughing, anticipating his overreaction. He looks at the picture again and turns to Edith.
Archie asks what is with the picture. Edith answers innocently that it’s just a picture of Linda and Lionel. Archie gets enraged at seeing the image of them sitting together.
After screaming about Linda being with a black man, Gloria and Mike enter the room. Archie proceeds to scream in an over-the-top level of aggravation.
Finally, in season 1, episode 13, Archie speaks with Jefferson about Jesus. Archie argues Jesus could never be black. Jefferson says Jesus was black because black people are better built.
Jefferson argues that black people are the best at sports compared to white people. Archie counters by asking why there are no black astronauts.
Jefferson then states other people only choose white astronauts. Plus, he argues black people already have God who is black. Archie says there’s only one answer he can give.
Archie proceeds to stick his tongue out at Jefferson. Jefferson also sticks his tongue out. The two then have a showdown of rude tongues amid their racial rage.
