re: gentle Irish intellectual Carroll O’Connor to become the poorly educated, full-of-himself blowhard Archie Bunker, spewing a kind of rancid, lights-out conservatism for a television audience that grew quickly to more than 50 million people.
I was always struck by the fact the butt of all the jokes on this stupid show was the only one earning a paycheck. The one going out every day, doing a hard days work on the docks in order to keep three ingrates’ a$$holes $hitting.
Well, Edith loved and supported Archie and didn’t give him a hard time. She cheerfully cooked and kept house for him.
The Meathead was worse when it came to being cocky. He was very full of himself.