Archie Bunker's Place - The Complete First Season

The "place" in the series title is not, in fact, Archie's house but rather the saloon he bought into with barkeep Harry Snowden (Jason Wingreen), a development that also happened toward the conclusion of the previous series. Happy to have his own business, Archie still finds plenty to grouse about, not least of all the opinions and private affairs of his regular patrons (as well as Harry). Among the faces one is likely to find at Archie Bunker's Place at any time of the day or night are old pal and neighbor Barney Hefner (Allan Melvin) and Mr. Van Ranseleer (Bill Quinn), whose blindness seems to intensify his focus on surrounding conversations. (He's good at inserting the uninvited zinger in other people's dialogue.) The Complete First Season begins with something unexpected, however: Harry wants to sell his stake in the bar. Unable to raise the cash, Archie watches with great discontent from the sidelines as Murray Klein (Martin Balsam), a complete stranger, buys Harry out and becomes a partner. Archie and Murray's initially rocky relationship becomes more stable over time, and the two even develop a bond of trust and shared insight. Other highlights of the season include an episode in which kindly Edith takes a job helping patients at a psychiatric hospital (much to Archie's chagrin); a two-part Thanksgiving tale featuring daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and her husband Mike (Rob Reiner), who pay a visit following Mike's dismissal from his teaching job in California; and stories starring Estelle Parsons (as Barney's sexy ex-wife) and Sammy Davis Jr. in a follow-up to one of the most popular All in the Family episodes. --Tom Keogh