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Bonus video! Bette Davis' weird interactions with the All in the Family cast (Patreon)

Published:
2023-07-23 16:00:05
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

Hello there! In this week's bonus video, I have two astonishing stories about Bette Davis being a real weirdo around the cast of All in the Family, starting with a run-in with the president of Egypt and ending with her getting caught cleaning a museum restroom. Also: Why All in the Family came very very close to killing off Archie in the fifth season, and an incredibly weird attempt by CBS executives to pull a gender-swap on Archie's grandson. Plus the time Shari Lewis (of Lambchop fame) got real shady with the guys from Hanna-Barbera! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go wash my hair. Bye!

Files

Bonus video! Bette Davis' weird interactions with the All in the Family cast

Hello there! In this week's bonus video, I have two astonishing stories about Bette Davis being a real weirdo around the cast of All in the Family, starting with a run-in with the president of Egypt and ending with her getting caught cleaning a museum restroom. Also: Why All in the Family came very very close to killing off Archie in the fifth season, and an incredibly weird attempt by CBS executives to pull a gender-swap on Archie's grandson. Plus the time Shari Lewis (of Lambchop fame) got real shady with the guys from Hanna-Barbera!

Comments

Stanford M. Brown

On Jean Stapleton and her possibly being typecast--I remember as a child seeing her TV movie Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the World, made after she left All in the Family. And a few year's later she turned down Murder She Wrote. In that Archive of AmericanTelevision interview she doesn't say a lot about the pilot script, but said she didn't understand it. (Maybe she found it corny, or not topical?) William Link comments on her as CBS's choice for Jessica Fletcher, and he seemed irritated that she didn't "understand" the script--but he was delighted to be able to get Angela Lansbury. And he says Lansbury had a meeting at CBS about MSW and a meeting at NBC to star in Norman Lear's new sitcom! And thank goodness, she chose MSW. (Meanwhile, about the time MSW began, Jean Stapleton had 2 guest appearances on Scarecrow and Mrs King as a spy, and then in 1986 played another mystery novelist, Ariadne Oliver, in the Peter Ustinov Hercule Poirot movie Halloween Party. CBS had licensed several Agatha Christie novels for Sunday night movies of the week.)

mattbaume

Oh this is so great to know -- I'd heard about the Murder She Wrote thing but not Jean's other mystery roles, I've got to check those out!!!

Darren Simon

I was teen during that era and I think we were culturally destigmatizing a lot of things. As odd as Archie's baby as a toy was presented, like today we have honest books for kids in that age range, like "everybody poops." I think it was created in that mindset, lets not shame kids in this area, but teach something about being human. But as for that time, Reagan's election changed any progress. It set us back as society. That party regained power and halted a lot of cultural progress. They leveraged the AIDS pandemic as a weapon to hold on to that power. IMO. Similar things are happening today. Any progress made, has to be undone if you win, maybe now even if you lose...but topic for another day. Well done Matt.

Dee Chatterton

But you didn't answer the question posed in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?". What movie did Bette Davis say What a Dump in?

Trevor

Great video, Matt. Regarding Joey’s sex, I’m betting they were hoping to avoid a circumcision episode (they had one). I think it was also generally easier to hide a naked girl baby’s genitalia, vs a boy’s, and they didn’t want to get into fights with Norman about that. Because the series was a three camera sitcom, the scenes have a fluidity to them and if little Joey’s little Joey became apparent in the middle of a scene, they’d have a problem editing it out later. All supposition. I think Norman was a little bit of a mystery to the suits and they weren’t sure what he might do next. If the show didn’t make them so much money, I have no doubt they would have canned Norman’s show without hesitation. I don’t think MTM or Carol Burnett gave them nearly as much trouble.

Matt Porges

Matt, on Some Like it Hot, did you see the Broadway show? I saw it on New Year's Day and it was excellent. Also, all those talk of dolls with or without genitalia reminds me of the Barbie movie, which I am sure you saw by now and hopefully you can do a video on down the road.

QueBijoux

Yes, I’d love to see a video about the gay themes (overt and subtext) in the movie. Not sure it would make a full bonus video, but perhaps included in one that covers representations of toys in media?

QueBijoux

Any time you can work in not just one but two Bette Davis scenes, that is a good video! You should have gone for the trifecta of her early career “bad girl” quotable lines by including the “And after ya kissed me, I always used to wipe my mouth! Wipe my mouth!” from Of Human Bondage to go along with those from Cabin in the Cotton and Beyond the Forest.

Jackie Schneider

This is weirdly obscure, but the first time I heard the "What a dump!" line was in the "101 Dalmatians: Animated Storybook" video game, spoken by Cruella De Vil naturally (2:15 in this playthrough video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj1G0262Oeg&list=PLrI0z8DbAq9vKtcTdwFScczjND1Ww5Sln&index=5). Glad you're giving "Some Like It Hot" it's own video after having it pop up in so many others. My college buddy's cousin is actually in the ensemble for the Broadway show, so I can't wait to see you compare and contrast the two.

mattbaume

Wow, what a line! And what an accent.

mattbaume

Always DELIGHTED to discover another "what a dump!" Thank you!!!

mattbaume

Yes, I caught it when I was in NY for the book launch! Lots to say about that show, stay tuned for more videos about it. Haven't seen the Barbie movie yet but I hope to soon!

Stanford M. Brown

And Halliween Party is based on the Agatha Christie novel Hallowe'en Party, which is the basis for the upcoming A Haunting in Venice (Kenneth Branagh's third Hercule Poirot movie). And Tina Fey is the new Ariadne Oliver!

Kim

Shari Lewis video sounds wholesome af

Frederik Markusse

Hi Matt, It seems like your end credits are starting to overlap. I noticed it also in the bonus video before this one..

mattbaume

Yes it was a bit glitchy for a while but should be all clear on the newer videos!

Frederik Markusse

As you can see I’m a bit behind. I’m glad you already caught it.