Remembering Beverly LaSalle: An Unforgettable Christmas Episode of "All in the Family"

Decades later I can say without hesitation that I enjoy and process episodes of All in the Family very differently as an adult than I did as a kid Indeed those of us who watched it during its legendary first run 197178 remember many of its most powerful episodes in part because they were written acted and directed with a firstrate professionalism that remains uncommon even when compared to the finest shows on broadcast cable and streaming today and also because we had at the time never seen such subject matter incorporated into broadcast television comedies which had been in a word quotgentlequot up until then Father Knows Best is a perfect example of thatThe Christmas show from season eight originally an hourlong episode certainly supports that statement Titled Edith39s Crisis of Faith it revolves around the character of Edith Bunker Jean Stapleton the loving quotdingbatquot wife of quotthe bigotquot Archie Bunker The shocking storyline is about the brutal murder of a gay man and the emotional devastation that follows and it isamp160no less disturbing todayamp160than it was over 40 years ago Indeed it39s a powerful reminder ofamp160how far we have and have not come as a society since that turbulent timeThe episode opens with Edith39s dear friend a female impersonator named Beverly LaSalle paying a visit to the Bunkers just before Christmas Beverly played by Lori Shannon pictured above with Stapleton had appeared on the show twice before The first time in the season six episode titled Archie the Hero Archie is mortified when he discovers that the unconscious woman on whom he performed lifesaving CPR that would be Beverly in full drag amp160was a man In the season seven episode Beverly Rides Again Archie attempts revenge against a practical joker by setting the guy up on a date with Beverly without telling him who she really isBack then for the toprated series on broadcast television to have a gay female impersonator as a recurring character one that most of the characters on the show adored and admired no less was certainly an advance In her first two episodes Beverly39s stories were largely played for laughs at the expense of Archie of course Edith39s Crisis of Faithamp160amp160Beverly39s final episode amp160was another matter altogetherBeverly is back in New York City to make her debut at Carnegie Hall two days after Christmas She has a lovely reunion with Edith and with the Bunkers39 daughter Gloria underrated Sally Struthers above right and her surprise interaction with Archie played as always to unparalleled perfection by Carroll O39Connor pictured at top is predictably priceless The acceptance Beverly felt from the Bunker family and her comfort around them was so powerful and so unusual that home viewers couldn39t help but be moved and maybe wish they had someone like Beverly in their own circles of friendsEdith invitesamp160Beverly to Christmas dinner and all seemsamp160right in the world for everyone except Archie who doesamp160his level best to convince Beverly that if he dressed in men39s clothes more often he could quotturn himself aroundquot But then everything goes dark As Gloria39s husband Mike Rob Reiner second from right below walksamp160Beverly in men39s clothes to a street where he can catch a cab and they are brutally attacked off camera Mike is not seriously injured but theamp160assailants beat Beverly to deathEveryone is deeply upset including Archie who in his typical clumsy way of trying to say the right thing admittedamp160to liking Beverly telling Gloria quotNo matter how much she may have wanted to she never laid a hand on mequotBut it is Edith who not surprisingly takes Beverly39s murder the hardest She stops going to church and declares that God must not care about people because we are all supposed to be His creatures and yet He let Beverly be murdered because of what she was she tearfully explains She can39t understand any of it and is at a loss as to how she can move forward Stapleton was always brilliant as Edith but she truly raised the bar for sitcom acting with her performance in this episodeEdith eventually regainsamp160her composure after Mike helpsamp160her realize that her family and friends needamp160her to be the person she had always been Even so the senseless murder of Beverly LaSalle by random homophobes on the street hung over the family and I would argue the millions of people who watched the show at home for some timeamp160thereafterThese were huge powerful themes for people to process from a broadcast television sitcom and they were typical of All in the Family and certain other comedies of the period from legendary executive producer Norman Lear and his colleagues But because they were handled so well and without the overt preaching that has compromised so much TV content in this millennium they opened doors to discussions that hadn39t been had points of view that hadn39t been shared and we thought at the time the beginning of diversity and inclusion on television Of course that didn39t kick in for quite some timeDue to the stifling hypersensitivityamp160brought on by a toxic blend of social media and political correctness which has creative people living in fear of being quotcancelledquot some of the stories and dialogue in All in the Family and other Lear programs likely would not be allowed on broadcast television today and might even be shied away from on cable networks and streaming services That is truly a shameOur country is a mess in very much the same way as it was in the 3960s which surely set the stage for All in the Family to come along in 1971 and get people with different viewpoints to laughamp160together and listen to each other Reboots are in demand soamp160where is the reimagining of this essential showamp160that we so desperately need right nowClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160

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Remembering Beverly LaSalle: An Unforgettable Christmas Episode of "All in the Family"

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Ed Martin

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Remembering Beverly LaSalle: An Unforgettable Christmas Episode of "All in the Family"

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