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Sally Struthers Reveals Feud with All In The Family Creator Norman Lear and $40K Legal Bid to Leave Show

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Actress Sally Struthers from All In The Family admitted having disagreements with the show’s creator, Norman Lear, stating that she didn’t hold him in high regard.

In 2023, Lear passed away at the ripe age of 101, leaving behind a legacy as a television icon known for skillfully integrating political matters into sitcoms over several decades.

In a simpler and more conversational style, we can say that the TV show “All in the Family” featured Carroll O’Connor portraying gruff family head Archie Bunker. The writers often utilized Archie’s conservative views as a means to satirize conservatism.

77-year-old Struthers is known for playing Archie’s daughter Gloria, a character who often disagrees politically with her father and tends to side with her liberal spouse Michael, portrayed by Rob Reiner.

Or:
In the show, 77-year-old Struthers plays Archie’s daughter Gloria. This character frequently butts heads politically with her father and usually aligns herself with her husband Michael, who is a liberal, played by Rob Reiner.

Currently, Struthers claims that her relationship with Lear was problematic, and she invested unsuccessfully $40,000 in a lawsuit attempting to depart from his series following season five.

She additionally asserted that Lear once stated he chose her for the role due to her having blue eyes and a fuller face, during an episode on the Let’s Talk About That! podcast.

In a recent chat, Struthers took issue with being labeled as the creator of “All In The Family”, as Lear was actually the one who originated it.

Based on Struther’s account, it was Carroll O’Connor who initially conceived the plan to develop an American version of the British sitcom “Till Death Us Do Part,” which served as the foundation for “All in the Family.

In my expert opinion, I had the pleasure of collaborating with O’Connor on drafting scripts for an American adaptation of Till Death Do Us Part. However, we lacked the necessary producer clout and financial resources to bring our vision to life. After circulating our work for some time, it eventually landed in Norman’s hands, a fact he chose to claim as his sole creation for the subsequent 52 years.

During its eight-season stretch on CBS, from 1971 to 1979, All In The Family thrived – however, Struthers asserts that she was not invited to cast gatherings, which frequently took place at the home of Lear and his spouse, prominent feminist Frances Loeb, during this timeframe.

According to Struthers, throughout the show’s duration, Lear and Loeb often hosted dinners. They frequently extended invitations to Carroll O’Connor and his spouse Nancy, as well as Jean Stapleton, known for her role as Edith Bunker, and her husband Bill.

Rob Reiner, Struthers’ TV spouse, was also reportedly invited to the dinners together with his wife Penny Marshall at that time.

Struthers stated that Reiner was likely invited due to the close friendship between his father, Carl Reiner, and Norman Lear.

While she asserted, she said, “For eight whole years, I was never asked to visit his home,” and as the podcast hosts showed empathy, she continued, “It wasn’t pleasant.

Towards the end of its first season, All In The Family had become a resounding success in terms of ratings. During a pause, Struthers eagerly approached Lear to discuss this achievement.

She observed that he held auditions for numerous young actresses to play the role of Gloria, and it was ultimately down to four contenders, among whom was Penny Marshall.

Struthers admitted that she didn’t make an effort in her last audition, as she believed Marshall was a sure bet to get the role since her real-life spouse, Reiner, had already been chosen to play Gloria’s onscreen husband.

Following her confession, she inquired from Lear if she indeed stood out as the most humorous one during their improvised performances at the auditions among all the actresses.

Instead, let me offer you a rephrased version:

Struthers remembered him saying, “No.” In response, Struthers asked, “Well, if not, then why was it given to me? Why am I here at this moment?

As stated by Struthers, Lear mentioned that prolonging the show was a decision made by him and the writers, since the character of Gloria, played by Struthers, was portrayed as a ‘daughter of her father.’

The team of writers believed that Archie Bunker’s bigotry and offensive language might be too much for American audiences, so they decided to make him more relatable by introducing a tender side towards his daughter.

Later on, she asserted that Lear had stated to her, “We employed you since, similar to Carroll O’Connor, you possess blue eyes and a fuller figure.

Struthers found herself often playing a supporting role, which made her feel like an underutilized character in the series, leaving the writers seemingly uncertain about her purpose.

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Struthers discovered she was consistently cast as a secondary character on the show, leading her to believe that the writers weren’t quite sure how best to make use of her talents.

She shared that her frustration during the initial five seasons stemmed from the fact that our seasoned, talented, and religiously Jewish writers, who were proficient in penning for Milton Berle, Carl Reiner, and Carroll O’Connor, struggled to adapt their writing style for a young woman.

As a lifestyle expert, I found myself in a similar predicament where my script was limited to just a handful of lines each episode. My dialogue often consisted of phrases like, “I’ll help you set the table, Ma,” “Michael, where are you going?”, and “Oh, Daddy, stop it!” Surprisingly, the following week I would still have those exact three lines, but in a slightly different order.

She claimed that, having grown tired of it, she sought legal assistance, attempted to exit the show following a five-year stint, and ultimately resorted to arbitration. However, her efforts to terminate the contract were unavailing, resulting in expenditures of approximately $40,000 on legal costs.

Struthers stated, “After I initially lost, I returned for another three seasons, which turned out to be the most enjoyable for me, because the writers provided a wealth of opportunities for my character on the show.

Eventually, Struthers bagged two Emmy accolades for the series; firstly, in 1972, during its initial phases, and secondly, in 1979, following her effort to terminate her contract.

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In the end, Struthers received two Emmy trophies for the program; one in 1972 when it was still relatively new, and another in 1979 after she tried to rescind her agreement.

Gloria obtained a separate series derived from the original show, which aired on CBS for a single season and chronicles the life that unfolds after her character’s husband abandons her for a younger woman.

Lately, she’s been appearing frequently on Gilmore Girls and has made appearances on popular shows such as Murder, She Wrote and American Dad.

Presently, she’s been appearing regularly on the TV show “A Man On The Inside” featuring Ted Danson, where he portrays a former professor turned private investigator.

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2025-01-16 04:48

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