Jean Stapleton discusses Edith's death on "Archie Bunker's Place" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

I must tell you a story about objectivity in relation to Norman Lear if I may I of course left the show a year after sallyandrob had left and I had like Norman and his active part as well sort of took off from there and I had decided we'd done everything we could and there was time to go on or be buried as far as casting is concerned in this kind of part so so that was my decision and a year later I was on tour in a play I was in Florida call came from Bud Yorkin and then from Norman that his show called Archie Bunker's place which went on for four years Carol chose that they wanted to expand the stories get him out of the bar where it was usually set and have him date women so they have a greater variety of script and they were calling I guess to ascertain that I truly wasn't interested in returning maybe and did I mind where they and I said no to bud no of course not and then Norman called and he said that they had been having meetings with CBS and he was the last one to he could not say yes to allow Edith to die you see in a script so that Archie could get on with his life well he Norman said on the phone I I cannot I just can't been able to say yes to this so I brought it down to this I said to Norman Norman you realize don't you she is oh is only fiction there was a long pause and I thought I've heard this dear man I love so much and then the voice came back to me she isn't but shortly thereafter he gave the word and they made Edith die and here's a little PostScript I was in winston-salem to attend and play a part in the opening a reopening of an old theater down there which they were naming after Roger Stevenson and I was in the hotel the night this episode aired and Carol did a great job he he came home after a long time away visit came home to the house and he found of course knowing after the funeral and all that he found one of Edith slippers under the chair in the living room his chair and he he did a whole monologue to this slipper it's very moving he was marvelous so I've seen that in that night in winston-salem the next morning the maid entered the room she saw me and she dropped her jaw and said my god I thought you were dead no were you asked it all to to play a death scene no no no no no it was in the story she died off I guess visiting the kids or something oh no I'd been away from the show for a year

Channel: FoundationINTERVIEWS

Views: 4,565,874

Keywords: Television history, Interviews, Emmy TV Legends, emmytvlegends, tv, academy, Jean Stapleton (TV Actor), Archie Bunker's Place (TV Program)

Id: fE2_QhV1xcw

Length: 3min 58sec (238 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 04 2015