Obit: Robert "Welcome Back Kotter" Hegyes

[Markxxx]

They had the episode with Archie's 50th birthday. I agree Archie and Edith did appear older than they were playing.

The one I thought was odd was Laurie Walters who played Joanie on "Eight is Enough" was a few months older than Betty Buckley who played her step mother Abby. They were both born in 1947.

 

[quadraphonic]

Was Florida Evans TV's first Cougar?).

No offense, but I hate you for that mental picture.

 

[KeithE4]

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D

IIRC, the pilot episode established Archie Bunker as being 47 at the time (1971). I remember some dialog from Archie starting with "In my 47 years..."

 

[flashback]

They had the episode with Archie's 50th birthday. I agree Archie and Edith did appear older than they were playing.

The one I thought was odd was Laurie Walters who played Joanie on "Eight is Enough" was a few months older than Betty Buckley who played her step mother Abby. They were both born in 1947.

i do not know how they set up the ages of joanie and abbie on "eight is enough" but a step-mother being close to the age of a son or daughter of her new husband is not out of the question in real life.

 

[anotherguyTN]

On MASH everyone in the original cast would have aged 11 years in a series that was about a 3 year war. It was mentioned in an early episode that Radar was 19, although Gary Burghoff was actually 29 at the time the series started. So when he left the series in 1979, he was 36, although Radar would have probably been in his early 20's.

Along with that, although it wasn't mentioned what Klinger's actual age was, Jamie Farr was 38 when the series started, which would have been too old for a draftee corporal, and was 49 when the series ended. He was actually older than Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Mike Farrell, Larry Linville, and David Ogden Stiers.

 

[chrish]

Mama's family was always good for light funny entertainment, the neighbor who was in the Brady Bunch movie stealing office supplies was a riot, wish METV would bring that one back.

 

[firepoint525]

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D

IIRC, the pilot episode established Archie Bunker as being 47 at the time (1971). I remember some dialog from Archie starting with "In my 47 years..."

I don't recall that, but I would have figured Archie and Edith to be older than that, just because of their reminisces of Herbert Hoover in the show's theme song. They would have had to be at least 50 to have lived while Hoover was president, and at least in their mid 50s to have any serious memories of him at all.

 

[KeithE4]

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D

IIRC, the pilot episode established Archie Bunker as being 47 at the time (1971). I remember some dialog from Archie starting with "In my 47 years..."

I don't recall that, but I would have figured Archie and Edith to be older than that, just because of their reminisces of Herbert Hoover in the show's theme song. They would have had to be at least 50 to have lived while Hoover was president, and at least in their mid 50s to have any serious memories of him at all.

Hoover was President between 1929 and 1933. Archie Bunker, if he was indeed 47 when the show debuted in January 1971, would have been born in 1923 or '24 (depending on his birthday). He certainly would have had at least some memories of the early depression, if not Hoover himself.

 

[Stanislav]

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D

IIRC, the pilot episode established Archie Bunker as being 47 at the time (1971). I remember some dialog from Archie starting with "In my 47 years..."

I don't recall that, but I would have figured Archie and Edith to be older than that, just because of their reminisces of Herbert Hoover in the show's theme song. They would have had to be at least 50 to have lived while Hoover was president, and at least in their mid 50s to have any serious memories of him at all.

Hoover was President between 1929 and 1933. Archie Bunker, if he was indeed 47 when the show debuted in January 1971, would have been born in 1923 or '24 (depending on his birthday). He certainly would have had at least some memories of the early depression, if not Hoover himself.

And at that age (roughly 6 to 10), his memories and opinions of Hoover would have been primarily shaped and influenced by those of his parents.

 

[firepoint525]

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D

IIRC, the pilot episode established Archie Bunker as being 47 at the time (1971). I remember some dialog from Archie starting with "In my 47 years..."

I don't recall that, but I would have figured Archie and Edith to be older than that, just because of their reminisces of Herbert Hoover in the show's theme song. They would have had to be at least 50 to have lived while Hoover was president, and at least in their mid 50s to have any serious memories of him at all.

Hoover was President between 1929 and 1933. Archie Bunker, if he was indeed 47 when the show debuted in January 1971, would have been born in 1923 or '24 (depending on his birthday). He certainly would have had at least some memories of the early depression, if not Hoover himself.

Yeah, chalk it up to "fuzzy math" on my part. Still, I believe that Stanislav would probably be correct that Archie would be sort of "living vicariously" through his parents, and their memories of Hoover. I was roughly that same age myself (5 to 11) during the Nixon years, and remember about as much about Nixon as Archie would have remembered about Hoover.

 

[ShawnHill1]

The Sweathogs, or rather the guys who played them, were all at least in their mid-to-late 20s when the show started; Hegyes was 24, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs just turned 22 five days before the premiere, Ron Palillo was 26, and John Travolta was the youngest, at 21. Just to add, Gabe Kaplan was 30 when the show started, and it was, his Gabe Kotter character had returned to his old high school just about ten years after he graduated.

As it one of the posters already stated, it's not unusual when actors/actresses play a character much younger (or older) than themselves. In the original 90210, Gabrielle Cateris was actually 28 when that show first started. Also, actress Stacey Dash just turned 46 over a week ago; in the Clueless movie and TV show, she played a high-schooler, although he was 29 when started the role.

 

[Markxxx]

Archie's 50th birthday was shown on January 12, 1974. Edith's 50th birthday was shown on October 16, 1977. So if you use real time that would put Archie born in 1924 and Edith born in 1927. And though the Great Depression was "officially" long over, its effects lingered on and on till America entered WWII. It's kind of like our current "Great Recession." It ended "officially" a long time ago but I think most of us still would say we're in a some sort of a recession still.

 

[firepoint525]

The Sweathogs, or rather the guys who played them, were all at least in their mid-to-late 20s when the show started; Hegyes was 24, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs just turned 22 five days before the premiere, Ron Palillo was 26, and John Travolta was the youngest, at 21. Just to add, Gabe Kaplan was 30 when the show started, and it was, his Gabe Kotter character had returned to his old high school just about ten years after he graduated.

Yikes! "Horshack" was the oldest sweathog? Who'da thunk it? Also remember that Travolta (at 24) played high school senior Danny Zuko in Grease, just six months or so after playing 19-year-old Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. And Olivia Newton-John was 30 when she played Sandy!

As it one of the posters already stated, it's not unusual when actors/actresses play a character much younger (or older) than themselves. In the original 90210, Gabrielle Cateris was actually 28 when that show first started.

The producers of 90210 manipulated their characters ages even after the show was on. The main cast of the show were supposedly juniors for two straight years, except for David's character, who zoomed from freshman to junior in roughly the same time frame!

 

[LKellerIII]

Archie's 50th birthday was shown on January 12, 1974. Edith's 50th birthday was shown on October 16, 1977. So if you use real time that would put Archie born in 1924 and Edith born in 1927. And though the Great Depression was "officially" long over, its effects lingered on and on till America entered WWII. It's kind of like our current "Great Recession." It ended "officially" a long time ago but I think most of us still would say we're in a some sort of a recession still.

I was 8 when Eisenhower left office, and though I was only a child, I learned that my parents (Democrats) disapproved of Ike, thought he was a "do-nothing" President, and absolutely HATED Nixon (then Vice-President). I also recall jokes about Ike spending most of his time on the golf-course. It's only in retrospect as an adult history buff that I have changed by opinion to believe Eisenhower was really a decent President...perhaps better than decent. It also didn't hurt Ike's rep for me when I found out he didn't think much of Nixon, either. ;D


So if I can remember this stuff, I guess Archie could have had some memories of Hoover as a 7 or 8 year old toward the end of his one and only term in office.

 

[flashback]

i don`t have total recall of all the dialogue in all in the family.

did archie specifically say anything about what hoover did on the show?or is the discussion based on the song he and edith do in the opening?

if it is just the song it may just be a line in the song.not archie remembering that much of hoover as president.

just a theory.

 

[flashback]

going back to the original music not in wkrp in cincinnati , i picked up a used copy of season 1.

the opening during the snow storm where johnny fever plays surfing usa by the beach boys has the beach boys song replaced by genaric music.hence killing the opening joke.

 

[firepoint525]

did archie specifically say anything about what hoover did on the show?or is the discussion based on the song he and edith do in the opening?

Just the theme song. I didn't watch enough of the show when it was on (and I was young during its heyday), so I don't recall any dialogue about Hoover on the show. Not saying that there wasn't any, only that I don't recall any.

 

[Stanislav]

did archie specifically say anything about what hoover did on the show?or is the discussion based on the song he and edith do in the opening?

Just the theme song. I didn't watch enough of the show when it was on (and I was young during its heyday), so I don't recall any dialogue about Hoover on the show. Not saying that there wasn't any, only that I don't recall any.

Archie did, however, make his disdain for Hoover's successor (FDR) known several times in dialogue on the show.

 

[LKellerIII]

did archie specifically say anything about what hoover did on the show?or is the discussion based on the song he and edith do in the opening?

Just the theme song. I didn't watch enough of the show when it was on (and I was young during its heyday), so I don't recall any dialogue about Hoover on the show. Not saying that there wasn't any, only that I don't recall any.

Archie did, however, make his disdain for Hoover's successor (FDR) known several times in dialogue on the show.

I definitely recall that Archie defended the current President (Richard Nixon) in many arguments with The Meathead...though you could always tell that the show' writers and producer Norman Lear agreed with The Meathead.