This new type of "sitcom" was originally telecast from 1971 through 1992 during "Prime Time", and is still on from time to time in daytime re-runs.
The photo on the left is the Canadian edition of the game "based" upon the television show. The game was issued in the United States in 1973 by the Milton Bradley Company and then issued in Canada under license to Somerville Industries Ltd.
The game is an adaptation of a much older "question and answer" game, but modified in keeping with the content of the television show. The central character in the show was Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor). According to Brooks and Marsh the sitcoms telecast before All In The Family "...had been populated largely by homogenized, inoffensive characters and stories that seemed to have been laundered." In this show, Archie was " ...uneducated, prejudiced, and blatantly outspoken." He consistently used offensive language and "...believed in every negative racial and ethnic stereotype he had ever heard." The "foils" which were subject to Archie's diatribes were those pictured on the game box - his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), his daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and his son-in-law Mike who Archie called "Meathead" (Rob Reiner).
The game was for 2 to 4 players who alternatively drew cards with questions about specific situations. If a player could answer a questions as Archie might have answered (as close to the included answers), then that player received a point. The player with the most points won the game. While the play of the game was not difficult as such, reading the questions aloud, and providing an appropriate answer aloud often made for a great deal of laughter and sometimes embarrassment during the game. Although the box indicates the game was for "ages 10 to adult", when both children and adults played together, the game had a different character than when only adults were the players. Of course, if a player was a fan of All In The Family, and viewed it every week on television, that did have somewhat of an advantage in playing this game.
The photograph to the right is of a card game published by the Milton Bradley company in 1972.
This game was based upon a number of popular and common playing card games known as "Trick Taking" games. Two of these games could be played with standard playing card decks and include such games as "Rummy", "Pinochle", and "Bridge".
The Archie Bunker Card Game deck was comprised of 48 cards. A "Trick" is one card played in turn by each player at the table. A "Trick" is won by the player playing the most powerful card in that round. The cards in this game characterized elements from the All In The Family telecast. Play of the game had elements from bidding games such as "Pinochle" and "Bridge", since the intent of the game was for a player to "bid" and "make" the exact number of "tricks" bid.
Last update May 23, 2010