From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edith Bunker (née Baines) is a fictional 1970s sitcom mom on All in the Family (and occasionally Archie Bunker's Place), played by Jean Stapleton. She was the wife of Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, and mother-in-law of Michael "Meathead" Stivic. Her cousin was Maude Findlay (Beatrice Arthur) who was Archie's nemesis.

Edith was the voice of reason and rock of understanding, often contributing a unique perspective to a topic. She was decidedly less conservative than Archie (e.g., she was good friends with her neighbor, Louise Jefferson, while Archie was always at odds with her and husband, George, and she acknowledged that she'd voted for President Jimmy Carter in one of the later episodes). But even though her opinions sometimes sharply differed from Archie's, she was intensely loyal to her husband, often stuck up for him and stood by him in his time of need. Edith was hardly the sharpest member of the family and could be a tad slow on the uptake, but she was certainly the happiest and wisest character on the show. For example, in the episode "Cousin Liz" (in which the Bunkers learn that her now-late cousin Liz was actually a lesbian with a life-partner, Veronica), Edith is at first a little shocked at the revelation, but quickly throws her arms around Veronica and warmly accepts her as Liz's "true next-of-kin," giving her the tea-set she would have legally inherited from Liz's death. Edith was extremely popular because she is easily the sweetest character on the show, unconditionally loving everyone she knows and also managing to keep high spirits even when she faces tragedy.

When All in the Family premiered in 1971, Edith was a housewife. In 1974, to help bring in extra money to the Bunker household, Edith got a part-time job as a caretaker at the Sunshine Home. She later was a partner in Archie's business, Archie's Place, the tavern he purchased in 1977.

Edith was most known for her shrill voice (her trademark "Oh, Aaaaaaaaaah-chie!" became very popular among viewers) and her flighty demeanor. The latter character trait caused Archie to call her "dingbat". However, Archie truly loved his wife and wanted what was best for both of them. Frequently, he would consult with her whenever something bothered him (such as the episode, "Archie and the KKK," where a distressed Archie asks Edith for advice on how to prevent a cross burning).

More than once, Edith sharply chastized Archie for casting judgement against other people, particularly when he mentions God. Two notable examples came in the episodes "Cousin Liz" (Archie went on a diatribe about how God hates homosexuals) and "California, Here We Are" (where, upon learning that Gloria's near affair had almost destroyed the Stivics' marriage, berates the "Little Goil" and says that the matter is "God's business"). In both instances, Edith warned Archie to back off and says that God should be left to deal with those matters and the people involved. She also became close friends with a transgendered person who came into their lives when Archie saved her life when she required CPR, remaining friends with her, despite Archie's discomfort.

Archie was intensely protective of her and became upset at even the thought of losing her (a point driven home in the episode "Too Good Edith," the final episode of All in the Family, in which Edith becomes seriously ill while frantically helping Archie cook Irish dinners for a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the bar).

Archie's worst nightmare came true in 1980, on the re-titled All in the Family spin-off (or, continuation series) Archie Bunker's Place, when Edith died (off-camera) of a stroke.

Jean Stapleton had wished to leave her role (in interviews, Stapleton has stated the role of Edith had reached its potential). The 1980-1981 season premiere of Archie Bunker's Place acknowledged Edith's death (which had occurred a month before), and focused on Archie's denial and later grieving over Edith's death. The memorable episode ends with Archie alone in the bedroom in which he finds one of Edith's slippers, at which time he mourns her passing.

The following is part of the transcript from the episode on Edith's death:

Archie: "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the first one to go. I always used to kid you about you going first. You know I never meant none of that and that morning when yous was laying there. I was shaking you and yelling at you to go down and fix my breakfast. I didn't know. You had no right to leave me that way ..." (Archie starts to cry) "... without giving me just one more chance to say I love you."

It was only with great reluctance that producer Norman Lear killed off his beloved character. When Jean Stapleton reminded him that Edith was a fictional character, Lear responded "Not to me, she isn't."

Jean Stapleton appeared as a presenter on an Emmy Awards Telecast (after the episode of "Edith's Death" aired) and said to the viewing audience: "See! I'm still here!"

Jean Stapleton, who played Edith Bunker.