|
Fun facts: Amanda Bearse was a producer for a ton of the later seasons and wrote most of the jokes against Marcy herself. She was also the reason MWC had the episode with Al getting to know the new gay neighbors that was pretty progressive for it's time. Amanda Bearse was a really cool lady. The whole thing with Seven was to cover up Katy Sagal's miscarriage Loved this show growing up and It's so cringe it gets lumped in with MRAs who don't get Al is the joke. The fat-shaming is pretty gnarly tho 
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 08:15 |
|
|
Al is a dude who is pathologically incapable of recognising that his life is actually pretty loving good, mainly because his mind is fixated on his "glory days" to appreciate everything he has now. He's a dude we've all met or known. Everything is bad and miserable, even when it's good because he can nitpick a thing to hate. If you relate to him that's bad. He has supportive family, his wife is hot and always dtf, his job is honestly not even a bad gig for how well it provides. For a lot of people that's a great life. But he could have been a foot star ball drat it! TL;DR he is depressed because of himself and that's the comedy.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:36
|
|
|
He could've played in the NFL! Getting Peg pregnant ended that dream. Not really sure why, now that I think about it. You can support a family on NFL money, I'm fairly certain.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:41
|
|
|
i fuckin love jefferson
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:41
|
|
|
Animal-Mother posted:He could've played in the NFL! Getting Peg pregnant ended that dream. Not really sure why, now that I think about it. You can support a family on NFL money, I'm fairly certain. He got a football scholarship to attend college but couldn't go because he broke his leg. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:46
|
|
|
syntaxfunction posted:Al is a dude who is pathologically incapable of recognising that his life is actually pretty loving good, mainly because his mind is fixated on his "glory days" to appreciate everything he has now. He was somehow able to own a house and support a family as a retail worker. We all dream of being Al.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 03:57
|
|
|
Jose Oquendo posted:The early days of Fox was crazy. They'd literally greenlight anything. Thank god. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 04:30
|
|
|
LordArgh posted:never understood why al didn't want to bang his hot wife One episode she has to loving trick him into buying a VCR. What kind of person doesn't want to bang their hot wife or buy the latest tech? Sick freak I tell's ya
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 04:38
|
|
|
Wifi Toilet posted:Just remembered they had to replace the theme dong with a soundalike for the dvds, that’s how you know it’s a quality show that the studio cares about. The fact that they somehow licensed Sinatra's 1955 track for the show in the first place is pretty remarkable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3aCU1mohyg Sinatra was still alive when it aired, I wonder what he thought about that.  Dirty Beluga posted:Fun facts: 
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 04:53
|
|
|
Das Boo posted:Thank god. lmao
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 05:00
|
|
|
Thesaurus posted:Just learned that peggy is Leela from Futurama It's not like they were trying to hide it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFqOZ39COMk&t=67s
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 05:01
|
|
|
Snowglobe of Doom posted:He got a football scholarship to attend college but couldn't go because he broke his leg. 4 touchdowns!
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 05:59
|
|
|
When Ed O'Neill got a star on the Hollywood walk of fame they deliberately chose a spot outside a shoe store as a reference to Al Bundy, but the shoe store closed down a few years later which ruined the joke. It's a Target now.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 06:15
|
|
|
Dirty Beluga posted:Fun facts: I thought that was the simultaneous pregnancy storyline that disappeared with the “it was all a dream” ending when Al became a PI based on his knowledge of women’s shoes.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 12:59
|
|
|
Y'know in one of the intros Bud kisses his bicep. I always thought he was sniffing his arm pit for some reason and I just found out otherwise. My TV set sucked when I was young.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:25
|
|
|
syntaxfunction posted:Al is a dude who is pathologically incapable of recognising that his life is actually pretty loving good, mainly because his mind is fixated on his "glory days" to appreciate everything he has now. this is only obvious in retrospect imo. the very late 80s up to pre-911 was one of the most prosperous times in american history. only the 50s compares, for quality of life for the average american. al is representative of a certain cultural ennui that many "everyman"s felt. lovely job, wife that nags him relentlessly and publicly shames him, layabout hangaround kids who represent failures of parenting by not meeting basic markers of young adult success by the standards of the 90s, confrontation neighbour that he constantly feuds with - and whom again in the tone of the 90s could be surmised as ones "bitchy neighbour", etc. . basically al lives during a time of greatness and feels just mediocre. he should be (in his eyes) the head of house, practically the king of the family, and respected by his peers, instead. i would argue that the comedy is actually the emasculation of the american man by the modern wife and children (and by society in general) i actually agree with you, but only from our perspective here in 2023. in 1990, al was a man that many men identified with, and that's the lens the show is written and meant to be observed through. and by and large, it was. it's a completely objectionable character and personality today, because of his seemingly entitled and ungrateful attitude toward all he has, but "all he has" was so much different in the 90s than it is today
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:26
|
|
|
syntaxfunction posted:He's a dude we've all met or known. Everything is bad and miserable, even when it's good because he can nitpick a thing to hate. this is a good line for describing al tho, esp. today, removed from the context of the show. i loving hate these type of people, and because prosperity is as low as it has been in the west probably in living memory for most people, this attitude is super prevalent. ironically there are probably more als today than ever
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:28
|
|
|
hot cocoa on the couch posted:this is only obvious in retrospect imo. the very late 80s up to pre-911 was one of the most prosperous times in american history. only the 50s compares, for quality of life for the average american. al is representative of a certain cultural ennui that many "everyman"s felt. lovely job, wife that nags him relentlessly and publicly shames him, layabout hangaround kids who represent failures of parenting by not meeting basic markers of young adult success by the standards of the 90s, confrontation neighbour that he constantly feuds with - and whom again in the tone of the 90s could be surmised as ones "bitchy neighbour", etc. . basically al lives during a time of greatness and feels just mediocre. he should be (in his eyes) the head of house, practically the king of the family, and respected by his peers, instead. i would argue that the comedy is actually the emasculation of the american man by the modern wife and children (and by society in general) Wow, as someone who grew up as an only child in a single mom household in an urban environment, not watching or caring about Married with Children makes a lot more sense to me now. At least with the Simpsons, the kids were much closer to my age when I started watching the show so I had someone to relate to. Plus, it's a cartoon so I think it being "fake" was easier to swallow.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:40
|
|
|
hot cocoa on the couch posted:this is only obvious in retrospect imo. the very late 80s up to pre-911 was one of the most prosperous times in american history. only the 50s compares, for quality of life for the average american. al is representative of a certain cultural ennui that many "everyman"s felt. lovely job, wife that nags him relentlessly and publicly shames him, layabout hangaround kids who represent failures of parenting by not meeting basic markers of young adult success by the standards of the 90s, confrontation neighbour that he constantly feuds with - and whom again in the tone of the 90s could be surmised as ones "bitchy neighbour", etc. . basically al lives during a time of greatness and feels just mediocre. he should be (in his eyes) the head of house, practically the king of the family, and respected by his peers, instead. i would argue that the comedy is actually the emasculation of the american man by the modern wife and children (and by society in general) I think you're right about the framework, but wrong about the perspective. The show's comedy comes from taking the piss out of those tropes, showing up the "everyman's plight" for the absurdity that it was. Al creates a men's rights group that is completely toothless and never accomplishes their objectives, for example. Bud and Kelly are screwups who never take off, but they never give up trying and still have their dignity (more or less) -- Kelly especially never lets herself get taken advantage of or degraded by any rear end in a top hat boyfriends. The "bitchy neighbor" is explicitly successful and dominant in most of their exchanges. And I think most importantly, the family is implicitly there for each other. Underneath all the barbs and jibes and sarcasm, there actually isn't even a hint of any real, substantial instability in the family unit. No matter how miserable things get, they're all in it together.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:46
|
|
|
Lmao thank you its been a while
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 14:52
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm8imzGmYIg
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 15:00
|
|
|
my most vivid memory of the show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frf9L0rIcrI&t=187s
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 15:04
|
|
|
Weren't the Bundy's dirt poor though? Like, Al has a job and a house, but I remember there being ongoing jokes about the family having to survive on tiny amounts of food and Al constantly mentioning how lovely his car was. Also, I could have sworn Al got the house from his parents or got it in some way that he didn't have to pay much if anything. Also, the one bit of trivia I'll always remember because it would have been incredible if it happened was that Devine was going to play Peggy's mother, but he died before it happened.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 16:33
|
|
|
Dirty Beluga posted:Loved this show growing up and It's so cringe it gets lumped in with MRAs who don't get Al is the joke. i dont feel thats entirely true. i think its more like a proto its always sunny, in that everyone is garbage. i think the letter writers of the 80s and 90s did a lot of damage to it, in that they were forced to tone it down.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 16:42
|
|
|
I used to work with a guy who had a huge NO MA'AM tattoo with the logo on his forearm
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 16:48
|
|
|
Biff Rockgroin posted:Weren't the Bundy's dirt poor though? Yeah, the thrust of the show is that they're working poor. I think a joke was made in an episode that the other houses in their price range were on fire or something. Plus, the neighbors are just starting out with their first home so it's not the best neighborhood but not the worst. Also, Al's car is the one he drove when he was a teenager which is a sign that 1) he can't really afford another one and 2) he's hanging onto his youth instead of growing up and moving on. Plus, his marriage is a shotgun one too. I have no idea why I remember all of this.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 16:50
|
|
|
My Spirit Otter posted:i dont feel thats entirely true. i think its more like a proto its always sunny, in that everyone is garbage. i think the letter writers of the 80s and 90s did a lot of damage to it, in that they were forced to tone it down. I think it was a victim of its own success. The early seasons settled into the family scheming against each other and making fun of Al because of his inability to grow up and move on and set new goals, but then the show became a hit because a lot of audience members weren't laughing at Al but feeling his ennui and alienation. So you have a show that went from creating a very pathetic man and ending up tapping into a side of American society that hadn't been related to before. Sadly, it's a part of American society that probably became more right-wing and bitter. I still do not know why I know this. I guess Fox programming spoke to a lot of people that the Big 3 at the time didn't?
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 16:54
|
|
|
LordArgh posted:never understood why al didn't want to bang his hot wife A question for the ages. Katey Sagal has always been super hot.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:17
|
|
|
My Spirit Otter posted:i dont feel thats entirely true. i think its more like a proto its always sunny, in that everyone is garbage. i think the letter writers of the 80s and 90s did a lot of damage to it, in that they were forced to tone it down. For comparison, Ron Leavitt, one of the co-creators of Married With Children, went on to create a similar show called Unhappily Ever After where everyone was much more clearly a lovely jaded rear end in a top hat. That show was mean. Also the husband was insane and had a toy stuffed rabbit which would talk to him (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait) which no one else could hear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsZ3zjrqFN0 The other co-creator of MWC, Michael G. Moye, retired from the TV industry altogether and became an aquarium hobbyist and photographer: http://www.moyesreef.com/assorted/Me.html
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:33
|
|
|
I haven't watched the show in a long time but from what I recall they were supposed to be poor and I assume inherited the house. Wasn't their only income Al selling shoes for probably close to minimum wage?
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:35
|
|
|
The not wanting to bang his wife joke is at least in part from the era. The wife is the nagging, money spending, life-complicating person in the union. Think Rodney Dangerfield wife jokes - that era.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:37
|
|
|
The show would call Al a loser a lot, but simultaneously applaud his successes. Like a significant chunk of the show's humor was him making fun of fat bitches or beating up Kelly's boyfriends / other people who boomer deserved it. As compared to say original Roseanne where Dan only ever beats the poo poo out of a few people who really, really deserved it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:38
|
|
|
Mad Doctor Cthulhu posted:I think it was a victim of its own success. The early seasons settled into the family scheming against each other and making fun of Al because of his inability to grow up and move on and set new goals, but then the show became a hit because a lot of audience members weren't laughing at Al but feeling his ennui and alienation. So you have a show that went from creating a very pathetic man and ending up tapping into a side of American society that hadn't been related to before. Sadly, it's a part of American society that probably became more right-wing and bitter. It's lost in the mists of time now because of Fox News, IMO, but back then Fox TV was edgy and bold and "radical". So different than the Big 3.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:39
|
|
|
Biff Rockgroin posted:Weren't the Bundy's dirt poor though? The house is one of those things you're supposed to kind of ignore, like how much the apartment would cost in Friends. It makes shooting different scenes easier without it always being the same shot.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:41
|
|
|
Disco Godfather posted:I used to work with a guy who had a huge NO MA'AM tattoo with the logo on his forearm Apparently they used to get a ton of fanmail addressed to NO MA'AM and there were actual chapters opened up all around the country. One of the co-creators Michael G. Moye was extremely keen on spinning off an entire series about the NO MA'AM group and making them actually more proactive in fighting back against feminism, and actually helping out other guys even though their antics would usually see them end up in jail at the end of every episode. When they pitched that concept to Fox apparently the suits were horrified at the entire idea and their reaction prompted him to just up and quit the industry altogether, citing that he couldn't fight against political correctness and it would inevitably ruin comedy. When he was interviewed years later he still stood by that and claimed that comedy had actually been ruined. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y354zEgiJA
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:50
|
|
|
Snowglobe of Doom posted:Apparently they used to get a ton of fanmail addressed to NO MA'AM and there were actual chapters opened up all around the country. According to noted scholar Jimmy “JJ” Walker it was supposed to be a black show but nobody would make it because of the Cosby Factor so they had to make the Bundys white.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:54
|
|
|
Szyznyk posted:According to noted scholar Jimmy “JJ” Walker it was supposed to be a black show but nobody would make it because of the Cosby Factor so they had to make the Bundys white. Also the working title of the show was "We're Not The Cosbys" E: here's Ed O'Neill discussing that, I could only find the video on FB: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153575332441524
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 17:59
|
|
|
excuse me he loves banging his hot wife especially when shes cleaning the barbeque
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 18:09
|
|
|
Big rear end On Fire posted:The not wanting to bang his wife joke is at least in part from the era. The wife is the nagging, money spending, life-complicating person in the union. Think Rodney Dangerfield wife jokes - that era. Rodney didn't mind if somebody else banged his wife, he just didn't want to have to do it himself.
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 18:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 08:15 |
|
|
Snowglobe of Doom posted:For comparison, Ron Leavitt, one of the co-creators of Married With Children, went on to create a similar show called Unhappily Ever After where everyone was much more clearly a lovely jaded rear end in a top hat. That show was mean. Also the husband was insane and had a toy stuffed rabbit which would talk to him (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait) which no one else could hear Lol did they reuse the set from MWC?
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2023 18:41
|
|
