Asking for help isn’t the sign of weakness that everyone makes it out to be. For lots of people, success is only worth something if you earn it all on your own. But then, once you’re successful, who do you have to share it with? Many hands make for a lighter load, and only the truly efficient ones are brave enough to ask for help when they need it.
With all of that being said, you don’t have a hand in as many television shows as Norman Lear did without being rightfully considered anything less than a genius. Lear was a master writer, with quick wit and the ability to make a joke out of anything. Still, despite his incredible talents, it wasn’t as though he was bringing All in the Family to life on his own.
Lear had a team of writers, each with their own set of unique comedic skills, who were determined to make each episode of All in the Family the best one yet. More than that, as the boss, Lear ensured that his writing staff was well educated on the current events that were often implemented into All in the Family episodes. To achieve that, writers had to stay up to date on the daily newspaper.
But rewriting didn’t just stop in the writer’s room. In an interview with The Standard-Star, Jean Stapleton revealed that during the first read-through of the episode, the cast was invited to add their ideas to the script.
This rule was taken advantage of by many cast members, including Carroll O’Connor, who had a penchant for writing of his own. “He can come up with a phrase of New Yorkese that, as soon as he says it, makes me think back to something I heard when I was growing up in New York,” said Stapleton.
Cast additions weren’t just a good idea to fix up some of the dialogue spoken on the show. Stapleton, having played Edith for years, had a keen insight into the character that no doubt was useful in the show’s writing. “I’ve always believed in her, right from the start,” she said. “I feel privileged to be able to bring her to life.”
