To work on the set of All in the Family wasn’t just about making people laugh in front of the camera; it was also about making friends and costars laugh even when the cameras weren’t rolling. From Carroll O’Connor to Jean Stapleton, being on such a successful series left quite a mark on the cast, who had developed genuine friendships behind the scenes of the show.
According to Betty Garrett’s memoir, Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen, she became particularly close with her fellow cast member, Sally Struthers. Garrett was best known for playing Bunker neighbor Irene Lorenzo, who joined the series as a recurring character in season four. When Garrett was first introduced to the cast, she was already familiar with many of her new costars, save for one, Sally Struthers, who played Gloria. Luckily, the two quickly grew close, to their own delight and the possible dismay of the crew.
Garrett wrote, “About the only person involved with the show I didn’t know was Sally Struthers, and we quickly became so close they had to separate us during rehearsals.”
The two shared many similar interests and often had a little bit too much fun when they were on set together. Garett continued, “We both loved to do crossword puzzles and we would sit in the corner and giggle until they finally had to make us sit on opposite sides of the room.”
Garrett said of her costar, “Sally is just the cuddliest, most adorable girl and when we see each other today the first thing we do is throw our arms around each other and say ‘Girlfriend!'”
Garett also had only positive things to say about her fellow actor Jean Stapleton, who played Irene Lorenzo’s best friend, Edith Bunker. She wrote, “Jean is one of the most generous, cheerful women I have ever met. I have never known anybody who was so positive, so up about things all the time.”
She also spoke to the high level of talent that Stapleton acted with, and wrote, “Ever since playing Edith, she has had to strive to get beyond that image, and since it was such an indelible character you can see how it would be hard for her. But Jean has a great deal of dignity about her and I think she has been quite successful in changing her image. People came to accept her as something other than a dingbat.”
