"Jeffersons" vs. "All in the Family" - Two Theme S Quiz

Answer: The Jeffersons

"The Jeffersons" is a American television sitcom from the 1970s and 1980s about a Black family that becomes rich and moves into a luxury apartment building in New York City. The show is a spin-off of another popular comedy, "All in the Family" George Jefferson, is a loud and stubborn dry-cleaning business owner, and his smart, kind wife is Louise. Together with their maid, Florence, and their...interesting... neighbors, they adjust to upper-middle class life on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The series lasted for 11 fabulous seasons and showed a vision of family that in the opinion of Yours Truly, was far better than "The Cosby Show" ever did...not least of reasons being that Sherman Hemsley was actually a decent human being.

Answer: The Jeffersons

The two main stars of the show were Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford. Hemsley brought high energy to his performance as George, using memorable facial expressions and a signature strut to portray the loud, short-tempered character. Off-screen, Hemsley was a very shy and private person who never married. Co-stars later confirmed that he was a gay man who chose to keep his personal life out of the Hollywood spotlight. Sanford played his calm, sensible wife, Louise, "Weezie". Sanford made history by becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Answer: The Jeffersons

The line "Fish don't fry in the kitchen" comes from the show's theme song, "Movin' On Up," and it is a clever way of saying that the family has become rich enough to leave their old, working-class struggles behind and can probably afford to dine out sometimes.

Answer: The Jeffersons

"The Jeffersons" did not get a proper ending as CBS abruptly canceled the show in 1985 after 11 seasons without telling the cast or crew ahead of time. Since no one knew the series was ending, the writers never got to create a farewell storyline to wrap up the characters' lives.

Answer: The Jeffersons

This is the full song. Compare this forward-looking tune with the nostalgia and backward-looking theme of "All in the Family".

"Movin' on Up"

"Well we're movin' on up, to the east side
To a deluxe apartment in the sky
Movin' on up
To the east side
We finally got a piece of the pie
Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill
Took a whole lotta tryin'
Just to get up that hill
Now we're up in the big leagues
Gettin' our turn at bat
As long as we live, it's you and me baby
There ain't nothin' wrong with that
Well we're movin' on up
To the east side
To a deluxe apartment in the sky
Movin' on up
To the east side
We finally got a piece of the pie"

Answer: All in the Family

"All in the Family" is a groundbreaking 1971 television sitcom that completely changed American comedy by using a dysfunctional working-class household to openly mock prejudice and bigotry. The series takes place in Queens, New York, and centers on Archie Bunker, an outspoken, short-tempered man who is deeply uncomfortable with the social changes of the 1970s. Archie constantly argues with his live-in son-in-law, Mike, a progressive college student whom Archie nicknames "Meathead," while his loving but naive wife, Edith, and his daughter, Gloria, try to keep the peace.

The insidious and subtle way that the show was able to tackle hard topics without making anyone a simple caricature was truly amazing. Makes one wish we could do something like this again.

Answer: All in the Family

The four main stars of "All in the Family" were Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, and Rob Reiner. O'Connor played by Archie Bunker and made a grumpy, narrow-minded character feel like a real person even if they hated his beliefs. Stapleton played his kind and sweet-hearted wife, Edith. Struthers played their daughter, Gloria, who loved her father but stood up to his outdated beliefs, while Reiner played her liberal husband, Mike.

Answer: All in the Family

A LaSalle is an American brand of luxury cars that General Motors manufactured and sold from 1927 to 1940. GM created it to be a slightly smaller, sportier, and more affordable "companion" car to its top-tier Cadillac line. The car was the first mass-production vehicle completely shaped by a professional stylist. General Motors eventually discontinued the brand because it was costing them sales on more expensive Cadillacs.

Answer: All in the Family

Unlike its spin-off, "All in the Family" did not get canceled by the network due to low ratings. It ended because the core creative team felt the show had reached a natural stopping point. By the eighth season, key cast members Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers left the show for other projects.

When Jean Stapleton also decided to step away, series creator Norman Lear believed it was time to shut the show down. It ended with a spin-off, "Archie Bunker's Place", which lasted another four seasons.

Answer: All in the Family

This is the full song. Compare this backward-looking tune with the hope and energy of "Movin' on Up".

"Those Were the Days":

"Boy, the way Glenn Miller played
Songs that made the Hit Parade
Guys like us, we had it made
Those were the days

And you knew who you were then
Girls were girls, and men were men
Mister, we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again

Didn't need no welfare state
Everybody pulled his weight
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great
Those were the days"

{In the longer version}

"People seemed to be content
Fifty dollars paid the rent
Freaks were in a circus tent
Those were the days

Take a little Sunday spin
Go to watch the Dodgers win
Have yourself a dandy day
That cost you under a fin


Hair was short, and skirts were long
Kate Smith really sold a song
I don't know just what went wrong
Those were the days"