It was the 1970s. The Vietnam War was raging. Hardhats and hippies were battling. There was dissension all over the land-except on Monday nights, when for 30 minutes one-third of all Americans were glued to their TV sets watching ”All in the Family.” In ”Archie & Edith, Mike & Gloria,” author Donna McCrohan answers such questions as: Who was Norman Lear`s first choice to play Archie Bunker? What did Archie say to Edith when he carried her over the threshold? And which network rejected two pilots for the show? The answers:
Mickey Rooney; ”Watch your head, dingbat, or you`ll knock your brains out”; and ABC.
At least three times a day most of us think about food, but Margaret Visser, who wrote ”Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal”
(Grove), thinks about it all the time. In the book, she explains how the Depression, which was a disaster for most of the country, was great for corn flakes: ”It was during the Depression that Americans permanently altered their breakfast habits. The heavy, hot early meal became a relic of the past; the reason was partly a lack of money and time and partly the alternative promulgated by Mr. Kellogg and his imitators and competitors.”
The newest member of the the ”Dallas” cast, Karen Kopins, who plays Bobby Ewing`s love interest, gives a thumbnail sketch of her colleagues. Patrick Duffy: ”He`s even nicer than the character he plays.” Larry Hagman: ”An absolute kick in the pants, a real hoot. He`s a spontaneous, crazy, fun-loving guy.” Linda Gray: As beautiful inside as she is outside. She really listens and puts her heart and soul into her craft.”
