Carroll O'Connor Interview - Part 8 of 8

Carroll OConnor talks about being a struggling actor in New York: Carroll OConnor from the Gate Theater meant nothing. They did an OCasey play.  I was probably the one actor in New York who really could sound like a Dublin man. I thought to myself innocently— Ill just do my thing and I got to get into this OCasey play.  Nobody knew what I was doing.  Nobody cared.  And nobody even wanted to see me.  Carroll OConnor made his mark on television as Archie Bunker on the landmark sitcom All in the Family and as Chief Bill Gillespie on the police drama In the Heat of the Night.  In his Archive interview, OConnor speaks about his background and childhood pursuits and outlines his early years studying acting, notably at University College in Dublin.   He describes acting at the renowned Gate Theatre in Dublin, the best experience he ever had as an actor.  He briefly describes his television debut, in the early 1950s, on the BBC and his American TV debut on Kraft Television Theater.  He recounts how he came to be cast in the stage play Ulysses in Nighttown, and notes how his performance led to his a lot of television work, plus gave his impressions of co-star Zero Mostel and director Burgess Meredith.  He speaks about his numerous appearances on television in the 1960s, including: Sacco-Vanzetti and Armstrong Circle Theater, and how he came to make his feature film debut in A Fever in the Blood .  OConnor relates how he began to contribute to the writing of the parts he played on television and how, when All in the Family was picked up, he put his stamp on the written material.  For All in the Family, he describes the filming of the series pilots, talks about his contentious relationship with series developer/executive producer Norman Lear, speaks about his co-stars and directors, and discusses his walk off of (and return to) the series during the shows fifth season.  He explains how the follow-up series Archies Bunkers Place came about and recalls how and why the character of Edith Bunker died at the start of the shows second season.  Additionally, he comments on his co-stars, talks about casting Martin Balsams real-life daughter in an episode he wrote that mirrored real life, and acknowledges how the series came to an end.  He discusses his involvement in the spin-off series Gloria, and how, without his knowledge, the shows initial writers and producer were replaced.  He then speaks in detail about his work as writer/star of the television movie The Last Hurrah and In the Heat of the Night.  On In the Heat of the Night, OConnor recalls his early displeasures with the direction of the show, proudly notes the accommodation the series received from the NAACP, and describes his favorite series episode.  Lastly, he touches on various guest appearances he made on television in the 1990s and how he came to write his memoirs.  In response to whether All in the Family changed television, OConnor suggests: No.  television got right back into its old habits the goal of comedy, sitcom, was to make people feel good, get a lot of laughs and get the big ratings.  Those were not really our goals.  The goals of all the shows that came after us were that just.  Carroll OConnor (1924-2001) was interviewed in Malibu, CA on August 13, 1999; Charles Davis conducted the four-hour interview.. To see the entire interview collection, visit http://emmytvlegends.org

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Entertainment

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[shimokita2]

@flyguy359 - do you think o'connor was wealthy?

[pretorious700]

How many people can say they had as full a life as this man? Not many.

[RedRanger23]

it is very sad to see (even years after his sons death) him pause in his speech, a glint of anguish in his eyes..I remember when his son died. Carroll was a broken man and i believe stayed broken. A horrible loss.

[ArizonaAdventures]

I wish there were better, more thought about questions.

[flyguy359]

great again - listen to Stapleton and Lear for other points of view. These shows require so much creative input that everyone thinks that it is his/her baby!