It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Sally Struthers as Gloria Stivic (née Bunker), but here is Kelly Jean Peters as Archie and Edith’s daughter in the original pilot for the then-titled sitcom, Justice for All, which was a play on the family’s name; “Justice,” before it was changed to “Bunker” when the series premiered as All in the Family in 1971. Although Miss Peters’ career was pretty prolific, and she appeared in many popular TV series before and after this pilot, she never landed that role she will be “best remembered for” like the role of Gloria surely would have done for her, had she been chosen as the right one for the part.
After this 1968 pilot, there was to be one more test run before the final cast was settled on. The following year, a second pilot was shot with Candy Azzara in the role of Gloria. Thankfully, for whatever reason, it was decided to again recast the roles of Gloria and her husband. Enter Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers and the rest is TV history.
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About the author
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris flirted with the music business there and in Nashville before joining the U.S. Army and serving in South Korea. He remained in Asia for several years afterwards, teaching English, traveling, and covering the regional entertainment scenes. Currently in a mindset between Seoul and San Francisco, besides Idol Features, you can also catch his writings in the print edition of the monthly magazine, Effective.
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