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Sally Struthers spent $40,000 trying to leave All in the Family
We almost lost Gloria!
Sally Struthers, Gloria on All in the Family, revealed in a recent interview her struggle to leave the beloved sitcom.
While All in the Family was a near-instant ratings success and remains a cultural institution, Struthers wasn't happy with her role. According to her, playing Gloria was too limiting, and didn't allow her to utilize her full range of talents as a performer. Whereas the show's primary focus, Archie Bunker, was allowed depth and sophisticated storylines, Struthers saw Gloria as a one-note character.
Struthers shared the truth of her experience in a recent episode of Let's Talk About That! With Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti.
“I usually had about three lines per show that said, ‘I'll help you set the table, Ma,' ‘Michael, where are you going?’ and ‘Oh, Daddy, stop it.’ And then the next week I’d have the three same lines in a different order. And if they literally didn’t know what to do with me in a scene, they’d have me go upstairs to take a bath or wash my hair. It was very frustrating.”
Of course, Struthers was under contract for her work on the series. After the show's fifth season, she sought legal arbitration in an attempt to leave. Despite spending $40,000 in lawyer fees, Struthers lost the case and was forced to return to All in the Family.
“I went back and had three more seasons, but they were by far the most fun for me. Because finally, they had Mike and Gloria have a baby, they had us move next door into the house that [the] Jeffersons lived in."
In the end, Gloria got to leave the Bunker household, first by moving next-door, and later by moving across the country in her own spinoff Gloria.
Do you think the show would've been different without her? Would All in the Family have been just as good without Gloria after season five? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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