Season 3 (All in the Family)

Also see: Maude (TV series) Archie Bunker's Place

This page lists all of the episodes aired in season three of the CBS-TV sitcom All in the Family during the 1972-73 television season. Such notable actors such as Charles Durning (appears in "The Victim") and Mary Kay Place (appears in "Archie Goes Too Far") make guest appearances on the show.

Season 3 (1972-1973)

Season 3 episodes
Image	No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
	38	1	"Archie and the Editorial"	Norman Campbell	Teleplay by: George Bloom & Don Nicholl Story by: George Bloom	September 16, 1972	301
Why is gun control so important? It all starts when Archie gives an on-air citizen's rebuttal to a television editorial advocating restrictions on handguns. After enduring Mike's lecture in support of gun control, Archie goes to Kelcy's Bar... where he meets a pair of stickup artists who take his money.
	39	2	"Archie's Fraud"	Norman Campbell	Michael Ross & Bernie West	September 23, 1972	302
Archie does not believe it is important to report his income from driving Munson's taxicab, and then does not. It is not long before an IRS agent shows up to audit him. So, Archie decides to come up with a way to wriggle his way out of paying the additional taxes. Note: The IRS agent whom Archie attempts to bribe is played by James McEachin who would later play Solomon Jackson in "Archie the Liberal"
	40	3	"The Threat"	John Rich	Teleplay by: Lila Garrett & Michael Elias Story by: Bill Manhoff and Lila Garrett & Michael Elias	September 30, 1972	304
The wife of Archie's old war buddy, Duke Loomis, arrives for a visit. Make that, the second, much younger wife of Archie's old wartime friend. Edith begins to worry when Archie seems a little too cordial with the woman. Note: Episode features Gloria LeRoy, who would later play Mildred "Boom Boom" Turner in a few episodes during later seasons.
	41	4	"Gloria and the Riddle"	Bob La Hendro & Robert H. Livingston	Don Nicholl	October 7, 1972	303
Gloria's college friend Tammy tells a classic riddle. Gloria brings the riddle home, where she stumps Archie—and would-be women's lib supporter Mike. When Tammy comes over to work on a project with Gloria, everyone gets involved in a debate over the roles of women in modern society. In the end, it is Edith who solves the riddle.
	42	5	"Lionel Steps Out"	John Rich	Teleplay by: Michael Ross & Bernie West Story by:Terry Ryan and Michael Ross & Bernie West	October 14, 1972	305
Archie's 21-year-old niece, whom he has not seen in years, visits and strikes up a friendship with Lionel. The two go out on a night on the town, and Archie makes it quite clear he is against the idea of a black man dating a white woman. Lionel, who usually plays along with Archie to expose his bigoted attitudes, is not in the mood for games this time.
	43	6	"Edith Flips Her Wig"	Hal Cooper	Sam Locke, Olga Vallance & Don Nicholl	October 21, 1972	308
Edith is arrested for shoplifting when she absent-mindedly takes a wig from a department store. Archie's attempts to straighten out the problem backfire, as usual. Note: Barnard Hughes, as Father Majeski, from episode 20, appears.
	44	7	"The Bunkers and the Swingers"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Michael Ross, Bernie West & Lee Kalcheim Story by: Norman Lear	October 28, 1972	306
Edith is on the search for new friends, and seems to have met the perfect pair through a magazine advertisement. She invites them over to meet Archie, not knowing they are into swinging, wife-swapping style! Note: Episode featured Rue McClanahan, who would go on to play Maude's best friend Vivian Harmon on AITF spinoff Maude, and Vincent Gardenia, who would go on to play a recurring role of Frank Lorenzo on AITF, the following season.
	45	8	"Mike Comes into Money"	John Rich	Michael Ross & Bernie West	November 4, 1972	310
When Mike inherits some money, he donates $200 to the George McGovern campaign. Coincidentally, it comes at the same time Archie is demanding $200 for rent, and it results in yet another argument.
	46	9	"Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding (Part 1)"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Rob Reiner & Phil Mishkin	November 11, 1972	311
The Stivics celebrate their second anniversary by recalling how they almost were never married. With their wedding fast approaching, Archie wants the wedding his way, and Mike's Uncle Casmir wants his wedding his way. The two do not budge, and it becomes clear Mike and Gloria's engagement is in trouble. Notes: Part 1 of a two-part episode. Uncle Casimir Stivic was played by Michael Conrad, who later played Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues.
	47	10	"Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding (Part 2)"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Rob Reiner and Phil Mishkin	November 18, 1972	312
Mike storms out of the house, determined never to return. Archie and Uncle Casmir grudgingly decide to resolve their grievances, and Mike agrees to return. Then comes the big question: Who will marry Mike and Gloria: a judge, a priest, or a minister? Each side's preferences are well known, and it causes everyone to flare up once again. But the wedding eventually does take place. Note: Part 2 of a two-part episode.
	48	11	"The Locket"	Hal Cooper	Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx	November 25, 1972	309
Archie's scheming mind is once again at work, this time when Edith can not seem to find her heirloom necklace. Archie—with the burning desire to buy a new color television set—wants to quickly give up on the search, so he can report it stolen and collect on the insurance. But before Archie can finalize the claim, an insurance agent needs to ask a few questions.
	49	12	"Mike's Appendix"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Michael Ross & Bernie West	December 2, 1972	307
Just how good is a female doctor, anyway? That is the battle between Archie and Gloria as they decide who will perform an emergency appendectomy on Mike.
	50	13	"Edith's Winning Ticket"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Don Nicholl	December 9, 1972	313
Edith finds a winning lottery ticket in her purse. Thinking they are in the money, Archie tells Edith to collect. But Archie is once again foiled by his wife's honesty—the ticket, along with the prize, is really Louise Jefferson's. Archie is determined to collect the prize he thinks rightfully belongs to the Bunkers.
	51	14	"Archie and the Bowling Team"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Allan Katz and Don Reo Story by: Don Nicholl	December 16, 1972	315
Archie and a black co-worker vie for the last opening on a bowling team.
	52	15	"Archie Goes to the Hospital"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Don Nicholl Story by: Stanley Ralph Ross and Martin Cohan	January 6, 1973	316
Archie is hospitalized for chronic back pain, and makes great friends with his roommate. He is in for quite a shock when he gets to meet him in person—he is black. Will that change their new relationship?
	53	16	"Oh Say Can You See"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Michael Ross and Bernie West Story by: Joe Kerr	January 20, 1973	317
An old friend of Archie teaches him to live like he was young.
	54	17	"Archie Goes Too Far"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Austin and Irma Kalish	January 27, 1973	318
Archie snoops through Mike and Gloria's room, and finds plenty of things to start the latest argument. He finds a poem, triggering a fight over the right of privacy. Mike storms out of the house to cool off, and an equally hot Gloria and Edith decide to join him. And Archie is not even apologizing! Note: A then little-known Mary Kay Place has a small role as one of Gloria's friends; Norman Lear would cast her in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman a few years later.
	55	18	"Class Reunion"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Don Nicholl Story by: Stanley Ralph Ross and Don Nicholl	February 10, 1973	319
Edith attends her class reunion, where she meets up with her old boyfriend. Archie goes along to make sure there's no hanky-panky between the old sweethearts.
	56	19	"Hot Watch"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Sam Locke & Olga Vallance	February 17, 1973	320
For just $25, Archie buys what he thinks is an expensive watch from his friend. Mike's suspicions are aroused when he thinks his father-in-law seemed to have gotten too good of a bargain, especially when he learns the watch's market value is $300 and that said watch might be stolen. Things are further complicated when Archie breaks the watch, sending him to a jeweler who needs to fix the watch. In the end, the jeweler tells Archie the watch isn't worth fixing: It's a cheap imitation of the high-end watch Archie thinks he's purchased (Onega instead of Omega) and that its actual value is $8.
	57	20	"Archie Is Branded"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Vincent Bogert	February 24, 1973	314
Archie finds a swastika painted on his front door. Archie thinks juveniles were simply playing a prank, but they quickly find their home was mistaken for that of a Jewish school board member who lives nearby. As violence seems imminent, "Hebrew Defense Association" (echoing the Jewish Defense League) member Paul Benjamin (Gregory Sierra) offers the family "protection". Surprisingly, Archie takes an immediate shine to the charismatic activist and his reactionary tactics, but Mike is appalled by the violent escalation of their methods. The episode ends abruptly when Paul is is killed by a car bomb in front of the Bunker home. Note: Jean Stapleton's son John Putch appears in this episode.
	58	21	"Everybody Tells the Truth"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Don Nicholl	March 3, 1973	321
The refrigerator is broken, and the family is forced to eat dinner at a restaurant. Over dinner, Archie and Mike give conflicting accounts of what happened on the day a repairman and his black apprentice Jack (Ron Glass) came to fix the refrigerator. Among other conflicting exaggerations, Mike says Archie harassed Jack, a shuffling "Uncle Tom", with a stream of racist remarks, while Archie describes Jack as a Black Power militant wielding a switchblade, which Mike insists did not exist. In the end, Edith gives a more realistic account: Jack used a small pen-knife to eat an apple, and took offense at Archie inconsiderately calling him "boy". She produces the knife (which Jack had left behind), but neither Archie nor Mike will admit to being wrong.
	59	22	"Archie Learns His Lesson"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Teleplay by: Michael Ross & Bernie West Story by: John Christopher Strong III & Michael R. Stein	March 10, 1973	322
Attending night classes to earn his high school diploma and maybe get a dispatcher's job at work, Archie swears Edith to secrecy lest Mike and Gloria discover he never finished school. Overwhelmed by his studies, he tries to cheat, but Edith ruins his crib notes by pasting them to a board for him to study. He passes anyway, but loses the job to the boss's nephew.
	60	23	"Gloria the Victim"	John Rich and Bob LaHendro	Austin & Irma Kalish and Don Nicholl	March 17, 1973	323
While walking past a construction site, Gloria is besieged by sexual harassment. It escalates and she is soon the victim of attempted sexual assault. Archie and Mike debate whether to report the crime to police. Gloria eventually musters the courage to call an investigator over. But then, things are complicated when the detective (Charles Durning) tells her that the man she is accusing will make a counter-claim that their encounter was consensual.
	61	24	"The Battle of the Month"	John Rich & Bob LaHendro	Michael Ross & Bernie West	March 24, 1973	324
Gloria objects to her father's treatment of Edith, sparking a battle that could upset the future harmony of the entire Bunker household. In one of Edith's best "wisdom of the sages from the mouth of a dingbat" moments, she restores harmony with a lecture about maple syrup.