Off The Record
The Blonde Bombshell From The 1970s Still Has It Today
There were teachings in All in the Family that I think are still relevant today, making it one of the greatest series ever. It launched the careers of several actresses, including Sally Struthers.
The stunning blonde woman has changed her appearance significantly, yet she is still active in the industry.
A precocious talent
Sally Struthers’ portrayal of Gloria Stivic on the hit 1970s television series All in the Family will live on in our memories forever. The groundbreaking series, which followed a white working-class family in Queens, New York, was nominated for an incredible 73 awards and took home a record-breaking 42 of them during its run.
While I doubt that those who were born long after the show’s peak can really appreciate its revolutionary nature. Before this, there had been comedic sitcoms, but they rarely dealt with sensitive topics. Such problems were often turned into comedic or tragic or both moments on All in the Family.
Feeling young again, laughing, and forgetting about the problems of the present day are all side effects of watching old episodes of the show on YouTube. We still deal with many of the same problems that plagued society then and now, but now they’re presented in a far more absurd light.
Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), Gloria Bunker-Stivic (Sally Struthers), Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner), and Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois) all starred in the film and had fantastic chemistry with one another.
Sally Struthers was an extremely underappreciated and adaptable actor, in my opinion. Certain episodes of All in the Family included her singing, and I enjoyed watching her grow as an artist.
“At first I behaved like an idiot on the set. I thought that was the way to get people to like me. I’ve been educated on the set. I’ve learned to be myself. And now, they respect me,” she told Longview Daily News in 1973.
Sally, who was 22 at the time, had no prior acting experience and was a complete unknown when the series aired in January 1971. Sally says that the late producer Norman Lear, whom she calls “the father of us all,” saw her dancing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and immediately recognized her talent.
Sally, like the rest of the actors, performed an excellent job despite having no prior experience. She became an instant sensation as All in the Family rose to the top of the ratings in the months after its debut.
It was difficult for her to go anywhere, such as to a restaurant or the mall, when her fame was at its height, without being surrounded by screaming fans. To a naive 22-year-old, it was a very trying experience.
Sally enjoyed her role as Gloria Stivic for the first several seasons of the show. Nonetheless, she was rarely given opportunities to really explore the role or show off her acting chops. During a break from filming All in the Family, she expressed interest in taking on a serious role.
“When we go on hiatus, I want to do something different,” she said.
”And there are so many ways to represent a woman. I would like to play a murderess and an unwed mother, and a nun, and an old Jewish mother. At the end of my career I’d like to have people say that I am as funny as Judy Holliday and to be as revered as Ruth Gordon.”
Of course, being typecast may be disastrous to an actor’s career; how often do you see an actor become famous thanks to a landmark television series, only to see his or her subsequent roles be critically panned?
Sadly, it was a bit like that for Sally.
She was nominated for two Emmys for her performance as Gloria, and after All in the Family ended, she was cast as the series’ protagonist in two subsequent sitcoms. The truth, however, was that Sally did not have a great deal of offers, and she quickly found herself without consistent employment.
You may know Sally as Babette Dell from the show Gilmore Girls, but in the ’90s she was a regular panelist on the game program Match Game.
She has been attending the Ogunquit Playhouse regularly since the turn of the millennium. Ogunquit, Maine’s regional theater stages four or more productions each season.
She also co-starred with AJ Holmes in 2022 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts as Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.
The star of All in the Family has also been quite active in campaigns to help underprivileged kids throughout the world.
Over the course of many years, Sally has served as a spokesman for Christian Children’s Fund and has made numerous appearances in the organization’s iconic television ads.
Sally Struthers daughter
Sally, as many of you may know, is a mother of one, despite the fact that she was never eager to start a family.
She had a change of heart after meeting the renowned psychiatrist William C. Rader. They tied the knot in 1977, and two years later, their daughter Samantha was born.
“Before I met Bill, I never wanted a baby. I was always the first one to say that it wasn’t going to make me fulfilled, that I didn’t need a carbon copy of myself. Then you fall in love with someone,” Sally told People in 1981.
“And you want to be the mother of a child that is part of that man, the result of your loving each other.”
It’s very bad her marriage didn’t last. Sally and William C. Rader had a divorce in 1983 and have since gone their separate ways.
Their daughter chose not to become a nurse like her mother, but rather a clinical psychologist.
Samantha Struthers Rader also maintains an active social media presence, where she offers guidance and showcases her trip photography.
Yet, it’s evident that she’s picked up some of her mother’s skills… It’s not uncommon for Samantha to perform a song, and her voice is every bit as beautiful as Sally’s.
As of right now, Sally Struthers
Sally Struthers, now 75 years old, was born in Los Angeles.
For the past 25 years, she has maintained a career in the theater profession, where she has performed regularly. She’s interested in acting, but is willing to try new things.
“I’m here. I’m a Los Angeles resident. I have been available. I don’t know why I am never asked to audition. I am never offered a job here. But, you give me Texas, you give me Maine, you give me Virginia, you give me New York, you give me Connecticut and there’s a job for me, always. They clamor to have me back the next year in something else,” she says.
Sally’s life was filled with highs and lows. Sally’s mom died of Alzheimer’s two days before Christmas in 1996, and Sally was there to hold her as she slipped away. Sally has also been the target of online bullying because of her appearance and weight.
Actress has overcome challenges with grace, honesty, and humor.
“From the time I was able to walk and say a few words, my whole aim in life was to make people laugh,” she told Spectrum News in 2022.
“And when I hear other people laugh, and I know that some silly face I’ve made or some line reading causes them to double over, I’m transported to heaven. That’s my thing. Laughter.”
Why we need to resort to profanity and insults is beyond me. Sally made us giggle for years; she helps underprivileged kids and seems like a good person overall by volunteering her time.
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