Future Soap Opera Stars In A Memorable “All In The Family,” First Season Episode

In a seminal fifth episode of the great television show, “All In The Family” (“Judging Books by Covers”), future huge soap opera stars Tony Geary (“Luke” on General Hospital) and Philip Carey (Asa Buchanan on “One Life To Live”) have key roles.

The episode aired on Tuesday February 9, 1971, as “All In The Family,” eventually the biggest and best of the great CBS Saturday night program lineup, had not yet gained “Saturday night status.”

This was ten years before Geary, as “Luke Spencer” on “General Hospital,” married “Laura Webber,” played by Genie Francis, in a wedding that rivaled the real life one that same year, in which England’s Prince Charles, now King Charles, wed Diana Spencer.

As life goes on these many years later, a finally nice, reasonably warm Monday (not a rainy one–ode to Karen (Carpenter) awaits, it is good to ponder the episode in which appearances, specifically about sexual orientation, way ahead of its time, are deceiving, the sadness inherent in the Spencers link and the realization one goes on.

Meanwhile, in doing so, it was nice to see the episode last night on MeTV and be advised the channel’s showing 4 “All In The Family” episodes (8-10)P.M. each Sunday is back in that so memorable first season.

I had predicted the show’s greatness, something for which my mom credited me.

On both definitions “rare praise indeed.”

Pictured left to right, Rob Reiner, Tony Geary and Jean Stapleton in the episode “Judging Books By Covers” the fifth from the first season of the seminal television show, still more than “holding up,” “All In The Family.”