SEASON 1 – CBS
Created by Joe Gannon, Patt Shea, and Harriet Weiss
Theme song by Tony Greco
This series is a spin-off of the sitcom “Archie Bunker’s Place,” which is a spin-off of the sitcom “All in the Family”
- 000. Gloria, the First Day – 1/11/1982 UNAIRED Pilot
- Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) drives his daughter Gloria Bunker Stivic and her son Joey to upstate New York to the office of Dr. Willard Adams DVM, where Gloria has taken a job as an assistant in his veterinary office. Archie tries to chat with Dr. Adams, but soon offends him by questioning why, as a failed doctor, did he choose to become a veterinarian rather than a dentist. Gloria rushes him back to the car so that he can head home, but he tells Gloria that when she fails at this job, he will be happy to come back and retrieve her. Although Joey had been looking forward to getting a dog, Gloria is disappointed when Dr. Adams tells her that he doesn’t allow pets on the premises as it would encourage people to drop off their unwanted pets all of the time. Gloria moves her things into her and Joey’s cottage, only to find that Dr. Adams’ assistant Jim Waynewrite (Rich Lohman) is sleeping nude on the fold-out bed in the living room. Although Dr. Adams had told him to move out the night before because he caught Jim having his own ‘pet’ Candy, who held the job that Gloria is now replacing, over at his place once too often. When Jim finds out that Gloria has absolutely no experience caring for animals, he expresses his disappointment that a woman with no experience has been hired. When Gloria tells Joey about the pet policy, he is upset and blames his father Mike for causing this mess by not being there and causing Gloria to have to work at all. Gloria begins her work, and meets Dr. Maggie Lawrence, who assists in the O.R. on surgery days. She has Gloria answer the phone, where she has to deal with an annoying patient named Louise Cotter-Smith (Ann Sweeny) who wants Dr. Adams to call her back. Gloria gradually gets in the swing of things on her first day, even meeting a patient monkey named Michael. That evening after everyone has left, Louise Cotter-Smith barges in and drops off a boxful of newborn puppies, telling Gloria to have Dr. Adams put them down, as she doesn’t want their mother to have to nurse the babies, as she wants her ready for a dog show. Gloria is furious that Dr. Adams would even entertain having the dogs put to sleep, so she has Joey take them back to their place. When Dr. Adams’ handyman Ben (Peter Pastore) tells him that he saw the puppies brought in, but they are now gone, Adams immediately goes to see Gloria. She tells him that she is quitting because she can’t work for a man who would put down newborn puppies. While she is yelling at him, he is calling Mrs. Cotter-Smith and demanding that she bring the mother over to nurse the puppies, under threat of him revealing that her dog ‘sleeps around’. After he hangs up with her, he yells at Gloria for assuming the worst out of him. He says that she did one thing right: trying to save the puppies, but she was wrong about him. She apologizes and asks if she can keep her job, and she agrees. Jim then stops by and yells at Gloria for keeping a recently spayed cat’s cage open, but Dr. Adams comes to her defense and says that it was Ben who did it. She ask to hold the cat, and after everyone leaves, she tells her that they both had rough days, even the the cat’s was worse since she had gotten fixed. 11/30/24
- Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) drives his daughter Gloria Bunker Stivic and her son Joey to upstate New York to the office of Dr. Willard Adams DVM, where Gloria has taken a job as an assistant in his veterinary office. Archie tries to chat with Dr. Adams, but soon offends him by questioning why, as a failed doctor, did he choose to become a veterinarian rather than a dentist. Gloria rushes him back to the car so that he can head home, but he tells Gloria that when she fails at this job, he will be happy to come back and retrieve her. Although Joey had been looking forward to getting a dog, Gloria is disappointed when Dr. Adams tells her that he doesn’t allow pets on the premises as it would encourage people to drop off their unwanted pets all of the time. Gloria moves her things into her and Joey’s cottage, only to find that Dr. Adams’ assistant Jim Waynewrite (Rich Lohman) is sleeping nude on the fold-out bed in the living room. Although Dr. Adams had told him to move out the night before because he caught Jim having his own ‘pet’ Candy, who held the job that Gloria is now replacing, over at his place once too often. When Jim finds out that Gloria has absolutely no experience caring for animals, he expresses his disappointment that a woman with no experience has been hired. When Gloria tells Joey about the pet policy, he is upset and blames his father Mike for causing this mess by not being there and causing Gloria to have to work at all. Gloria begins her work, and meets Dr. Maggie Lawrence, who assists in the O.R. on surgery days. She has Gloria answer the phone, where she has to deal with an annoying patient named Louise Cotter-Smith (Ann Sweeny) who wants Dr. Adams to call her back. Gloria gradually gets in the swing of things on her first day, even meeting a patient monkey named Michael. That evening after everyone has left, Louise Cotter-Smith barges in and drops off a boxful of newborn puppies, telling Gloria to have Dr. Adams put them down, as she doesn’t want their mother to have to nurse the babies, as she wants her ready for a dog show. Gloria is furious that Dr. Adams would even entertain having the dogs put to sleep, so she has Joey take them back to their place. When Dr. Adams’ handyman Ben (Peter Pastore) tells him that he saw the puppies brought in, but they are now gone, Adams immediately goes to see Gloria. She tells him that she is quitting because she can’t work for a man who would put down newborn puppies. While she is yelling at him, he is calling Mrs. Cotter-Smith and demanding that she bring the mother over to nurse the puppies, under threat of him revealing that her dog ‘sleeps around’. After he hangs up with her, he yells at Gloria for assuming the worst out of him. He says that she did one thing right: trying to save the puppies, but she was wrong about him. She apologizes and asks if she can keep her job, and she agrees. Jim then stops by and yells at Gloria for keeping a recently spayed cat’s cage open, but Dr. Adams comes to her defense and says that it was Ben who did it. She ask to hold the cat, and after everyone leaves, she tells her that they both had rough days, even the the cat’s was worse since she had gotten fixed. 11/30/24
- 001. The First Day – 9/26/1982
- After her husband Mike relocates from their home in California to a local nudist commune with one of his students, Gloria Bunker Stivic (Sally Struthers) and her their son Joey (Christian Jacobs) move back to New York in order to be closer to her father. After a brief stay at his house, they move further north from the city to a small town called Fox Ridge, where she takes a job as a veterinary assistant for Dr. Willard Adams (Burgess Meredith). Dr. Adams shows her the house on the property where she will be living. Initially, she thinks that the house will be hers alone, but he tells her that she will just be getting one room of the house in which he also lives. Joey wants to get a puppy, so Dr. Adams offers to give him one of the strays that he’s collected behind the barn. Gloria moves her things in and then reports to the veterinarian office on the premises where she meets the other veterinarian Maggie Lawrence (Jo de Winter) and the vet assistant Clark V. Uhley Jr. (Lou Richards). Clark thinks that Gloria must be there to replace him, but Maggie knows nothing about this. She too is surprised because she is Dr. Adams’ partner and believes that he is getting ready to retire and that she is taking over the practice. Dr. Adams tells Gloria only told her that he was retiring to get her to buy into the practice. He also assures her that he won’t be firing Clark, since his father pays Dr. Adams to keep him there. When Maggie confronts him, Dr. Admas says that he had planned to retire but now plans to stick around so that he can train Gloria to be a full-fledged veterinary assistant. Gloria is given many menial tasks like cleaning out cages and is told by Dr. Lawrence that to work more closely with the animals to be a certified assistant takes two years and has to be licensed. Gloria considers calling her father Archie to come get her, but when she hears that Joey has picked out his puppy, she decides to discuss it with him. She then talks to Dr. Adams about it as well, they are interrupted when Mike calls to talk to Gloria, but she won’t talk to him. He wants Gloria and Joey to join him in the ‘oneness’ of the commune, but she tells him to hang up when he says he is still with his student. When Mike says that she in unable to take care of herself and Joey and can’t even hold a job. She has Adams tell Mike that she has a wonderful job for a wonderful man and lives in a wonderful house. He predicts that she will quit the job within a week, so Gloria takes the phone and tells him that she won’t be leaving this job any time soon…before giving him a raspberry. Dr. Adams tells her to stop crying and complaining and realize that he is offering a pretty good deal. He says that he will begin her training so that she can become a certified assistant. He says cleaning up messes is part of any job. She agrees to stay as long as she doesn’t have to do laundry. He is okay with that because he doesn’t wear shorts. Gloria tells Joey that they are going to stay after all, and he is excited and introduces his new dog to his mother, a large black Bouvier who appears to be gay. Joey names him Archie after his grandfather, and Gloria looks forward to her father finding out that Joye has named his black, gay dog after him. Janet Clark is Mrs. Satler. 11/20/24
- 002. First Date – 10/3/1982
- Gloria is sent flowers by a customer named Earl Flimm (Patrick Collins), who requests a date from her. She doesn’t remember him and decides not to respond to him. Maggie confronts her as to why she is afraid to date again. Gloria admits to Maggie that she hasn’t gone on a date since before her marriage when was a senior. Maggie tells her that she needs to let other people into her life in order to find herself and manages to convince her to return the call to Earl by having her think about what her husband Michael is doing that night. She agrees to go as long as Maggie will go with her to chaperone. Dr. Adas agrees to babysit Joey while she is out on the date. While Gloria gets ready and frets about what she will talk about, Joey wonders if his mother plans to marry the guy. Before leaving, Gloria takes off her wedding ring for the first time. Earl comes over to pick Gloria up, and they all head to the Hen ‘n’ Rooster Disco, with Earl surprised to find that Maggie is coming with them. Gloria and Earl try to make small talk, and she finds out that he is a corrugated box salesman. When Earl accidentally calls Gloria ‘Connie’, she realizes that he is married but has been separated for two months. Gloria tells him that she has been separated for three months, and that is why she brought Maggie. Neither one has been with another person for many years. Back home, while watching Dallas, Joey laments the fact that his mother is out with another man besides his father. Dr. Adams tells about his mother was a single woman too, and he would also worry when his mother went out with other men. As Maggie dances with a guy named Rod (Cal Bartlett), Earl and Gloria both admit that they are carrying around their wedding rings. Earl tells Gloria that she is wonderful, and he has learned that if he can communicate with a beautiful stranger like her, then talking to his wife should be a cinch. He goes off to call his wife, and Gloria tells Maggie that at least she knows that she’s not afraid to date anymore. She sends Maggie back to dance with Earl and says she’s going to call a cab. Clark shows up and accidentally hits on her before he realizes who she is. Gloria asks Clark if he wants to dance. Earl slips his ring back on and says goodbye to Gloria and kisses her on the cheek. When Gloria arrives home, Joey is asleep in front of the TV, and she finds that Dr. Adams is waiting up for her. She takes Joey to bed as Dr. Adams continues watching The Wolfman. 11/20/24
- 003. Bully for You – 10/10/1982
- Joey comes home from school one day, desperate to talk to Dr. Adams. Gloria thinks that he wants to talk to him about sex and offers to have the discussion with him herself and share the book Puberty: Ready or Not with him. Clark seems to get more use out of the book than anyone. Gloria warns Dr. Adams that the answers that he gives could impact Joey for the rest of his life. However, Joey isn’t asking about sex after all but rather wants to know if it is okay to fight a boy at school named Sidney (Corey Feldman), who called him a ‘mutant head’ and kicked his lunch sack like a football onto the roof of the school. He challenged Joey to meet him at 5pm to fight him at an old barn or otherwise be called a chicken. Joey admits that he is a bit afraid of Sidney, but Dr. Adams admits that if it were him, he would fight him. Joey is afraid that his mother will tell him not to fight since she is a peace advocate. Sure enough, after the conversation with Dr. Adams, Joey comes out and tells his mother that he has decided that he should do it. Gloria is shocked when she thinks it is about sex, but even more enraged when she finds out that Joey wants to fight. Gloria is furious with Dr. Adams that he didn’t tell him that fighting is wrong. Gloria is unwavering in her stance and sends Joey to his room, prompting Joey to tell her that he wishes his father was there. When Joey goes to talk to Joey, she realizes that he has left for the barn to fight. Joey arrives to find Sidney there alone, and they agree to fight. Gloria has Clark take her there to stop the fight, and along the way, Clark tells Gloria how he once backed down from a fight but was never sure if he had done the right thing. They arrive just in time before the fight begins, and Gloria puts a stop to it. Joey take her aside and pleads with her to let him stand up for himself. Thinking about Clark’s situation, Gloria agrees to let them fight, but puts several restrictions on how they can hit, settling on allowing them to nudge, shove, and gently slap each other. Clark stays to referee the fight, while Gloria heads to the car. After it is over, it turns out that only Clark was hit in the nose by Sidney, which frightened him off. This makes both Joey and Clark feel vindicated. Joseph Reale is Mr. Wilson, whose parrot Rona Barrett has a clogged egg and pays for his bill with a pair of Warren Beatty’s sunglasses. 12/4/24
- 004. If at First You Don’t Succeed – 10/17/1982
- Dr. Adams catches Gloria up in the middle of the night studying because she is having trouble following some of the information given to her by Maggie. Adams suggests that Gloria have Clark work with her for a few days, and he agrees to watch over her to make sure she is learning. Clark tries to teach her how to give a cat anesthesia, but he is so inept at teaching that Gloria gets frustrated. Maggie pulls Gloria away to scold her about taking a call from Tink Hannigan about his sick horse and not telling them right away. Dr. Adams explains that the horse has azoturia, which could make the horse go lame. While Maggie calls her a “female Clark,” Dr. Adams says that Gloria can only do what she knows about and offers to take her on a house call to check on the horse. He shows her the symptoms of the horse and then has her draw a syringe of Methocarbamol, which is something she has never done before. He puts the needle into the horse and then catches a glimpse of the medicine bottle Gloria used, only to realize that Gloria accidentally drew Meperidine, a narcotic which would have surely killed the horse. Adams is so upset that he doesn’t speak to Gloria all the way home. When Maggie confronts him, he tells her that it was his responsibility to double check the bottle and that he nearly caused the horse’s death. He feels he is too old to continue the practice and tells her that he is retiring and signing over the office to her. Maggie then goes to see Gloria about what happened and finds that she too is packing up and quitting. Maggie tells Gloria that if she is going to quit, she need to tell it directly to Dr. Adams. She tracks him down in town, where he is discussing retirement life with an old man named Sid Whitman (Ian Wolfe) who has been retired for twenty years. Dr. Adams has been retired for twenty minutes and is already bored. Gloria finds him and tells him that she is quitting, but he tells her that she is bound to make mistakes, and it is his responsibility to check her, noting that he feels he may now be danger to the animals. Gloria gets angry when he tells her that he plans to retire and then says that she is not going to quit after all. She notes that he will now waste his life sitting on a bench rather than doing something that can really help animals. She says that she hopes that Maggie is half as good as him and is able to catch her future mistakes as well as he did. The apparently inspires him to change his mind, as when Gloria gets up at 5:00am to study, Dr. Adams is already up and studying himself. He thanks her for what she said to him. Meanwhile, Clark accidentally shaves the wrong hip of a cat so that both sides need shaved, making it look like it is wearing pants. 12/6/24
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