Oh, My Aching Back (aka Archie's Aching Back)

what happens

Archie is convinced he'll collect a large settlement from a petty traffic accident if a Jewish lawyer handles the case. The stylistic minimalism of the Bunkers' sparsely furnished set is on full display in this early episode. According to director John Rich, who grew up not far from Archie's neighbood, the Spartan look of the Bunkers' living room deco was achieved as a result of painstaking efforts. The director remembers personally supervising the cracking of windows and repainting of walls to give the place a run-down, lived-in look. "I told the set designers to take all the color out of it," remembers Rich. "Norman and I wanted to do the show in black and white, but CBS nearly went into a coma. So we decided to do the next best thing and shoot the entire show in muted sepia tones."

who made it

directed

John Rich

written

Stanley Ralph Ross

guest cast

Billed for this episode only — the turn people remember an episode for.

• George Furth as Whitney Fitzroy IV
• Salem Ludwig as Solomon Rabinowitz
• Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson
• Richard Stahl as Clarence V. Marshall