“All in the Family” was a groundbreaking sitcom that was respected and watched for years after it left the air. However, according to one of its stars, the show’s continued success didn’t mean financial success for her.
That star is Sally Struthers. She played Gloria Bunker Stivic on the classic television show during its run from 1971 until 1978. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on the show. One came in 1972, the other came during 1979. She reprized her role of Gloria on the spinoff shows “Archie Bunker’s Palace” and “Gloria.”
With such a beloved show as part of her career, one might think that Struthers would still be making money from it. However, according to comments she made during 2012, that is not the case at all. The actress talked about this issue with Jacksonville.com.
At the time of the interview, Sally Struthers appeared in a production of the popular musical “Hello Dolly!” The show was playing at the Alhambra Theater & Dining. And, Struthers was playing the main character, Dolly Levy.
‘All in the Family’ Actress Said She Planned to Keep Working During 2012 Interview
The actress, who was 65 years old at the time of the interview, said she planned to keep working. As the article puts it, Struthers couldn’t “afford to retire.” Here’s where “All in the Family” comes in.
According to the actress, many people believed she received money when a rerun of the show aired. Such payments are called residuals.
“People think I get ‘All in the Family’ residuals,” Struthers told the publication.
However, as of 2012, that was not the case. And, according to the article, it hasn’t been so for many years. Turns out, when she signed her contract for “All in the Family” in 1970 she agreed that she would receive a limited number of residuals. So, Struthers said, she only received residual payments when an episode aired in reruns five times. After that, she didn’t get paid when the show aired.
It shouldn’t be surprising given the popularity of “All in the Family” reruns, residuals for Sally Struthers had stopped decades before her interview with Jacksonville.com.
Sally Struthers Has Performed on Stage, Other Television Shows During Her Career
Performing in “Hello, Dolly!” in Florida during 2012 wasn’t the only time Sally Struthers performed on the stage. In fact, she even acted on the Broadway stage during her career.
According to the article, she appeared in “Annie” during 1998 and in “Grease” from 1994 until 1998, both on Broadway. The actress said that when she wasn’t working on a television show, she performed on stage.
She has had many roles on other popular television shows during her career. According to IMDb.com, these included “Nine to Five,” “Dinosaurs,” “Still Standing,” and “Gilmore Girls.”
