Week of June 4: Jean Stapleton, From Edith to Eleanor

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Such was the quality and memory of Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker that it had a tendency to dwarf almost anything else she did on the small screen.

But Stapleton, who died over the weekend at age 90, had a lengthy television career beyond Edith. She tried another series, "Bagdad Cafe," with Whoopi Goldberg at CBS. It ran for about a season and a half.

She also had numerous guest-starring spots in shows such as "Murphy Brown," "Touched By An Angel," "Grace Under Fire" (for which she was nominated for an Emmy) and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Another Emmy nomination came for her sparkling portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1981 movie "Eleanor, First Lady of the World." The movie covers Mrs. Roosevelt's efforts in drafting the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Here's a clip, in which Gail Strickland plays Anna Roosevelt:

Your Future

The movie is available from Amazon.com on demand, VHS and DVD.

Stapleton won three Emmys as Edith. Here's a clip from one of her most memorable episodes, "Edith's Christmas Story," in which she is dealing with a lump in her breast. Besides the regular cast, that's Betty Garrett as the Bunkers' neighbor Irene Lorenzo:

Edith's Christmas Story

Here's to versatile Jean Stapleton.