Harlan Ellison writes about being in the audience for a taping of the pilot under it's original title, "Those Were The Days" in 1969. Since the show originated from an English series, it's likely the loudmouth bigot father/worker figure was a highlight of the show.
So while Bunker's character might have been amped up due to the super success of "Joe", it's a collective image of the angry 60's hardhats who were beating up longhairs in the streets.
The film "Joe" remains a raw, cynical vision of the generation gap and also the class gap, an issue rarely touched upon in Ameruican film with any validity. These scenes are uncomfortable, but have truth. But contrary to one of the strange comments above, uh, a bigoted murderous hardhat ain't no hero.
So while Bunker's character might have been amped up due to the super success of "Joe", it's a collective image of the angry 60's hardhats who were beating up longhairs in the streets.
The film "Joe" remains a raw, cynical vision of the generation gap and also the class gap, an issue rarely touched upon in Ameruican film with any validity. These scenes are uncomfortable, but have truth. But contrary to one of the strange comments above, uh, a bigoted murderous hardhat ain't no hero.