Barney wasn’t always a friend to Archie.
Playing the role of Archie Bunker’s best friend is no easy task, but actor Allan Melvin, famously known as Barney Hefner, took on that challenge. Barney became one of Archie’s closest companions, and his character was significantly developed when All in the Family transitioned into Archie Bunker’s Place.
Unlike Archie, who was often loud and brash, Barney was more soft-spoken and quick with a joke or a friendly piece of advice. However, as Melvin recounted in an interview with the Associated Press, his first introduction to All in the Family was not as Archie’s friend but as a combative police officer who faced Archie’s ire in an episode.
“The fun of that episode was that Archie came down to the police station and made comments about the Polish,” Melvin explained. “Somebody said, ‘Oh, yeah, tell that to Sgt. Pulaski — and I threw Archie into the can.'”
Within a few episodes, Melvin was reintroduced as the entirely new character of Barney Hefner. “I went from Pulaski to Barney in the same season,” he noted. “I think they assumed the audience would accept certain changes, especially since it was a one-time role and I wasn’t too established. I’ve been Barney ever since.”
As Archie’s right-hand man, Melvin highlighted the similarities between Barney and Archie. “He’s very much like Archie in his thinking and values,” he said, “but he’s not as extreme. He’s more temperate.”
