An American Family

Episode 1

Episode #1.1

Thu, Jan 11, 1973

On December 31, 1971, producer Craig Gilbert introduces the audience to the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California: Bill Loud, his wife Pat, and their five children: Lance, Kevin, Grant, Delilah, and Michele. At the Loud home, Pat and the kids prepare for a New Year's Eve party. Bill, recently separated from Pat, has returned from a trip and celebrates with friends at a local club. Craig Gilbert, in voiceover, tells the audience that this is how the story ends. The action shifts back to earlier in the year to show how it begins. In New York, eldest son Lance describes his brothers and sisters. In California, the Louds carry out their daily routines: Pat shops at the market, Bill views a demolition, Delilah attends dance school, Michele tends to her horse, and Grant practices with his garage band. Lance phones the family from New York, and Pat grows weary of his telephone antics.