Archie's mangling of English was in part due to O'Connor's mastery of English ... I believe he had a degree in English!
I remember the show with a cameo appearance by Sammy DAvis Jr and the kiss on the cheek he gave Archie as a picture was snapped on Sam's departure. Topped when the photo came back to Archie signed by Davis with the inscription "To the whitest guy I know..."
And Archie's reaction to Edith's "change of life." Something along the line of " "Can't you just change and get it over with?" Hilarious.
Meathead and Gloria were wonderful characters for O'Connor to play off. Their liberalism was the perfect foil for Archie's eruptions.
And what would the show have been like without Edith ! Remember the episode where she foiled the rapist? And the times she stood up to Archie? And how he folded?
And that episode when Edith died in her sleep of a massive stroke and Archie sat on their bed an cried "Why did you leave me like that. I didn't get to tell you I love you one more time."
And I admired O'Connor's insistance, re In The Heat Of The Night, that the Chief's love interest be a woman his own age ! O'Connor also insisted on the character's being a black woman. A tough decision in those days for a show set in the Deep South. It broke open a lot of discussion both North and South.
I was a fan of O'Connor's from his movie days. He was a fine actor. On his personal side, O'Connor's son Hugh (who played a cop in ITHOTN) died as the result of drug use O'Connor made TV spots urging parents to "Get between your children and drugs however you can." A man of courage and commitment.