Sitcoms in the 1970s definitely helped change and form the television medium over time, but Sanford and Son holds a special place among them.
Featuring stand-up comic Redd Foxx and actor Demond Wilson, Sanford and Son showcased the life and times of a junkman. Fred Sanford (Foxx) owned the junkyard and made a lot of demands on his son Lamont (Wilson). How many times did Fred just sit at home while Lamont went out in the truck? All the time!
The show ran on NBC for six seasons, acting as the lead-in for a pretty solid Friday night lineup. After Sanford and Son came Chico and the Man, starring red-hot comedian Freddie Prinze. He played Chico opposite veteran actor Jack Albertson, who played Ed Brown (“the Man”).
Foxx loved playing Fred G. Sanford (“and the G stands for great,” or some line Fred would come up with on his own). Besides him and Wilson, other cast members included LaWanda Page, Gregory Sierra, and Pat Morita. Page made quite a sight to see as Aunt Esther. She’d barge into the Sanford home, getting a warm welcome from Lamont and a sneer from Fred.
Whenever Fred got too smart with his mouth, you could count on Esther firing back and saying, “Watch it, sucker.” She’d also sometimes walk out of the Sanford home, carrying her Bible and uttering, “Oh glory!” In real life, Foxx and Page were friends from his childhood. He got her the Aunt Esther role. Foxx was determined to keep her on the show. Producers weren’t too happy with Page’s lack of on-screen experience. Foxx told them that if she didn’t get her role, then he’d leave the show. Page stayed.
Redd Foxx Makes Sure Comedians Get Roles
Sierra played Julio Fuentes, a Puerto Rican next-door neighbor. Whenever he showed up, you could almost bet Fred was going to put down the Puerto Ricans. Lamont, though, made sure his buddy was welcome there. In a second-season episode titled The Puerto Ricans Are Coming, Julio’s goat Chico found his way into the Sanfords’ den. (Sitcom fans also may remember Sierra from playing Chano on another 1970s show, Barney Miller.)
Morita played Ah Chew, another close friend of Lamont. Fred, though, always found some way to put Ah Chew down. It was a running gag where Fred had some joke about other ethnic people. Of course, you might not be able to get away with these jokes these days. Yet Morita was another close friend of Foxx. Redd took care of his close friends, especially ones in show business.
Years after Foxx’s death, Morita talked about his relationship with the comedian. He talked about being in a rough spot with his mortgage. Morita wasn’t getting the kind of work that would help him keep up with the payments. Foxx, who was a mentor to Morita, simply pulled out his checkbook and wrote one for Morita. Morita added that Foxx didn’t want him to pay him back, but do a similar good deed down the road. Thanks to his future success (he went on to play Arnold on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid), Morita returned that favor for someone else.
We can’t leave out Rollo, Lamont’s good buddy, played by Nathaniel Taylor. Sometimes, Rollo would steal a scene or two from Lamont and Fred. He was the super-cool friend, circa 1970s with his clothes and high-fives. Don Bexley played one of Fred’s friends, Bubba.
‘Sanford and Son’ Had Some Help From Norman Lear
Sanford and Son also had the good fortune to be included among shows connected with Norman Lear. Lear and his production partner Bud Yorkin oversaw the sitcom’s creation through their Tandem Productions company. But Yorkin had more of a hands-on experience with Sanford and Son than Lear. It’s OK. Lear kept himself busy with All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, and other sitcoms of the day. Lear, though, came up with the idea for Sanford and Son after seeing a BBC sitcom titled Steptoe and Son.
Can you remember some of Fred’s greatest hits? He’d look at Lamont sometimes, flustered at his son’s behavior, and say, “You big dummy!” Then, in stressful times, Fred would make believe like he’s suffering a heart attack. He looks up toward the sky and utters his late wife’s name: “You hear that, Elizabeth? I’m comin’ to join you, honey.”
Foxx didn’t always get along with those running the show. He had salary disputes with them, leading Foxx to miss eight episodes. News of his absence was called due to “health issues.” But it was more about his salary, show ownership, and show profits. Once the disagreements were settled, Foxx returned. In his absence, though, Whitman Mayo stepped up with his Grady Wilson character. In the sitcom’s later seasons, Fred added the Sanford Arms apartments to his empire. Nancy Kulp, most famous for playing Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies, showed up in a few episodes.
Could Sanford and Son be made today? Not like it was in the 1970s. Who knows? You might have to have Fred be a bit more tamer. He couldn’t put down the Puerto Ricans or use the “n-word.” Yes, the sitcom had Fred utter the word a few times. In its original airing, the “N-word” stayed. When the sitcom was prepared for syndication, those moments were edited out.
The series tried a few spinoffs. One was simply titled Grady, featuring Mayo in his character. It didn’t last long at all. Right after Sanford and Son‘s original run ended in 1977, NBC put on Sanford Arms. It lasted one month and did not feature either Foxx or Wilson at all.
Foxx, after Sanford and Son ended its original run and his ABC variety show went bust, wanted to play Fred again. NBC put Sanford on its primetime schedule in the early 1980s. But Wilson didn’t want to come back and play Lamont. It lasted just two seasons with Dennis Burkley playing Fred’s junkyard partner. Viewers wanted the old-time magic with Fred Sanford, but it just wasn’t there.
What’s pretty amazing about Sanford and Son is that Foxx made that show work. Sure, Wilson, Page, Sierra, Morita, and others played their parts, too. But Foxx was a noted “blue” comedian. His albums featured a lot of adult language. With Fred Sanford, though, he could be funny and a little outlandish. Not like his albums, though. You aren’t getting the Redd Foxx stand-up treatment at 8 p.m. Friday night.
It’s also worth noting that Foxx’s real name was John Elroy Sanford. So, they used his real last name in the show. Foxx put out more than 50 records of comedy material. Again, it wasn’t for the faint of heart to hear. In 1991, Foxx suffered a heart attack while working on a sitcom titled The Royal Family. After being rushed to a local hospital, Foxx was declared dead. Redd Foxx was 68 years old.
Sanford and Son has been in syndication for a number of years. Fans can find episodes on Get TV (Great Entertainment Television). They show them both late-night weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday mornings. And you better believe new generations are always discovering Fred, Lamont, and their funny friends.
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