Sanford

This show was missing Lamont for one very simple reason. Note that even on this site, there is no reference to the "made for TV" show this actor did, in which he plays a gay man. The movie sucked to be honest, but it was an attempt, way ahead of it's time, to show that there are more gay people among us than, at the time, we wanted to believe. It was effective, but the show just sucked. But, at a young age I learned 1 out of3 men has had an "alternative experience". So while the rest of the world might want to forget it, I never did. I always look at that 3rd person with suspicion now! LOL, that's a joke, calm down! Anyway, after doing this made for TV movie, the attempt to make a comeback of the Sanford and Son show with Lamont was not possible. He was now a labeled man. It was NOT OK for a man in Hollywood to play a gay guy yet. So His career died on the vine and the attempt at a comeback for the show did too, because Lamont, as bland as the character may have seemed, was the perfect straight man to Redd Foxx.

I grew up seeing this first so maybe nostalgia clouds me here but I liked this show a lot. I really though the episodes (at least the ones where the Cal character was featured) were really funny. I liked the banter between Cal and Fred and remember Cal reading "the little engine That Could" quite humorously.OK it isn't as funny as the original and yes the guest stars seem unrealistic, but for folks who have seen the original 100 times and never caught this version its really worth seeing. One thing I never understood though is why the Norman Lear shows watered down the characters as they ages. I like the original Archie, George, and Fred. Sure they weren't nice but that was the point. OK Lear didn't have anything to do with this spin off but it seems that all of the daring he puts into his lead roles loose their fizz. Still worth catching Dennis in my favorite role of his.

Sanford (1980) was an attempt to relive the glory of Sanford and Son. Three years after the first show went off the air, Redd Foxx was back as Fred G. Sanford, proprietor of the Sanford "Empire" (the Sanford Arms and the Junk Store). Lamont wasn't in the series (he was written out of the storyline). Cal, a former colleague of Lamont moves in with Fred and becomes part owner of the business.

Sadly the show was buried by N.B.C. and it never had a chance to find an audience. Several characters from the old series found their way back (Aunt Esther, Grady and Rollo). Redd even found a new love interest, Eve a rich widow. The show lasted for two seasons before it faded into obscurity.

Recommended.

This was actually a very funny show and the back and forth between Redd and Cal was hilarious. Typical establishment though - anything that is different, people are opposed to accepting. I would have liked to have seen Redd's son in some episodes to complete the transition to just the "Sanford." show. With all the nonsense poor quality shows before, at the time. and since, this show should have lasted much longer and gotten much more credit than it received. I was sorry to see the actor who played Cal passed away. He too had great talent and never went as far as he should have in the business.

This was just another example of trying to revisit history with disastrous results. Sanford and Son was truly a classic, but N.B.C., which was desperate for ratings at the time thought it would be a good idea to bring back America's favorite junk man. However, missing were Lamont, Grady and Donna. Esther, Rollo and Bubba were there as well as a new girlfriend named Eve as well as Eve's upper crust family. Also new to the cast was Cal, a friend of Lamont's who worked with him in Alaska, which was where Lamont had supposedly moved to work on the pipeline. But still, it was not the same and it truly was a shame to see how far the mighty had fallen. The thing that really killed the show was that it simply lacked the dynamic relationship between Lamont and Fred and the chemistry between Fred and the rest of the cast was just not the same. Too bad N.B.C. had to destroy a once great character.