Sanford and Son

There have been 4 show business personalities, over the years, over whom I shed tears, when they passed on. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Roy Rogers, and... Redd Foxx. The reason is very simple: Redd Foxx, as the arthritic, heart-troubled Watts Junk Dealer, made me laugh. Something that not many performers can do. I have experienced more genuine laughter, while watching 'Sanford And Son', than with any other TV show, or movie, ever.

I have seen every episode at least 20 times, (Except for the Christmas episode - I only watch it during the Christmas season). I never tire of them, and the antics of the gripy, grumpy old 'Commodities' dealer and his family and friends never fail to draw a laugh from me, despite the fact that I know every episode by heart.

Until 'Sanford And Son', Redd Foxx was probably best known for his nightclub acts, featuring his dirty stand-up routines. He was a master of improvisation, and shows his true comedy colors, in this classic sitcom. And, he was no slouch when it came to drama, as proved by his performance in the episode where he must ask his girlfriend, Donna, to marry him, before she accepts a proposal from another man. That particular episode made me cry, as well as laugh.

Admittedly, much of the writing wasn't all that great, and the acting - In the case of some characters, obviously played by non-Actors - Leaves something to be desired. But the laughter is there, making up for that, and then some.

I once heard it said that laughter is a gift, and Redd Foxx gave me that gift, with 'Sanford And Son'. The show has a tremendous following, to this day, better than 30 years after it's cancellation - A fact which speaks volumes on the talent of Redd Foxx.

In October of 1991, the entertainment world was robbed of true comedy quality talent, namely Mr. Redd Foxx. This is his crowning achievement. My 2 personal favorite episodes were the episodes about chicken wings on an airplane and the wrong computer error and ''Mr. Haystacks'' bringing Grady a third social security check. This show will undoubtedly withstand the test of time. Thank you so kindly, Mr. Foxx.

Perhaps the last really good TV Sitcom. Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson were the stars of this 70's comedy but had such great support from actors and actresses to include Whitman Mayo, Lawanda Page, Raymond Allen, Don Bexley, Noam Pitlik, Gregory Sierra, Nathaniel Taylor, Slappy White and Hal Williams that the show was a "Can't miss an episode" on Friday nights.

Even when Redd Foxx was out of several episodes during a contract dispute one season the show never missed a beat as Whitman Mayo's "Grady" became the main character.

It's already known that `Sanford and Son' was the Americanized version of `Steptoe and Son' of England, created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. `Steptoe' was extremely funny and groundbreaking in England. When the show was brought over to the USA, it's initial transformation to `Sanford and Son' was excellent…in it's early years.

The original premise of `Steptoe' was the direct relationship between the father and son, as the son strives for a better life from the junk business, while his cantankerous father holds him back, due to fear of being alone in his twilight years. Many comedic situations resulted as a result of this conflict.

TVLand currently shows reruns of `Sanford and Son'. If you pay attention to the opening credits, and the writer(s) of the current episode is given, it is sometimes followed by… Based on `The Piano' by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. `The Piano' was an original `Steptoe and Son' episode. This meant that the upcoming `Sanford and Son' episode was merely a retooling of the respective `Steptoe' script for American audiences, now entitled `The Piano Movers'. There were 136 episodes of `Sanford and Son'. If you include all episodes, movies, and TV specials, there were 59 offerings of `Steptoe and Son'. Based on my research, of the 136 `Sanford' episodes, 16 episodes were direct adaptations of the `Steptoe' series. Those `Steptoe' copies were the funniest episodes of the `Sanford and Son' era, due to the exceptional scripts by Galton and Simpson. If you have the DVD, you are able to watch the uncut, unedited versions, which is not the case when watching the TVLand episodes. Other `Steptoe' episodes could not be duplicated because they were either far too oriented in British culture to be adapted for America, or they were considered too crude & vulgar to attempt to tone down for America, although I wish they tried.

Another strong point was the opening theme song by Quincy Jones, as well as the closing theme.

However, due to the extreme popularity of the show, Redd Foxx developed and ego, wanted more money than the producers, and disrupted production of the show to the point where Whitman Mayo (Grady) had to fill in on a temporary basis. This was one of the downsides to the show. Eventually, he came back, and the show labored on. Redd Foxx had marital problems during this time. Being distraught over that, he left the show in 1977, even though the show had more life left.

NBC tried to keep the flame lit by producing `Sanford Arms', which revolved around the Sanford Arm tenants which lived there when Fred and Lamont bought the Sanford Arms when their show was on-the-air. There was also `Sanford.', which did not have Lamont. The less said about these two shows, the better.

All in all, the `Sanford and Son' episodes adapted from the Galton and Simpson scripts from `Steptoe and Son' will always be the better episodes.

Highly hilarious and dominant television show from the mid-1970s that continues to have a great following even today (despite some detractors who take the show way too seriously). California African-American widower/junk dealer Redd Foxx (one of the most under-rated entertainers of his time) and his only son (Demond Wilson) argued and got into every odd-ball situation one could fathom during their six years in prime-time (from 1972-1977). The series was an answer to "All in the Family". It showed the differences and similarities between white blue-collar society and the working class African-American. It also was a coast war as "All in the Family" took place on the Atlantic shore while "Sanford and Son" took place on the Pacific. The supporting cast (led by the priceless LaWanda Page as Foxx's sister-in-law) was used in well-calculated ways to add to the program's comedic momentum. Never dull, never slow, never boring and never sorry, "Sanford and Son" is one of those shows that just seems to stand the test of time. 5 stars out of 5.