These are my funniest episodes:

"The Dowry"... The one with Betty Jean, where Fred wants Lamont marry BJ so he can get his hands on $10K...(Fred says "I wouldn't mind having Betty Jean for a daughter-in-law")

"Lamont Goes African"...Hearing Fred try to pronounce his new name is sooo funny! Or when Fred tells the Nigerian sister "He (Lamont) brought that jungle junk in here..."

"The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection" The "I wany my daddy's records" episode is a classic among Sanford & Son fans...

Happy Birthday Pop"...the scene in the fancy bar is great when Fred says they need a pinball machine. He makes fun of the drink lamont orders him & asks where's the ice cream. Fred tells Lamont they could have gotten a six-pack and drank it in the parking lot (sounds just like some folks I've known). And the scene in the theatre where Fred & Lamont are watching "Fiddler {sic} Up a Roof". Fred ends up hating where Lamont takes him to eat (a Chinese place). A classic!

"The Piano Movers"...One of my top five! The "gay" fellow is so funny. Where he stops them at every step in his apartment ("What size shoe do you wear" Fred asks, "What we goin' do...dance?" Or "Who wore these last? The thief of Baghdad?" One of the funniest episodes made!

"The Great Sanford Siege".....Another classic...I love it when Lamont & Fred argue over the bills they have. Lamont wants to know how they got such a big drug store bill. And Fred has to find his glasses & talks about his Pluto water amongst other things...But I really love his solution to the never-ending bills ("Put 'em back in the box"...I've used this one with my wife several times). One of the best episodes...

"The Puerto Ricans Are Coming"...Julio is introduced and the insults start flying!


"Pot Luck"...Lamont thinks he has bought a valuable toilet but is conned instead. I especially like the exchange between Fred & the Italian antique dealer (where Fred tries to sell him a spear for use on the New York City subways, when you're alone, at night...

"Rated X"...Rollo & Lamont think they're going to become movie stars but instead end up at a cheap porno set where they get arrested, along with Fred! Fred says "I ain't going do no nudie"....The director tells his partner that Fred would be "delicious" in a harem scene.

"Coffins For Sale"...great writing and lines. Lamont ends up scared to sleep in the house by himself and they both end up sleeping in the back of the truck...


On the downside, many of the shows in the last season lacked the great lines or insults. "Fred Meets Redd"; "The Hawaiian Connection" (Two parts) just wasn't very funny as it got them out of their natural setting; "School Daze" (Season finale) was not funny for a finale; "A Director", etc. It seemed that they ran out of ideas, but I enjoy at least 95% of the episodes...

You selected some good episodes there. I have the first two seasons on DVD, I'm not planning on buying the rest of em because I think the show started going downhill with the third season. Too many other characters were put in the show, I like the earlier episodes where it's mostly with Fred and Lamont.

I agree with your list and let me just add

"Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe"

"The Light Housekeeper"

"A Guest In the Yard"

"Pops and Pals"

These were some episodes that really made me laugh out loud!

Mama's Baby Papa Maybe

The episodes produced by Aaron Ruben were some of the funniest episodes ever,as well as most memorable.Then,when Redd Foxx came back to the series,the show had new producers,and about half of them were not very funny or memorable.Great ones during that time were:"The Stung",and "The Surprise Party"

Pops and Pal

All the episodes with Julio and Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe.

I love the episode where Fred comes back from St. Louis and he's totally wasted. They have a suprise party for him and he's trashed. He calls Esther an 'Uglymopodimus'. Redd was an incredible actor. R.I.P. Redd, we love you!


Also the episode where Fred gets the land survey because he and Julio have a dispute over the boundry line.

"if he didn't think he had nuthin, then he didn't lose nuthin.... And nuthin plus nuthin equals nuthin'..... now go ahead son, eat your bribery.... I mean your breakfast"

I agree that the first two or three years were the best, however the writing stayed funny remarkably well for the entire five years. I think that having Julio on was a big boost. Fred making fun of his food, accent & culture was super funny. Even when Fred was not on the show Grady kept it pretty funny. The Jo-Jo Jackson episode was good, the one where Grady convinces Woody not to be a "creampuff" was great too!

DirtyHarry: the Jo-Jo Jackson and Woody "Creampuff" episodes are great. Maybe the best non-Fred episodes. I love when Lamont does his freak-out karate thing on Jo-Jo Jackson.

Demond Wilson was the perfect 'Lamont'! He really is/was a talented actor. My favorite Lamont parts are when he gets that 'knowing look' on his face when he realizes that Fred is up to something or lying to him.

"The ol' grey dudes, they ain't what they used to be, ain't what they used to be, ain't what they used to be...."

Yes, Demond was perfect with that. The show really was well casted, in my opinion.

The Suitacase Case - The scene where the robber with the gun comes for the suitcase and makes Fred tie up Lamont. When the gun is pointed at Freds nose - he suddenly remembers the combination to the safe. That ep is classic!

The white robber says "Right On". Fred says "Hey, that's ours."

My favorite episodes: Lamont's Birthday party at the end when Fred was dancing with Aunt Esther. I forgot what he said, but it's so funny!!!!! I think he said he was dancing with King Kong something like that. Grady was like turn the music back on Lamont is a great dancer!!!LOL

My favorite episodes were in this order:

1. Card Sharps
2. Lucky Numbers
3. Rated X

I love the episode called "Superflyer" when Fred has to fly to St. Louis for his uncle's funeral! That scene when he asks how high they'll be flying and when Lamont tells him and he has a heart attack .... classic! Later, in the plane when Fred starts having a heart attack and everyone is watching and Fred yells at them. "What the hell's a-matter with you? Ain't you ever see someone have a heart attack?!?!?" is just classic!