https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141752/http://jumptheshark.com/
Other Thoughts:
TOO MUCH ROLLO
Too much Dummy
Too much Aunt Esther
Too much Grady!
NBC actually thought a strung out Lamont could carry that show without Redd Foxx????
Sanford and Son jumped the shark when they added Fred's girlfriend Donna, and Whitman Mayo, who was hands down the Shemp Howard of the cast! Why the audience thought he was funnier than Bubba amazes me to this day!
Lamont leaving Sanford and Son runied the show for good. Also the romance between Fred an Donna was getting tired.
I'm glad they ended before Lamont got married like he was going to if the show had been renewed for a 7th season.
I have to say something to this show's detractors: How'd you like one across yo' lip?
The time Lamont found the genie lamp in the garbage and got to make three wishes.
One word: Cal. Rollo should have busted his cracker a$$. How pathetic. West Va meets Watts. As realistic as an A Team shoot out and a lot less funny.
You big dummies! Lamont never found a genie lamp, never left the show, and Cal was on the lamentable "Sanford," not "Sanford and Son." In the last season, there were some annoying episodes built around "special guest stars," but generally, "Sanford and Son" stayed funny till the end.
"I want my daddy's records!" I think Leroy and Skillet were the best of Fred's friends.
When Fred Sanford appeared in a clown suit.
From the very beginning! I hate that show!!!
Sanford and Son "jumped the Shark" when grady started filling in for Fred during his contract dispute.
Comparing Whitman Mayo's Grady to Shemp Howard? Interesting, since I appreciate Shemp as much as Curly, only in a different way. The Grady episodes are among my favorites, as Redd Foxx was certainly capable of milking the same jokes repeatedly. Mayo at least gave a new slant on the humor for a partial season.
They jumped when Lamont got nice. The earlier episodes had an edgier "evil" Lamont with a Fu-Manchu mustache. In the later episodes, he had a new curly hair-do with a more neatly trimmed mustache. I guess he needed a more mellow personality to go with the new look.
Sadly, my favorite show of all time jumped the shark when Ah-Chu was added to the cast. Julio had his funny moments, Rollo always came thru for me (especially the 'Wild Parsley" episode), but Ah-chu made the show absolutely suck
Sanford and Son was a fantastic show, HOWEVER..there seemed to be TOO many guest stars and or friends like guest stars: Della Reese, Lolla Folana, BB King, George Foreman,etc. OR the lame loser friends like Skillet, Rollo, Bubba, Esther (2 versions), Grady, Melvin, Woody the Drunk, the YESSSS man, the white Esther, the doctor that always said I don't know.. JESHH!!!! Too MANY LAME BUTT SIDEKICKS AND LOSERS....
When Grady was living with Lamont (Fred was away b/c Redd had a contract dispute). It got good again when Fred came back.
GRADY, THE OLD GOAT. WHO CARES ABOUT HIS BUNYONS? GRADY COULDN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO BUBBA. ONLY BUBBA COULD HAVE BEEN THE SON OF BLIND MELLOW JELLY. GRADY AND BUBBA IN A CAGE. BUBBA HANDS DOWN.
I think the show jumped around '76 when Lamont started acting like he was just going thru the motions. Maybe it was just my imagination but it seemed that around this time his character started to go along with pop instead of opposing his every move. Also, I think it was about this time when the audience started to cheer wildly for everyone's entrance, although I could be wrong here. Anyway, '72 thru '74-75 were the shows best years. If you ever watch Sanford and Son re-runs you'll notice that the shows from those years are the ones that you see on most of the time. I hardly ever see any shows post-'75. It was a funny show and the scenes where Lamont and Fred had company and would go into the kitchen and scream at one another than come out smiling like nothing was wrong were classic.
FS: "I like to mix champagne and ripple. I call it champipple." "I don't like Chinese food. It makes me burp." "That's T.D.- Too Damn Spensive." "I like to mix cream soda and ripple. I call it a cripple." "Grady, you crazy. You're so crazy, they oughtta call you Crazy Grady." "Fred G Sanford. And the G stands for gefilte fish."
the episodes where the black and white L.A. policemen were on- geez! the white guy would try so hard. too much!
sanford and son was the BOMB! one of my faves was when lamont got fred a pool table and they set it up in the living room. all of freds homies came over, grady, bubba, leroy and skillet. and played all the time and ate all of freds food...and to that first post..how can there ever be to much rollo!??
"I like to mix champagne and ripple. I call it Champipple."
When Fred went to St Louis and Grady was left in charge of the Sanford empire. Even worse were the episodes without either Redd Foxx or Demond Wilson. That's when Grady was living with his daughter and her family.
I like to mix cream and ripple. I call it cripple.
This was a wonderful show that ran out of gas. Lamont leaving was the signal, but something else would have happened. Still, a salute to you, Redd!
It's very clear that the character Rollo (Lamont's EVIL friend) was shown too much...Skillett or the 3 versions of David (Esther's son) should have been featured instead..
ISTR there was a Grady episode about a fuzzy velvet painting that was in bad taste -- a nude --and Grady's family didn't want to offend him by telling him so. The episode was the wacky hijinks associated with breaking the bad news to him. While I think people are overly harsh on Whitman Mayo's tenure -- it's not his fault Redd Foxx was on strike, and stuff like the wild parsley or "Good goobly goop" is classic S&S -- trying to spin the series off of Grady's family wasn't one of the brighter ideas that the writers had. Fortunately, Foxx returned to the series, and we continued to have some good moments, but those spinoffs often give you the idea that the producers sense that the end is coming (Married With Children's spinoff, anybody?).
With that theme song how could it EVER jump the shark?!??!? Wah wah wen nah, Wah wah wen nah na na na...
"My name is Fred G. Sanford, and the G stands for gold mine", and thats what that show was..a gold mine! That show will never jump the shark, even when Lamont got real corny and sappy with his fiance. Who can forget Fred clutching his chest in one his many heart attacks screaming.."Elizabeth, I'm comin' for ya honey". Or him telling aunt Esther.."You so ugly I could smash your face in some dough and make gorilla cookies". Anyone who thinks this show could jump the shark is a "big dummy". Now, pass me some cream and ripple.
Sanford and Son jumped the shark when Fred left for St. Louis and Grady was left to temporarily fill his shoes. Grady was funny at best as a bit player in Fred's group of friends.
This show was on fire but ran out of gas. The early years were, as so often is the case, the best. I don't care if C,D and E are looking for Y,O,U. I'm not giving up any of this M,O,N,E,Y!
When George Foreman guest starred. Too bad he wasn't the new funny George Foreman yet. It was death to watch, definitely the end in my 12-year old eyes.
It was so obvious; when Fred and Lamont (french for "The Mont") bought the property next door and opened the Sanford Arms.
This is one of the few shows I will watch even if the house is burning down around me......."WHO DO WE WANT..........THREE DEGREES!!!!!!"
I don't feel that Sanford & Son ever really Jumped. Redd Foxx was superb who played his role to a tee. Love those re-runs.
Grady was never funny, just shiftless and gross. The bunion and toejam jokes made me sick. Redd Foxx got greedy and killed this show. By the time he came back it was too late. And Fred's girlfriend Donna was the absolute pits- whose idea was it to put her holier-than-thou ass on?
this is a classic but it jumped swiftly into the mouth of a mighty great white once redd foxx came back from his strike. i don't think the grady shows were bad so much as implausible; why would a 35 year old man need a babysitter while his father goes home to visit family? but a lot of the grady episodes were funny (the marijuana ep, and especially when lamont keeps trying to have a party-- considered an "orgy" by grady --only to be repeatedly thwarted). although it was probably only the first 2 seasons' worth of shows that were truly hysterical, the show had it's LOL moments until it jumped, relying too heavily on "Hah Glory!" from AUnt Esther & "You Big Dummy" jokes. And what about the period when Esther & Woody attempt to adopt Eric Laneuville? Although the show jumped sometime after Redd Foxx returned from his strike, by the time LaMont started wearing curling his hair with rollers like a woman (or Ice-T) the shark had fully digested the show by then. too much applause upon the entrance of long time characters, canned laughter, too much Janet & Donna (and why would two professional women want to marry two go-nowhere junkmen? strippers laugh at them). After the strike Redd Foxx coasted, no longer mugging foolishly or dressing up in elaborate costumes. Fred ceased to be a true "character", becoming a parody of himself instead. I've always suspected that Foxx contributed a lot to the earlier scripts, whether it was without attribution or through ad libbing. but after he came back from the strike (and everyone neatened up their hair) the scripts sound stale, though they're written by some of the same people.
All in all a bunch of great comments. I haven't watched the show in years but was addicted to reruns when I was a teenager. After seeing the same episodes countless times I would say it got soft for several reasons, some of which are already mentioned: -Lamont got soft. Part of what made the show great initially was the antagonism between Lamont and Fred. In later episodes, Lamont got very skinny (no telling what Demond Wilson was doing) and we wore shades all the time and generally seemed tired of doing the show...he looked like a scrawny Kool Moe Dee. -Fred got sappy. Some of the later episodes were so terribly sentimental like when Fred met that young woman who looked like his deceased wife Elizabeth. The mandolin would play every time he stared at her. In defense of the show in its golden years, there was an occasional good one like The Escorts. -The opening of Sanford Arms...a fairly idiotic idea from the get-go.-Too many lame premises...like when Fred competed in a Redd Foxx look-alike contest or when Fred and Lamont went to that junkman's convention in Hawaii. -Redd Foxx's health and vigor. Redd Foxx was much more convincing as a Watts junkman at the beginning of the show. Towards the end he looked too healthy and rested...looked like he was spending a lof of time hanging out with Sinatra, Martin and company. -The Grady season...Redd Foxx lost some of his edge and the show lost some of its way when he returned. Still, the early years were the best. I can only think of 5 shows ever that I laughed out loud at and Sanford Son is one of them.
I love this show. It was always funny. It didn't have a stupid "message". It was not "warm". No one had a baby. There was never a "very special" episode. It was a consistently funny, silly-ass show. Loved the one when they go to "Let's Make a Deal", when Fred wears the gorilla outfit. Fantastic.
The original series jumped during Redd Foxx's walkout, and Grady lived with Lamont. Fred and Lamont needed each other. Fortunately, Redd rejoined the cast, and it jumped back.
When Redd Foxx was on contract dispute and Grady moved in, the show jumped. But it jumped back when Fred came back. But then it jumped again when Lamont left. So, how many jumps is that? anyway, "beans and disease to you too"
TO ALL OF YOU WHO THINK THAT THIS SHOW JUMPED THE SHARK, I GOT 3 WORDS FOR YOU " SHUT UP DUMMY"
Yeah - is this the thing that was a show called Steptoe and Son, about a 'Dirty Old Man' and his dissatisfied Son? They were scrap dealers in Shepherds Bush in the late 60's/early 70's. If it was, it JTS when it became something called Sanford & Son. Full stop.
Too many of Fred's stupid stunts like when was suckered into buying a gilded horse for breeding purposes. When he got suckered into going in half for a glass-jawed, dim-witted boxer. When got suckered into taking an elephant as collateral for rent owned by a Sanford Arms tenants. So on and so forth.
This show never jumped. I do admit it had its soft spots when the contract disputes were going on, but if you really check it out, when Grady was on they basically gave him all of Fred's jokes. I also wonder what episodes are some of you seeing, I NEVER saw an episode with a magic lamp and I don't remember Fred in a clown suit. I do remember him in the gorilla suit. I think with all shows, time just seems to hault the humor because lets face it even WE get old. But if you ever try to buy episodes on line you'll notice the bids just keep coming in. All in all the most classic african-american comedy I've ever seen, simply because I can relate to the humor and a lot of the issues Fred talked about is what really goes on.
If you notice in the early episodes, Lamont's clothes were dirty, head was nappy, and teeth were raggedy. He was at his best then. Then, a sure sign that his contract was re-negotiated for more money, he found a dentist, a pressing comb, and some Ray-Bans. Watts meets Hollywood. That's when the show JTS. BTW, Bubba really was funnier than Grady, but Melvin, Skillet, and Leroy were even better. The very best, however, was Lawanda Page.
When Redd Foxx missed episodes because of a contract dispute and the episodes centered around Grady, the show jumped. Whitman Mayo couldn't carry a show in a starring role and that was probably the reason why the spinoff Grady flopped. the Grady centered episodes were like watching The Honeymooners without Jackie Gleason. However when Foxx came back, the show returned to form and never jumped.
Some classic Sanford and Son lines: Fred calls up the Social Security office and they put him on hold. His response? "I bet I wouldn't have to wait if I was white." Fred to Esther: "Your overly generous. Every time you open up your mouth, you give away your ignorance." Fred to Lamont and Julio, after the two decide to become business partners: "You two make a great team. Tweedledeedee, and Tweedledeedummy."
Sorry, but even with Grady this show still ruled. Rollo Jackson was a true soul brother. Best line, when someone knocks at the door, and Fred says, "I'll get it." and he yells, "Come on in!" What a riot. Fred G Sanford. and the G stands for "Great".
The dynamic of the show seemed to change after Lamont went from the natural afro and got that S-Curl with the trimmed moustache and wore the Ray-Bans.
The show's integrity was forever compromised when Fred left *Grady* in charge of Lamont and Sanford and Son while he went to St. Louis (during Foxx's strike) instead of Bubba. Fred was a LOT craftier than to have left his two most important commodities with someone he considered a dork instead of someone who was sharp like him! I never believed that Fred considered Grady his best friend instead of someone to tolerate. Bubba was someone Fred could be tight with because he was a tough hombre who took no guff from anyone while Grady was such a nebbish, Fred wouldn't have left him in charge of feeding the goat! Fred's friendship with Grady was every bit as believable as the Fonz's with Potsie!
Never jumped, and regarding the person who wrote that Fred would never have put Grady in charge of things...it wasn't Grady who was running the business, that was in Lamonts hands. All Grady did was get the mail, clean, make Lamont's meals and the like. Recall that Grady did have a family (shown in the spinoff) who seemed to be alright. Grady was no rocket scientist, but he was apparently able to support a family and raise children, so he couldn't have been that much of a screw up. Also recall that in one episode it was mentioned that Grady was Lamont's godfather, which could also be why Grady was put in charge of things. Bubba in charge would have been funny, though.
The "Sanford and Son" cast had the dubious distinction of being contestants on not one, but TWO game shows during their series run: "Let's Make a Deal" and "The Gong Show." Fred (Redd Foxx) in a gorilla suit was bad enough, but featuring Grady (Whitman Mayo) as Cinderella was unforgivable.
I actually like some of the episodes that featured Grady instead of Fred! The mere mention of "wild parsley" gets a chuckle in my house. My problem with these shows is that they were obviously written with Fred in mind. When Redd Foxx went on strike, they just scribbled out his name on the script and wrote in "Grady" in its place. Before the ink could even dry, the writers also had to insert some dialogue, early in each episode, explaining that Grady was filling in for Fred while he went to St. Louis. Very awkward. On a side note, it would have been nice to see Fred react to possibly eating marijuana: (hand clutching heart)"Elizabeth, I'm comin' to join ya' honey! But, make sure you've got some potato chips. I've got the MUNCHKINS!"
I think it was around the fourth season. If I'm not mistaken, this was when Lamont began to date Janet. But, even before that, it was as if the writers were going out their way to make Fred as mean to everyone as possible. In the earlier days, characters would give Fred a reason to insult them (Esther's looks, Lamont's stupid actions, Grady's slow-wittedness). By this season, it would seem that all a person had to do was just walk past Fred and they were zinged (all except Donna), whether they earned the insult or not. At that point, Fred lost all of my sympathy and just became a bully.
Lamont's character moved out of the house. He only made special appearances after this point. I think he made a decision to become a preacher or evangelist in real-life. Fred's character then went on to me a lady and get married. The writing was on the wall that the show was on it's last legs.
There is no such thing as "Too Much Grady"! That show was and still is awesome and inspired work. Where else can you find that kind of relationship with father and son battling but the father is the hip one. Get rich shcemes, phony heart attacks and good old dirty fun collecting junk. Shows like these are classics and can never be repeated no matter how many times a net exec tries. I just wish it were still on the air today. Long live Red Fox (in spirit, anyway).
The time Fred snatched the wig off of Aunt Esther's head as the show was ending. I can't believe no one has mentioned that one...
This show was outstanding and certainly in my top 10 of all times. Maybe top 5. It never jumped. Rollo was a comedic genius, as was Uncle Woodrow. My favorite episode is when Rollo spies Fred and Bubba going into THE GAY BLADE. Classic. The trip to Hawaii is also a highlight.
Sanford and Son jumped when Lamont trimmed his hair and mustache. He just didn't look like a junk dealer after that. He looked more like Billy Dee Williams than an average guy. Also, Grady was a great character!
"Sanford and Son" is my favorite show & I'll watch all 135 episodes over and over again for as long as I live. It vividly jumped the shark due to money. Redd Foxx was always amid controversy over his personal financial affairs. ABC lured him away from NBC for the promise of a variety show & more money! Ole John Elroy Sanford took the bait & away he went. This left Demond Wilson who suddenly felt he was entitled to a greater salary if he were to carry the show without Redd Foxx. NBC rejected Demond's demands, & away he went. Here we were, a dynamically powerful prime time network sit-com without its two stars. The show was destined for doom. No Sanford, no Son, all that was left was "and". I kind of wish NBC would have dropped the show at that instant & re-assessed their prime time programming. I kind of wish "Sanford Arms" & "Sanford" had never existed. Those two shows tainted the memory & real meaning of "Sanford & Son". "Sanford and Son" show-cased the talent of Redd Foxx & Demond Wilson was the impeccable complement to Redd Foxx' success on the show. The "Sanford and Son" era was the epitome of great television. It's unfortunate that sometimes money stands in the way of pure & traditional greatness. Sadly, the problem has only exponentionally compounded since then. Redd Foxx was the best!
Fred G Sanford, The "G" stands for Grady Sucks. Every time Lamont was alone with his girl, you could count on ole Grady to dump ice water on the situation. Bubba will always be king, (Next to Redd of course) The guests were pretty cool. George Foreman (with hair), The Three Degrees, BB King were the best. The Hawaii episodes were great. The whole show was great...Except for that damn Grady! "Hey, this place ain't no good unless It got a pinball machine (Fred to Maitre'd) HEY! DOES THIS PLACE HAVE A PINBALL MACHINE!!"
Never Jumped!!!!. Redd Foxx was the man. This show can still make me laugh out loud. There is just something about Foxx's delivery and Demond Wilson's slow burn frustration that is just brilliant. If any body don't agree well "Beans and disease" to you!!
The absence of Redd Foxx was definitely a low point in the show. I liked Grady but he was no substitute for Fred. You just can’t have Sandford and Son without Sandford (sr.) Also, Esther and Fred’s constant wise cracks at each other. That was tried on the Jeffersons between George and Florence but was never as good as S&S. “Hear comes a Wino and a Rhino” (Fred referring to Esther and her drunken husband). The Circus episode was great too…“You old fish-eyed fool”.
When Mrs. Hathaway from the Beverly Hillbillies began showing up on a regular basis. But don't worry, Fred, she's not interested in you. Or Rollo. Or Bubba. Or Julio. Or Lamont. Or Grady. "Well I never!" and you never will... Seriously folks, it was when I found out Grady was actually 24 years old when the show was cancelled. Actually, it was when Donna and Fred finally tied the knot and they had to adopt all of Lamont's illegitimate kids and they re-named the show 8 Rollos is Enough. Okay, you got me: it never jumped. And the G stands for Don't Let the IRS Get You Where the Good Lord Split You!
Awsome show, never jumped. Fred never dressed as a clown that was Bubba in the circus episode. It was the greatest show in Watts. Lamont was the strongman But Fred introduced him as strango & Lamont screams from off stage " it's strongo" When Fred became a pastor in the Church of the divine profit was one of the best.
The best was when they had a guest (Grady?) and he's snoring so loud the house is shaking. Lamont goes up to shut the door but comes down a few seconds. The snoring is as loud as before and Lamont says "Pop, the door IS shut!"
The 1st two seasons were good, but the 3rd was the absolute best. Even the shows without Redd Foxx were good, although I must admit that I wondered how much funnier they would have been if Foxx had been there instead of Whitman Mayo. Some of my fav episodes: The episode when Fred returns from St. Louis; Lamont as Othello; Mama's baby, papa's maybe with Big Money Grip; Sanford and Son and Sister Makes 3 written in part by Richard Pryor; Rated X when the guys are arrested during a raid on a porno movie; Presenting the 3 Degrees; The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection; and A Pad for Lamont featuring Judyann Elder who was hands down the best looking gal Lamont ever went out with. I could go on and on. The best Grady episode was Lamont Goes Karate when he encounters Junior Johnson at the bar.
This show was the urban counterpart to "All In the Family." Early episodes of "Sanford and Son" were written by Richard Pryor. By the end of the series' run, Gary Shandling was a script writer. Both are great comics, but I think one is just a little bit better at urban comedy than the other.
The episode(s) with grady's family (the risque painting), his "goldbrick" cousin, and things like that were JTS territory. However, for everybody HATING on grady as a character, I've been watching a lot of the 48 hour SAS marathon on TVLAND cable, and I have to say that the WILD PARSLEY episode has to be the funniest SAS episode ever, like off in FAWLTY TOWERS stratosphere, and the characters that anchor it are GRADY, ROLLO (who people also seem to hate), and officers SMITTY and HOPPY. All without FRED G. SANFORD. Heck, throw in the Social Security check episode, and the ORR-GEEEE, and I think Grady carried the show admirably well, in REDD'S absence. GRADY anchors some of my favorite episodes. I love sanford and son (one of my all time favorite sitcoms), but SAS JTS when the network tried to exploit the gradyt chemistry, and make the show GRADY AND SON. period.
I can't believe how misguided some people are. Bubba funnier than Grady? I scoff at your buffoonery! Bubba never made laugh out loud. If this were Seinfeld, Bubba would have been Elaine (rarely funny) while Grady was Kramer (a hoot). Grady had me in stitches, especially the wild parsley episode and the episode where he keeps pointing the gun at Lamont's face.
When Lamont's character left for Alaska or whatever it just didn't work anymore. But up until then this show was as good as it got! Favorite eps:Lamont with the African girlfriend who was getting him in touch with his African heritage by naming him Kalunda and losing his slave name. Just as Fred and his pal's come in and Fred introduces everyone "This here's Bubba, Skillet, Leroy and Grady" Lamont freaks out on him calling him an old fool. The girlfriend proceeds to reprimand him saying he should make his fathers winter years like spring Freds reply was "This dummys makin my winter years one long blizzard" funny stuff!
I vote for never jumped. Even though the writing did get a bit weak during the last couple of seasons, it was still hilarious to the end.
Yes, Sanford and Son is a rip-off of an infinitely funnier English show Steptoe and Son. The first episode (not funny in either series) is almost word-for-word identical. If anyone thinks that it was America who invented black, cynical dysfunctional-family humor, they only need to check out Steptoe. Nowadays, of course, America is making funny black comedy and England isn't. Go figure. If you can find Steptoe and Son on video, *get it*. It is *brilliant*.
I Think Sanford And Son Jumped When Redd Foxx Went On Strike. Those Shows Were God Awfull Plus I Agree That S&S Did Run Out Of Ideas Esp In Season 6 When Fred Did The Genreal Routine To Impress His Future Grandchild They Hit An All Time Low With That Episode.
During the last 2 seasons when Lamont stopped trying. He would literally stand rod-still, with either his hands behind his back or hanging from his vest (VEST?! Why is a junk-man wearing a vest anyway?) as he would simply recite his lines utterly devoid of any acting emotion or feeling. It was during this time that being on the set of Sanford & Son appeared to be the last place on earth he wanted to be. The blue-shades, trimmed mustache and new hair style were simply symptoms of the bigger disease: He simply stopped caring... And so did the viewers.
Now that I've been catching the repeats of SAS on TV Land, I would definitely have to say that the show lost steam in the last couple of seasons. The writers began to run out of ideas and started coming up with outlandish plots (Exhibit A: the ep where Fred was in the hospital under police protection for witnessing a mob hit). And I totally agree that by then it was obvious Demond "Gone Hollywood" Wilson was just phoning it in. Having said that, I'm surprised that so many folks hate the Grady episodes. They were hilarious. In addition to the previously mentioned "wild parsley" episode, I also submit the one where Lamont decided to take up kung fu. Overall Sanford and Son is a classic and has held up remarkably well 30+ years later. Lastly, Bubba rocked!!!
Like any show, it starts going downhill towards the end. For me, it was when the bought "The Sanford Arms" and both Lamont & Fred were getting too serious with their girlfriends. And will people quit dissing Grady? Sure, no one could EVER replace the genius of Redd Foxx but two of the "Grady Episodes"(When he was "filling in" for Redd Foxx.) are absolute classics: 1) The "Wild Parsley" episode is a great example of really funny dope humor[Along with the Barney Miller "Brownies" episode and the Taxi "Latka's Cookies" episodes.] The "Orgy" episode (When Lamont sent Grady to the movies so he & Rollo could bring their girlfriends over to the house. It also has LaWanda Paige [Aunt Esther] at her best.) is a classic.
I wish I could say never for Sanford and Son, I love that show. The Grady and Son episodes weren't bad at all. I found most of them quite funny. Remember Grady yelling from the kitchen how you it is impolite to yell from room to room? I say it jumped when the entrance of every character got a lots of applause and cheering. Lamont, Esther, and Grady are regular characters. Their weekly appearance doesn't warrant cheers and applause. Also, the Sanford Arms was a bit much. It was supposedly Julio's old house that was purchased for the Arms. How big was that place? They had a numerous tenants and individual multiroom apartments lined the hallways. I never knew a single man like Julio needed such a big house. A great show. It was running out of steam towards the end. Sanford stunk. Never saw Sanford Arms.
I have to agree that after a while Demond Wilson stopped caring about what he was doing or saying on the show. In some scenes he sounded like he was in slow motion. There was the episode where Fred thinks he's Jewish and Esther is telling him the story about the Esther in the bible. An argument escalates and Fred Takes a baseball bat and starts chasing Esther. What does Lamont do? Run after Fred to stop him? No, he just stands and looks into the camera with the blankest look I've ever seen in my life. The producer should have just yelled cut after Fred chased Esther out the door. I wished I could have projected myself into the show, slapped Demond Wilson and said "hello, there's action here..respond you big dummy!" I also agree with the last poster about the wild applause and cheering every time Fred, Grady, Lamont, Bubba or Esther came on...it's very distracting and annoying. Like the last poster said, they were the show's regular's...what's all the hooting and hollering about. I rather have a canned laugh track than a live one...I hate when when an Urkel, a Fonz, or a Barbarino comes on and the whole audience screams like Jesus came down from the sky.
My favorite Sanford and Son episode was when Fred met Lena Horne. Redd Foxx genuinely seemed to be in awe of Horne, and Lena for her part acting convincingly angry when she realized that Fred had scammed her; she hissed at Fred, "THIS is 'Little Lamont' ? You JIVE TURKEY" !!" Horne looked fantastic, and she avoided doing what so many other celebrities do (the "special guest star appearance" trick): she didn't enter and just stand there smiling broadly with the audience applauded her.
I never liked the Grady character when I was a kid so when he moved to the junkyard it jumped the shark for a while and I stopped watching it. You can't have a good Sanford & Son without the Fred-Esther chemistry. Unlike one of the previous posters, I looked forward to a Fred and Esther fight every time the show came on and it was always a huge disappointment to me when she wasn't on. I could never get enough *ugly* jokes and "fish-eyed fool", how that church-lady hat moved when her head moved around, and that bible she always carried. The most memorable Fred line was when Fred and Esther were hand-cuffed together (I forgot how it happened) and they didn't have the key to uncuff themselves. They were sitting in the kitchen trying to eat an ear of corn and Esther says, "I'd like some butter on my end" to which Fred replies "Well, what do you want on the corn"? Classic stuff. Also, it would always crack me up when Hoppy the white cop (what a perfect name) always tried to speak ghetto slang in the whitest way possible..."Right on, brother!" Nowadays it seems pretty ridiculous to have Smitty and Hoppy hanging around a junk yard all day. Didn't L.A. have a lot of gangs back then? Then there's Julio the neighbor who probably should have been a Chicano rather than a Puerto Rican. The Sanfords didn't live in NYC after all!
During the time when Grady replaced Fred as the lovable old grump, Redd Foxx was in a contract dispute which is why he wasn't on the show. After he returned, I have to say that some of the worst storylines ever were written. Likely out of a revenge motive on the part of the network to punish Foxx. Oh yeah, and they really needed to add more Bubba to the show. "I want my daddys records!" still cracks me up whenever I hear it. Nataniel Taylor played to Rollo part well enough, but there was just too much of him. And Gregory Sierras' Julio became equally annoying after a while. The girlfriends tended to clutter up the later episodes quite a bit, like someone above stated earlier. As for Sanford Arms, and Sanford, don't make me laugh. They were pale imitations of the original. They revolved around the main character, Fred, and had almost no supporting characters worth mentioning. Kind of like Archie Bunkers Place was to All in the Family.
Why was this show funny to so many people? There were essentially a hand full of jokes, told by Red Foxx, who instead of acting, simply lumbered around the stage being loud, as he probably was in real life. "I'll bust you one across yo lip"..."I got the ar-eh-thritis"..."You big Dummy".."Its the big one, oh Elizabeth!"...Those four lines represented the keystone of this overrated thrown together ham fest for Fox. And those four comments were the best he did...the writing was so contrived with some of the jokes..this is not a real example, but the caliber of writing was similar to something going down like this... Lamont: Hey, pop,can you hand me that magazine over there? Fred: Oh yeah, its time for you to read 'Dummy Weekly'. ..Then the uproarious laughter. And Lamont was like what, 30? Why not make his own damn breakfast once in a while? Stupid show.
This was one of the all-time greatest african-american shows that ever aired!!! Redd Foxx knew how to knock your ass out of your seats bleeding with laughter!!! Lamont was the long-suffering cool dude of it all who always kept it fine for us all. From the goofy Grady to blabbermouth Bubba to whiny little Woodrow to the always riotous Aunt Esther, this show had it all. Every joke was pure gold and so was the one-liners: "Watch it sucka!!", "YOU BIG DUMMY!!", Every Esther ugly joke, etc. PURE GOLD!!! SANFORD AND SON FOREVER!!!!!!
This show never jumped and Grady did as good a job as could be expected covering for Redd Foxx. I even like the "goldbrick cousin" episode where they make up "the junkman's itch/hong kong hives" to get rid of her. Even the Hawaii episode was classic with all those "McGarrett" jokes. Sorry, but the show never jumped. If some of you think it did, well, "That's why I'm me, and you're you, and that's why I love ya.
This show set black people back 50 years. I never got why so many people thought a cranky old guy shuffling around on a cheap one-room set trading insults with his middle aged son and other cranky old guys was funny. But who am I to judge since the formula worked well enough for them to try it again on Chico and the Man. I didn't get that either.
I think the jumping point for this show coincided with the rapid increase of wild applause every time one of the main cast members walked out on stage. This was not a problem exclusive to Sanford And Son since this tactic has existed since the Honeymooners and I Love Lucy. That said, it still was annoying, and almost up to the ridiculous extreme in shows like Happy Days and Family Matters! Now, the overuse of applause wasn't so much the direct cause of the shark jump, but other factors that lead to the shark jump occurred about the time the level of applause was increased. As mentioned earlier, this is about the time Lamont softened the stance of his character. But, I have slightly altered my opinion on this as I have started to watch the earlier S&S episodes on TV Land again. For the most part, I prefer the "edgier, moody" Lamont, but the I am starting to like the softer, more easy going Lamont more. I think the second to fourth seasons most perfectly represent the Lamont character. He can be crass toward Fred, but only when Fred deserves it. The first season, Lemont was just dour and mean many times for no apparent reason at all. On the other hand, during the fifth and sixth seasons, coinciding with the over applause of the regular characters, Lemont sometimes did nothing to thwart some of Fred's schemes. Demond Wilson at times just did not seem to care, but most of the blame goes to the directors for not getting the most out of his character. Add to that some increasingly bizarre story lines, and all of these ingredients add to a shark jump. Still there were some hilariously funny episodes during the last two seasons ("The TV Addict" and "Steinberg and Son" were two terrific examples!) where the writing, plotlines and the chemistry between Lamont and Fred were reminiscent of the early days. So while the show definitely jumped, the quality of the show was for the most part still pretty decent!
This show jumped B/c of all of those fake Heart attacks that Red would have. I thought he was dying a thousand times, only to find out that he was faking. Shame on you Red. Shame.
I always looked forward to watching this show on Friday nights. It was hilarious. It never jumped the shark, even when they made a Bradyesque trip to Hawaii.
In the beginning of the show, Grady's appearances were short and funny...in later years his presence became overkill, especially when he took the lead role when Redd Foxx was out of commission. Bad Grady.
This show was very well written. One of the best was when Lamont persuades Fred to go to the hospital after one of his 'heart attacks' and Fred switches the clipboard with the guy in the next bed who's having a hemorrhoid operation. Another episode when Rollo wanted to impress some girls with "Bo-zho-lay" wine and Fred came over with onion stew. There were a lot of great moments in this. Remember Julio's killer goat?
Sanford and Son, in my opinion, will go down as the one of the greatest comedies of all-time. But it jumped the shark in its last season because 1)Fred and Lamont got engaged to Donna and Janet and 2)Fred and Lamont got soft. My all-time favorite ep is when Fred and Lamont flew to St. Louis to go to Fred's uncle funeral. Fred is on the plane throwing a hissy fit. Fred: "Oh, Lord! I ain't gonna make it." Lamont: "Hey, Pop! Stop that! Everybody staring at us." Fred: (looking around at everybody) "What the hell ya looking at?" Ya'll never seen a black man have a heart attack before." Then he turns to the big white guy and says, "You can see me have a heart attack if you want to, Moose." Classic!! R.I.P. Redd!
Anyone remember an episode where Julio and Lamont want to go into business together, and open a salvage company? Fred gets pissed and says "What are you going to call the new business, Julio and Damn Foolio?" Hilarious! Also, how about the "3 Degrees" episode..Fred and his wino buddies pounding the table at the comedy club. They brown bag their ripple in that episode too! Funny as hell!
Sanford & Son JTS when Redd Foxx left the show but it jumped back when he returned. Unfortunately the producers of the show decided to feature the very annoying Grady during his absence. Bubba was much funnier.
For the most part a very funny show. I echo the sentiments of previous posters who liked the show and told the the posters who were giving the show a hard time and lamented the old comments "How would you like one across yo lips" and "Shut up Dummy." I will add my own. In the words of the lovable Aunt Esther "Watch it sucka." Also, I, like good old Fred like to mix Thunderbird and Ripple, I call it Thipple. And in the words of good old Grady "Goo Goobly Goo."
Never jumped!!! One of the funniest sitcoms ever!!! They did have some episodes that were not good, espeically by the last season when all the actors was tired of the show and the wriiting sud=ffered as well, but for the most part one of the funniest shows in the history of tv. Redd Foxx was a comic genious, and the character of Fred Sanford is one of the greatest characters ever created for tv. However as much as i liked him, my favorite episodes were the Grady episodes . Whitman Mayo did an excelent job as Grady. It was too bad that his show "Grady" didn't catch on, but i saw an episode of it, and it really was not that good. I love almost all of the first four seasons of the show.
Sanford&Son "Jumped The Shark" when Redd Foxx won his contract dispute. It was weaker, softer, and Redd also had gotten tired of being "overshadowed" by Fred. The first 3 seasons were the best, of those the first 2 were the GREATEST. A junkman with an S-curl and neat clothes?!?! A 34-yr old highschool dropout with delusions of grandeur and a 65 yr old "ailing" father that gets more play { more WOMEN } than he does? Funny at first, to be sure, but for the remaining 4 seasons the premise of Lamont was just plain SAD.
Yes, Sanford Arms may have been the beginning of the end. But I think when the writers cleaned up Bubba was when the show jumped. Originally, Bubba would come on in his porkpie hat, short zipper jacket, and unshaven face and make for the liquor (remember when he showed up to Fred's open house drunk as a skunk or the time he and Fred drank shot after shot after the latter got his Blind Mellow Jelly records back from the library?). He still was his old classic Bubba when they started dressing him in those really colorful shirts and ties. But the last season found him without the hat, wearing polyester Haggars, neat short-sleeve shirts and clean shaven. He had his moments, but he was too sanitized. Give me the wild, sloppy Bubba any day!
Sanford and Son rocked the house, Friday night on NBC was true ethnic comedy at it's best. One of the best episodes is when Fred, Grady and Bubba went on lets make a deal and didn't win, then just ran up on stage and started stealing the prizes.
This show is truly a television classic. I vaguely remember watching it as a child, but I really fell in love with this show while watching it on reruns. I've been watching it ever since. Having said all that, it did jump the shark. I agree with most that it seemed to jump around the 75 or 76 season when all of the characters received standing ovations every time they appeared on the screen. Hell, even Fred's long-lost sister's brother-in-law got applause. Why? This time period coincides with Demond Wilson's decline. It was so obvious that he was mailing it in towards the end. In the beginning, the show was mainly about the on-going conflicts between Fred and Lamont. Towards the end, Lamont seemed to just give in to whatever his father was doing on that particular show. It most scenes, he didn't even move. He just stood around with his hands in his pockets, wearing his sunglasses indoors. His favorite line seemed to be "you know what, Pop, you really are something special. I'm proud of what you did." What? This is the same Lamont Sanford who once challenged his father's whacky behavior at every turn? That really took the spice out of the show. Also, I don't know if anyone else ever picked up on this, but Demond Wilson often appeared to be glancing off camera (maybe to read cue cards because he couldn't remember his lines?) Anyone else ever notice this? The episodes were really great the first three years. In fact, its current cycle on "TVLand" is in the latter years of the shows initial run. That means that soon, we'll be back to the beginning. Can't wait.
I LOVE SANFORD & SON. NO matter what anyone says, this was the greatest show to face the earth. I would rather watch the bad episodes of Sanford & Son that the garbage thats on TV today. The show kinda started to slide downwards about 1975 and continued from there. One of My favorites during that time was the episode "My Fair Esther" who was running for the Mrs. Watts Businesswife contest. That was a true classic. This show was great and Season 3 is definitely the best season of the show. Who can pass over when "bible thumping" Aunt Esther would try to spread some Holiness into the house and Fred would reply "Esther if you dont get out of here there will be some weepin and some smashing of teeth". This was an all time great show. Show creators can learn a lot from the shows of the 1970's.
The episode where the criminal dressed in drag (Miss Wallace) moved into the Sanford Arms and Fred Sanford puts the moves on her (him). The rest of the episode went downhill quickly.
SAS is my all-time favorite TV comedy, but I hate to say that the show started its decline when Redd Foxx got what he wanted from his contract holdout in 1974. The first three seasons of SAS were absolutely killer stuff, but the quality gradually wore off as the final three seasons unfolded and both Foxx and Demond Wilson seemingly "phoned it in" and played out the string, as they say in baseball. Not to say that the last two or three seasons didn't have their moments, but overall, they were pretty lack-luster. There were numerous bad episodes during this period, particularly the ones involving the Sanford Arms, Lamont's fiance, and that dorky White guy playing Fred's sister's husband Rodney (aka, the "White Tornado"), but the one that really makes me cringe is the one where Fred suddenly thought he was Jewish, via some cheesy mail-order deal. Oy vey--indeed! You could tell Redd was ready (Freddy?) to move on to something else during this crappy episode, and soon afterward, he did...
The more Lamont's hair was permed, the worse the show. The addition of Janet was a horrible idea and her kid was IR-RI-TA-TING. Lamont was really just going through the motions towards the end. He would fold his hands, say his lines and look away. One of the best episodes was when the card sharks came to the house, got all of Lamont's $$$, Fred sent Lamont to the store and had wiped the card sharks out when Lamont got back with the beer. Classic!
Never jumped! Hey, did anybody else get the reference to Sanford and Son in shrek 2? The donkey was lying on the floor, as if having a heart attack, and yelled, "Im coming Elizabeth!" Pure genius - but I felt like I was the only one in the theater to pick up on it...
"Sanford and Son" was the best. I thought Grady was great, Aunt Esther was awesome too! The later spin-off "Sanford" without son show wasn't as good but I liked some of those too. Getting more Fred Sanford was good and the episode where Fred finds out he's married to Esther CRACKED ME UP! Cal and Sanford were funny together in my opinion although it just wasn't the same as the original show with Lamont. "Sanford and Son" never jumped you big dummies!
The great thing about this site is that we cared a lot for these shows (like a doting mother) and we get concerned when we see them go wrong. For Sanford and Son, it was definitely when Fred came back from St. Louis. Even when Fred was gone, watching Grady playing the role of Fred was like Shemp taking over for Curly. But the comedy writers at this time still had momentum and they still delivered some funny shows because Lamont bickered with all of Fred's friends because they were somewhat of the same ilk...shiftless and ornery. But when Fred came back, it was as if the creative team didn't care if the bickering was really heartfelt or not. They seem to be going through the motions. I loved to watch Fred verbally assault Aunt Ester, Rollo, Julio, his buddies, and Lamont. However, the show seemed to be aware that audiences thought this was funny. So, they milked for what it was worth giving it a "forced" feeling. Frustration comedy (in a verbal sense) is not funny if the actors don't emote the frustration over somebody telling them how dumb they are or how ugly they are. Thus, the end result was a mechanical feel to the comedy. Then, you have replacements come in for Fred's verbal assaults (Ah Chu, Nancy Kulp, etc.) and it felt that they were there only for Fred to quip some kind of derogatory barb. I guess it goes the way with most shows...when the creators and actors first start a show, the show means a lot to them because they want it to be a success and line their pockets... but later on, they have other commitments going (be it other offers or drugs), and the show was not important for them anymore (at that time). Thus, you get the latter seasons of Sanford and Son.
Whenever Lamont would get all pissed at Fred I'd lose it... -The time that shifty white dude ripped off all the copper piping out of their house and Lamont starts losing it when he replaces the pipes and we hear his muffled, enraged voice coming up from the basement: "IS IT ON?!" -When Lamont got his ass kicked by that musclehead in the turtleneck, Grady's reaction: "You got beat up by Jojo Jackson?" Aunt Esther's verbal abuse toward Fred, Grady and Woodrow the drunk, and the time she came to the house unexpectedly to find Lamont, Rollo and some lady friends having a make out party. Esther sez, quite disgustedly, "Sodom and Gomorrah." "I want my daddy's records!" was pretty awesome too, and Wild Parsely with Grady's "I think I got the munchkins." To which Lamont responds "That's MUNCHIES." Honorable mention for WTF? cast members: Slappy White and his f**ked up lopsided fro. Notable appearance, the "casket" episode. "Hello Fred, hello Lamont." See's the coffin in the living room, does an abrupt about face. "Goodbye Fred, goodbye Lamont." That guy that played Kelly, the Irish junk man with bad gums. And finally, Julio and his pet goat Chico. Fred loses it (again) and comes out strong with this classic: "I'm callin' the po-lice on the Puerto Rican Marx Brothers, Julio, Chico, and Mufungo!"
When Redd Foxx returned from his contract dispute, the show croaked. Laugh tracks instead of the live audience (I HATE laugh tracks), extended, canned applause everytime a character entered the set, and a generally disengaged FOxx. Hilarious its first three years, and not too shabby when Whitman Mayo's Grady character stepped in to sub for Foxx, but not quite the same after season four got rolling along.
I agree with most that this show jumped when Lamont "phoned it in" with his lines. There were still some classics during the final two seasons, like 'The TV Addict', particularly during the scene where Lamont continuously tries to shut the tv off, but Fred insists on watching it! The ensuing argument that leads to the tv being destroyed shows Lamont in peak form (shades of the first couple of seasons), but unfortunately, this was definitely a rare exception rather than the rule during the final two seasons. It showed Demond Wilson could play his role with emotion when he wanted to, but that sadly wasn't very often. I get the impression that much of the dialogue that would have been written for him, went to the endless parade of supporting characters that showed up all the time. And as also was mentioned earlier, it seemed like most of the supporting characters were brought in for the sole purpose of a quick insult by Fred. Unfortunately, these were not the clever, intricate storylines that were seen earlier in S&S's run.
The closest thing that S & S had to a "Very Special" show was when Lamont brought home a porcelain statue and tried to sell it at a silent art auction, thinking it would make big bucks and maybe get him out of the house. Of course, bumbling, doesn't-know-his-ass-from-a-hole-in-the-ground Fred can't understand why no one is saying anything at the auction and keeps bugging Lamont. Lamont tells him to go away, but he starts working the other side of the room, jacks the price up, and Fred and Lamont wind up buying the ugly statue back for $5,000 dollars! They get home and Lamont is wound up so tight he could fart out of his mouth. He tells his pop that he did that on purpose so Lamont couldn't make the money and move out and takes the statue to sell it himself and Fred starts "this is the big one" routine. Now, here is a historic moment: Lamont calls Fred an "old faker" and says he's not falling for it anymore. Fred then accidentally breaks the statue and Lamont decides this is the last straw, he's getting the hell out. Fred begs and pleads with him, but Lamont is determined to get out. Fred keeps pleading with him right until he gets in the truck and the truck won't start. Ol' Pop has won again as Lamont cries at the steering wheel! This show did have its funny moments, like Hoppy trying to use street words and always getting it wrong and having to be corrected by Smitty. EX: "Everything will be gravy!" "GROOVY!" - "Everything will be cold!" "COOL!" - "Right out!" "ON!" - We're going to have to crack!" "SPLIT!"
When Grady took over for Fred. The show never recovered, not even after Grady went back to bit player status. I understand that Whitman Mayo developed a sort of semi-cult following as witnessed by that "search" Conan O'Bryan pulled off just before Mayo passed away. All well and good, but I still thought Grady was not funny, even as a supporting player. The show should have gone into hiatus once Foxx first walked off the set. Even the guys who played Bubba or Rollo, (who clearly had less acting experience) turned out better lines than Grady. And yet, he got his own spin-off show??? Redd Foxx was the only good thing about Sanford and Son, and LaWanda Page's Aunt Esther was the only other actor who could take him on. Their constant war of insults was the highlight of each episode for me.
Sanford and Son is certainly high in the upper echelon of all-time TV comedies. Not sure if the dropoff in the final seasons constitutes a "jump", but who cares? At it's worst, the show was always still watchable, and at it's best, this show was damn funny, with Redd Foxx showing off his genius at every turn, Demond Wilson playing a very good foil/straight man to Redd's Fred, and a few other choice characters who regularly stopped in. You had to love the early 70s. On one show, you had Archie Bunker and the Meathead, and on another, you had Fred Sanford and the Dummy. What really sets Redd Foxx apart was his physical comedy. His spoken lines were often great, but his classic faces, expressions, body motions, etc. are right up there with Jackie Gleason on the Honeymooners for TV's all-time best. Particularly classic Foxx faces -- the "Aunt Esther just came into the house face" (a look that conveyed that somebody had just opened up a can of dog**** right under his nose), the "I'm gonna give you five 'cross yo' lip" face, the "heart attack" face, the "about to convince Lamont to see things his way" face, the "sad old man" face and the face where something great (for Fred) had just happened and his eyes would just light up. But as mentioned his lines were great too: "Esther, you so ugly, I could stick your face in some dough, and make some gorilla cookies." "Elizabeth, I'm comin' to join ya honey...with a Puerto Rican goat!" In the end, Redd Foxx provided a legacy of comedy that helped to pave the way for many other great black comics like Pryor, Murphy, Rock, etc. Fred G. Sanford, and the G stood for Great.
"Sanford and Son" rocked! I have to say that I like the episodes with Grady...I love it when he comes in wearing that suit jacket that looks like it's a billion sizes too big for him. And the "Cream and Ripple" and "Crazy Grady" lines were so freakin funny! But I have one comment...in the opening credits when they show the old jalopy truck from the side going down the street, doesn't it look like someone else other than Demond Wilson is driving? Then when they pan to the clip of him straight on, it's definitely him? I SWEAR the first shot is NOT him, but maybe I'm just seeing things...too much Ripple, maybe.
The Grady episodes were the high point of the series. When he got Woody drunk and told him how men must "maintain control". And then the quote from J. Edgar "violence must be met with violence". How could anyone say the Grady episodes weren't classic is beyond me. I think the popularity of the grady episodes is evident when they tried to give Grady his own show but wrote it so horribly that it didnt go anywhere. The show jumped when fred came back and its true that it jumped when Lamont got nice and started curling his hair. It was much better when Lamont was the bad guy or the victim of freds ignorance (porcelain auction) or greed.
For all those who didnt understand Sanford and Son, proves that they never took the time to really watch the show. What people fail to realize, even though Fred was very cantankerous and Lamont (in the beginning) was kinda soft, Fred and Lamont believe it or not had a excellent "father son" relationship. Fred wasnt that sappy "Ward Cleaver" or "Andy Taylor" type of father. He was straight to the point and thats what people dont understand about the show. That why people dont like it. It was a great show up until the end of 1974. The story lines were getting a little dry and Fred became grumpier that usual. Lamont, in the beginning was more so to tell his father in the beginning that he was doing something dumb but then in the end, after fred realize the error of his ways, stuck by his "pop". Grady Episodes were corny and definitely "quickly written" however the "Wild Parsley Episode" is the best Grady episode. For those who dont like this show...take the time to watch the 2nd-4th season and this time PAY ATTENTION!
At the start, S&S was meant to be a day in the life of a poor black junk man and his son. They had all the real problems that many poor people still have. They were not above doing things that were morally or legally questionable. The were faced with discrimination on a personal level as well as an institutional level. The best episode from the 1st season is when Lamont is pulled over by the police in a white neighborhood. The first example of racial profiling televised. Black people were used to this treatment, but the white audience was unfamiliar with this behavior. We were told that the police are our friends, blacks knew better. Fred, in court, is told that he can question the officer, at which time he asks "I'd like to ask the officer why he doesn't arrest white people?" The judge responds with anger and Fred finishes with the greatest line in show history "There are enough ******s in here to make a Tarzan movie!" The courtroom, all blacks, erupts in applause and yelling. The show quickly abandoned this sort of social commentary and went for the goofy laughs. Still great at first, but, not the same show. The police become regular characters, instead of fear and frustration, it became an opportunity to make fun of the dumb white guy. The show could have been an entertaining engine for social change, but rather, became a burlesque of caricatures and stereotypes. They added more and more characters simply to give Fred people to insult. The show was at it's best without being preachy. Sarcasm and cynicism ruled in Watts. First three years were exceptional all the rest is crap.
I could never understand why they would choose a woman like Donna to play Fred's love interest. She was such a shrew and a horrible actress--her teeth really bugged me. Also Grady--could not stand his character--totally pointless!
Sanford and Son jumped the shark when George Foreman came to do a show to help the actor's workshop the Lamont was in. He punched the wall and supposedly broke his hand and he had a fight coming up in a week. It was so pathetic how he left the stage and opened the door with the broken hand...how could the director miss that!!!!!!
"Sanford and Son" jumped the shark when Red Foxx left the series and the show became "Sanford Arms." Anytime the lead character leaves, the show is pretty much doomed.
I can't believe no one has mentioned this, but there is an episode where Fred Sanford enters a Red Foxx lookalike contest, and they have Fred meeting Redd Foxx. It was so lame. Redd Foxx is a famous person, according to this episode, and yet, at the same time, since he is in this episode, we're supposed to believe that there is no show called SANFORD AND SON; so how would he even be famous. Anyway, it was really bad. Fred meets Redd. Horrible.
I think this was the best TV show of the 1970`s.It showed the exceptional talents of Demond Wilson and Redd Foxx,who DEFINITELY was a big star PRIOR to S&S,in response to an earlier post.Redd had done many live stand up shows and was very popular on the Las Vegas circut.The show was groundbreaking,with Fred Sanford being an answer to Archie Bunker (what an episode that would be;Fred and Archie meeting!)It had a great cast,Grady being a good addition in the 4th season in replacement of Fred.But during the 4th season it lost its magic,but still good.That was around the time when every cast member would walk in the room and the audience would applaud for at least 15 seconds which I found painfullly annoying.The first 3 seasons were faultless.In conclusion,this was a smash hit knockout!Anybody that bad-mouths this show definitely deserves one across the lips!!!!!
This is one of my favorite shows of all time. Agreed, the show suffered in it's sixth and final season, but for me it jumped the shark when it was syndicated in reruns. Why? Because uptight syndicators edited out some of the dialogue to make it more "POLITICALLY CORRECT." Puke. One of the FUNNIEST damn episodes is the one where Lamont gets a traffic ticket and goes to traffic court; Fred appoints himself as Lamont's attorney and attacks the white cop, asking "what have you got against black people?" "Nothing. I give out tickets to black people too." "You do? Well, where are they? Look at all these ******s in here! There's enough ******s in here to make a Tarzan movie!" This dialogue got howls from the audience, one of the biggest in the show's history, yet it's ALL CUT OUT OF THE CURRENT SYNDICATED EDITION. Why was it acceptable then but not now? I thought we were supposed to move forward, not backward! There's another episode where Aunt Esther uses the "N" word which is also CUT OUT of the current version. I don't condone using that particular word, but when it was used on SANFORD AND SON it was done, yes, in good, humorous taste and it was FUNNY, not racist. How could it be racist if it was spoken by a member of the same race? Gimme a break, you PC bastards.
Sanford and Son was and is undoubtedly my all time favorite television show. It's funny and Redd Foxx was the best. It may have been fictitious; however, to me it seems so real, particularly when I was a child watching it during its first run. The show was believable and came further alive with each episode. The show contributed in shaping my personality. I could relate to the show unlike any other. The show never jumped until Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson decided to leave the show. Their motive to leave the show was disappointing and bordering deplorability. They brought joy, happiness, and laughter to millions of viewers and then suddenly abandoned us. One would have thought they were amassing plenty of money! They wanted more and didn't get it. They booked and decimated the greatest era ever on television. It's utterly amazing how greed adversely took away something that was so great. All good things must come to an end, so they say!
The had clapping before EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER. It was so bad they had to wait a good minute or so before speaking their lines to wait for the clapping to die down. For example, Fred walks in and the audience erupts in clapping. Bubba bursts through the door and the audience continues its clap-fest. Bubba, who obviously has something important to tell Fred, just stares at Fred for a good minute and a half waiting for the Clap happy audience to finish so he can speak.
"Sanford and Son" started getting bad when Fred came back,and they changed producers,from Aaron Ruben to Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein(Question:WHY did they change producers anyway?).In my opinion,Aaron Ruben produced AND wrote some of the best "Sanford and Son"episodes.Oh sure,there were some good episodes ("The Stung",:"The Birthday Party")when Orenstein-Turteltaub took over,but very few..And one thing I did NOT like,was in the very beginning,Lamont was really mean to Fred.I'm glad they toned down the character.The Aaron Ruben-produced episodes "Lamont Goes African"was a classic,and just by watching it,you can see why,as is the very funny episode with Big Money Grip.
This show didn't jump...just changed with time. The drop dead funniest scene is the scene between Woody & Esther where they are goingto be visited by a social worker because they are going to adopt Daniel. Woody gets drunk (when wasn't he in the show?) and the interchange between him and Esther is hilarious. Woody: "I know I should have called it: "Whiskey"...it's not called "Wicksey! " and the scene blossoms out from there.Too funny!
"Sanford and Son" is tied with "The Honeymooners" as the best sitcom ever. Lamont and Fred had great chemistry. Aunt Esther, Rollo, Grady, Donna, Woody and all the rest were terrific. Too bad they tried to short change Redd Foxx and have a contract dispute, but six years was a good run.
Sanford & Son I believe is one of the greatest comedy shows to ever grace television.It was bold and fresh,similar to "All In The Family",and broke all barriers.The first season was excellent,with the exception of Lamont being too snappy and mean to Fred (not that he could be blamed) which was rectified in the second season,with Lamont mellowing out a little bit,which made the situations somewhat funnier.All the characters were solidified in the second season, (Rollo,Grady,Esther,Bubba,Leroy,Skillet,Julio) erasing some of the characters that did not `click` such as Kelly,Goldstein and Aunt Hazel.The first season had many storylines taken from the UK version,"Steptoe & Son",which I think was done well and even better than the originals.The second season was the groundbraker for this show,going into the third season,which I think was the best of all.The fourth season was still great,but was winding down from the high of the third season.Grady (Whitman Mayo) was a great second with Fred being in St. Louis,and Whitman did a exceptional job being the lead.Whether Bubba (Don Bexley) would have been better will never be known,but it would have been great to see.But the fifth season.....a large ditch in the road.When Redd came back,the show just wasn`t the same.The fifth season brought on the following annoying things;The cheer from the audience for each time a character entered the room, WHICH IS UNBEARABLY ANNOYING,capped teeth for Fred and Lamont (junk dealers mind you) Lamonts expressionless acting,constantly putting down Esther in attempts to get a cheap laugh,and some very poor storylines (Steinberg and Son,Fred meets Redd,The Hawaiian Connection,just to name a few).It really was a shame to see these things bought on to this great show,not that they are to be blamed on Redd Foxx or Demond Wilson who were and are exceptional actors,but I assume they had to do with things going on behind the scenes.The sixth season saw more of this,I mean who ever heard of Watts having their businessman of the year being a junk dealer?How many times did you see people coming in the house to purchase something?These 2 seasons ruined the great run of the show,but it still was ahead of its time.I also think that this show was greater than the original UK version of "Steptoe & Son" and yes I have seen every episode of that too,and I can say that Sanford and Son was light years ahead of Steptoe,even though it too was hilarious.All in all a big thank-you to the cast and crew,you gave the world alot of laughs,but a big thank-you to Demond (a master) and Redd (Rest In Peace brother...) I WANT MY DADDY`S RECORDS!!!
Sandford & Son jumped when they added Fred's new girlfriend Donna to the cast. She really didn't add anything to the show and the episodes that focused on their relationship just weren't funny.