Lamont and Crystal - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AtlantaBravesFan29 · 12-11-2002, 12:23 PM

Can somebody explain to me why Lamont was going to get married to Crystal in the 3rd episode of Sanford and Son,yet in the first 2 episodes,there is no engagement ring on Lamont's finger or any mention of Crystal or an upcoming wedding!!! EXPLAIN????

TVFactFan · 12-11-2002, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BravesFan712002
Can somebody explain to me why Lamont was going to get married to Crystal in the 3rd episode of Sanford and Son,yet in the first 2 episodes,there is no engagement ring on Lamont's finger or any mention of Crystal or an upcoming wedding!!! EXPLAIN????

I know that was kind of strange how the producers did not lead up to the wedding. That's the first time I ever saw that on a sitcom where you look at the following episode and there is a wedding without the two characters going steady and being engaged.

W.J. Griffin · 12-16-2002, 12:37 AM

Things you have to remember about "Sanford and Son's" first season: All the episodes were adapted from the FIFTH season of "Steptoe and Son", where there probably was some mention of a fiance in previous episodes. Besides, a previous backstory would've detracted from the real situation...the Sanford's crazy-ass relatives, all in the same room...and brought the comedy to a screeching halt.

Another thing to consider is that S&S, like most tv sitcoms, treat continuity in a very cavalier manner, so that in one episode Lamont's middle name is "Grady", and later on in the series it's revealed that "Lamont" was supposed to be the middle name...Fred just didn't think up a first one!

jbento · 12-18-2002, 11:14 AM

I have been wondering the same thing.

Thanks for the explanation W.J. Griffin

W.J. Griffin · 12-18-2002, 11:03 PM

You're welcome. jbento. A lot of my info is gleaned from the most recent editions of "Total Television" and "The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present". The first book is by Alex McNeil and the second book is by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh. Another good resource is Rick Mintz's "The Great TV Sitcom Book", although some of its information is a little suspect, and Mr. Mintz only highlights shows that only HE likes (so shows like "That's My Mama" and "What's Happening" get short-shrifted.)

The "Steptoe & Son" info can be found by going to their website (the link to which escapes me at the moment) and reading the episode synopses, which is how I determined which episodes were adapted by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin for "Sanford and Son's" first season (plus, for astute viewers, you can see the episode titles they adapted from in the opening credits.)

Something else you might find interesting about all this is that producer James Komack also used "Steptoe and Son" as the basis for his show..."Chico and the Man", and that both S&S and CATM aired back-to-back on Friday nights for years, one of the few times that two different shows adapted from the same source material have done that ("Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley", both more or less cribbed from George Lucas's "American Grafitti" are the other examples {though in fact the "Happy Days" pilot came first}, and one could make the same argument about "Married: with Children" and "The Simpsons" being essentially the same show, but I digress...)

jbento · 12-19-2002, 12:09 AM

Man, that is good information

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

W.J. Griffin · 12-19-2002, 02:02 AM

You're welcome, again!!

For those of you curious about "Sanford and Son's" inspiration, I've found a couple of sites you can visit that will tell you all you need to know about "Steptoe and Son": www.phill.co.uk/comedy/steptoe/list.html will give you the history of this popular Britcom, and http://home.achilles.net/~howardm/st...steptoe2.shtml will give you the actual episode synopsis so you can compare them to our S&S shows.

Have fun!

12-11-2002, 12:23 PM	#1
AtlantaBravesFan29 Atlanta Braves Fan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 13, 2002 Location: Pleasanton,TX--40 Miles South Of San Antonio Posts: 1,859	Lamont and Crystal Can somebody explain to me why Lamont was going to get married to Crystal in the 3rd episode of Sanford and Son,yet in the first 2 episodes,there is no engagement ring on Lamont's finger or any mention of Crystal or an upcoming wedding!!! EXPLAIN????

12-16-2002, 12:37 AM	#3
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	Things you have to remember about "Sanford and Son's" first season: All the episodes were adapted from the FIFTH season of "Steptoe and Son", where there probably was some mention of a fiance in previous episodes. Besides, a previous backstory would've detracted from the real situation...the Sanford's crazy-ass relatives, all in the same room...and brought the comedy to a screeching halt. Another thing to consider is that S&S, like most tv sitcoms, treat continuity in a very cavalier manner, so that in one episode Lamont's middle name is "Grady", and later on in the series it's revealed that "Lamont" was supposed to be the middle name...Fred just didn't think up a first one!
	Last edited by W.J. Griffin; 12-18-2002 at 02:34 AM.

12-18-2002, 11:14 AM	#4
jbento Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 02, 2002 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 33	Wondering I have been wondering the same thing. Thanks for the explanation W.J. Griffin

12-19-2002, 12:09 AM	#6
jbento Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 02, 2002 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 33	Good Info Man, that is good information Thank you so much!!!!!!!

12-19-2002, 02:02 AM	#7
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	You're welcome, again!! For those of you curious about "Sanford and Son's" inspiration, I've found a couple of sites you can visit that will tell you all you need to know about "Steptoe and Son": www.phill.co.uk/comedy/steptoe/list.html will give you the history of this popular Britcom, and http://home.achilles.net/~howardm/st...steptoe2.shtml will give you the actual episode synopsis so you can compare them to our S&S shows. Have fun!
	Last edited by W.J. Griffin; 12-19-2002 at 02:04 AM.

12-18-2002, 11:03 PM	#5
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	You're welcome. jbento. A lot of my info is gleaned from the most recent editions of "Total Television" and "The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present". The first book is by Alex McNeil and the second book is by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh. Another good resource is Rick Mintz's "The Great TV Sitcom Book", although some of its information is a little suspect, and Mr. Mintz only highlights shows that only HE likes (so shows like "That's My Mama" and "What's Happening" get short-shrifted.) The "Steptoe & Son" info can be found by going to their website (the link to which escapes me at the moment) and reading the episode synopses, which is how I determined which episodes were adapted by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin for "Sanford and Son's" first season (plus, for astute viewers, you can see the episode titles they adapted from in the opening credits.) Something else you might find interesting about all this is that producer James Komack also used "Steptoe and Son" as the basis for his show..."Chico and the Man", and that both S&S and CATM aired back-to-back on Friday nights for years, one of the few times that two different shows adapted from the same source material have done that ("Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley", both more or less cribbed from George Lucas's "American Grafitti" are the other examples {though in fact the "Happy Days" pilot came first}, and one could make the same argument about "Married: with Children" and "The Simpsons" being essentially the same show, but I digress...)