Amazon.com: Sanford and Son: The Complete Series (Slim Packaging): Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, Don Bexley, Whitman Mayo, Nathaniel Taylor: Movies & TV

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Sanford and Son: The Complete Second Season
Sanford and Son's second season began on September 15, 1972. The sitcom quickly vaulted to the No. 2 spot on the network ratings--right behind creators Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin's previous effort, All in the Family. The second season brought no changes to the show's basic format--comedian Redd Foxx remained the focus as cantankerous junkman Fred Sanford, with Demond Wilson as his son and perennial foil, Lamont. What the second season did bring was several new characters and some of the series' funniest episodes. The second season supporting cast was filled out by some of Foxx's fellow comics, including Leroy and Skillet ("A Visit from Lena Horne") and LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther, who became a recurring character after "The Big Party." Also joining was Don Bexley as Bubba ("By the Numbers"), Nathaniel Taylor as Rollo ("Have Gun, Will Sell"), and Barney Miller's Gregory Sierra as neighbor Julio ("The Puerto Ricans Are Coming!").
But Sanford and Son's strength remained in Foxx's sharp-tongued and often improvised performance, which was ably abetted by the scripts (a number of plotlines were taken directly from Steptoe and Son, the U.K. series that inspired Sanford). Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney penned two of the collection's most laugh-filled half-hours, "The Dowry" and "Sanford and Son and Sister Make Three," but every episode has its share of hilarity thanks to Foxx and his costars. Though only English and Spanish subtitles are offered as extras, series fans should be pleased with the set, especially as a reference for Fred's best zingers ("I'm gonna stick your face in a bowl full of dough and make gorilla cookies!"). --Paul Gaita

Sanford and Son: The Complete Third Season
Though conflict erupted between comic Redd Foxx and the producers of Sanford and Son during its third season, viewers are spared the backstage rancor and instead enjoy more hilarious episodes, fueled as always by Foxx's Emmy-nominated performance as cantankerous junkman Fred Sanford. Sanford and Son was a solid ratings hit as it entered its third season (ranked third among network shows) and Foxx had won a Golden Globe the previous year, but a contract dispute had driven a wedge between him and series producers Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear (who also ran the season's top-rated program, All in the Family). Negotiations would eventually break down, and Foxx would be absent from six episodes (Fred was said to be visiting relatives in St. Louis) and did not return to the show until season 4 was underway.
Foxx's departure allowed the spotlight to shine more brightly on co-star Demond Wilson (who would soon launch his own contract disputes, which prompted his leaving the series in 1976) as well as new cast member Whitman Mayo, who joined the show that season as Fred's pal Grady. While series aficionados are firmly divided over Grady, Mayo is quite funny, especially during the final six episodes (in particular "Will the Real Fred Sanford Please Stand Up?" and season closer "Hello Cousin Emma, Goodbye Cousin Emma"). Other standout episodes include "The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection" (in which Fred attempts to reclaim his donated record collection) and "Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle" (Fred defends Lamont in traffic court), which features Starsky and Hutch's Antonio Fargas. The third-season scripts, penned mostly by story editor Ilunga Adell (Moesha), remain sharp, as does the direction (the lion's share is handled by Peter Baldwin, though Bud Yorkin helms two episodes). Fans and first-timers alike will find plenty of laughs, which unfortunately lack any extras. --Paul Gaita

Sanford and Son: The Complete Fourth Season
Sanford and Son's fourth season (1974-1975) was the highest rated of its five years on network TV (the program reached no. 2 on the Nielsen charts); the program and star Redd Foxx both received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the season. Behind the scenes, however, the series was in turmoil due to Foxx's dissatisfaction with the tone and quality of the program, and he went missing from nine episodes, three of which kick off the first disc (Fred's absence is explained away as a trip to St. Louis).
But even without Foxx, Sanford and Son still managed to generate plenty of laughs, thanks in no small part to its hard-working supporting cast; Whitman Mayo's Grady, in particular, gets plenty of chances to shine, especially in "Grady and His Lady" and "The Family Man" (which served as the pilot for Mayo's own short-lived series). Pat Morita's Ah Chew makes his first appearance in "There'll Be Some Changes Made and Gregory Sierra as Julio makes his last in "The Stung"; guest stars include Billy Eckstine and Scatman Crothers. Sanford and Son's fourth season can be viewed as something of a swan song for the popular series; after a ratings dip and timeslot change in the fifth season, Foxx and Wilson would both depart the show by the sixth season, and the show was cancelled in 1977. --Paul Gaita

Sanford and Son: The Complete Fifth Season
Guest stars and more guest stars seem to be the theme of Sanford and Son's very funny fifth season (1975-1976). The 25 episodes feature a parade of celebrities supporting stars Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in guest and recurring roles, including John Larroquette and Robert Guillaume in Steinberg and Son, a TV sitcom based on Fred and Lamont's life; Marlene Clark as Lamont's girlfriend June; Nancy (The Beverly Hillbillies) as Officer Hoppy's overprotective mom; and George Foreman, Merv Griffin, Steve Lawrence, and Eydie Gorme as themselves. The other addition to the series comes with the introduction of the Sanford Arms, a apartment built on former neighbor Julio's place, and which comes complete with a host of eccentric guests (the hotel, along with Sanford stars LaWanda Page and Don Bexley, would be the focus of its own short-lived sitcom following Sanford and Son's cancellation in 1977).
Otherwise, it's business as usual at Fred and Lamont's junkyard, with the pair getting involved in bank robberies, earthquakes, and escort services, while still finding time to go camping (in the season finale, written by Garry Shandling). The sheer amount of laughs offered by season 5 was a strong reminder of why the show had remained so popular for four seasons; unfortunately, time slot changes and the disinterest of both leads would spell the show's demise only one season later. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

Sanford and Son
An early milestone in urban TV comedy, Sanford and Son was an immediate critical and audience favorite when it debuted in the early '70s, signaling the arrival of one of TV's most memorable characters: Cantankerous-but-lovable junk dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx). An African American answer to "Archie Bunker," widower Sanford and his "Dummy" son Lamont (Demond Wilson) run a family junk business in Watts, dreaming up schemes to strike it rich. Outspoken and outrageous, Sanford serves up big laughs as he skewers stereotypes, forever threatening, "How'd you like one across your lip?" Aided by a colorful cast that includes acid-tongued Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page), Sanford and Sons provided a showcase of black talent of all generations, featuring guest stars like Lena Horne and episodes written by Richard Pryor. Timely and topical during its highly-rated five-year run (1972-1977), Sanford and Son emerged as one of the decade's biggest TV hits, inspiring producer Norman Lear to develop more barrier-breaking shows like The Jeffersons and Good Times.

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88 of 91 people found the following review helpful

The Ultimate Big One November 30, 2008

By DEAN M. Dent

Even after over 35 years,Sanford & Son is still the funniest show ever.Based on the british sitcom,Steptoe and Son(featuring Wilford Brambell best known to Americans as Paul McCartney's grandfather in A Hard Days Night),a show about a cantankerous junk dealer and his long suffering son who was his business partner.Television producer Norman Lear who had a hit with All In The Family(Based on another British sitcom Til Death Us Do Part),bought the American rights to Steptoe then changed the format and lead characters to African American featuring bawdy comedian Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford and Demond Wilson as the son, Lamont.
Although the first season lacks such memorable characters such as Grady and Aunt Esther(who would make their debut in the following seasons),the chemestry between Foxx and Wilson is undeniable magic.The funniest episodes of the season(many were based on Steptoe episodes were We Were Robbed,Here Comes The Bride,There Goes The Bride and A Matter Of Life or Breathe (the scene with Fred entering the set with a surgical mask is priceless).
After the hilarious first season,the second season of Sanford and Son raised the bar considerably,and set the tone for the rest of the show.This season marks the apperence of the classic supporting cast,including Bubba(Don Bexley),Rollo Lawson(Nathanial Taylor),Julio Fuentes(Gregory Sierra)Officer Hopkins a/k/a "Hoppy(Howard Platt),and of course Fred Sanford's greatest nemesis,Aunt Esther(LaWanda Page).Unfortunately it would mark the end of Melvin(Slappy White),Officer Swanhauser a/k/a "Swanny"(Noam Pitlik),and Aunt Ethel(Beah Richards).
Classic Episodes includes By The Numbers,The Card Sharps,The Dowery/Sanford & Son & Daughter(both written by Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney),Blood is Thicker Than Junk,and of course Rated X.
Sanford & Son's third season not only debuted Grady Wilson(Whitman Mayo) but boasted many classic episodes including The Chameleon(Blind Mellow Jelly),Lamont, Is That You?(The Gay Blade),Introducing The Three Degrees,This Little TV Went to Market(Guy's Groovy Grabbag),Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle,and many others.Although brilliant, The Third season of S&S was marred by the abscence of Redd Foxx who walked out due to contract disputes.The show carried on for six episodes with Fred Sanford in St. Louis for a funeral as Grady (Whitman Mayo) looked after the place and took care of Fred's over 30 son/business partner Lamont (????).
In the beginning of the fourth,Fred was back(although some "Grady" episodes were aired later on),and for the first half of the season the show was back on track with classic episodes, The Surprise Party(Fred's hilarious return home), There'll Be Some Changes Made (Lamont's sensitivity group), The Stand-ins (featuring Scatman Crothers and Billy Eckstine) and The Masquerade Party (Fred's entrance in the gorilla suit is priceless).But by the latter half of the season, the show started to run out of fuel as the plots became more ludicrous, and the show became a former shell of itself.The fact that Foxx's new contract may have given him a huge ego as he had more creative control of the show (as well as Demond Wilson's own contract disputes and substance abuse problem).
By the time the fifth season of Sanford and Son came around,it was obvious that the show was on it's last leg. Despites some funny episodes (Earthquake II,Steinberg and Son,My Fair Esther, Sanford and Rising Son, The TV Addict and The Director featuring George Foreman) we get a ton of stinkers (Sergeant Gork, The Oddfather, Can You Chop This?, Greatest Show in Watts and A Pain in the Neck). The supporting cast becoming more prominant, as season five also introduces Janet,Lamont's new fiancee, Hutch and May Hopkins (Hoppy's Mother) , two resident of the new Sanford Arms. Even with the new recurring charaters,it's obvious Sanford and Son was getting tired.
By the time Sanford and Son returned for it's sixth season in 1976,not only has issue oriented sitcoms(All In The Family,Good Times) lost their foothold in the Nielsons and replaced by more family friendly shows (Happy Days,Laverne & Shirley,What's Happening!),but the show's quality had erode to the point that it's audience had tuned elsewhere. After four high rated seasons,S&S sucumb to poor writing, gratuitous guest stars(like celebraties would visit a junkyard), and cheap ratings catching gimmicks (the Hawaii episode and the Redd foxx lookalike contest).
At the end of the 6th season,the two stars quit,and the next season the show was retooled as The Sanford Arms featuring Teddy Wilson along with the supporting cast.The show only lasted few episodes before it was officially cancelled.In 1980,Sanford premiered sans Demond Wilson.Lacking the chemestry of the previous show,it was cancelled after a year a half later.
The first four seasons were undeniably the best.The show was plagued later by ego trips,salary disputes,and Foxx's walkout.Even after Foxx's return,weak writing and bufoonery lost veiwers.Even with it's erratic history,S&S first four seasons was the greatest African-American television comedy,if not overall

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59 of 64 people found the following review helpful

Fun series, oddly packaged, this is the one to buy December 28, 2008

By Twiddles42 VINE™ VOICE

For less than half the price of all 6 seasons bought separately, it was a no-brainer.

As Sony's TV show releases have been fairly consistent (mediocre digital remastering, shoving 9+ episodes onto each disc, et al), I'll avoid that.

Most fans who were holding out for inevitable price drops will not be disappointed at all.

Now, why is the price 1/3rd that of buying all the discs separately? They nixed a lot of original, higher quality packaging. Open up the box and all 17 discs are in a flimsy plastic caddy, secured with a nice piece of cardboard. Go out and buy some protective sleeves and nix the cheap plastic tray and you'll be set. That $3.97 won't hurt.

These are the same discs that are found in the $25 boxes with the proper plastic cases. No additional content has been made; just original cases and artwork thrown out. There are probably more reasons as to why the net cost is 1/3rd that of the 6 individual seasons, but the more the merrier.

If you already own the original 6 sets, don't feel bad - for the reasons I mentioned. But if you've been wanting, now's the chance to scoop up this set. If anything, more thoughtful packaging and adding $10 to the price would have been nice, but I'm not going to complain -- this is a great deal for a great show.

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56 of 69 people found the following review helpful

SHAME on you SONY DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! October 27, 2008

By Trewthe VINE™ VOICE

The 5 stars are for the show, which is one of my favorites, but 0 stars for the packaging.Cheap, cheap, cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Really expect more from a Sony purchase, i expect the quality that shows like Bewitched get!This packaging is a new one on me, they are all stacked on a spindle, like how cd-rs and dvds are sold in bulk.Maybe they think people want to make their own covers, or lift up the whole stack to get to one at the bottom each time , but not me, they can keep it, my set arrived and was shipped back the same day!The double slimline cases( that they should have used, and like they use for other series) cost me as a consumer about .20 cents each, i imagine buying them in bulk makes them cheaper for a company like Sony, so if they are in such a need for money, charge a couple bucks extra and do it RIGHT.

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