Customer Reviews

Sanford and Son - Seasons 1-6 Pack (Amazon.com Exclusive)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even after nearly 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

MMMMMM. that's right: Sanford And Son the complete TV series is out on DVD. I am having a blast watching one of my all time favorite show. next to The Jeffersons, which I also own on DVD, 1.2. 3. seasons, Sanford And Son- THE COMPLETE TV SERIES is enough to keep any one laughing for a life time. buy the complete series, or you will get 6 big ones across the lips. ps I now own the complete 6th and final season of Sanford And Son. Thank you amazon.

The quotes from this 5-star series are endless. The title of this review is a lonely sample of the hilarious zingers that Fred (Redd Foxx) would make in reference to Aunt ("watch it sucker!") Esther.

Laughs abound in these wonderfully crafted episodes that covered all issues from family values to cultural difference and made great fun of every subject.

Sanford and Son was way ahead of its time for a 1972 debut. Creator Norman Lear (The Jeffersons, Good Times and more) had a great formula with All In The Family, and he applied it perfectly to Sanford and Son.

If you're unfamiliar with this sitcom, bottom line is that Fred runs a junkyard with his son, Lamont, and Fred's wife passed away leaving the two men to also run the household. But who could possibly not have at least seen a rerun of this classic show with its memorable theme tune?

This collection is as ageless as it is priceless. Some of the season 3 and season 4 episodes are without Redd Foxx due to contract issues, and that was a shame and absolutely effected the genius of the show. Thank goodness it was only a total of 8 or 9 episodes.

And, speaking of price, at the time of this writing it seems a bit cheaper if you buy all 6 DVD seasons separately instead of the 6-season box set that Amazon is offering.

Either way, hit the add to cart button. This is the big one! I'm comin', Elizabeth!

5 Star show. I watch this show while performing my 2 hour workout everyday, and the 2 hours flies by. The famous Fred "G" Sanford and his big dummy son is a great combination. It is too bad that the IRS seized all Red Foxx's assets. He is one of the funniest people I have ever watched on TV, ended up buying all the series. This show changed TV for years to come. Even 35-40 years later, this show is still one of the best.

Everything is great about this collection! We have the VHS collection and now DVD. My only complaint is after each episode (on DVD) you have to hit enter to play the next one. There is no "play all" option. Other than this, every season is great!

I have always been a Sanford and Son fan so this just gives me the opportunity to look at one of my favorite family sitcoms at my leisure. Me and my six year old daughter loves the whole series and I am really glad I purchased them. Now a days you can't really find family shows anymore that has safe funny comedy that your children can watch but these videos definitely different.

Any true Redd Foxx fan would appreciate having all the episodes to pick and pop in at any time. This is a treasured asset to our DVD collection.