I could not disagree with Mr. Dent's review of Sanford & Son 4th Season more! In fact, the show just keeps getting better! The strong supporting cast including Julio, Officer Hopkins & Smith (Hoppy & Smitty), Ugly Aunt Esther, and Grady are seen much more often and help make the show even more hysterical!
Whitman Mayo (Grady) single-handedly saved the show in 1974 near the end of Season #3, when Redd Foxx left the show temporarily due to contract disputes. In one episode, Lamont tries to learn karate to defend himself over a bully who bloodied his nose after an argument over a woman. In another epsiode, a woman shows up thinking Grady was Fred, and claimed that Fred once asked her to marry her! The episode in which Grady's free-loading cousin shows up is one for the ages, and try not to bust your gut laughing when Grady is confronted by the Social Security Administration after accidently receiving two checks in one month and spending them both! Whitman Mayo's acting was first-rate, and with the help of the great S&S supporting cast, not only kept the show alive, but gave us probably eight of the greatest episodes of the entire series!
Redd Foxx finally did return to the show in the 4th season, and was better than ever! His hilarious behavior when Lamont brought a relaxation therapy group to his house for a weekly meeting, to when he built a memorial tower in honor of himself (put together from the junk in his yard) was all you would expect from Fred Sanford and more. When Grady shows up one evening and announces he's engaged, Fred pulls one of the best classics of the show to disrupt Grady's nuptial plans. Fred invites the two of them over for dinner, and when the woman arrives first, Fred deliberately spills a drink into her lap, forcing her to go up and change into Lamont's robe while her dress is soaking in the bathtub. While she's upstairs, Fred quickly changes into his robe just as Grady arrives. Well, you can imagine what Grady thought when he saw Fred and his bride-to-be alone both wearing robes!
Later on, when their neighbor Julio moves away, Fred & Lamont purchase his property and open up a rooming house--the Sanford Arms. Although Julio (Gregory Sierra) is sorely missed, the new tenants at the Sanford Arms (especially Hoppy's Mother) bring new and added pleasure to the show. Also, Fred's younger sister marries and Fred gets a new brother-in-law, except he has one problem--he's WHITE (Yes, Fred has the heart attack to end all heart attacks). Also, when Aunt Esther and Uncle Woody decide to adopt a child, Woody intoxicates himself the morning the adoption agency representative shows up to assess their home environment. Well, guess who ends up pretending to be Aunt Esther's husband--you guessed it, Fred!
This show did not coast to closing down in 1977, but actually would have probably flown strong for three or four more seasons had Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson not quit the show due to contract disputes.
Although Sanford & Son was filmed 30 years ago, and granted it's not for everybody, it was, and still is, one of the best and most popular sit-com classics from the 20th century. Although styles have changed somewhat, many of the jokes, themes, and humor this superb cast gave to us is still very relevant today. Prejudice, financial struggle, human stubborness, resentment between in-laws, and men's desire for lust are challenges we continue to face in our society.
Sanford & Son is one for the Ages!
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From the manufacturer
Sanford and Son
Junk dealer Fred Sanford runs roughshod over his son and partner, Lamont, in a groundbreaking sitcom. Fred's moneymaking schemes routinely backfire, and he does just about anything to get out of working -- up to and including faking a heart attack. He's rude, sarcastic, outspoken, overtly prejudiced, and pretty darn nasty to his friends and family.
Sanford and Sons Cast Members
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Fred Sanford |
Grady |
Aunt Esther |
