Series Description:

The Sanford And Son TV show was a 30 minute comedy series on NBC about a 65-year-old bigoted, stubborn, grumpy, afro-american man named Fred Sanford who, along with his 34-year-old son Lamont, ran a junk business in Los Angeles, California. Fred somehow managed to find ways to get Lamont to do most of the work on their junk business even though Lamont was really only there because he knew that dad needed him. Fred was also always coming up with some "get rich quick" scheme that would backfire and Lamont would have to help him out of the jam.

Sanford And Son Cast:

Sanford and Son Trivia:

Fred Sanford lived at 9114 S. Central Avenue in the Watts area of south Los Angeles, California.

Sanford and Son began as a mid-season replacement series. It replaced "The D.A. TV Show".

Norman Lear was the executive producer for Sanford and Son. Lear also produced several other series including "Hot L Baltimore", "All in the Family", "The Jeffersons", "Maude", "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", and "One Day at a Time". Lear flew more than 50 missions over Italy during World War II as a radio operator on a Boeing B17 Bomber! For that duty, Lear received the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters! His career in showbiz began as a TV writer on the "Ford Star Review" in 1951!

Fred Sanford's wife "Elizabeth" had been dead for some 20 years before the timeline of the series. Whenever someone would get down on Fred for some stupid thing he'd done, Fred would use the same ploy to try to get them to feel sorry for him and leave him alone. He'd fake a heart attack by grabbing his chest and looking up to the sky while saying, "I'm comin' 'Lizabeth".

While it typically appeared on Sanford and Son that Fred owned the junk business and Lamont only worked for him, they actually each owned half. Fred just treated Lamont like an employee instead of a partner. Occasionally, however, Lamont would "put his foot down" and insist that his dad do some work!

Redd Foxx wanted to quit the series in 1977 to move to ABC and star in a variety show so Sanford and Sons ended. Demond Wilson was to continue his role as Lamont Sanford but he pulled out of the deal when NBC offered him a salary that did not reflect what he felt he was worth as the character that would really be carrying the show! NBC had already considered developing a spin-off series titled, "The Sanford Arms" but that series was also expected to star Wilson. So NBC decided to end Sanford and Son and develop The Sanford Arms with several of the Sanford and Son's secondary characters in new starring roles. LaWanda Page stayed on as Aunt Esther as did Whitman Mayo as Grady Wilson but the winning rough chemistry between Fred and Lamont was missing and viewers left in droves! Eight episodes were produced but after only four had been broadcast when NBC pulled it off the air.

Redd Foxx began his career as a stand-up comedian. He specialized in humor that was considered too "dirty" for white audiences (my how things do change). At that time he performed mainly in clubs catering to black audiences. In the 1960s, Redd toned down the language and subject matter of his act a bit and adult white audiences became more tolerant. He appeared on numerous variety shows including Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" and "The Red Skelton Show". Due to those appearances, he became well known by audiences of all races and that led to the offer of his starring role on Sanford and Son.

In 1980, there was an attempt to bring back the series with a storyline as close as possible to that of the original Sanford and Son. This new second spin-off series was simply titled, "Sanford". Redd Foxx returned as Fred Sanford with an otherwise totally new cast. Lamont had gone off to work in Alaska on the oil pipeline and Fred got one of Lamont's friends to help him run the business (and presumably provide the old rough chemistry between Fred and his "son" from the original series). Fred also gained a love interest in the form of a rich widow whose relatives hated the idea of her dating a crotchity old junk man. That series actually lasted two seasons for 26 episodes.

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

The First Season

1. Crossed Swords (1/14/1972)
2. Happy Birthday, Pop (1/21/1972)
3. Here Comes The Bride, There Goes The Bride (1/28/1972)
4. The Copper Caper (2/4/1972)
5. A Matter Of Life And Breath (2/11/1972)
6. We Were Robbed (2/18/1972)
7. A Pad For Lamont (2/25/1972)
8. The Great Siege (3/3/1972)
9. Coffins For Sale (3/10/1972)
10. The Barracuda (3/17/1972)
11. TV Or Not TV (3/24/1972)
12. The Suitcase Case (3/31/1972)
13. The Return Of The Barracuda (4/7/1972)
14. The Piano Movers (4/14/1972)

The Second Season

15. By The Numbers (9/15/1972)
16. Whiplash (9/22/1972)
17. The Dowry (9/29/1972)
18. Jealousy (10/6/1972)
19. Tooth Or Consequences (10/13/1972)
20. The Card Sharps (10/27/1972)
21. Have Gun, Will Sell (11/3/1972)
22. The Puerto Ricans Are Coming! (11/10/1972)
23. The Shootout (11/17/1972)
24. Blood Is Thicker Than Junk (11/24/1972)
25. Sanford And Son And Sister Makes Three (12/1/1972)
26. A Guest In The Yard (12/8/1972)
27. Fred & Carol & Fred & Donna (12/15/1972)
28. The Light Housekeeper (12/22/1972)
29. The Big Party (1/5/1973)
30. A Visit From Lena Horne (1/12/1973)
31. Lamont Goes African (1/19/1973)
32. Watts Side Story (1/26/1973)
33. The Infernal Triangle (2/2/1973)
34. Pops 'N' Pals (2/9/1973)
35. Home Sweet Home For The Aged (2/16/1973)
36. Pot Luck (2/23/1973)
37. The Kid (3/9/1973)
38. Rated X (3/16/1973)

The Third Season

39. Lamont As Othello (9/14/1973)
40. Libra Rising All Over Lamont (9/21/1973)
41. Fred, The Reluctant Fingerman (9/28/1973)
42. Presenting The Three Degrees (10/5/1973)
43. The Little TV Show Went To Market (10/12/1973)
44. Lamont, Is That You? (10/19/1973)
45. Fuentes, Fuentes, Sanford And Son And Chico (10/26/1973)
46. Superflyer (11/2/1973)
47. The Members Of The Wedding (11/9/1973)
48. The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection (11/16/1973)
49. A House Is Not A Poolroom (11/23/1973)
50. Gordy, The Star Boarder (11/30/1973)
51. Wine, Women And Aunt Esther (12/14/1973)
52. Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe (1/4/1974)
53. Fred, Legal Eagle (1/11/1974)
54. This Land Is Whose Land? (1/18/1974)
55. Fred's Cheating Heart (2/1/1974)
56. The Party Crasher (2/8/1974)
57. Lamont Goes Karate (2/15/1974)
58. Will The Real Fred Sandford Please Do Something? (2/22/1974)
59. Tyranny, Thy Name Is Grady (3/1/1974)
60. Aunt Esther And Uncle Woodrow, Pffttt... (3/8/1974)
61. The Way To Lamont's Heart (3/15/1974)
62. Hello, Cousin Emma... Goodbye, Cousin Emma (3/29/1974)

The Fourth Season

63. The Surprise Party (9/13/1974)
64. Matchmaker, Matchmaker (9/20/1974)
65. Ol' Brown Eyes (9/27/1974)
66. Grady And His Lady (10/4/1974)
67. There'll Be Some Changes Made (10/11/1974)
68. Going Out Of Business (10/18/1974)
69. Home Sweet Home (10/25/1974)
70. My Kingdom For A Horse (11/1/1974)
71. Sanford And Niece (11/8/1974)
72. Julio And Sister And Nephew (11/15/1974)
73. Fred's Treasure Garden (11/29/1974)
74. Tower Power (12/6/1974)
75. A Little Extra Security (12/13/1974)
76. The Merger (12/20/1974)
77. Once A Thief (12/20/1974)
78. The Stand-In (1/17/1975)
79. Strange Bedfellows (1/24/1975)
80. The Masquerade Party (1/31/1975)
81. Golden Boy (2/7/1975)
82. My Brother-In-Law's Keeper (2/14/1975)
83. The Headache (2/21/1975)
84. The Stung (2/28/1975)
85. The Older Woman (3/7/1975)
86. The Over-The-Hill Gag (3/14/1975)
87. The Family Man (4/25/1975)

The Fifth Season

88. Earthquake II (9/12/1975)
89. Divorce, Sanford And Son Style (9/19/1975)
90. Bank On This (9/26/1975)
91. The Sanford Arms (10/3/1975)
92. Steinberg And Son (10/10/1975)
93. Brother, Can You Spare An Act? (10/17/1975)
94. Della, Della, Della (10/31/1975)
95. Donna Pops The Question (11/7/1975)
96. My Fair Esther (11/14/1975)
97. Sanford And Rising Son (11/21/1975)
98. The Olympics (12/5/1975)
99. Ebenezer Sanford (12/12/1975)
100. The Oddfather (1/2/1976)
101. Can You Chop This? (1/9/1976)
102. Greatest Show In Watts (1/16/1976)
103. Fred Has A Baby (1/23/1976)
104. The TV Show Addict (1/30/1976)
105. Lamont In Love (2/6/1976)
106. The Escorts (2/13/1976)
107. The Engagement Man Always Rings Twice (2/20/1976)
108. The Director (2/27/1976)
109. A Pain In The Neck (3/5/1976)
110. Sergeant Gork (3/12/1976)
111. Camping Trip (3/19/1976)

The Sixth Season

112. The Hawaiian Connection - Part 1 (9/24/1976)
113. The Hawaiian Connection - Part 2 (10/1/1976)
114. California Crude (10/8/1976)
115. The Stakeout (10/15/1976)
116. I Dream Of Choo Choo Rabinowitz (10/22/1976)
117. The Winning Ticket (11/5/1976)
118. Committee Man (11/12/1976)
119. Fred's Extra Joke (11/19/1976)
120. Carol (11/26/1976)
121. Aunt Esther Has A Baby (12/3/1976)
122. Here Today, Gone Today (12/7/1976)
123. Aunt Esther Meets Her Son (12/10/1976)
124. Sanford And Gong (12/17/1976)
125. Fred Meets Redd (1/14/1977)
126. Chinese Torture (1/21/1977)
127. A Matter Of Silence (1/28/1977)
128. When John Comes Marching Home (2/4/1977)
129. The Reverend Sanford (2/11/1977)
130. The Will (2/18/1977)
131. Fred The Activist (2/25/1977)
132. The Lucky Streak (3/4/1977)
133. Funny, You Don't Look It (3/11/1977)
134. Fred Sings The Blues (3/18/1977)
135. School Daze (3/25/1977)