Sanford and Son: The First Season

After the success of All in the Family, the creative team of Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin struck gold twice with this 1972-1977 sitcom starring the Golden Globe-winning Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford, and Demond Wilson as his son Lamont, a father/son duo who lived in, owned, and operated a South Central L.A. junkyard. Chronicling the antics of crotchety, cheeky Fred and his know-it-all son Lamont, many of the opening season's 14 episodes either center around Lamont's foolproof profitable schemes ("The Copper Caper," "Crossed Swords," "Coffins For Sale" and "The Piano Movers"), or busted love ("Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride," "The Barracuda" and "A Pad for Lamont"). Fans will enjoy re-living the show's standard, repetitive gags (Fred's rummaging through a mass of eyeglasses, his cries that he's "comin' to join" his late wife Elizabeth, and his routine threat of delivering "one across your lips." Although Lamont's constant berating of his father ("Happy Birthday, Pop" is one of the most rude examples) is sometimes a little trying, Sanford and Son, based on the British comedy series Steptoe and Son, remains a charmer, thanks to its endearing star, comic Redd Foxx. Recommended. (J. Williams)