Sanford (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Sanford is an American situation comedy
, which was the revival
of the 1972–1977 sitcom
Sanford and Son
.
, Redd Foxx
decided to leave the NBC
show to star in a variety show
for ABC
. His new show, The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, was cancelled after four months. Foxx returned to NBC two years later in an effort to revive the character of Fred Sanford. By the 1979–1980 season, NBC had fallen to third place in the Nielsen ratings
(out of only three networks at the time) and had no programs ranked in the top 10. Because of this, the network
was also eager to revive its most successful show of the 1970s.
. Demond Wilson
refused to reprise his role as Fred's son, Lamont. His absence was explained by having Lamont away working on the Alaska Pipeline. Fred's new business partner
in the junkyard was Cal (Dennis Burkley
), an obese white Southerner
with a generally positive attitude
. Cal had worked with Lamont on the pipeline and Lamont sent him to visit his father. Cal moves into Lamont's old room. Rollo Larson (Nathaniel Taylor), a recurring character
on the previous series, was now working for Fred as a delivery man (The events of the series The Sanford Arms
-- wherein Fred and Lamont had moved to Arizona after selling the property to Fred's Army buddy Phil Wheeler—were ignored).
Fred meets a customer who is an upper class
widow named Evelyn. The two begin dating much to the dismay of Evelyn's snobbish brother Winston, and sharp-tongued maid
Clara who see Fred as low-class. Her daughter Cissy was more accepting of Fred. Later in the season, Aunt Esther's college student son Cliff (Clinton Derricks-Carroll
) moves in with Fred and Cal and starts dating Cissy. (In the original series Cliff's name was Daniel.) Officers Smitty and Hoppy (Hal Williams
and Howard Platt
), recurring characters from the original series, appeared in two episodes. Sammy Davis Jr. appeared as himself in two episodes: first in an uncredited cameo appearance
(for which he also directed the episode) and then in the season finale
in which Fred persuades Davis to perform for Evelyn's charity
.
The show was highly promoted by NBC and the premiere episode garnered decent ratings, however the ratings fell steadily as the season progressed. The show wound up ranking outside the top 30 of the Nielsen ratings for the 1979-1980 season, whereas Sanford and Son consistently ranked in the top 10 except in its final season (By that time, the original series had dropped to #27). Sanford was then put on hiatus to be retooled.
), appeared in the two-part season premiere (along with another episode later in the season). It was explained that her husband Woodrow has died and she was moving in to prevent Fred from being a bad influence on Cliff. While Derricks-Carroll was now featured in the opening credits, he only appeared in a few episodes of the season. This season now focused more on the relationship between Fred and Cal. Evelyn was now reduced to a recurring character and eventually disappeared by the end of the season. The characters of Rollo, Winston, Cissy and Clara were dropped with no explanation. Grady (Whitman Mayo
), another popular recurring character from the original series, appeared in two episodes as a special guest star. Officers Smitty and Hoppy also reappeared several times.
The retooled Sanford performed very poorly in the ratings and was quickly canceled. NBC pulled the series after four episodes and aired the remaining episodes in the summer.
package with Sanford and Son. However, rerun
s aired on BET
throughout the 1990s. The show returned to BET in March 2008. To celebrate the return, an all day marathon of all 26 episodes occurred on March 8, 2008 to celebrate Daylight Savings Time as 'San-forward'.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, which was the revival
Revival (television)
A television revival is an attempt to revive a defunct series by producing new episodes created for broadcast. Network executives may decide to attempt to revive a television program when they feel that a market once again exists for it....
of the 1972–1977 sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
.
Background
In 1977, after six seasons of Sanford and SonSanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
, Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
decided to leave the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show to star in a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. His new show, The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, was cancelled after four months. Foxx returned to NBC two years later in an effort to revive the character of Fred Sanford. By the 1979–1980 season, NBC had fallen to third place in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
(out of only three networks at the time) and had no programs ranked in the top 10. Because of this, the network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
was also eager to revive its most successful show of the 1970s.
The first season
Sanford premiered in March 1980 as a midseason replacementMidseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
. Demond Wilson
Demond Wilson
Grady Demond Wilson is an American actor, author, and pastor. He is best known for his role opposite Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford's long-suffering son, Lamont Sanford, in the 1970s’ NBC-TV sitcom Sanford and Son....
refused to reprise his role as Fred's son, Lamont. His absence was explained by having Lamont away working on the Alaska Pipeline. Fred's new business partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
in the junkyard was Cal (Dennis Burkley
Dennis Burkley
Dennis Henry Burkley is an American character actor from Texas who has appeared in numerous films and television series since the 1970s.-Early life:...
), an obese white Southerner
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
with a generally positive attitude
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
. Cal had worked with Lamont on the pipeline and Lamont sent him to visit his father. Cal moves into Lamont's old room. Rollo Larson (Nathaniel Taylor), a recurring character
Recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
on the previous series, was now working for Fred as a delivery man (The events of the series The Sanford Arms
The Sanford Arms
The Sanford Arms is an American sitcom that aired from September to October 1977 on NBC. The series is an attempted continuation of the sitcom Sanford and Son.After six seasons, Redd Foxx left Sanford and Son to star in a variety show for ABC...
-- wherein Fred and Lamont had moved to Arizona after selling the property to Fred's Army buddy Phil Wheeler—were ignored).
Fred meets a customer who is an upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
widow named Evelyn. The two begin dating much to the dismay of Evelyn's snobbish brother Winston, and sharp-tongued maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
Clara who see Fred as low-class. Her daughter Cissy was more accepting of Fred. Later in the season, Aunt Esther's college student son Cliff (Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Clinton Derricks-Carroll is an American actor and musician. He is the twin brother of Cleavant Derricks, who is also an actor....
) moves in with Fred and Cal and starts dating Cissy. (In the original series Cliff's name was Daniel.) Officers Smitty and Hoppy (Hal Williams
Hal Williams
Harold "Hal" Williams is an American actor, best known for his recurring role as the black cop Officer Smith on Sanford and Son, and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs's character, on 227....
and Howard Platt
Howard Platt
Howard Platt is an American stage and television actor, singer and director, best known for his role as "Officer Hopkins", or"Hoppy" in the hit NBC-TV comedy series Sanford and Son from 1973-1977...
), recurring characters from the original series, appeared in two episodes. Sammy Davis Jr. appeared as himself in two episodes: first in an uncredited cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
(for which he also directed the episode) and then in the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
in which Fred persuades Davis to perform for Evelyn's charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
The show was highly promoted by NBC and the premiere episode garnered decent ratings, however the ratings fell steadily as the season progressed. The show wound up ranking outside the top 30 of the Nielsen ratings for the 1979-1980 season, whereas Sanford and Son consistently ranked in the top 10 except in its final season (By that time, the original series had dropped to #27). Sanford was then put on hiatus to be retooled.
The second season
The show returned in January 1981 again as a mid-season replacement. The show was moved from Saturdays to Fridays. The original series of the 1970s dominated on Friday night for several seasons. Aunt Esther (LaWanda PageLaWanda Page
LaWanda Page , born Alberta Peal, was an American actress and comedienne best known for her portrayal of Aunt Esther in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
), appeared in the two-part season premiere (along with another episode later in the season). It was explained that her husband Woodrow has died and she was moving in to prevent Fred from being a bad influence on Cliff. While Derricks-Carroll was now featured in the opening credits, he only appeared in a few episodes of the season. This season now focused more on the relationship between Fred and Cal. Evelyn was now reduced to a recurring character and eventually disappeared by the end of the season. The characters of Rollo, Winston, Cissy and Clara were dropped with no explanation. Grady (Whitman Mayo
Whitman Mayo
Whitman B. Mayo was an American actor best known for his character Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son....
), another popular recurring character from the original series, appeared in two episodes as a special guest star. Officers Smitty and Hoppy also reappeared several times.
The retooled Sanford performed very poorly in the ratings and was quickly canceled. NBC pulled the series after four episodes and aired the remaining episodes in the summer.
Cast
- Redd FoxxRedd FoxxJohn Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
- Fred Sanford - Dennis BurkleyDennis BurkleyDennis Henry Burkley is an American character actor from Texas who has appeared in numerous films and television series since the 1970s.-Early life:...
- Cal Pettie - Nathaniel Taylor - Rollo Lawson (Season 1)
- LaWanda PageLaWanda PageLaWanda Page , born Alberta Peal, was an American actress and comedienne best known for her portrayal of Aunt Esther in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
- Esther Anderson (12 episodes stretching through both seasons) - Margueritte Ray - Evelyn Lewis (Season 1, recurring in Season 2)
- Cathy Cooper - Clara (Season 1)
- Suzanne Stone - Cissy Lewis (Season 1)
- Clinton Derricks-CarrollClinton Derricks-CarrollClinton Derricks-Carroll is an American actor and musician. He is the twin brother of Cleavant Derricks, who is also an actor....
- Clifford Anderson (recurring in Season 1, listed in opening credits in Season 2) - Percy Rodrigues - Winston (Season 1)
Syndication
Sanford has not been included in the syndicationTelevision syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
package with Sanford and Son. However, rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
s aired on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
throughout the 1990s. The show returned to BET in March 2008. To celebrate the return, an all day marathon of all 26 episodes occurred on March 8, 2008 to celebrate Daylight Savings Time as 'San-forward'.