Sanford (TV series)
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| Sanford | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Starring | Redd Foxx Dennis Burkley Nathaniel Taylor Percy Rodriguez Clinton Derricks-Carroll LaWanda Page |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | March 15, 1980 – July 10, 1981 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Sanford was the 1980 revival of the 1970s sitcom Sanford & Son.
In 1977, after six seasons of Sanford & 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 just four months. Perhaps regretting this decision, 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. So the network was also eager to revive its most successful show of the 1970s.
Contents |
[edit] The first season
Sanford premiered in March 1980 as a midseason replacement. Demond Wilson refused to reprise his role as Fred's son, Lamont. His absence was explained by having Lamont away working on the Alaskan Pipeline. Fred's new business partner in the junkyard was Cal, an obese White Southerner with a generally positive attitude. Cal had worked with Lamont on the pipeline and Lamont sent him to help his father. Cal moves into Lamont's old room. Rollo Larson, a recurring character on the previous series, was now working for Fred as a delivery man.
Fred meets a customer who is a wealthy widow named Evelyn. The two begin dating much to the dismay of Evelyn's upper class family who see Fred as low-class. Fred's conflicts with Evelyn's snobbish brother Winston, daughter Cissy and sharp-tongued maid Clara provided much of the humor of the first season. Although Fred and Cal were complete opposites, his conflicts with Cal were rarely the focus of the episodes. Later in the season, Aunt Esther's college student son Cliff (in the original series his name was Daniel) moves in with Fred and Cal. Officers Smitty and Hoppy (Hal Williams and Howard Platt), recurring characters from the original series, appeared in one episode. Sammy Davis Jr. appeared as himself in two episodes: first in an uncredited cameo appearance 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 good ratings. But the ratings fell tremendously as the season progressed and did not rank in the top 30 of the Nielsen ratings for the 1979-1980 season. Whereas the original series consistently ranked in the top 10 except in its final season. Sanford was put on hiatus to be retooled.
[edit] The second and final season
The show returned in January 1981 again as a midseason replacement. Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page), arguably the most popular recurring character of the original series, joined the cast. It was explained that her husband Woodrow has died and she was moving in to prevent Fred from being a bad influence on Cliff. The episodes now focused more on the relationship between Fred and Cal. Fred and Esther's verbal sparring provided additional humor. Evelyn was now reduced to a recurring character. The characters of Winston, Cissy and Clara were dropped. Grady (Whitman Mayo) another popular recurring character from the original series, appeared in two episodes. Officers Smitty and Hoppy also reappeared.
Despite this, the retooled Sanford performed very poorly in the ratings and was quickly cancelled. The remaining episodes aired in the summer.
[edit] Cast
- Redd Foxx - Fred Sanford
- Dennis Burkley - Cal Pettie
- Nathaniel Taylor - Rollo Andrews
- LaWanda Page - Esther Anderson
- Margueritte Ray - Evelyn Lewis
[edit] Reruns
Sanford has not been included in the syndication package with Sanford & Son. But reruns aired on BET in the mid-1990s. The show has not been widely rerun since.
