Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Michelle Ridley
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
dizexpat
Do yourself a favor and skip the last two seasons of "Sanford and Son" in which the scripts look like they were written by ten-year-olds.But prior to that it was one of the greatest shows of the 70s. Redd Foxx steals the show and Demond Wilson plays the necessary but thankless role of straight man.
There are fewer topical jokes than in "All in the Family" which means it ages better. Some Norman Lear shows play like Tonight Show monologues. Funny at one time but obscure to future audiences.
"Sanford and Son" had an appeal that transcended race. It connected with everyone and was one of the highest rated shows of its time.
It began with just two people but added more characters little by little. Bubba, Aunt Esther, Donna, Grady, Julio, Smitty and Hoppy. If Fred's fake heart attacks were the best running gag, Julio's pet goat Chico was probably the second best.
But those last two seasons--Wow! Are they bad!
mrb1980
I've never been able to understand why people loved 1970s sitcoms. They were laughably predictable, unfunny, and had the same scripts every week. I've coined the term "1970s Sitcom Disease", which had the following symptoms: 1. Predictable characters; 2. Screaming laugh track for unfunny lines; 3. Same script every week; 4. Running gags; 5. Lowest-common-denominator productions.Jack Soo made bad coffee in "Barney Miller"; Redd Foxx grabbed his chest for a feigned heart attack at least once a week in "Sanford and Son"; John Ritter fell down repeatedly in "Three's Company"; Carroll O'Connor flushed his toilet on "All in the Family" every week; and so on and so on. Lots of people apparently thought this stuff was funny, because these gags were written into every episode, often multiple times. Each tired gag was always followed by a thunderous peal of fake laughter."Sanford and Son" was pretty much the same every time. Junk dealer Redd Foxx would do something stupid every week to place himself and his level-headed son Demond Wilson in trouble; there were lots of cheap laughs as Foxx flailed around in his predicament; then Foxx would outwit some dumb (usually white) bureaucrat or bad guy and win the day. The story was always the same.If you think watching Redd Foxx clutching his chest with one hand and waving his other hand around is high comedy, this is your show. Watch this stuff if you like, I have better things to do. And that includes just about anything.
Zaptharo
Growing up in the 1980s and early 1990s, I had no intentions to think of any show before that era. It's not that I didn't like them, I just felt that the shows I grew up on were the best. A couple of years ago I grew weary of the state of television and decided to find something that would satisfy my taste buds. When I found Sanford & Son being aired on TV Land, I was surprised. I never knew beforehand that so many good sitcoms came out of the 1970s, and this is no exception.Originally based off of "Steptoe & Son", Sanford & Son revolves around a junk dealer and his son living in a neighborhood in Watts, Los Angeles. Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) is a sarcastic and stubborn person who's plans usually backfire, causing trouble. His son Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson) usually has to complete tasks and order his own father to complete jobs. It was very amusing to see the two argue against each other and have to become loyal in order for things to come back to normal.But there are a couple other interesting characters in the series worth mentioning. Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page), who is sister of Fred Sanford's late wife Elizabeth, is a Baptist who just can't seem to handle Fred too well. In most cases they spew insults to each other such as "Gorilla Face" and "Fish-Eyed Fool", and what makes this funny is that it never gets old. I always found myself laughing whenever Fred gave Aunt Esther a dirty joke. Grady Wilson (Whitman Mayo), who is Fred's closest friend, usually acts as his "sidekick" and is involved in get rich schemes. Unfortunately, Redd Foxx left the show for some episodes (due to a feud with the producers) and thus Grady had to fill in, in order to watch the junk yard business. Many characters appear in the show, and not one of them is really that boring to watch.I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the classic sitcoms, well before Cable TV and Reality TV started getting out of hand. I consider the 1970s to be the "Golden Age of Sitcoms," because that was when barriers were broken and actors displayed their best talents to make themselves stand out. All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Happy Days, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Three's Company, Different Strokes, Taxi, and numerous others. Sanford & Son puts most of the 1990s and 2000s sitcoms to shame. It was a stroke of genius, and Redd Foxx was a one of a kind individual. No one beforehand thought a stand up comic would be good in his own show. But he did it, in a big way. It's still a hit among old and young generations alike, and if Sanford & Son still lives on even after over 35 years, then you know that it's a classic. Like Archie Bunker, Fred Sanford is a unique person.So don't waste your time watching the Disney Channel or anything that comes out of Reality TV. Sanford & Son is a timeless sitcom that will keep you laughing. Highly recommended.9 out of 10.
Syl
Redd Foxx made a lasting impression and impact on audiences in America when they took a British comedy, Steptoe & Son, which was more darker and depressing than Sanford and Son. They brought to America with Redd Foxx as the father Fred Sanford and his son, Demond Wilson, playing Lamont. Fred always cries that he's going to reunite with his wife, Elizabeth in heaven. Fred's sister-in-law Esther is played by the wonderful and hysterical LaWanda Page. I loved the interaction between Fred and Esther. It was a love and hate relationship on both ends of the spectrum. They would trade insults as champion boxers threw out punches. They were hysterical and unforgettable on screen.
