Sanford and Son first aired in January of 1972 on NBC as a mid-season replacement. The series was the second series created by the All in the Family creator, Norman Lear and it was based on the British sitcom, Steptoe and Son. Sanford and Son was the first sitcom that Lear created that had a cast composed mostly of African Americans. Lear would follow it up in 1974 with Good Times and The Jeffersons in 1975.
Sanford and Son was also the only Lear sitcom that didn’t air on CBS. Sanford and Son starred stand-up comedian, Redd Foxx as 65-year old junk collector, Fred Sanford. Fred ran his junk collection business from his home located in Los Angeles. His home was run-down but it was comfortable enough for him and his son, Lamont, with whom he lived with and who was a partner in the business. Lamont was dissatisfied with the business and would threaten to leave but Fred would fake a heart attack and yell “I’m coming, Elizabeth.” Elizabeth had been Fred’s wife who had preceded him in death. Other members of the cast and recurring characters included, Aunt Esther Anderson, Elizabeth’s “ugly” Bible-toting sister who was married to wino Woody Anderson. Donna Harris, was Fred’s steady girlfriend who worked as a nurse. Grady Wilson, Melvin and Bubba Bexley were good friends of Fred’s while Rollo Lawson, Ah Chew and Julio Fuentes were friends of Lamont’s. Officer Smith “Smitty”, Officer Hopkins “Hoppy” and Officer Swanhauser “Swanny” were police officers who were seen occasionally. At the end of the 3rd season and the beginning of the 4th season, nine episodes (production numbers 0320-0325 and 0401-0403) were filmed without Redd Foxx who underwent contract negotiations that led to a hiatus. It was explained that Fred was in St. Louis visiting family and Grady Wilson moved in temporarily to watch over Lamont. During the first couple of seasons of Sanford and Son, episodes of Steptoe and Son were re-done and are marked with a note in the episode guide.
Spin-offs: Grady, The Sanford Arms and Sanford NBC Broadcast History January 1972-April 1976—-Fridays—-8:00 p.m. April-August 1976—-Wednesdays—-9:00 p.m. September 1976-September 1977—-Fridays—-8:00 p.m. Nielsen Ratings: (Top 30 or Better) #6 in the 1971-1972 Season #2 in the 1972-1973 Season #3 in the 1973-1974 Season #2 in the 1974-1975 Season #7 in the 1975-1976 Season #27 in the 1976-1977 Season First Telecast: January 14, 1972 Last Telecast: September 2, 1977 Episodes: 136 Color Episodes Theme Song: “The Streetbeater” Written by: Quincy Jones Performed by: Quincy Jones (Instrumental)
