Fred Sanford
Encyclopedia
Fred G. Sanford is a fictional character
portrayed by actor/comedian Redd Foxx
on the 1972-1977 NBC
sitcom Sanford and Son
.
Foxx, whose real name was John Elroy Sanford, modeled the character after his real-life brother, whose name was also Fred Sanford. The character Fred is an elderly, widowed, sarcastic, and cantankerous junk dealer. He is the proprietor of "Sanford and Son", a junk and antique dealership which he ran out of his home, along with his son Lamont. Foxx appeared in all the episodes of the series, with the exception of 9 (because Foxx had a contract dispute with NBC in 1974).
In 1999 TV Guide
ranked him number 36 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.
on January 21, 1908. In 1946, he, his wife Elizabeth Winfield and their son Lamont (Demond Wilson
) moved to the Watts
neighborhood of Los Angeles
. Fred was left with the responsibility of rearing Lamont alone after his wife suddenly died. Lamont dropped out of high school, subsequently joining his father in the junk business. Lamont, as he was known, was actually his middle name. Fred and Elizabeth could never decide on a first name.
Fred is portrayed as being irritable and wanting everything done his way. He is known for grouchy disposition, his bad cooking, and his innumerable delusions of grandeur
. He is bow-legged and walks with an affected stagger, presumably brought on by arthritis
. Fred never gives much credit to his son Lamont, believing him to be gullible and unintelligent. He most often refers to Lamont as a "big dummy". Unhappy about his calling as a junk man, Lamont accepts his plight more for the love of his father than the junk business itself. Fred often involves himself in various get-rich-quick scheme
s, and as such, Lamont has to keep constant watch over his father. When Lamont would express an interest in having a life for himself, Fred would try to convince him of the importance of running the family business (which he referred to as "the empire") after he is gone. Fred often feigned illness in attempt to guilt his son into staying home and taking care of him whenever Lamont had plans to go out. Similarly, Fred often ruined Lamont's efforts to have a quiet romantic night at home with a lady companion (at one point, Fred repeatedly interrupted Lamont's amorous efforts so often that the young lady ended up sneaking away while Fred and Lamont argued loudly in the kitchen).
. The secret drawer would open after a series of knocks on the dresser and sometimes accompanied by foot stamps on the floor.
In what would become the character's best known trademark, when something would alarm him, or when things didn't go the way he wanted them to, Fred would inevitably have a simulated heart attack, accentuated by clutching his chest and crying out to his late wife: "Oh, this is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth?! I'm coming to join you, honey!" (When Lena Horne
guested on the program, and Lamont saw her, he reacted the same way--"I think I'm havin' one, pop! My first one and it's a big one...you hear that, mom? Your little boy's comin' to join ya...with a moustache!")
Fred often clashed with Elizabeth's older sister, Lamont's aunt Esther Anderson (LaWanda Page
). Aunt Esther and her family had opposed Fred's marrying Elizabeth from the very beginning, and Fred and Esther continue their mutual animosity unabated, despite the best efforts of Lamont. Fred makes a habit of teasing Esther because he thinks she is unattractive (Fred once told Esther, "I could stick your face in some dough and make some gorilla cookies!"). For her own part, Esther took no sass from Fred, often referring to him as a "heathen", "sucka" and "fish-eyed fool", and she often tried to use her Bible to change Fred's ways (both figuratively and literally; Esther both quoted from the Bible and also often tried to whack Fred with the heavy purse that she carried it in). Much of the show's comedy came from the interplay between opinionated Fred and his strong-willed sister-in-law.
d and bigoted
. He often insults his Puerto Rican
neighbor Julio in various ways, including deprecating his culture and making fun of his accent. He also insults Lamont's Asian friend, Ah Chu, calling him "Choo Choo" and threatening to "Really close your eyes for ya" when Ah Chu attempted to hug him. He states at one point that "ain't nothin' on earth uglier than a 90-year-old white woman." His ignorance towards other cultures causes him a severe embarrassment when a Japanese
family, interested in buying Fred's land, invites him and Lamont to dinner. The grown daughter sees him eating what he mistakenly thinks are grapes, and smiles "Oh, Mr. Sanford! I am so happy! You like the fish
eye
s!" Perhaps the biggest affront to Fred's sensibilities came when he discovered his beloved younger sister—whom he had raised himself after their parents died—had married a white man (who was also extremely fond of hugging, further earning him Fred's ire). Despite this, one of Fred's closest friends during the series was a Jewish man named Goldstein; at one point, Fred dons a yarmulke in order to go over to Goldstein's house and eat chicken soup. During a later episode, Fred attempts to trace his family tree and is mistakenly led to believe he has Jewish ancestry.
and Della Reese
. Fred wasted no opportunities to flirt with attractive women regardless of location or situation, such as nurses (at the clinic where he got screened for tuberculosis
, Fred remarked that a nurse had "TB--Terrific Body"; similarly, when an attractive nurse came into his hospital room offering a back rub to calm him down, Fred immediately began primping once she left the room), stewardesses (a running gag in the episode where Fred takes his first plane trip involved his constant leering at the attractive stewardess whenever she walked away), and receptionists (when the receptionist at the dental clinic said "I just need to have you answer a few questions," Fred came back with "And may I ask you one or two questions as well.") Lamont once remarked to Fred "You're just a dirty old man!"; Fred immediately replied, "And I'm gonna be one until I'm a dead old man."
Fred is also very untrusting of Lamont's friend Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor) often referring to him as a convict
because of his style. Fred has two best friends, Grady Wilson
(Whitman Mayo
) and Bubba Bexley (Don Bexley
). Even though Fred thinks the two are dim-witted, he knows that they are more than reliable and can always lend him a helping hand.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
portrayed by actor/comedian 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:...
on the 1972-1977 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...
sitcom 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....
.
Foxx, whose real name was John Elroy Sanford, modeled the character after his real-life brother, whose name was also Fred Sanford. The character Fred is an elderly, widowed, sarcastic, and cantankerous junk dealer. He is the proprietor of "Sanford and Son", a junk and antique dealership which he ran out of his home, along with his son Lamont. Foxx appeared in all the episodes of the series, with the exception of 9 (because Foxx had a contract dispute with NBC in 1974).
In 1999 TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked him number 36 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.
Background
Fred G. Sanford was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
on January 21, 1908. In 1946, he, his wife Elizabeth Winfield and their son Lamont (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....
) moved to the Watts
Watts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...
neighborhood of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Fred was left with the responsibility of rearing Lamont alone after his wife suddenly died. Lamont dropped out of high school, subsequently joining his father in the junk business. Lamont, as he was known, was actually his middle name. Fred and Elizabeth could never decide on a first name.
Fred is portrayed as being irritable and wanting everything done his way. He is known for grouchy disposition, his bad cooking, and his innumerable delusions of grandeur
Delusions of Grandeur
Delusions of Grandeur is an album by Fleming and John that was released in 1995.-Track listing:# "I'm Not Afraid" — 3:13# "Break The Circles" — 3:01# "Delusions Of Grandeur" — 3:45# "Love Songs" — 4:33# "Letters In My Head" — 3:56...
. He is bow-legged and walks with an affected stagger, presumably brought on by arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. Fred never gives much credit to his son Lamont, believing him to be gullible and unintelligent. He most often refers to Lamont as a "big dummy". Unhappy about his calling as a junk man, Lamont accepts his plight more for the love of his father than the junk business itself. Fred often involves himself in various get-rich-quick scheme
Get-rich-quick scheme
A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to acquire high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 1900s....
s, and as such, Lamont has to keep constant watch over his father. When Lamont would express an interest in having a life for himself, Fred would try to convince him of the importance of running the family business (which he referred to as "the empire") after he is gone. Fred often feigned illness in attempt to guilt his son into staying home and taking care of him whenever Lamont had plans to go out. Similarly, Fred often ruined Lamont's efforts to have a quiet romantic night at home with a lady companion (at one point, Fred repeatedly interrupted Lamont's amorous efforts so often that the young lady ended up sneaking away while Fred and Lamont argued loudly in the kitchen).
Reactions
When asked over the phone for his name, he frequently responds, "Fred Sanford. S-A-N-F-O-R-D period," or, "Fred G. Sanford. The 'G' is for...", with "G" standing for a word applicable to the situation. Some instances have included "gonna cry", "genius", "gee", "grandpa", and "gompergoo". It is never revealed what the "G" actually stands for in his name. Another trademark involves Fred becoming riled by somebody, assuming a fight stance, and wildly swinging his fists in multiple directions; often he would pose the question, "How would you like one across yo' lip?" or, with fist raised, "How would you like one of these where you sneeze?". He also frequently attempts to avoid any kind of labor, especially when asked by Lamont, by referring to his arthritis (which he pronounced "arthur-itis") while holding up a deliberately gnarled fist. Another recurring joke is his poor vision; whenever he gets ready to make a phone call, he opens a drawer under the phone and pulls out several pairs of glasses (to help him see the phone dial) and tries each one on. The pair he picks usually doesn't improve his vision, anyway. He also often kept valuables or stashes of cash in a secret drawer in that same chest of drawersChest of drawers
A chest of drawers, also called a dresser or a bureau, is a piece of furniture that has multiple parallel, horizontal drawers stacked one above another...
. The secret drawer would open after a series of knocks on the dresser and sometimes accompanied by foot stamps on the floor.
In what would become the character's best known trademark, when something would alarm him, or when things didn't go the way he wanted them to, Fred would inevitably have a simulated heart attack, accentuated by clutching his chest and crying out to his late wife: "Oh, this is the big one! You hear that, Elizabeth?! I'm coming to join you, honey!" (When Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
guested on the program, and Lamont saw her, he reacted the same way--"I think I'm havin' one, pop! My first one and it's a big one...you hear that, mom? Your little boy's comin' to join ya...with a moustache!")
Fred often clashed with Elizabeth's older sister, Lamont's aunt Esther Anderson (LaWanda Page
LaWanda 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:...
). Aunt Esther and her family had opposed Fred's marrying Elizabeth from the very beginning, and Fred and Esther continue their mutual animosity unabated, despite the best efforts of Lamont. Fred makes a habit of teasing Esther because he thinks she is unattractive (Fred once told Esther, "I could stick your face in some dough and make some gorilla cookies!"). For her own part, Esther took no sass from Fred, often referring to him as a "heathen", "sucka" and "fish-eyed fool", and she often tried to use her Bible to change Fred's ways (both figuratively and literally; Esther both quoted from the Bible and also often tried to whack Fred with the heavy purse that she carried it in). Much of the show's comedy came from the interplay between opinionated Fred and his strong-willed sister-in-law.
Racism
Throughout the series' run, Fred was also portrayed as being extremely prejudicePrejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
d and bigoted
Bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
. He often insults his Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
neighbor Julio in various ways, including deprecating his culture and making fun of his accent. He also insults Lamont's Asian friend, Ah Chu, calling him "Choo Choo" and threatening to "Really close your eyes for ya" when Ah Chu attempted to hug him. He states at one point that "ain't nothin' on earth uglier than a 90-year-old white woman." His ignorance towards other cultures causes him a severe embarrassment when a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
family, interested in buying Fred's land, invites him and Lamont to dinner. The grown daughter sees him eating what he mistakenly thinks are grapes, and smiles "Oh, Mr. Sanford! I am so happy! You like the fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
s!" Perhaps the biggest affront to Fred's sensibilities came when he discovered his beloved younger sister—whom he had raised himself after their parents died—had married a white man (who was also extremely fond of hugging, further earning him Fred's ire). Despite this, one of Fred's closest friends during the series was a Jewish man named Goldstein; at one point, Fred dons a yarmulke in order to go over to Goldstein's house and eat chicken soup. During a later episode, Fred attempts to trace his family tree and is mistakenly led to believe he has Jewish ancestry.
Relationships with women
Fred was depicted as having an eye for the ladies. In addition to his longtime girlfriend Donna, Fred attempted to hook up with topless waitress "Fast" Fanny, a traveling saleswoman named Carol, and even celebrities such as Lena HorneLena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
and Della Reese
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
. Fred wasted no opportunities to flirt with attractive women regardless of location or situation, such as nurses (at the clinic where he got screened for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, Fred remarked that a nurse had "TB--Terrific Body"; similarly, when an attractive nurse came into his hospital room offering a back rub to calm him down, Fred immediately began primping once she left the room), stewardesses (a running gag in the episode where Fred takes his first plane trip involved his constant leering at the attractive stewardess whenever she walked away), and receptionists (when the receptionist at the dental clinic said "I just need to have you answer a few questions," Fred came back with "And may I ask you one or two questions as well.") Lamont once remarked to Fred "You're just a dirty old man!"; Fred immediately replied, "And I'm gonna be one until I'm a dead old man."
Fred is also very untrusting of Lamont's friend Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor) often referring to him as a convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
because of his style. Fred has two best friends, Grady Wilson
Grady Wilson
----Grady Wilson is the name of a fictional recurring character on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son played by the late Whitman Mayo. The character's name first appeared in the 1972 episode "The Dowry;" however, in this episode he was played by Albert Reed, Jr. and he was Fred's cousin...
(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....
) and Bubba Bexley (Don Bexley
Don Bexley
Donald Thomas Bexley was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Fred Sanford 's friend Bubba Bexley on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son. He was a standup comedian on the Chitlin' Circuit as a solo act and as part of comedy teams, during which time he became acquainted...
). Even though Fred thinks the two are dim-witted, he knows that they are more than reliable and can always lend him a helping hand.