Sanford and Son: The First & Second Seasons (1971-3)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Based on The BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son
Starring Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, Whitman Mayo, and LaWanda Page

Released by: Columbia/Tri-Star
Rating: NR (suitable for the whole family)
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent 'em, but be ready to buy if a special edition comes out

Fred Sanford (Foxx) and his son, Lamont (Wilson), run a salvage yard in south central Los Angeles. Lamont is always looking for that big find that is going to give him the ability to get out of this job with his father and make a better life for himself, but his dad just keeps doing everything he can to make sure that Lamont stays with him...including foiling his plans, laying him down with guilt trips, or getting his friends Grady (Mayo) and Aunt Esther (Page) involved in his schemes.

This is one of those rarities in American television history. It was written and acted by some very talented people, but most importantly, it really is an incredible snapshot of American life during the early 1970s. It is one of the first sitcoms on television that focused on the daily lives of African-American characters. However, by today's standards, the politically correct crowd would probably frown upon some of the derogatory language that was used and would no doubt say that the characters on this show were more caricature than character, but they can not discount the fact that it was a start in the right direction.

Foxx and Wilson had a wonderful chemistry on screen and I think it was this that made the show such a huge success. It was that and the fact that pretty much anyone from our generation and earlier always know what "I'm coming, Elizabeth! This is the Big One!" means, and who "The Big Dummy" was on the show. These are catch phrases embedded in our collective pop culture psyche. One other thing I noticed from watching these episodes is that the writing feels more like a short play than it does a teleplay, and the actors seem to handle it as such.

It's just a shame that these DVD sets really go no further at adding some bonus material to show how popular and important this show really was. Granted, Foxx and Mayo are no longer with us, but it sure would have been nice to have an interview segment with some of those cast and crew who are still around. Perhaps some kind of featurette hosted by a television historian or something would have been nice. The long and the short of it is that this show deserved a better DVD treatment than it got. It also might have been nice to hear how this show spurred Norman Lear to move on to The Jeffersons and Good Times. Alas, we get nothing with these sets, and it's just a shame.

If you are a huge fan of the show, you will definitely want to pick it up. Everyone else will want to rent them for a weekend and then buy them when the special collector's edition becomes available. Because you know it's coming.