Fred G. Sanford
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| Fred G. Sanford | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Crossed Swords" |
| Last appearance | "To Keep a Thief" |
| Cause/reason | End of the series |
| Created by | Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, based on Albert Steoptoe created by Galton and Simpson |
| Portrayed by | Redd Foxx |
| Episode count | 134 (Sanford and Son) 26 (Sanford) 1 (Grady) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 65 (in 1972) |
| Date of birth | 1908 |
| Date of death | Unknown (still alive as of 1980) |
| Occupation | Junk/antiques dealer |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Winfield Sanford (deceased) (1917-1970) |
| Children | Lamont Sanford (son) |
| Relatives | Esther Winfield Anderson (sister-in-law) Essie Winfield (mother in-law) Elroy Winfield (father in-law) Leotus Sanford (uncle; deceased) |
- For other people named Fred Sanford, see Fred Sanford (disambiguation)
Fred G. Sanford was the name of 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, 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.
Fred was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1908; he, his wife, Elizabeth Winfield, and their young son, Lamont (Demond Wilson) later moved to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1933 or 1951 (although the years may cause a continuity error). 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. Fred is portrayed as irritable and wants everything his way or else. He is known for grouchy disposition, his insults, and his innumerable money-making schemes. 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 schemes, 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).
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. 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 (or five) across yo' lips?". 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. 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'm havin' my first one, pop! 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 (the only one who actually approved the marriage was Elizabeth and Aunt Esther's mother, Essie, and their father, Elroy, did not approve the marriage.), 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 (For instance, in a now famous line from the show, 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.
Fred was also extremely bigoted. He often insults his Puerto Rican neighbor Julio in various ways, including deprecating his culture and making fun of his Spanish accent. He also insults Lamont's Asian friend, Ah Chu, calling him "Choo Choo" and threatening to "widen your eyes out" when Ah Chu attempted to hug him. His ignorance of other cultures causes him a severe embarrassment when a Japanese family, interested in buying Fred's land, invites him and Lamont to dinner. Fred isn't familiar with Japanese food, of course, but likes what he thinks are grapes. The grown daughter sees him eating them and smiles "Oh, Mister Sanford! I am so happy! You like the fish eyes!" 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). Curiously enough, one of Fred's 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 (in an ironic note, during a later episode Fred attempts to trace his family tree and is mistakenly led to believe he has Jewish ancestry).
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 Horne 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--Terrifc 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. 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.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Fred Sings the Blues Episode Number: 135
[edit] Facts about Fred
- His favorite song was If I Didn't Care by The Ink Spots.
- His favorite drink was Ripple. Fred would often combine Ripple with other drinks, for example, Beaujolais + Ripple = "Beaujolipple" or Cream soda + Ripple = "Cripple" or Champagne + Ripple = "Champipple."
- His favorite food was Menudo.
- The character's hair and beard were fake.
- His fiance is Donna Harris.
- Other friends include Melvin, played by Slappy White, Kelly, Goldstein, Leroy, Mr Bant, and Skillet.
- Fred often claimed tales of great heroics during battle in World War I or II (depending on who he was talking to); the only one who disbelieved him was Lamont, who pointed out that he was 11 when WWI took place, and in WWII, he never got past KP duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
