Sanford and Son ran for six seasons on NBC between 1972 and 1977. The hit sitcom followed the daily lives of Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) and his son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), who ran a junk business out of their home in Los Angeles. It was initially based on a popular British series called Steptoe and Son, but as the show went on, several people were enlisted to come up with new story ideas, and some of those people were either pretty well-known at the time or on their way to becoming known. Here are a few that you might not have been aware of.
BOB CARROLL JR. AND MADELYN Pugh DAVIS
For those who don’t immediately recognize the names, Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis were a prolific writing duo best known for penning every single episode of I Love Lucy. The two also served as writers on Lucille Ball’s later sitcoms, including The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy. They contributed just one story to Sanford and Son, which was for Season 5’s “The Olympics.” In the episode, Fred tries to win back his girlfriend, Donna, by competing against her new boyfriend in the Senior Olympics.
GARRY SHANDLING
As a teenager, Garry Shandling showed some jokes that he’d written to George Carlin, who encouraged him to keep writing. He stuck with it, and in 1975, he sold his first script, which was used for the Season 5 Sanford and Son episode “Sanford and Rising Son.” Shandling wrote two more episodes for the show that season: “The Director” and “The Camping Trip.” His fourth and final script was for the Season 6 episode “Committee Man,” in which Fred is appointed to the Watts Community Relations Committee.
RICHARD PRYOR AND PAUL MOONEY
Before Demond Wilson was cast as Lamont, Richard Pryor was considered for the role. Though Pryor obviously didn’t get the part, he did end up writing two episodes from Season 2 with his longtime friend and collaborator Paul Mooney. In “The Dowry,” Fred tries to set Lamont up with his cousin’s stepdaughter to get his hands on her money. Then, in “Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three,” Lamont falls in love with a woman who might be his sister. Mooney also wrote the Season 3 episode “Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle” without Pryor.
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