Sanford and Son ran from January 14, 1972 until March 25, 1977. The show was in the same time slot as the Brady Bunch and its high ratings forced the cancellation of the Brady Bunch. It was the lead in for NBC's friday lineup which included Chico and the Man, Rockford Files, and Police Woman.
The episode that I watched " My Brother in Law's Keeper."
Fred's younger sister is coming to visit him with her new husband. Fred assumes her husband is black and finds out he's white and a gambler. Fred thinks Rodney is the cab driver and is shocked when he finds outs.This looked at interracial marriage from a different perspective.This is a common throughout the show, with his disdain for Latinos and Asians as well.
Rodney leaves the house and goes to the racetrack and his wife looks for him. The horse he mentions wins and Fred is upset he didnt take the money and place the bet.The episode did not have the usual things one would assume with Sanford and Son. Fred did not have the crazy scheme to to make money which makes matters worse. Nor, an appearance from the uber religious Aunt Esther who consantly bickered with Fred.
This episode had officers Smitty and Hoppy appearing, with Hoppy explaining the police jargon and standard english to Fred and Lamont in Jive/ebonics.The episode did not have the fake heart attack or the "you big dummy" remark that belittles Lamont.
The 1970's was a period where the images of racism, the civil rights movement and the deaths of MLK, Kennedy were fresh in the conciousness of America.The show had numerous stereotypes about blacks being lazy and always trying to come up with an easy way to make money. Fred did very little actual work around the junkyard. Blacks did not understand jargon and standard English and needed an interpreter. Aunt Esther was a loud and bossy black woman who dominated her emasculated husband Woody who constantly drank. Grady who was often an accomplish in many of the schemes that Fred concoted. Fred was racially insensitive to other ethnic groups.
The images of blacks on television were basically roles of servants, and you rarely saw any faces of color. Think about some of the shows, Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Brady Bunch are just a few. How many faces of color do you remember seeing on those of any other shows. Norman Lear sitcms tended to discuss social and political issues of the period. Archie Bunker, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time are some of Lear's other shows.
My question to you is do you think Sanford Son touched on the social and political issues of the era through humor and stereotyping or simply a comedy ?
Once you look past the stereotypes and comedy, and notice the social issues of the period. Sanford and Son was a ground breaking show. This is my view of Sandford and Son, what is yours
7 comments:
Great analogy... this show has so many stereotypes associated with blacks that it's saddening to watch. It was so popular, that is one of the sad parts. It feeds into the stereotype that all black men do is lay around the house, gamble, drink, belittle one another, etc and the role of women is always loud and ugly.. Yet we were the ones supporting the shows!
Sanford and Son was I agree a ground breaking show, but to what extinct do you think they were taking it to get there message across? The show seemed to step on a lot toes, it showed the struggle and turned into a comedy but how revitting of a show would it have been without the blinders?
I definitely remember this show! The think that always irritated me about it is the fact that they lived like people who live in a junkyard. There was no woman around so these are two men who live on there own. What this is insinuating to outsiders looking in is that black men do not know how to take care of themselves without the black woman being their to aid them and be their "clean-up" woman so to speak. What about the men who take care of them children single handedly and have clear space! It's a bad depiction....very bad!
I definitely remember this show! The think that always irritated me about it is the fact that they lived like people who live in a junkyard. There was no woman around so these are two men who live on there own. What this is insinuating to outsiders looking in is that black men do not know how to take care of themselves without the black woman being their to aid them and be their "clean-up" woman so to speak. What about the men who take care of them children single handedly and have clear space! It's a bad depiction....very bad!
Sanford and Son used to be one of my favorite shows when I was younger. I appreciated the show then because of Redd Foxx's comical genius. But now, I see that this show was very stereotypical. Can you imagine what the show would have been like if Fred Sanford was a company CEO?..
The show was the ranked consitently in the top 5 in the Nielsen ratings. The show ended when Redd Foxx and NBC had a dispute over money. Some of the elemnts was the father/son relationship which was advesarial but a lot times they really loved each other. Fred who hated other minorities but would yet do an act of kindness for someone. He disdained his Puerto Rican neighbors, but went to the school to complain about not enough programs for Latino children. He tutored the kid in English. When you looked beyond the humor and stereotyping. The message was definitely lost in all the comedy and stereotyping.
This show did place blacks on the map but in what way. The show touched on relate able topics very mildly. It was more entertainment based. Non the less its popularity was not a question. Although it didn't show blacks in the most positive light, I bet blacks were the main viewers. Surprisingly we support the stereotypical shows but be the main ones complaining about them.
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