There are many factors that make a show popular. For Norman Lear’s Sanford and Son, Redd Foxx used a word that many people don’t think of when it comes to production success: honesty.
Redd Foxx plays Fred Sanford, a dramatic father who owns a junkyard business with his son Lamont. His favorite saying is, “I’ll come see you, Elizabeth,” referring to his deceased wife. That’s how he doesn’t take responsibility for his actions or face the consequences, so he acts like he’s in pain.
Money was limited and father and son did what they could to make a living. Of course, they get into crazy situations, and to make it the plot of many successful episodes, they have to be portrayed realistically.
How can Sanford and Son do that? It starts with honesty between the show’s stars and the writers, and it’s the key needed to open that door.
“We sat around the table and I told them — and Demond Wilson did the same thing — that this is fundamentally a black show reflecting black experiences,” Foxx said in an interview. black and to make it exist, we have to make it come true.” with the Los Angeles Times in 1973.
What does the actor mean by keeping it real? He is referring to language, form and plot. All three needed to feel like it could happen to minorities in real life, how they would react and what they would say. What if the audience misunderstands something? Well, Redd Foxx has faith in the power of humor.
“I strongly believe in the power of humor. The film is light-hearted, does not bring any lessons but can open people’s minds enough for them to see how stupid all kinds of prejudice can be. how stupid. Sanford has his own sorrows, his own prejudices, and while they laugh at them, the followers will receive a message.”
Sanford and Son’s audiences received those messages for six seasons as Fred and Lamont relied on each other to solve their problems and create a better life.
