Episode Data

Sanford and Son

update

Season 1

• _{Friday, January 14th, 1972}

  1: Crossed Swords

  When Lamont and Fred put a porcelain figure up for auction, their shill bidding attempts backfire on them.

• _{Friday, January 21st, 1972}

  2: Happy Birthday, Pop

  Lamont takes Fred out on the town to celebrate his father's birthday but only ends up being embarrassed.

• _{Friday, January 28th, 1972}

  3: Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride

  When Lamont is jilted at the altar by his bride-to-be, his relatives try to recover their wedding gifts.

• _{Friday, February 4th, 1972}

  4: The Copper Caper

  Fred and Lamont fall victim to a copper scam.

• _{Friday, February 11th, 1972}

  5: A Matter of Life and Breath

  Lamont forces Fred to quit smoking and visit the doctor, but Fred becomes convinced he has tuberculosis.

• _{Friday, February 18th, 1972}

  6: We Were Robbed

  After knocking over Lamont's glass figurine collection, Fred pretends the house was robbed and is treated as a hero.

• _{Friday, February 25th, 1972}

  7: A Pad for Lamont

  Frustrated with the lack of privacy at home, Lamont moves into his own apartment.

• _{Friday, March 3rd, 1972}

  8: The Great Sanford Siege

  After Fred ignores all the household bills, debt collectors descend on the house from every direction.

• _{Friday, March 10th, 1972}

  9: Coffins for Sale

  After Lamont buys two coffins at auction, a superstitious Fred refuses to sleep in the house.

• _{Friday, March 17th, 1972}

  10: The Barracuda

  Lamont is determined to break up Fred's plans to marry Donna.

• _{Friday, March 24th, 1972}

  11: TV or Not TV

  Fred fakes amnesia to get Lamont to buy him a color television.

• _{Friday, March 31st, 1972}

  12: The Suitcase Case

  Fred and Lamont find a large sum of money in an old suitcase but are soon visited by a gunman intent on taking the treasure.

• _{Friday, April 7th, 1972}

  13: The Return of the Barracuda

  With Fred and Donna once again planning marriage, Lamont cooks up a scheme to drive them apart.

• _{Friday, April 14th, 1972}

  14: The Piano Movers

  Fred and Lamont try to move a piano from the apartment of an eccentric man.

Season 2

• _{Friday, September 15th, 1972}

  1: By the Numbers

  Fred wins $500 playing his lucky number but soon finds Aunt Ethel and Bubba inconveniently needing cash.

• _{Friday, September 22nd, 1972}

  2: Whiplash

  After getting in an accident with the truck, Fred feigns a whiplash injury to collect damages.

• _{Friday, September 29th, 1972}

  3: The Dowry

  When Fred finds out that his cousin's plump stepdaughter will inherit $10,000 when she marries, he tries to make Lamont the lucky groom.

• _{Friday, October 6th, 1972}

  4: Jealousy

  Fred fumes with jealousy over Donna's patient, a pompous but sick man who makes Fred feel inferior.

• _{Friday, October 13th, 1972}

  5: Tooth or Consequences

  Fred's toothache leads him to the dental clinic, where he insists on a white dentist but soon ends up with his foot in his mouth.

• _{Friday, October 27th, 1972}

  6: Card Sharps

  After Lamont loses his shirt to some crooked poker players, Fred saves the day by turning the tables on them.

• _{Friday, November 3rd, 1972}

  7: Have Gun, Will Sell

  When Fred, Lamont and Rollo try to sell a gun at a pawn shop, they are mistaken for stickup bandits.

• _{Friday, November 10th, 1972}

  8: The Puerto Ricans Are Coming!

  Upset about his new Puerto Rican neighbor, Fred hatches a plan to have the city condemn Julio's property.

• _{Friday, November 17th, 1972}

  9: The Shootout

  After Fred accidentally fires an antique rifle, he and Lamont become convinced that the bullet has killed their neighbor Goldstein.

• _{Friday, November 24th, 1972}

  10: Blood Is Thicker Than Junk

  A fed-up Lamont quits the business and takes a job with a competitor while Fred tries to replace his son.

• _{Friday, December 1st, 1972}

  11: Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three

  An old flame stops by and tells Fred that he is her daughter's real father, but Lamont has already taken the girl out for a date, unaware that she may be his sister.

• _{Friday, December 8th, 1972}

  12: A Guest in the Yard

  Fred and Lamont find a homeless man sleeping in a bathtub in their junkyard.

• _{Friday, December 15th, 1972}

  13: Fred & Carol & Fred & Donna

  Fred must scramble to keep two dates entertained, much to the delight of a scheming Lamont.

• _{Friday, December 22nd, 1972}

  14: The Light Housekeeper

  Lamont and Fred hire a maid who'd rather relax than work.

• _{Friday, January 5th, 1973}

  15: The Big Party

  After Fred begins throwing parties for which he charges admission, two hoods show up wanting a part of the action.

• _{Friday, January 12th, 1973}

  16: A Visit from Lena Horne

  After meeting Lena Horne, Fred tries to trick her into visiting him at his home.

• _{Friday, January 19th, 1973}

  17: Lamont Goes African

  Lamont gets in touch with his roots but soon learns that Africanism is about more than just clothes and slogans.

• _{Friday, January 26th, 1973}

  18: Watts Side Story

  When Lamont takes out Julio's sister, Fred spies on them and finds Julio's mother doing the same.

• _{Friday, February 2nd, 1973}

  19: The Infernal Triangle

  Fred's new fiancee happens to be Lamont's old flame.

• _{Friday, February 9th, 1973}

  20: Pops 'n' Pals

  With Lamont spending lots of time with Julio, Fred feels left out.

• _{Friday, February 16th, 1973}

  21: Home Sweet Home for the Aged

  With Lamont joining a tramp steamer to see the world, Fred reluctantly enters a retirement home.

• _{Friday, February 23rd, 1973}

  22: Pot Luck

  Lamont tries to turn a fast buck on a commode that he thinks is a valuable antique.

• _{Friday, March 9th, 1973}

  23: The Kid

  A runaway child staying with the Sanfords breaks through Fred's gruff exterior.

• _{Friday, March 16th, 1973}

  24: Rated X

  After Lamont, Rollo and Fred unwittingly show up at an adult movie shoot, a police raid lands them all in jail.

Season 3

• _{Friday, September 14th, 1973}

  1: Lamont as Othello

  While visiting the home of Lamont's white drama teacher, Fred surprises the woman's parents and exposes their prejudices as well as his own.

• _{Friday, September 21st, 1973}

  2: Libra Rising All Over Lamont

  Inspired by a visit to an astrologist, Lamont seeks peace with his father, but Fred is convinced that his indigestion may be fatal.

• _{Friday, September 28th, 1973}

  3: Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman

  After Fred witnesses a burglary at Julio's place but refuses to identify the culprits, Lamont and Julio turn the tables to show Fred the value of being a good neighbor.

• _{Friday, October 5th, 1973}

  4: Presenting the Three Degrees

  Rollo and Lamont convince Fred to let their three-girl singing act stay at the house, but Fred and his rowdy friends ruin the opening performance.

• _{Friday, October 12th, 1973}

  5: This Little TV Went to Market

  Fred's new TV turns out to be one stolen from Grady, so Fred tries to unload it on Julio.

• _{Friday, October 19th, 1973}

  6: Lamont, Is That You?

  After Bubba spots Lamont and Rollo mistakenly entering a gay bar, an incredulous Fred tries to find out if his son has become a homosexual.

• _{Friday, October 26th, 1973}

  7: Fuentes, Fuentes, Sanford & Chico

  Convinced that Lamont is abandoning the business, Fred takes a bed at a seedy flophouse.

• _{Friday, November 2nd, 1973}

  8: Superflyer

  To claim an inheritance in St. Louis, a nervous Fred must take his first airplane flight.

• _{Friday, November 9th, 1973}

  9: The Members of the Wedding (a.k.a.) The Engagement

  To spoil Fred's wedding plans with Donna, Lamont uses Esther and other family members to wreak havoc.

• _{Friday, November 16th, 1973}

  10: The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection (a.k.a.) The Chameleon

  Fred donates a collection of Blind Mellow Jelly records to a library for a tax deduction, but after learning of the records' monetary value, he cooks up a scheme to get them back.

• _{Friday, November 23rd, 1973}

  11: A House Is Not a Poolroom

  Lamont regrets his birthday gift to Fred of a pool table, which has turned the house into a billiards room for Fred and his shiftless friends.

• _{Friday, November 30th, 1973}

  12: Grady, The Star Boarder

  To make some extra cash, Fred and Lamont take in Grady as a boarder but soon regret the decision.

• _{Friday, December 14th, 1973}

  13: Wine, Women and Aunt Esther (a.k.a.) Leaving the Nest

  After the death of a friend, Fred and his buddies throw a party to feel young again but run out of gas long before they can make time with a group of younger women.

• _{Friday, January 4th, 1974}

  14: Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe

  Longtime family friend Grip comes to visit, with a shocking claim: he thinks he is Lamont's real father.

• _{Friday, January 11th, 1974}

  15: Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle

  When Lamont tries to contest a traffic ticket, Fred creates disorder in the court.

• _{Friday, January 18th, 1974}

  16: This Land Is Whose Land?

  Angry with Julio for leaving junk on his property, Fred gets a surveyor to mark the property line but is not pleased with the results.

• _{Friday, February 1st, 1974}

  17: Fred's Cheating Heart

  Fed up with all of Fred's fake heart attacks, Lamont forces his father to check into the hospital for tests.

• _{Friday, February 8th, 1974}

  18: The Party Crasher

  Lamont and Rollo set up a rendezvous at Rollo's place with two girls that doesn't go as planned, but Fred stops by and saves the day.

• _{Friday, February 15th, 1974}

  19: Lamont Goes Karate

  Beaten up by a barroom bully, Lamont takes karate lessons to defend himself against the thug.

• _{Friday, February 22nd, 1974}

  20: Will the Real Fred Sanford Please Do Something?

  A confused woman visits the house, insisting that Grady is Fred, the man with whom she had spent a drunken evening.

• _{Friday, March 1st, 1974}

  21: Tyranny, Thy Name Is Grady

  With Fred away in St. Louis, Grady rules the house with an iron fist.

• _{Friday, March 8th, 1974}

  22: Aunt Esther and Uncle Woodrow Pffttt...

  Woody comes to stay with Lamont and Grady after a fight with Esther.

• _{Friday, March 15th, 1974}

  23: The Way to Lamont's Heart

  Spooked by his girlfriend's marriage ideas, Lamont uses Grady as the reason he can't tie the knot.

• _{Friday, March 29th, 1974}

  24: Hello, Cousin Emma...Goodbye, Cousin Emma

  Grady's cousin Emma comes to visit and tries to take advantage of his hospitality.

Season 4

• _{Friday, September 13th, 1974}

  1: The Surprise Party

  Fred returns from his extended trip to St. Louis but feels unwanted because Grady took better care of the house and Lamont.

• _{Friday, September 20th, 1974}

  2: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

  After a relative leaves Lamont $7,000 if he weds and has a child, Fred visits a dating service to find Lamont a mate.

• _{Friday, September 27th, 1974}

  3: Ol' Brown Eyes is Back

  Fred becomes convinced that a ring given to him by friends and family was actually stolen from Frank Sinatra.

• _{Friday, October 4th, 1974}

  4: Grady and His Lady

  Fred schemes to break up Grady's new romance with a homely woman.

• _{Friday, October 11th, 1974}

  5: There'll Be Some Changes Made

  After a fed-up Lamont moves out, Fred lets his son hold a strange gathering at the house in the hopes of getting him back.

• _{Friday, October 18th, 1974}

  6: Going Out of Business

  With business bad and the tax bill due, Lamont takes a job at a local haberdashery.

• _{Friday, October 25th, 1974}

  7: Home Sweet Home

  When a Japanese company tries to buy out the neighborhood to build a brewery, Fred holds out for as much as he can get.

• _{Friday, November 1st, 1974}

  8: My Kingdom For a Horse (a.k.a.) First Night Out

  Fred buys a racehorse for breeding purposes but soon finds the animal isn't fit for the task.

• _{Friday, November 8th, 1974}

  9: Sanford and Niece

  Fred's niece, who closely resembles his late wife, comes to visit.

• _{Friday, November 15th, 1974}

  10: Julio and Sister and Nephew

  When Julio's sister and nephew visit and must stay with the Sanfords, Fred becomes involved with the nephew's problems at school.

• _{Friday, November 29th, 1974}

  11: Fred's Treasure Garden

  With Fred in St. Louis, Grady unwittingly serves a salad to Smitty and Hoppy that may contain marijuana leaves.

• _{Friday, December 6th, 1974}

  12: Tower Power

  Fred becomes inspired to create a work of art out of junk as his legacy for eternity.

• _{Friday, December 13th, 1974}

  13: A Little Extra Security

  After Grady receives an extra Social Security check, he gambles the money away in Las Vegas.

• _{Friday, December 20th, 1974}

  14: The Merger

  Julio and the Sanfords consolidate their junk businesses but soon sour on the merger.

• _{Friday, December 27th, 1974}

  15: Once a Thief

  Lamont's visiting ex-con friend has Grady on high alert.

• _{Friday, January 17th, 1975}

  16: The Stand-Ins

  When Fred's friend Bowlegs finds himself a man short for a nightclub engagement, Fred and Lamont must take the stage to help him out.

• _{Friday, January 24th, 1975}

  17: Strange Bedfellows

  After calling into a local radio show, Lamont is drafted to run for state assembly.

• _{Friday, January 31st, 1975}

  18: The Masquerade Party

  Fred and his pals don ridiculous costumes to win a prize for Lamont on a TV game show.

• _{Friday, February 7th, 1975}

  19: Golden Boy

  Fred takes on the mismanagement of a dim-witted prizefighter.

• _{Friday, February 14th, 1975}

  20: My Brother-in-Law's Keeper

  Fred is mortified to meet his new brother-in-law Rodney, a white impresario with an overabundance of affection.

• _{Friday, February 21st, 1975}

  21: The Headache

  A psychiatrist tells Lamont that his headaches are caused by a hatred for his father.

• _{Friday, February 28th, 1975}

  22: The Stung

  Fred and his professional gambler friend conspire to hustle money from Lamont's poker game.

• _{Friday, March 7th, 1975}

  23: The Older Woman

  Fred tries to convince Lamont to end his romance with an older woman.

• _{Friday, March 14th, 1975}

  24: The Over-the-Hill Gag

  Mistakenly believing that Fred is dying, Lamont prepares a party and tries to get Lena Horne to visit.

• _{Friday, April 25th, 1975}

  25: The Family Man

  In this backdoor pilot for the '"Grady" spinoff series, Grady gives his daughter a tasteless painting to hang over the fireplace just in time for a high-class party.

Season 5

• _{not specified}

  0:

• _{Friday, September 12th, 1975}

  1: Earthquake II

  Fearing a massive earthquake, Fred tries to sell the house and heads to Las Vegas.

• _{Friday, September 19th, 1975}

  2: Divorce, Sanford Style (a.k.a.) Divorcee, Sanford Style

  Fred becomes entangled in a spat between Esther and Woodrow.

• _{Friday, September 26th, 1975}

  3: Bank on This

  At the bank to seek a loan to open the Sanford Arms, Fred and Lamont find themselves hostages in a robbery.

• _{Friday, October 3rd, 1975}

  4: The Sanford Arms

  Fred and Lamont open a boarding house and fill the rooms with a variety of strange characters.

• _{Friday, October 10th, 1975}

  5: Steinberg and Son

  Fred sues NBC for airing a show called Steinberg and Son, which seems to copy his life exactly but with white Jewish characters rather than black ones.

• _{Friday, October 17th, 1975}

  6: Brother, Can You Spare an Act?

  To help new brother-in-law Rodney, Fred teams up with an old friend to make Rodney's gig as nightclub impresario a success.

• _{Friday, October 31st, 1975}

  7: Della, Della, Della

  An encounter with Della Reese causes Fred to support a political candidate whose opponent is backed by Lamont.

• _{Friday, November 7th, 1975}

  8: Donna Pops the Question

  With another marriage proposal in hand, Donna gives Fred an ultimatum.

• _{Friday, November 14th, 1975}

  9: My Fair Esther

  With a $1,000 prize on the line, Fred tries to groom Esther to win a beauty contest.

• _{Friday, November 21st, 1975}

  10: Sanford and Rising Son

  Fred and Ah Chew start a takeout food business in the Sanford home but run afoul of the health inspector.

• _{Friday, December 5th, 1975}

  11: The Olympics

  Fred competes in the Senior Olympics to defeat a rival suitor for Donna's affections.

• _{Friday, December 12th, 1975}

  12: Ebenezer Sanford

  Fred plays the role of Scrooge in his dream version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

• _{Friday, January 2nd, 1976}

  13: The Oddfather

  After witnessing a murder attempt, Fred is a target for assassins as he recuperates in a hospital bed.

• _{Friday, January 9th, 1976}

  14: Can You Chop This?

  Fred steals Lamont's savings to become a seller of a kitchen tool called the Whopper Chopper.

• _{Friday, January 16th, 1976}

  15: Greatest Show in Watts

  To legally keep the elephant left with him by a tenant, Fred must stage a circus in the junkyard.

• _{Friday, January 23rd, 1976}

  16: Fred Sanford Has a Baby

  When Lamont goes out of town, Fred rents his room to a pregnant woman who goes into labor.

• _{Friday, January 30th, 1976}

  17: The TV Addict

  A hypnotherapist tries to cure Fred of his addiction to television.

• _{Friday, February 6th, 1976}

  18: Lamont in Love

  To find the truth about Lamont's new girlfriend Janet, Fred goes undercover.

• _{Friday, February 13th, 1976}

  19: The Escorts

  Fred starts an escort service but must entertain three ladies at the same time.

• _{Friday, February 20th, 1976}

  20: The Engagement Man Always Rings Twice

  After Lamont pops the question to Janet, Fred worries that the marriage will cause him to be alone.

• _{Friday, February 27th, 1976}

  21: The Director

  Fred becomes the director of a community theater production starring boxer George Foreman.

• _{Friday, March 5th, 1976}

  22: A Pain in the Neck

  Fred resorts to desperate measures to overcome his sudden back pain in time for an awards banquet in his honor.

• _{Friday, March 12th, 1976}

  23: Sergeant Gork

  Fred's tall tales about World War II give way to fantasy sequences starring the entire cast.

• _{Friday, March 19th, 1976}

  24: Camping Trip

  Fred and Lamont go camping and reminisce, leading to several flashback scenes.

Season 6

• _{Friday, September 24th, 1976}

  1: The Hawaiian Connection (1)

  A band of jewel thieves lures Fred and Lamont to Hawaii to unwittingly smuggle diamonds off the island.

• _{Friday, September 24th, 1976}

  2: The Hawaiian Connection (2)

• _{Friday, October 1st, 1976}

  3: The Hawaiian Connection (3)

  When Fred and Lamont discover stolen diamonds intended to be smuggled to the mainland, the thieves chase them all over Hawaii.

• _{Friday, October 8th, 1976}

  4: California Crude

  Fred's outdoor garden may actually be the site of a lucrative crude oil strike.

• _{Friday, October 15th, 1976}

  5: The Stakeout

  The new tenant at the Sanford Arms is a wanted fence disguised in drag.

• _{Friday, October 22nd, 1976}

  6: I Dream of Choo Choo Rabinowitz

  Fred tries to set the world record for continuous hours without sleep.

• _{Friday, November 5th, 1976}

  7: The Winning Ticket

  After Fred falls victim to a sweepstakes scam, he devises a plan to con the con men.

• _{Friday, November 12th, 1976}

  8: Committee Man

  Fred's position as a community councilman draws the attention of a crooked slumlord looking to pass a bribe.

• _{Friday, November 19th, 1976}

  9: Fred's Extra Job

  To keep Lamont from quitting the business, Fred takes out a loan and must secretly work as a waiter to pay it off.

• _{Friday, November 26th, 1976}

  10: Carol

  A strange man visits and claims that he and Fred robbed a bank years ago.

• _{Friday, December 3rd, 1976}

  11: Aunt Esther Has a Baby

  When Woody gets drunk just before a visit from the adoption agency, Fred must stand in as Esther's husband.

• _{Friday, December 10th, 1976}

  12: Aunt Esther Meets Her Son

  Esther and Woody adopt a teenage boy whose attitude and beliefs don't sit well with Esther.

• _{Friday, December 17th, 1976}

  13: Sanford and Gong

  Lamont, Fred and Bubba face the music as contestants on The Gong Show.

• _{Friday, January 7th, 1977}

  14: Here Today, Gone Today

  To reupholster Fred's furniture as a gift, Lamont and Esther convince him the furniture was stolen, but Fred buys tacky new pieces with the insurance money.

• _{Friday, January 14th, 1977}

  15: Fred Meets Redd

  Fred enters a Redd Foxx look-alike contest.

• _{Friday, January 21st, 1977}

  16: Chinese Torture (a.k.a.) The Defiant One

  Grady's attempt at magic results in Fred and Esther being handcuffed together.

• _{Friday, January 28th, 1977}

  17: A Matter of Silence

  Fred uses his temporary hearing troubles to attract Donna's attention.

• _{Friday, February 4th, 1977}

  18: When John Comes Marching Home

  The surprise appearance of Janet's ex-husband threatens to spoil Lamont's plans to marry her.

• _{Friday, February 11th, 1977}

  19: The Reverend Sanford

  To avoid paying taxes, Fred becomes a clergyman in a disreputable church that could cost him dearly.

• _{Friday, February 18th, 1977}

  20: The Will

  Fred draws up his will and holds a reading of it in the living room.

• _{Friday, February 25th, 1977}

  21: Fred the Activist

  Angered by a local store's discriminatory credit policy, Fred organizes a group of fellow senior citizens.

• _{Friday, March 4th, 1977}

  22: The Lucky Streak

  In order to keep The Sanford Arms, Fred turns to gambling to raise funds.

• _{Friday, March 11th, 1977}

  23: Funny, You Don't Look It

  After Fred receives his family crest, he becomes convinced he is a descendant of Jewish African royalty.

• _{Friday, March 18th, 1977}

  24: Fred Sings the Blues

  The Sanfords meet blues legend B.B. King, who has something significant in common with Fred.

• _{Friday, March 25th, 1977}

  25: School Daze

  Fred and Bubba take evening classes to earn their high-school equivalency diploma.