Sanford and Son Episode Rating Graph

Grady is getting too many Social Security checks in the mail and he is contemplating on whether or not he should be honest about reporting them or not. He finally decides the latter and keeps them, gambling them away in Las Vegas. Aunt Esther hits the ceiling when she learns of the situation and just then a phone call from the Social Security office comes into the Sanford residence.

Lamont and Rollo answer an ad that promises them stardom through low-budget movies. Fred gets a hold of the brochure and decides to try out too. When they get down there they quickly discover the low budget movies are X-rated followed by a police raid and Fred, Lamont and Rollo are hauled off to jail.

Lamont and Rollo are planning a double date and they have a plan to get Fred out of the house so they can have it all to themselves. However, Fred catches on and Lamont and Rollo must make do with the cramped quarters of Rollo's apartment, but they still have problems, the girls aren't happy with the entire arrangement, right down to the refreshments, that's when Fred steps in.

Lamont and Esther decide to get the furniture re-upholstered as a surprise present for Fred. In order to get it done, they have to convince him the furniture was stolen. However, when Fred takes it upon himself to report it to the insurance company, he ends up with brand new furniture and Lamont is speechless.

Donna receives a marriage proposal from another man and she decides to base her answer on whether or not Fred is ever going to ask her. Fred must make the choice now as to whether or not he is going to marry Donna. This leads Fred into turmoil and leads him to ask Elizabeth a heart felt question on whether or not she would object to him remarrying.

Lamont advises Fred to donate a collection of Blind Mellow Jelly records to a music library for a tax write-off. After doing so, Fred finds out from an appraiser that the records are valued at five hundred dollars. Fred, with dollar signs in his eyes, has Bubba act as though he were the son of Blind Mellow Jelly in an attempt to get them back.

After promising Fred that he will keep certain rules alive while he's in St. Louis, Grady tries to keep the house free of Aunt Esther's Bible meetings as well as not allowing Lamont and Rollo to have a party with a couple of fine ladies. In response, Lamont changes all the locks in the house when Grady goes out to a movie, however, Aunt Esther and the members of her Bible meeting become the next interference.

In order to keep The Sanford Arms, Fred and Lamont must raise $4,000 in a week. They begin to scramble and Fred turns to gambling. First he puts together a card game and plays against a hustler and then he makes a little trip to the horse track and bets on the horses. Finally, a trip to a casino ends with unexpected results.

Lamont has gotten a part in a community play and has great news, George Foreman has agreed to appear in it as well. Dying to meet the boxer, Fred intrudes on the rehearsals and drives the director up the wall, which leads him to quit. This is when Fred steps in as director and makes some immediate changes.

Lamont is a judge for the Miss Watts Business Wife and the winner of the pageant wins $1,000. Fred quickly makes it clear that he will do anything to get his hands on the money. He even agrees to transform Aunt Esther into an elegant beauty as part of a bet he has with her husband, Woody.

With Fred in St. Louis, Grady has been put in charge of taking care of his garden. Grady quickly notices a strange plant growing and assumes that it's wild parsley. However, Rollo is convinced it's marijuana and Lamont decides to turn it into the police. However, when Smitty and Hoppy arrive, the plants are gone but Grady has made dinner for everyone, a nice big salad for everyone.

Lamont is disgusted when he receives a traffic ticket for failure to yield on a right turn. Lamont is sure he did the most prudent thing for the situation and lets Fred talk him into fighting the ticket in court. Lamont is prepared to fight for himself but once in the court room he finds himself being represented ... by Fred!

When a man stops by the Sanford residence seeking funds for a heart association, Lamont, finds out some interesting facts about heart attacks and decides to use the info to his advantage. The next time Fred has a supposed heart attack, Lamont doesn't take no for an answer and Fred ends up in the hospital for a checkup.

Fred gets a letter in the mail from someone named Carol who claims that Fred knew her 40 years ago and that she's coming for a visit. However, Fred doesn't recall knowing any Carols and is in for a shock when Carol turns out to be a man. Another shock, Carol claims that he and Fred robbed a bank years ago.

The cast appears on Wheel and Deal, hosted by Harry Monty.

Lamont comes home one evening and discovers Fred preparing a gourmet dinner and learns it's to celebrate the arrival of an old friend of Fred's, Bowlegs, a musician, who's visiting. Bowlegs' act is to be put on at a nightclub but when his partner strains his back, Fred and Lamont must fill in to fulfill the nightclub's requirements.

Lamont leaves town with Rollo to go on a fishing trip but before he goes, he makes a bet with Fred. He is sure Fred won't make money during the week he is gone. Fred sets to prove him wrong by renting out Lamont's room. Fred finds himself in a bind when the pregnant girl he boarded goes into labor.

Fred returns from his extended trip to St. Louis and Lamont, Donna, Aunt Esther, Bubba, Rollo and Grady have planned a surprise party for his return. Fred no more than steps in the door and Aunt Esther and him are at each other's throats. However, the real problem comes when Fred does some eavesdropping on Lamont and Grady.

Fred becomes smitten with a woman, Miss Wallace who comes to the Sanford residence looking for a place to stay at the Sanford Arms. Meanwhile, a thief has been spotted in the neighborhood and to get the reward money, Fred lets the cops set up a stakeout in his home. However, Fred is in for a shock since the thief has been in disguise as Miss Wallace.

Lamont's mother-in-law to be is coming to Watts for a visit and Fred is a little concerned about what she's going to think of a common junk man. This leads Fred to decide to create a legacy and tries to set a world's record and get his name in the Guinness Book of World Records. His goal is to be the person to stay awake the longest.

Lamont and Julio go out one evening to shoot pool leaving a left-out Fred behind to sulk. Fred soon finds himself a witness to a burglary when he confronts two thieves burglarizing Julio's house. Later, Fred refuses to testify and identify the culprits out of fear and a frustrated Lamont and Julio put a plan into motion to get him to, and it starts when Fred's truck is stolen.

Fred cleans the house from top to bottom and Lamont is stunned. Then he learns the reason: Fred's baby sister, Frances is visiting to announce her engagement. Fred is excited, but he soon finds her fiance, Rodney is white.

Fred's friend, Yerby is the manager of a champion boxer, Junior Joe Louis. Fred goes in and buys half ownership. Fred then begins training the boxer for an upcoming fight but soon runs into trouble. For Junior is pulled from the fight because of to Fred's stubbornness.

Julio has gotten tired of the junk business and that's when Lamont comes up with an idea, Sanford & Son Salvage should merge with Julio's business. Julio goes for the idea but Fred is against it, but they merge anyway to form Sanford & Fuentes Salvage. However, everyone soon realizes the consequences attached to such a decision.

Grady has been left in charge while Fred is visiting family in St. Louis and has promised to look after Lamont who comes home with a bloody nose, courtesy of Jo-Jo Jackson, after a fight over a woman. After taking a couple of karate lessons, Lamont goes back to the bar to confront Jo-Jo. However, a concerned Grady, decides tries to intervene.

Fred and Lamont buy a load of copper from a man that has been stealing copper in the neighborhood. The man is late for a meeting with Lamont at the diner because he is ripping off the Sanford plumbing pipes, which he then sells to Fred and Lamont.

Lamont has decided to go in on a partnership with Julio in a used auto parts business venture and Fred becomes convinced that Lamont is abandoning their junk business. Against the whole notion, Fred decides he's not going to stay where he's not wanted and gets a bed at the local mission. Lamont and Julio cook up a scheme in order to lure him back to his home.

Fred becomes a victim of a con game when, two men convince him to begin a bogus special "Sanford & Son" sales promotion, in which the lucky winner wins $500. However, Fred has no intention of handing out that much bread but unknown to Fred, the con men have rigged the game so they end up being the lucky winners and Fred will have to pay them the money after all.

Fred has been watching way too much television and Lamont suggests that he go out and get some exercise. Fred scoffs and refuses which leads to an argument which results in the television breaking. Lamont refuses to get it fixed until Fred agrees to start exercising. Lamont later brings in a doctor to hypnotize Fred to help him get over his television addiction.

Lamont visits an astrologist and discovers he's a double Libra, thus his goal in life is for peace and decides to get along with his father at all costs. Meanwhile, Fred eats a batch of 8 day-old greens and gets sick and becomes convinced he's dying. This leads to Grady spreading the word of Fred's supposedly impending death, which draws Aunt Esther and her friends out of the woodwork.

After Fred gets a minor injury from a car accident, Lamont and Fred seek to find a maid to help out around the house. After looking, they get what the agency has at the bottom of the barrel. However, the erratic white woman does nothing but add to Fred's pain.

Rollo and Lamont are managing a girl singing group from Philadelphia, The Three Degrees. They stay at the Sanford house while preparing for a talent show at the Safari Club. Fred is against the notion at first until he meets the three sexy girls. At the Safari Club, Lamont is surprised when Fred and his friends arrive and they start heckling the other acts.

A Japanese land development company wants to buy out the neighborhood with plans to build a brewery in the area. Fred, holding out gets bitten by greed. Fred's greed is disguised as a "heartwarming" sentimentality and he's using it to squeeze as much money as he can get out of the developer.

Saturday night sees Fred heading over to Donna's for a date that he didn't tell her about before hand. Once he arrives, he discovers Donna already has a date with a man who's won the decathlon every year in the Senior Olympics. Wanting to outdo him, Fred decides to compete in the Olympics this year and beat his romantic competition.

Grady is fed up being a boarder for the bickering Ferguson's and vents his frustrations to Fred. Immediately seeing an opportunity to make some quick cash, Fred tries to convince Lamont to agree to let Grady be a "paying boarder" at the house. However, Fred quickly realizes the drawbacks and must find a way to break the news to his old friend.

Grady's cousin, Emma, has moved from Chicago to California and stops in by Grady and Lamont for a visit. However, the visit turns into a short stay, which is something Lamont is against from the very beginning. Pretty soon, it appears that Cousin Emma is going to stay for quite awhile and fakes illness to get people to wait on her.

Lamont comes down hard on Fred to try to get him to quit smoking and has him go to the doctor for a chest x-ray. Later, the results are sent in the mail and Fred becomes convinced he has tuberculosis.

A tenant at The Sanford Arms doesn't have enough money for the rent so he leaves Fred his pet elephant as collateral. Fred quickly finds a city official on his back for keeping an elephant in the neighborhood and he quickly comes up with an idea to make some money: put on a mini-circus. Bubba plays a clown, Esther a fire-eater, and Lamont a weight lifter.

Fred and his buddies are down over the death of a close friend and Aunt Esther's over-reacting does nothing to help. Thus, Fred decides to throw a cheer-up party and intends to have it in the Sanford home, complete with booze, music and friends of Fast Fanny, a topless waitress.

Donna, Fred's fiancee, brings a patient, Osgood Wilcox over for dinner at the Sanford residence and it becomes apparent that Osgood is interested in more than just medical care from Donna. Meanwhile, Lamont encourages Fred to believe there is something going on between Osgood and Donna resulting in a confrontation.

The diamond thieves continue their plot to have Fred smuggle the stolen diamonds into the United States. Freddy Wells sneaks into Fred's hotel room and plants the diamonds in his suitcase. Later, Lamont and Fred discover the diamonds and hesitate to call the police.

Fred has been neglecting Donna and she decides to investigate and soon discovers Fred has been leading a secret life, not even telling Lamont what has been going on. Donna is convinced that he is seeing another woman but they soon discover Fred is really going to night school to earn his GED diploma, which he never got since he dropped out of high school to support his parents.

Lamont has been in a daze around the house, singing songs and incredibly cheerful to everyone he talks to. Grady and Fred deduce that the boy must be in love. Fred learns that Lamont is on the verge of proposing marriage to one particular girl who works at a dress shop. So he goes down to meet her and is in for a shock, since the girl turns out to be a woman at least ten years older than Lamont.

Lamont takes Fred down the doctor's office for a checkup and Fred is socked with a large doctor bill. Realizing Fred's financial position, the doctor gives Fred six months to pay his doctor bill. Lamont overhears the conversation and becomes convinced Fred only has six months to live. Thinking Fred is dying, he rallies friends and family to prepare a party and try to get Lena Horne to pay Fred another visit.

The Sanford home has become a campaign headquarters for the candidate Bob Williams and Fred wants nothing to do with it. However, once Fred discovers, Della Reese is working on the campaign of Williams' opponent, he goes all out for it even thought he's not for the candidate.

Julio's sister and nephew, Carlotta and Roberta, are coming for a visit and Julio has a problem, they are allergic to his pet goat, Chico. Thus, Julio asks Fred and Lamont if it would be okay for them to stay with them. Against the idea at first, Fred quickly softens to them and becomes involved with a problem that Roberto is dealing with at school.

Fred and Lamont's TV set is on it's last legs and Lamont considers buying a brand new one, however Fred buys a used color TV set for cheap. Things get out of hand when Fred's friend Grady stops by and recognizes Fred's new set as his set that was stolen. Fred quickly wants an out of the situation and sells it to his neighbor Julio for $50.

The Sanford residence is in chaos and it is all due to Fred's sudden loss of hearing. Lamont is convinced Fred has a problem, but Fred denies it but Lamont takes him to a doctor just the same. However, after the doctor removes the wax build up, Fred decides to stay "deaf" just a little bit longer in an attempt to hold Donna's attention.

Fred has been chosen to represent the Watt's businessmen on a community relatives committee and his first official decision is to allow the public library to be open an hour longer. However, his next decision doesn't seem to be so easy to decide after a crooked businessman tries to bribe Fred with $1000 to vote for a building expansion.

Lamont goes totally African. He starts to wear African clothing, and yearns to learn more about the culture. At the same time, Fred thinks that the whole thing is ridiculous, that is until a woman from Nigeria visits and explains to Lamont how sacred listening to your father is in African culture and how you should respect him.

Lamont and Grady have an unexpected visitor show up at their doorstep and it turns out to be Woody, Aunt Esther's husband who has been thrown out of the house. Fearing that his marriage is over, Woody asks to stay at the Sanford residence but Grady is against the idea. However, things get worse when Aunt Esther decides to move instead and kicks Woody to the wind.

The day has come for Aunt Esther and Woody to meet their son but they are in for a shock when he helps himself to their cash register. Later, Esther is in for an even bigger shock when he announces that he doesn't believe in God. Esther promptly kicks him out and he takes refuge at the Sanford residence.

Grady decides it's time for a change and moves out of Watts and into fashionable Westwood to live with his daughter, Ellie, her husband Hal, and their two children, Laurie and Haywood. As a housewarming gift, Grady purchases an oil painting to hang over their fireplace. However, the painting he chooses proves to be quite distasteful.

Lamont and his fiancee, Janet are just one step away from the alter. However, a kink is put into their plans when after her wedding shower, her ex-husband John shows up. Meanwhile, Lamont has been having pre-wedding jitters and this just adds to them and Janet finds herself dealing with old feelings she thought had died long ago.

Julio has moved out of his house and Fred and Lamont decide to buy it and turn it into a boarding house and call it The Sanford Arms. To get enough money for the project, Fred and Lamont go down to the bank to apply for a loan but soon find themselves hostages in a bank robbery attempt.

Fred wakes up one morning to discover what looks like a robbery took place but learns that there was a small earthquake overnight. Grady breaks the news that a big one is scheduled to hit on the 6th and a fed up Fred decides to sell the house and move. Meanwhile, Fred heads to Las Vegas to avoid the earthquake on the 6th and has a run in with Merv Griffin and Steve and Eydie.

In another get rich quick scheme, Fred decides to go down to an escort service with a friend of his and try to apply as escorts. Flatly rejected, Fred decides to open his own escort service complete with false advertising which results in Fred having to escort three ladies in one night.

Lamont's latest girlfriend, Judy is falling in love with him and likes the idea of settling down someday with the right guy. However, Lamont isn't too happy with that notion and makes up a lie that Grady is his godfather and they'd need his blessing. Judy moves ahead and goes out of her way to shower Grady with her attention.

Fred's toothache becomes an exercise in patience for Lamont when Fred refuses to see a dentist and instead tries Bubba's home remedy and a hypnotist. Finally, Fred decides to throw in the towel and visits a dentist but insists on a white dentist.

Fred gets a new next door neighbor and is shocked to learn that he is Puerto Rican and planning on opening a junk business of his own. Fred gets upset about the competition and contrives a plan to get the city to condemn his property especially since, Julio has a pet goat.

Esther has stopped by the Sanford residence to talk Fred into singing for a talent show. Grady is all set to be in the show with a magic act and for his most daring trick ever, he handcuffs Fred and Esther together. The only problem is that he can't understand how to get the two out of this dilemma because the directions for escaping the trick are written in Chinese.

Aunt Esther and Woody stop by for a visit and as usual, Fred insults Esther and she responds by promptly hitting Fred in the head with her purse. Apparently the blow to his head is so strong that it knocks him out and when he wakes up begins having memory lapses. This prompts him to make up his will and holds a will reading in the living room.

Lamont purchases two coffins from an auction to try and get a profit if he sells them to a funeral parlor. In the process, Fred becomes paranoid by having the coffins in the house and refuses to sleep in the house with the coffins. Lamont doesn't think much of it, until he begins hearing strange noises at night.

Lamont's friend Herman has just gotten out of prison and doesn't have a place to stay. So Lamont invites him to stay at the Sanford residence. However, when Grady learns that he's an ex-con, he nails down everything in the house. Meanwhile, Lamont finds Herman a job at Esther's hardware store and doesn't tell her that he has served time.

Fred wants a new stereo and tries to buy one on credit at a local electronics store. He soon discovers that they don't give credit to people over 60. This prompts him to take some action and befriends a rights group, The Gray Foxes and they begin picketing the store until they decide to change their policies.

Lamont threatens once again to leave the junk business on account that they aren't making much money. However, he also wants to quit and get a full-time job due to his impending nuptials. Fred then hatches a scheme by borrowing money from the bank and pretending that business is picking up big time, while secretly working as a waiter at a restaurant down town.

Trying to avoid paying property taxes, Fred registers to become a clergyman for the Divine Profit Church. He appoints Bubba as secretary and Woody as treasurer. However, when the Bishop stops by for a visit, Fred quickly realizes he's put his business in jeopardy thanks to some fine lines in the contact he signed.

Grady is bursting with news and breaks it to Fred and Lamont that he's engaged to a woman he met at J.C. Penny. However, Fred and Lamont are shocked to discover the "raging beauty" Grady raved about is not exactly a beauty queen. Fred soon finds Grady spending all his time with her and sets a plan into motion to break them up.

Lamont runs into Chuck Barris in a parking lot and he generously gives Lamont four tickets to a taping of The Gong Show, which happens to be Fred's favorite game show. Fred decides to try to be a contestant and sets up an act with his brother-in-law, Rodney and Lamont. However, at the last minute, Rodney hurts his back and can't be in the act.

Lamont has had a chronic headache for three days and isn't sure what's causing it. A doctor suggests that Lamont consult a psychiatrist since the cause may be stress. Once at the psychiatrist's office, the doctor determines that Fred is the cause of Lamont's headaches.

Fred and Lamont take a tour through the NBC studios and Fred gets a kick out of seeing Johnny Carson's parking spot. However, what Fred really gets a kick out of is seeing Lena Horne's car and sneaks into her dressing room. After meeting her, he tries to trick her into visiting him at his home.

Fred is sure that his dreams will be good luck in picking numbers for a lottery and his hunch turns out to be true, despite the fact that Lamont forbids him to participate. Fred quickly finds himself $500 richer but also finds Aunt Ethel and Bubba needing quick cash.

Lamont has been seeing Janet for quite awhile and Lamont thinks he's in love. But he doesn't know too much about her and hasn't wanted to push her into telling him. Thus, Fred decides to find out exactly what she's hiding and he goes undercover with Aunt Esther to dig up the dirt.

Fred gets a surprise one night when Lamont announces that he's having some friends over to play poker. However, Fred doesn't take Lamont's advice at "getting lost" since he's convinced Lamont's so-called friends are trying to hustle him out of his money.

Fred gets news that an uncle has died and has left him $1500 in his will. The only thing is, in order to get the money, Fred has to fly to St. Louis to claim it. However, first he must overcome a fear of flying and Lamont is up in arms trying to help him.

Fred and Lamont have been busy planting a small garden in their yard when suddenly a professor stumbles in and suggests that they may be sitting on some oil. Later, Fred plants his scarecrow in the garden and actually strikes some oil. This leads to Fred and Lamont to ponder the fact that they may soon be millionaires.

Lamont treats Fred to a dinner and a concert given by B.B. King. After the show, Fred wants to try to sell his songs to B.B., but fails, however, B.B. offers him a book about his life and why he sings the blues. This leads to an invitation for dinner at the Sanfords. While reading the book Fred panics when he reads the reason why B.B. sings the blues. He explains to Lamont that B.B. lost his girl in St. Louis to a guy who wanted to start a business in California. The girl's initials were EW (for Elizabeth Winfield).

Lamont has Julio, Rollo and another buddy over for a poker game and Fred has had it with their gambling. Meanwhile, an old friend of Fred's, Al Banks, a professional gambler, stops by for a visit and this gives Fred an idea on how to teach Lamont and his friends a lesson. However, the lesson goes awry and Al runs out with the cash.

Three jewel thieves try and find a way to smuggle some expensive diamonds from Hawaii to L.A. That is where Fred and Lamont come in. Fred goes to Hawaii to attend a Junkmen of America convention. The crooks then plan to sneak the jewels on Fred so that he can take them to L.A. without knowing anything about it.

Aunt Esther is fed up with her husband, Woodrow and has decided to end her marriage. She has become convinced that he's seeing other women behind her back and becomes even more convinced when Fred tries to hook him up with a swinger. Refusing to live in the same house with Woody, Esther moves in with Fred and Lamont.

Fred's cousin arrives with his new wife and his not-so-attractive stepdaughter, Betty Jean. When Fred finds out that she will inherit $10,000 if she marries, he tries to fix it so that Lamont will marry her. However, Fred's plan backfires when Lamont catches on to his scheme.

Julio's house has been transformed into Fred and Lamont's boarding house called The Sanford Arms. Now they've come to the task of finding some boarders and soon find themselves bombarded with an endless supply of crazies, including a hooker, an ex-con, a hippie, a newlywed couple, and Hoppy's eccentric mother.