Plot: What’s it about?
Fred Sanford (Red Foxx) and his son Lamont (Desmond Wilson) run a small time junkyard in Watts, where business is slower than slow. But Fred doesn’t mind and as long as he can drink a little and spend time with his son, he remains a happy man. Although he lost his wife Elizabeth and he is advancing in the years, he battles off a constant wave of “big ones,” or heart attacks he uses to make Lamont feel bad. Of course, after fifteen or so of these heart attacks, Lamont has caught on and he ribs his dad right back. Lamont has dreams of leaving the junkyard and making more of himself, but whenever he prepares to leave, his love for his father keeps him there, though he is not resentful. And without fail, the two find themselves in all kinds of mishaps and adventures, from an auction gone haywire to Fred’s 65th birthday to Fred’s bill paying practices, each of which causes some strife between them, but also brings them closer together. But will Lamont ever be able to leave the junkyard and will Fred’s “big one” ever arrive, or will these two simply have to put up with each other for a long while?
If you don’t like Sanford and Son, I’d just as soon give you one across the lips, you big dummy. Yes, the classic television series Sanford and Son has landed on DVD and just as fans have wanted, Columbia has issued the complete first season. All fourteen episodes from the first season are included in this release, spread across two dual layered discs. This first season is not the best one of the five the series enjoyed on television, but it has a nice selection of episodes and never fails to drum up big laughs. Red Foxx (Harlem Nights) is simply excellent as Fred, the cantankerous, but lovable junkyard “coordinator,” while Desmond Wilson (Full Moon High) is also terrific as Lamont, Fred’s son with big dreams to leave the junkyard behind. The series is consistently humorous, as Foxx and Wilson play off each other to perfection, especially whenever Foxx’s Fred begins to have yet another heart attack. This first season is loaded with hilarious moments and rest assured, old Fred’s antics get even better with future seasons. I highly recommend this release to all those interested and of course, I look forward to the next complete season set of Sanford and Son from Columbia.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are shown in full frame, as intended. As expected, the image here is rather dull and soft, but if you’ve watched the reruns on television, then you should know about what was in store with this release. The prints looks solid however, as once the credits end we have a fairly clean looking transfer, though detail is flat and you can tell this is a television show from about three decades ago. The colors are stable, but never too bright, while contrast is even handed, but never too impressive. Even so, the images come across as well as the reruns and usually even better, so I think fans should be pleased here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is not too remarkable, but then again, this is a mono option from a 1970s television show, so we shouldn’t expect miracles. I didn’t hear much in terms of hiss or other age related flaws however, aside from a handful of minor instances. The music (by Quincy Jones) comes through well, though as is often the case with mono, seems kind of thin, while the various sound effects are as well presented as we could expect. The main element here is dialogue, which is clean and clear at all times, no problems in the slightest there. This disc also includes subtitles in English and Spanish, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials.
