"Sanford" (1980-1981)

This short-lived spin-off was the second one to come from "Sanford and Son" (1972-1977). It was not as good as the first show, but neither was it as bad as "The Sanford Arms"(1977), which had little to do with the original.

Fred Sanford was still his usual cranky and sneaky self. His son, Lamont, was not featured on this show, as he had taken a better job out of state. In his place was Cal Pettie (Dennis Burkley), a former co-worker of Lamont's, who agreed to be Fred's partner in the junk business. Cal was a jovial good 'ole boy who learned to deal with Fred's ranting and sarcasm.

Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) and Lamont's best friend Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor) were back to serve as objects of Fred's non-stop insults. Fred had a new girlfriend, Eve Lewis (Margueritte Ray), who was wealthy and lived in Beverly Hills. Her mother, Cissy (Cathy Cooper), couldn't stand Fred, thinking that her widowed daughter could do better than a junkman.

There were some good moments in this series, but as they say, the magic was gone. The chemistry between Fred and Cal was no substitute for the rapport the old man had with Lamont. Cissy was similar to Aunt Esther in that she was a second disgareeable woman for Fred to mix it up with, and it's possible that character didn't need to be there.

Clinton Derricks-Carroll also appeared on this show as a relative of Aunt Esther's. It has long been rumored that Nathaniel Taylor is actually a relative of late soul singer Johnny Taylor, but that hasn't been proven.