Sitcom: Sanford and Son
Episode: Ebenezer Sanford
Year: 1975
Story line: Fred dreams of the Spirt of Christmas Past.
Details: Very uneven but it definitely has its moments if for nothing else than Lamont’s powder blue leisure suit. Gotta love that. It’s upstaged only by Lamont appearing as the spirit of Christmas yet to come in a space suit. Bizarre. Truly bizarre. The show is a great vehicle for Redd Foxx’s one-liners but it’s kinda mushy in the middle. Fred moves from Scrooge to heart of gold, but it happens at Lamont’s expense, of course. The end is really strange with the cast gathered around as Redd Foxx does a watered-down Duke Ellington rendition of Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song.”
Killer quote: “Ho Ho Ho. Go down to the oceanside and stand in the low tide until the high tide commits suicide.” Fred, responding to Aunt Esther’s “yuletide” greetings. That quote pretty much sums up how corny this is, but for some reason I still laughed out loud when I heard it.
Runner-up quote: “Who are you? The spirit of Liberace?” Fred, to Lamont who has appeared before him as the spirit of Christmas past.
The Aunt Esther factor: Esther: “You don’t upset me. I have the feeling of Christmas.”
Fred: “And the face of Halloween.”
Ebenezer alert: Fred, without a doubt.
Childhood memory: This is another show we watched frequently, but even as kids we knew it was massively corny and strange. It was worth it mostly for the trash talk between Fred and Esther and the strange assortment of characters who drifted through … Bubba, Fred’s buddy. Rollo, Lamont’s shady friend. Donna, Fred’s girlfriend.