TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON MOVIE
TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON SERIES
TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON TV

TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON TV

'Steptoe and Son' was as big as The Beatles in the 1960s – at the show’s peak, it routinely attracted a TV audience of some 25-million viewers, more than one-half of the country’s total population at the time. Corbett, from ever leaving him or improving himself. Widower Albert Steptoe, portrayed by Wilfrid Brambell, would stop at nothing to prevent his ambitious son, played by Harry H.

They employed a horse named Hercules (that also became a British pop culture icon). The Steptoes eked out a meager existence on fictional Oil Drum Lane in London’s impoverished Shepherd’s Bush district. 'Steptoe and Son,' which debuted in 1962, caused an immediate sensation in Britain, drawing huge ratings and a passionate national fan base.Ĭreated by the team of writer-producers, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, 'Steptoe and Son' centered around the wretched lives of Albert Steptoe, an elderly rag and bone man (i.e., junk dealer) and his long-suffering adult son, Harold. However, perhaps 'Sanford and Son' should not be compared with 'All in the Family' – indeed, Fred and Lamont Sanford’s misadventures were directly based on a British sitcom from the 1960s and early 1970s called 'Steptoe and Son.' For the most part NBC executives acceded to Foxx’s diva-like demands (they had little choice since the show was a cash cow for the network), but ultimately they could tolerate no more, leading to the show’s declining ratings and inevitable cancelation. Largely due to Foxx’s persistent demands for more money, better amenities and what he termed “respect,” the set was constantly beset by turmoil, culminating in a highly publicized walk-out that almost ended the program. 'Sanford and Son' lasted six seasons – but despite its huge popularity, it was anything but a smooth journey.

Indeed, the two programs, on separate networks, dominated the ratings for much of the 1970s – and have remained wildly popular in reruns four decades after their respective debuts.įred Sanford’s frequent fake heart attacks (a ploy designed to gain sympathy whereby he clutches his heart and shouts out to his dear, departed wife Elizabeth: “I’m comin’ to join ya, honey!”) his put-downs of his son Lamont (“You big dummy!) and his hilarious verbal exchanges with his homely sister-in-law, the redoubtable Aunt Esther, have all become cherished parts of American pop culture lexicon.

TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON MOVIE

Their real-life counterparts, Foxx and O’Connor, quickly became famous and wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and even made TV stars pop culture icons equal to movie actors, politicians, superstar athletes and musicians. In addition, both Archie in Queens and Fred in Watts masqueraded their warmth and sensitivity with a gruff, seemingly impenetrable exterior. Of course, Fred and Archie shared many qualities – both men were solidly working class and uneducated, served in World War II, loved their families, resented the refined, upper-classes, possessed a lot of common sense, remained trapped in the past, grew fearful of a bewilderingly changing society and generally resigned themselves to their modest lot in life.

TECHNOBABYLON STEPFORD AND SON SERIES

The show was developed by producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, the duo that created the groundbreaking “All in the Family” series that made white bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) a household name just one year prior.īut 'Sanford and Son' had little similarity with 'All in the Family' - 'Sanford' did not overtly discuss political issues, aside from Fred’s frequent complaints of racism (real or imagined) and put-downs of other ethnic groups (whites, Asians, Hispanics) or gays and women. From this elemental foundation, hilarious comedy arose. Sanford, played by Redd Foxx, was desperate to keep his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) at home with him no matter the cost. On the surface, 'Sanford and Son' had a very simple premise: The old man, Fred G. 'Sanford and Son' struck a chord in the American public during a period of dramatic changes in society – the civil rights movement finally allowed black entertainers into the mainstream, the Vietnam War was still raging, campuses were convulsing, and youth rebellion manifested itself in rampant drug use and promiscuous sex. It told the melancholic, but warm, tale of a crotchety, elderly, widowed black junk-dealer in the Los Angeles ghetto and his bored, restless adult son who reluctantly still lives at home and helps his father with the struggling business. Forty-one years ago this Monday, a television program debuted that immediately became one of the popular and influential shows in U.S.

Technobabylon stepford and son