"Crossed Swords," on Jan 14 1972, kicked off the six season odyssey known as SANFORD AND SON, like ALL IN THE FAMILY exactly one year earlier a midseason replacement (from the production stable of Norman Lear) inspired by a British sitcom, in this case STEPTOE AND SON. Like the original the lead characters were father and son junk dealers - patriarch Fred G. Sanford became the role that catapulted blue comedian Redd Foxx to superstardom after years of performing on stage, with many friends and former co-workers seen throughout the series, while son Lamont was played by Demond Wilson, introduced in ALL IN THE FAMILY's "Edith Writes a Song," openly hostile to his father but his demeanor softened over time. The early episodes more closely resemble its British cousin, a more adversarial relationship between father and son, Lamont doing all the heavy lifting while Fred proclaims himself 'coordinator,' pretending to be at death's door at age 65 (Foxx a youthful 49), Lamont rarely taken in by his penchant for exaggeration: "you know you been complaining about your heart for as long as I can remember...they say if you have three heart attacks you'll die, now Pop you done had at least 15!" Eager to escape the ghetto junkyard in South Central, Lamont has spent $15 for a rare piece of expensive antique porcelain from a silent movie star in Beverly Hills, marked by a set of crossed swords on the bottom. He figures he'll get the price he desires by offering it up for auction but things don't go as planned, with the hilarious auction (SOAP's Robert Mandan as the auctioneer) featuring a silent cameo from unbilled bidder Gilchrist Stuart. Right from the start everything is already in place, Fred calling Lamont by a familiar epithet: "you big dummy!"
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