"Lamont Goes Karate" was the first of nine consecutive episodes in which Redd Foxx was a holdout, fighting a losing battle with NBC and the producers before giving in three episodes into the fourth season. Curiously, with Whitman Mayo as Grady promoted in his place ratings did not falter, not exactly to Redd's liking. We open with Grady receiving a phone call from Fred, attending his cousin's funeral in St. Louis, concluding with Grady's assessment that he'll see Fred next week (the writers must have taken it week to week). Meantime, Lamont arrives home with a bloody nose courtesy jawbreaker Jo-Jo Jackson (Stan Haze), better known as the 'Central Avenue Sledgehammer,' enough for Grady to blame Rollo for the injury. Not intent to allow Jackson to do it a second time, Lamont learns karate so that he'll be better able to defend himself. What he doesn't know is that what makes Jackson back off is something Grady told him just before challenging Lamont, allowing one of Demond Wilson's funniest performances in the entire series. Redd's absence would be felt more acutely in later entries.
1 Review
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
