Sanford and Son (TV Series) Strange Bedfellows (1975) User Reviews

Even fathers and sons make strange bedfellows

[kevinolzak · 8/10 · 10 December 2016]

"Strange Bedfellows" guest stars gorgeous Margaret Avery as Lamont's new girlfriend Denise, convincing him to phone a late night talk show to share his political views on the neighborhood. The next morning Ah Chew (Pat Morita, third of seven) enthuses about his radio appearance, then Mr. Cambridge (Edmund Cambridge) drops by to offer Lamont an opportunity to run for district state assemblyman. Lamont is flattered but feels unqualified, never graduating high school. Fred's ears perk up at the mention of a fundraising dinner, plus the annual salary of $20,000. Running for office leaves Lamont little time for his father, who is doubly disappointed to learn that his son will have to move to Sacramento if he wins. A television debate opposite opponent Harriet Radner (Brunetta Barnett) gives Fred the chance to bring the campaign to a stop. A shame that Margaret Avery never did another episode.

Sanford and Son-Better Than All In The Family-And This is The Best Episode!!!

[bixman71 · 10/10 · 6 March 2009]

Sanford and Son was a wonderful series for many reasons, but particularly because it was a fine example of how actors and actresses treated each other when they were playing characters compared to their real lives. The best example I can give is the relationship between Redd Foxx, Lewanda Page, and their respected characters, Fred Sanford and his sister in-law, Esther Anderson. In the show, Fred couldn't stand his zealous, Christian sister-in law, but away from the set, Foxx and Page were best friends who had known each other since childhood. I said in this summary that Sanford and Son was better than All In The Family, and I say that for one simple reason. Like Archie Bunker before him, Fred Sanford did have bigoted views, but not nearly as many as Archie did. And unfortunately, unlike Carroll o'Connor, who got literal threats on his life because people thought his Archie Bunker views were his own personal ones, when you watched Sanford and Son, you knew Redd was portraying a character and not himself. Strange Bedfellows is my favorite episode of Sanford and Son not because it's a political one, but because it is in my mind the producers' best conceived attempt for Fred's son Lamont to get away from the junk business, which anyone who has watched the show knows he wants to do. In this episode, Lamont has a new girlfriend named Denise, who is very politically-minded. To impress her, he appears on a radio talk show to voice his support for a new factory being built in his district. Political leaders like it so much that they ask him to run for the California State Assembly(house of representatives). Getting Lamont to run is easier said than done. Lamont doesn't think he's qualified, and he knows that his father would use his son's sudden opportunity to make a quick buck. But, with pressure from his father, his godfather, Grady, and the politicians, Lamont decides to give it a shot and agrees to run. Things are going well until Fred learns that if Lamont wins the election, they will have to move to Sacramento so Lamont can serve his term in the legislature, which means his son will have no time for him, which Fred hates. So, when Aunt Esther proceeds to ruin a romantic night that he and Grady have planned and Fred is forced to attend his son's election debate instead, he decides to tell the entire state how depressed he would be if his son wins and he goes to extremes to do it, which embarrasses Lamont. In the end, Lamont decides to withdraw his candidacy, not because of his father's outburst, but because he feels he is not qualified for the job. This upsets me for one reason. Before this episode was made and aired, Redd Foxx temporarily left the show over a contract dispute. When he did, the producers legitimized his departure by saying that Fred was in St. Louis attending a friend's funeral and Grady was house-sitting for him. If they could come up with a dumb idea like that and have the show go on, why couldn't they have had Lamont win the election and say Lamont was gone because he was in Sacramento serving in the legislature? I guess we'll never know. Still, it's a great episode and more than worth watching.