"The Stand-In" guest stars Scatman Crothers as Fred's lifelong friend Bowlegs, the man who introduced him to his wife Elizabeth. When Lamont complains that he's a freeloader, he's reminded that were it not for Bowlegs he might have wound up white! After dinner a rousing rendition of "All of Me" has Fred singing while Bowlegs does his scat, followed by a little soft shoe from his partner Al (Al Williams), who injures himself and can't go on with their two week engagement of comedy, song and dance with Mr. Stone (Joe Silver). Lamont is drafted to provide the dancing (as he also did in next season's "Brother, Can You Spare an Act?"), while Fred supplies the comedy just by walking! As the Nightclub Singer we get the famous Billy Eckstine, who belts out "Jelly Jelly," a song already familiar from previous episodes.
2 Reviews
Scatman stars as an old friend in town to do a nightclub act
cesauer15 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A classic episode that gives us two Scatman Crothers/Redd Foxx song collaborations including "All of Me" sung wonderfully by Foxx. As an added bonus, the next-to-final scene has Demond Wilson showing off some pretty nifty tap dancing while standing in for Scatman's injured nightclub act partner. In the final scene, we also learn how Fred and Elizabeth first met (Crothers' character introduced Fred to Esther back in 1942 who then, in turn, introduced Fred to Elizabeth). A wonderful treat to see Crothers playing the guitar and scatting behind Foxx's gravel filled vocals and yet another example of Foxx's Hollywood pulling power. One of my favorites.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
