Aaron Ruben Movies

Based on the British comedy series Keep It in the Family and first telecast on November 11, 1980, the ABC sitcom Too Close for Comfort starred Ted Knight as Henry Rush, an uptight, traditionalist newspaper cartoonist who in midlife had found unexpected fame and fortune as the creator of the popular comic strip "Cosmic Cow." Henry was married to former band singer and latterly freelance photographer Muriel (Nancy Dussault), and was the fiercely overprotective father of two knockout college-age daughters, brunette Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and blonde Sara (Lydia Cornell). The main source of Henry's vexation was the fact that his daughters had moved into the downstairs apartment of his two-story townhouse. While Muriel welcomed the girls' close proximity and was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding visitors (particularly of the male persuasion), neurotic Henry was terrified that the girls' virtue would be compromised by their steady stream of boyfriends, and thus found all manner of excuses to drop in on the girls unexpectedly, and to eavesdrop. Other characters weaving in and out of the farcical proceedings were Henry's boss Arthur Wainwright (Hamilton Camp); the elder Rushes' semi-permanent house guest Monroe Ficus (Jim J. Bullock), a friend and fellow student of collegiate Sara; Muriel's flamboyant mother Iris (Audrey Meadows), who, in fine sitcom tradition, thought only the worst of Henry; Henry's hippie niece April (Deena Freeman), who briefly moved in with the family; and Jackie's policeman fiancé, Brad Turner (Jordan Suffin). During the series' second season, 42-year-old Muriel unexpectedly became pregnant again, ultimately giving birth to a son named Andrew, played first by twins William Thomas Cannon and Michael Philip Cannon, then by Joshua Goodwin. This was clearly a bid to improve the series' ratings, but ABC decided to cancel at the end of season three all the same. Too Close for Comfort was revived the following year in syndication, maintaining the same cast and basic premise for the next two years. In 1986 the series was retitled The Ted Knight Show, whereupon the format was retooled so that Henry Rush became the owner of a small-town newspaper. The actresses playing his daughters left the series, making room for a whole new supporting cast. The Ted Knight Show remained in production until the star's death in late 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Beginning its fifth successful season on Friday, September 12, 1975, Sanford and Son was essentially the mixture as before with most of the familiar regulars firmly in place. His well-publicized contract disputes more or less receding into memory, Redd Foxx was back as cantankerous Watts junk dealer Fred Sanford, with Demond Wilson as his long-suffering son and reluctant business partner Lamont. Also returning were LaWanda Page as Fred's explosively prudish sister-in-law Aunt Esther, Lynn Hamilton as Fred's sometimes fiancée Donna Harris, Don Bexley and Nathaniel Taylor as family friends Bubba and Rollo, and Hal Williams and Howard Platt as police officers Smitty and Hoppy. Conspicuously absent from the fifth-season roster were three actors who had departed for other sitcoms: Gregory Sierra (Julio Fuentes), who had moved to Barney Miller; Pat Morita (Ah Chew), who had transferred to Happy Days; and, most notably, Whitman Mayo (Grady Wilson), now starring in his own spin-off series, Grady. However, despite his new leading-man workload, Mayo would continue to make token Sanford appearances as Grady, returning to the series on a more or less regular basis after Grady (the series) folded in the spring of 1976. Additions and emendations to the Sanford format included the arrival of Marlene Clark as Janet Lawson, a widowed mother with whom Lamont would fall in love, and Edward Crawford as Janet's young son Roger. Also, Fred and Lamont Sanford would try to amplify their income by managing a boarding house, the Sanford Arms, which introduced as steady stream of recurring characters -- and also set the stage for the ultimate conclusion of Sanford and Son at the end of 1977. That denouement was still part of the distant future by the conclusion of the series' sixth season, during which Sanford ranked as America's seventh most popular weekly series. Fans were particularly gratified that NBC chose to rerun selected episodes on Wednesday evenings from April to August 1976, under the title The Best of Sanford and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Still riding high in the ratings, Sanford and Son returned to its by then traditional Friday-night NBC time slot for a third successful season on September 14, 1973. The basic premise -- crotchety old Fred Sanford running a rundown Los Angeles junk business with his restless son Lamont -- was still firmly in place, as were many of the familiar regulars: Redd Foxx as Fred; Demond Wilson as Lamont; LaWanda Page as Fred's pious, abrasive sister-in-law Aunt Esther; Lynn Hamilton as Fred's off-and-on fiancée, nurse Donna Harris; Don Bexley as Fred's wheeler-dealer buddy Bubba Hoover; Nathaniel Taylor as Lamont's foolhardy crony Rollo Taylor; Hal Williams and Howard Platt as local beat cops Smitty and Hoppy; and Gregory Sierra as the Sanfords' Puerto Rican neighbor and business rival, Julio Fuentes. The most prominent of the new recurring characters was Whitman Mayo as Grady Wilson, Fred Sanford's best friend and severest critic. Grady came in very handy when, in the middle of season three, Redd Foxx walked off Sanford and Son due to a well-publicized contractual dispute with the series' producer (of Foxx' many demands, the press chose to focus on the most trivial: the actor insisted that a window be installed in his dressing room). It was then hastily explained that Fred Sanford had gone on an extended trip to St. Louis, leaving Grady in charge of Sanford and Son Salvage -- and as temporary head of the Sanford household. Despite the temporary defection of its star, Sanford and Son continued to reap excellent ratings. By the end of the 1973-1974 season, the series ranked as the third most popular American TV program. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Intending to work his way around the world on a tramp steamer, Lamont (Demond Wilson) plans to sell the junkyard, but not before installing his father Fred (Redd Foxx) in an old folk's home (that's what they used to call "senior centers"). It isn't long before Lamont regrets this move, but it is up to Fred's pal Bubba (Don Bexley) to bring father and son back together. This Sanford and Son episode was based on "Homes Fit For Heroes," a 1964 episode of the series' British prototype Steptoe and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It is nothing unusual for wizened junk dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) to squire women who are much, much younger than himself. But Fred's son Lamont (Demond Wilson) is none too tolerant when Fred proposes marriage to one of Lamont's former girlfriends (Ketty Lester). This Sanford and Son episode was adapted from "Two's Company," a 1970 installment of the series' British prototype Steptoe and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson) once again hatches a get-rich-quick scheme. This time, he purchases two coffins from a bankrupt undertaker, intending to parlay these items into a profitable funeral-supply business. Alas, Lamont's father, Fred (Redd Foxx), is incredibly superstitious, and is so unnerved by the presence of the coffins that he ends up sleeping in the back of his truck. This leaves Lamont all alone in the bedroom -- and before long, his imagination begins to run riot. Redd Foxx's former vaudeville partner Slappy White makes the first of several appearances in the role of Melvin. Based on "The Wooden Overcoats," a 1964 episode of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son, "Coffins for Sale" first aired on March 10, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With All in the Family reaping huge ratings and even huger controversy on CBS, producer Norman Lear was able to sell another "chancy" sitcom project to rival network NBC. Like Family, which was inspired by the British comedy series Till Death Us Do Part, Lear's Sanford and Son was based on a long-running Britcom, Steptoe and Son, the saga of two cockney junk dealers. Also like Family, Sanford debuted as a mid-season replacement, in this case supplanted the failed Jack Webb drama The D.A. Originally, Lear had planned to build his version of Sanford and Son around two Jewish characters, but the upsurge in (and demand for) more African-American faces on television emboldened the producer to change the leading roles from Jewish to black. Veteran nightclub comedian Redd Foxx was cast as the irascible Fred Sanford (Foxx's real name was in fact John Elroy Sanford), a 65-year-old junk dealer living and working in a racially mixed Los Angeles neighborhood. Fred's son and business partner, 25-year-old bachelor Lamont Sanford, was played by Demond Wilson, whom Lear had hired on the strength of a guest appearance on All in the Family. The basic Sanford and Son premise was established from the beginning, with the crotchety Fred comfortably settled in his just-getting-by junk business, commiserating with his buddies in his off hours, occasionally squiring his erstwhile fiancée, nurse Donna Harris (Lynn Hamilton), and spewing forth hilarious insults about everyone in general and other minority groups in particular. Although he loved and was devoted to his father, Lamont was forever seeking to better his life by looking beyond the junkyard, but whenever Lamont announced his intention of leaving the family business -- or, for that matter, whenever Lamont disagreed with his father on anything -- Fred would conveniently suffer a "heart attack," invoking the name of his late wife by clutching his chest, looking heavenward and shouting "I'm comin', Elizabeth!" As with any successful sitcom, Sanford and Son boasted a steady stream of supporting characters. In addition to the aforementioned Donna Harris, the series' first season yielded such peripheral personalities as police officers Smith (Hal Williams) and Swanhauser (Noam Pitlik), also known as Smitty and Swanny, and Fred's longtime buddy Melvin, played by Redd Foxx's onetime vaudeville partner Slappy White. Many of the first 14 Sanford and Son episodes were adapted from scripts originally written for its British prototype, Steptoe and Son. These scripts were not exactly word-for-word, given the fact that American television in A.D. 1972 was not quite ready for the frankness of its British counterpart, but the racy and sometimes ribald "flavor" was happily intact. Debuting Friday, January 14, 1972, Sanford and Son immediately "won" its Friday-night time slot, closing out its first season as America's sixth highest-rated program. The series would remain securely in the Top Ten list throughout its six-season run. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A confirmed hit in its inaugural 14-episode season, the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son returned to its familiar Friday-night berth for a second batch of 24 episodes beginning September 15, 1972. In true "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" tradition, producer Norman Lear made virtually no changes in the series' winning format. Cantankerous junk dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) was still umbilically joined to his cash-poor salvage business; Fred's son Lamont (Demond Wilson) was still seeking a way out of the family trade and into a more lucrative profession; and Fred continued to prevent Lamont from leaving by a variety of methods, primarily by staging highly suspicious "heart attacks." The only significant differences between Sanford's first and second seasons were manifested in the supporting cast. Hal Williams continued to make periodic appearances as police officer Smith (aka "Smitty"), albeit with a new partner, Officer Hopkins (Howard Platt), who was immediately nicknamed "Hoppy." The Sanfords' circle of friends was more or less solidified, with the departing Slappy White (as Melvin) replaced by Fred's somewhat shady crony Bubba Hoover (Don Bexley), and Lamont Sanford gaining a new chum in the person of reckless Rollo Larson (Nathaniel Taylor). More significant additions -- at least in providing grist for the comedy mill vis-à-vis Fred Sanford's endless personal insults -- included Gregory Sierra as the Sanfords' new neighbor and business rival, Puerto Rican junk dealer Julio Fuentes and especially LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther, Fred's contentious, Bible-thumping sister-in-law (Page was a slightly younger and more volatile replacement for Beah Richards, who had made a handful of appearances as Aunt Ethel). Also, Lynn Hamilton continued popping up from time to time as Fred Sanford's erstwhile fiancée, nurse Donna Harris. As with season one, some of the episodes seen during Sanford and Son's second season were adapted from scripts previously telecast on the series' British prototype Steptoe and Son, but these were fewer and farther between than in previous months. And also as with season one, Sanford sustained its enormous popularity, ranking as the second most popular TV series in America (another Norman Lear effort, All in the Family, was first). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fred (Redd Foxx) and Lamont (Demond Wilson) inadvertently come into a possession of a suitcase stuffed with money. Convinced that they are harboring stolen funds, the two Sanfords are afraid to spend any of it, lest the "owner" -- that is, the thief -- return unexpectedly. By the time they've dismissed their fears, a tough-looking yegg (Gabe Dell) shows up at their doorstep, gun in hand. This is the one in which Fred "talks with his eyes." "The Suitcase Case" originally aired on March 31, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like his previous smash hit All in the Family, producer Norman Lear's NBC sitcom Sanford and Son was based on a British original, in this instance Steptoe and Son, the story of an elderly, irascible cockney junk dealer and his cloddish bachelor son and business partner. In the initial development stages, Sanford and Son was to have been about a pair of Jewish men, but it was finally decided to transform the characters into African-Americans -- and in so doing, veteran "Chitlin Circuit" standup comedian Redd Foxx was catapulted to superstardom. Debuting January 14, 1972, the NBC series cast Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford, a 65-year-old L.A. junk dealer who ran a ramshackle salvage business in the backyard of his home. The cranky, mercenary Fred was satisfied with his lot in life, which was more than could be said for his 34-year-old son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), who was forever seeking out strategies to escape the junk business and go off on his own -- and, hopefully, to find himself a wife. The wily elder Sanford would have none of this, and devised all manner of schemes and subterfuges to keep Lamont from leaving. His favorite ploy was to feign having a heart seizure, whereupon he would look heavenward and "call out" to his late wife, "I'm comin', Elizabeth! This is the big one! I'm comin'!" Inasmuch as this charade fooled no one -- least of all Lamont -- one wondered if the younger Sanford really was that hepped out about leaving after all, or whether he felt secure in his shabby environs.

Although none of the series' supporting characters appeared on every episode, most were seen frequently enough to qualify as regulars. During season one, Fred hung out with his old buddy Melvin (Slappy White), and throughout the series he palled around with Bubba Bexley (Don Bexley). Beginning in 1973, Whitman Mayo was seen as Fred's crony Grady Wilson, who virtually became the series' star later on during Redd Foxx's frequent defections from the show due to salary and other squabbles with the producers. (Mayo himself virtually disappeared from Sanford and Son during the 1975-1976 season when he was spun off into his own sitcom, Grady.) Other recurring characters included eccentric police officers Swanhauser (Noam Pitlik), Smith (Hal Williams), and Hopkins (Howard Platt); Lamont's friend Rollo Larson (Nathaniel Taylor); restauranteur Ah Chew (Pat Morita); rival junk man Julio Fuentes (Gregory Sierra); Fred's off-and-on lady friend, Nurse Donna Harris (Lynn Hamilton); and Lamont's girlfriend and later fiancée, Janet Lawson (Marlene Clark). The one "standout" supporting character was Aunt Esther Anderson (LaWanda Page), who constantly quoted Scripture and who expressed her disapproval of Fred's shenanigans by giving a good solid punch once in a while (in some early episodes, Beah Richards appeared in a similar role as Aunt Ethel). With the departure of both Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson at the end of the series' sixth season, Sanford and Son was canceled September 2, 1977, to be "reborn" twice, first in the form of the spin-off series The Sanford Arms in the fall of 1977, then as the short-lived 1980 offering Sanford, with Redd Foxx in his original role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Recuperating from a broken arm suffered in an accident, Fred (Redd Foxx) is unable to do any housework. To alleviate the problem, Fred's son Lamont (Redd Foxx) agrees to hire a maid -- at bargain prices. The inimitable Mary Wickes guest-stars as abrasive housekeeper Mary, who, need we add, turns out to be no bargain at all. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This January 29, 1968 episode of The Andy Griffith Show was inspired by a recent real-life event: The US-Soviet Summit conference in the small college town of Glassboro, New Jersey. Don Knotts makes his final series appearance as Barney Fife, who has been put in charge of coordinating a crucial East-West summit meeting in Mayberry. Alas, Barney messes up the assignment, but the spirit of détente is preserved thanks of Aunt Bee's cold fried chicken. "Barney Hosts a Summit Meeting" was written by Aaron Ruben. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi