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Sanford and Son
*Based on the BBC series Steptoe and Son. Several first season episodes of "Sanford and Son" were based on episodes from the earlier series.
*In the second episode it is revealed that Lamont's middle name is Grady. But in a later episode Fred admits that Lamont is his middle name and that he actually has no first name because he and Elizabeth never got around to it.
*In the episode, "The Lucky Streak", it was revealed that Lamont has no first name. "Lamont" is his middle name because Fred and Elizabeth couldn't think of a proper first name for him.
*The producers' original choice for Fred Sanford was Cleavon Little, who turned it down due to prior commitments. He suggested Redd Foxx to them for the role of Fred Sanford.
*The character Fred Sanford was named after Redd Foxx's brother.
*Whitman Mayo's character "Grady Wilson" is actually named after actor Demond Wilson (Lamont Sanford). Demond Wilson's full name is "Grady Demond Wilson."
*In the midst of filming episodes for the 1975 season, Redd Foxx had a feud with NBC when he demanded a salary that the network could not afford. Unable to reach an agreement Foxx walked off the show for the rest of the season and the producers were forced to create episodes around his absence. The continuity of the show explained that Fred Sanford was away in St. Louis attending his cousin's funeral and leaving his friend Grady (Whitman Mayo) in charge of the business. Oddly enough, this would turn out to be the highest rated season of the show's entire run.
*Fred originally came from St. Louis, Missouri, which was the birthplace of series star Redd Foxx.
*Besides Esther, Fred had three other sisters-in-law, Flossie, Minnie and Ethel.
*In the closing credits, the phrase "Sanford & Son was recorded on tape before a live audience" is spoken by Demond Wilson.
*In one episode, Fred makes a reference to the Mayo Travel Agency. This was an actual business run by cast member Whitman Mayo who played Grady.
*Chico, Julio's goat, was actually a female.
*This show held the same time slot for its entire run, Friday nights at 8pm on NBC.
*This was the only Norman Lear-produced sitcom that didn't air on CBS.
*The front of the Sanford House, which doubles as the entrance to the Junk Store, appears in the opening credits but was never seen in an actual episode.
*Redd Foxx was a huge fan of the '30s vocal group The Ink Spots and sang many of their songs on the show. NBC would not pay the royalties because the cost was astronomical. So out of his love for the group Redd Foxx paid them out of his own pocket.
*Redd Foxx and LaWanda Page had been friends since childhood, and she was his first and only choice to play Fred's sister-in-law Esther.
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