Sanford and Son
Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman
TV Flash files “Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman” as hour 41 of 136 in the TV Flash guide — Sanford and Son (1972–1977) on NBC, season 3, episode 3, aired 1973-09-28, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E03: listed hour 41 of 136 in the Sanford and Son guide, hour 3 of 24 in season 3. It aired 1973-09-28 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Libra Rising All Over Lamont” (S03E02). Next is “Presenting the Three Degrees” (S03E04).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Lamont and Julio go out one evening to shoot pool leaving a left-out Fred behind to sulk. Fred soon finds himself a witness to a burglary when he confronts two thieves burglarizing Julio's house. Later, Fred refuses to testify and identify the culprits out of fear and a frustrated Lamont and Julio put a plan into motion to get him to, and it starts when Fred's truck is stolen.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman sit in the Sanford and Son guide?
S03E03 is listed hour 41 of 136 — hour 3 of 24 in season 3, season 3 episode 3.
When did Sanford and Son S03E03 air?
Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman aired 1973-09-28 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I need the British Steptoe and Son first?
No. The NBC series is adapted from Steptoe and Son, but Foxx's junkyard roast is a different comic weather system. Watch the Watts original on its own terms.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Redd Foxx's junkyard king fakes the big one while Demond Wilson's Lamont tries to live without another scheme. British Steptoe bones vanish under Watts insult comedy, Aunt Esther's Bible thunder, and Nielsen-era Black father-son heat. Catchphrases as weapons; the salvage yard as throne.
NBC dropped a Watts salvage yard into the early-1970s night and watched a Black lead sitcom own the chart. Sanford and Son (1972–1977) ran six seasons, 136 episodes — a short, high-velocity window, not an eleven-season mountain. Adapted from Britain's Steptoe and Son, the American hour buried the import bones under Redd Foxx gravel-and-lightning. Demond Wilson's Lamont is the long-suffering counterweight from Crossed Swords on. Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin helped the working-class roast hit status. Rex can toast…
Filed against
- Redd Foxx as Fred G. Sanford
Redd Foxx made Fred G. Sanford a junkyard king on Sanford and Son — 1970s Watts insult comedy, faking the big one while Demond Wilson’s Lamont tries to live without another scheme. British bones vanish under Aunt Esther’s Bible thunder…
- Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford
Demond Wilson’s Lamont Sanford tried to live without another scheme — Redd Foxx’s junkyard king faking the big one, Watts insult comedy, Aunt Esther’s Bible thunder, Nielsen-era Black father-son heat. British Steptoe bones vanished under…
- LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther
LaWanda Page's Aunt Esther thundered Sanford and Son with Bible weather — Redd Foxx's junkyard king, Watts insult comedy, Nielsen-era Black father-son heat, catchphrases as weapons. The salvage yard as a stage. TV Flash files her as 1970s…
- Whitman Mayo as Grady Wilson
Whitman Mayo’s Grady Wilson wandered Sanford and Son as junkyard chorus — Redd Foxx faking the big one, Demond Wilson’s Lamont trying to live without another scheme, Watts insult comedy, Aunt Esther’s Bible thunder. Catchphrases as…
- Don Bexley as Bubba Bexley
Don Bexley’s Bubba Bexley hung around Sanford and Son as junkyard chorus — Redd Foxx faking the big one, Demond Wilson’s Lamont ducking another scheme, Watts insult comedy, Aunt Esther’s Bible thunder. Catchphrases as weapons; a pal as…