How do we feel about the guy? I don't hear much about the guy, anymore. You hear about George Carlin and Richard Pryor, but what about this guy? Underrated, wouldn't you say?

Mysterioso said:

You know, I never cared much for Redd Foxx's standup. I always thought he was just filthy for filthy's sake. I didn't see much insight or brilliance in it. And offstage he had this kind of, smarmy Vegas personality. Shirts unbuttoned, gaudy gold necklaces, cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other. But, man, his portrayal of Fred Sanford was just gold. Besides maybe Jackie Gleason's 'Ralph Kramden', I don't think there's ever been a more true portrayal of any character in American sitcom. From much of what I've read, he ad-libbed a lot of that 'Sanford & Son' material. He created a character who's mannerisms were so true to dozens of older black men almost all of us know. And it was so contrary to how he was offstage. It was true acting.

Underappreciated and underrated, I'd say. Another St. Louis treasure.

violator said:

Loved him in Sanford and Son, that's the only show I've ever seen of his.
I didn't know he ad-libbed, but I know that you could see in the show parts where they
were holding in their laugh,
guess now that you mention the ad-lib part,
I guess some of the punchlines were so unexpected that they wanted to laugh.

Love that show.

I always thought he was just filthy for filthy's sake

Yea that would have been the point of what he was doing. -----

violator said:

laurarichardson said:

Yeah, but it's not what everyone does with filthy. So what's your point?

violator said:

-----
My point is Redd’s type of comedy was not meant to be intellectual or political he tailored his humor to the chillin circuit audiences of post WW II America. I think you need to put Redd’s comedy in the time that he came along.

You can find the same type of humor from the Bosch Belt circuit that was popular with Jewish Americans.

laurarichardson said:

I understand.