Grady (American TV series)

Last updated
Grady
Developed by Redd Foxx
Saul Turteltaub
Bernie Orenstein
Starring Whitman Mayo
Carole Cole
Joe Morton
Rosanne Katon
Haywood Nelson
Jack Fletcher
Opening theme John Addison
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Running time30 min.
Production companyBud Yorkin Productions
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseDecember 4, 1975 (1975-12-04) 
March 11, 1976 (1976-03-11)
Related
Sanford and Son
Sanford Arms
Sanford

Grady is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Sanford and Son that aired on NBC from December 4, 1975, to March 11, 1976. Whitman Mayo reprises his role as Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady Wilson, who leaves Watts to move in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. Executive producer Norman Lear served as a consultant to the show.

Contents

The series never found a solid audience, and was canceled after ten episodes. Whitman Mayo returned to Sanford and Son and would go on to star in the spinoff series Sanford Arms .

Cast

Redd Foxx made a special guest appearance as Fred Sanford in the first episode.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Be It Ever So Humble" Burt Brinckerhoff Art Baer & Ben Joelson December 4, 1975 (1975-12-04)
Grady says goodbye to Fred. Later, Fred pays Grady a visit, helping him out by bringing him his luggage.
2"The Camel Force"Burt BrinckerhoffSaul Turteltaub & Bernie OrensteinDecember 11, 1975 (1975-12-11)
Grady is tired of riding the bus and decides that he wants to learn how to drive. His family, however, has concerns. After getting his license, he overhears his family talking about their concerns. To make sure they don't worry, he tells them he didn't take the driving test.
3"Merry Birthday, Happy Xmas" Bud Yorkin Saul Turteltaub & Bernie OrensteinDecember 18, 1975 (1975-12-18)
While Ellie greets the guests for Grady's surprise birthday party, Hal keeps the guest of honor occupied at a local bar.
4"Grady's Night In"Burt BrinckerhoffStory by: Stan Burns & Mike Marmer
Teleplay by: Saul Turteltaub & Bernie Orenstein
December 25, 1975 (1975-12-25)
Grady turns sleuth to track down the thief who stole two rolls of quarters from the Grady kitchen.
5"Night School"Burt BrinckerhoffStory by: Bruce Kane
Teleplay by: Ron Friedman
January 8, 1976 (1976-01-08)
Hal has a new student in his American history class: his father-in-law Grady.
6"The Meterman" Leo Orenstein Bill TaubJanuary 22, 1976 (1976-01-22)
Grady's scheme of feeding expired parking meters, then asking the car owners for reimbursement, earns him unwanted attention in the news.
7"The Strike" Gerren Keith Jerry RossJanuary 29, 1976 (1976-01-29)
Hal and his fellow teachers vote to go on strike.
8"Bureaucracy"Gerren KeithHoward LeedsFebruary 12, 1976 (1976-02-12)
Grady takes on the government after he fails to receive several social security checks.
9"Grady Takes a Wife"Gerren KeithSimon MuntnerMarch 4, 1976 (1976-03-04)
Ellie dreams that Grady marries a go-go dancer.
10"The Weekend"Leo OrensteinSaul Turteltaub & Bernie OrensteinUnaired (Unaired)
Hal and Ellie have a chance for a second honeymoon after Grady takes the kids away for the weekend.

Broadcast

The pilot episode was repackaged as an episode of Sanford and Son and is a part of its syndication package. An episode of this series aired on TV Land during a Norman Lear tribute in 2003. As of 2021, the series is streaming on Sony Crackle and Tubi TV.

Home media

On July 12, 2016, Sony Pictures Entertainment released The Best of Grady on DVD in Region 1 as a manufacture on demand release. It has every episode excluding episode #3 "Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas". [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>All in the Family</i> American sitcom television series (1971–1979)

All in the Family is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was produced as the continuation series Archie Bunker's Place, which picked up where All in the Family had ended and ran for four more seasons through 1983.

<i>Sanford and Son</i> American sitcom television series (1972–1977)

Sanford and Son is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom Steptoe and Son, which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1974.

<i>Maude</i> (TV series) American television series (1972–1978)

Maude is an American sitcom television series that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972, until April 22, 1978. The show was the first spin-off of All in the Family, on which Bea Arthur had made two appearances as Maude Findlay, Edith Bunker's favorite cousin. Like All in the Family, Maude was a sitcom with topical storylines created by producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin.

<i>Whats Happening!!</i> American sitcom (1976–1979)

What's Happening!! is an American sitcom television series that first aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, premiering as a summer series. It returned as a weekly series from November 1976 until its April 1979 conclusion. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the Eric Monte-penned film Cooley High. From 1985 until 1988, a sequel series titled What's Happening Now!! aired in first-run syndication, with most of the major cast members reprising their roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haywood Nelson</span> American actor (born 1960)

Haywood Knowles Nelson Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson in the television series What's Happening!!, which aired from 1976 to 1979, as well as in its spin-off series What's Happening Now!!, from 1985 to 1988.

<i>Good Times</i> American sitcom (1974–1979)

Good Times is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African American two-parent family sitcom. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which itself is a spin-off of All in the Family.

<i>The Jeffersons</i> American sitcom (1975–1985)

The Jeffersons is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, the second-longest-running series with a primarily African American cast by episode count behind Tyler Perry's House of Payne and the first to prominently feature a married interracial couple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Sanford</span> American actress (1917–2004)

Isabel Sanford was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1975) and The Jeffersons (1975–1985). In 1981, she became the second African-American actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award after Gail Fisher and the first African-American actress to win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

<i>One Day at a Time</i> (1975 TV series) American television sitcom (1975–1984)

One Day at a Time is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from December 16, 1975, to May 28, 1984. It starred Bonnie Franklin as a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters, played by Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli, set in Indianapolis.

<i>Archie Bunkers Place</i> American television series (1979–1983)

Archie Bunker's Place is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of All in the Family. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979 to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last four seasons. It performed so well during its first season that it displaced Mork & Mindy from its Sunday night time slot; a year earlier, during its first season, Mork & Mindy had been the No. 3 show on television.

704 Hauser is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of All in the Family that aired on CBS from April 11 to May 9, 1994. The series is built around the concept of a black family, the Cumberbatch Family, moving into the former Queens home of Archie Bunker after Bunker had sold the house located at 704 Hauser Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitman Mayo</span> American actor

Whitman Blount Mayo Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son.

<i>Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman</i> US TV series, 1976–1977

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American satirical soap opera that aired in daily weeknight syndication from January 1976 to July 1977. The series follows the titular Mary Hartman, an Ohio housewife attempting to cope with various bizarre and violent incidents occurring around her. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling, Jim Drake, Nessa Hyams, and Giovanna Nigro, and starred Louise Lasser, Greg Mullavey, Dody Goodman, Norman Alden, Mary Kay Place, Graham Jarvis, Debralee Scott, and Victor Kilian. The series writers were Gail Parent and Ann Marcus.

Tandem Productions, Inc. was a film and television production company that was founded in 1958 by television director Bud Yorkin and television writer/producer Norman Lear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Wilson</span> American actor (1943–1991)

Theodore Rosevelt "Teddy" Wilson was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for his recurring roles as Earl the Postman on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama, and Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times and Phil Wheeler on Sanford Arms (1977). Throughout his television and film career, Wilson was credited interchangeably with either Theodore (36) or Teddy (50) as his given name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred G. Sanford</span> Fictional character portrayed by Redd Foxx

Fred G. Sanford is a fictional character portrayed by actor/comedian Redd Foxx on the 1972–1977 NBC sitcom Sanford and Son and the 1980–1981 NBC sitcom Sanford.

Sanford is an American sitcom television series and a sequel to the original 1972–1977 sitcom Sanford and Son. It was broadcast on NBC from March 15, 1980 to July 10, 1981.

<i>Sanford Arms</i> American TV series or program

Sanford Arms is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off and continuation of Sanford and Son, that aired Fridays at 8:00-8:30 PM on NBC from September 16 to October 14, 1977.

Grady Wilson is the name of a fictional recurring character on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son played by Whitman Mayo. The character's name first appeared in the 1972 episode "The Dowry;" however, in this episode he was played by Albert Reed Jr. and he was Fred's cousin. Once Mayo took the role, Grady became a regular on the show.

Albert Reed Jr. was an American actor and law enforcement officer. He was mostly known for his recurring role as Alderman Fred C. Davis on Good Times. He also had a recurring role on the children's adventure series The Secret of Isis as Dr. Joshua Barnes and made guest appearances on The Jeffersons and Sanford and Son. On Sanford and Son, he appeared in the role of Grady Wilson, a cousin of Fred's, a part he played for just one episode; another role that involved a character named Grady Wilson, a longtime friend of Fred's, would later go to actor Whitman Mayo. He portrayed "Lieutenant Ned Ordway" in the original Airport movie (1970), a case of art imitating life, as Reed was also an airport law enforcement official.

References