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Score: 9.1 Superb 30 votes

Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman

Episode Number: 41    Season Num: 3    First Aired: Friday September 28, 1973    Prod Code: 306
Originally aired: Friday September 28, 1973 on NBC
Writer: Gene Farmer
Director: Jack Shea
Show Stars: Redd Foxx (Fred G. Sanford), Demond Wilson (Lamont Sanford)
Recurring Role: Hal Williams (Officer Smith "Smitty"), Gregory Sierra (Julio Fuentes), Howard Platt (Officer Hopkins "Hoppy")
Production Code: 306

As Fred prepares a batch of holey moley in anticipation of the movie he and Lamont will be watching that night, Lamont breaks the news to him that he would rather spend the night with Julio shooting pool. Fred objects to the change of plans. First, he's concerned about his heart and his arthritis. But he really focuses his objections on Julio himself. Fred is afraid that Lamont will pick up Julio's accent. And he doesn't like Julio's unamerican ways, owning a goat rather than a dog.

Lamont ignores his objections as prejudice. He even balks when Julio invites Fred to go with them. Lamont and Julio depart, leaving Fred, and a batch of holey moley.

Julio's goat Chico comes in and helps himself to the holey moley. And Fred shoos him out, back to Julio's yard next door. Fred sits back down, and hears a clatter, which he assumes is Chico. But it's a pair of burglars stealing Julio's belongings, including Chico.

Fred comes out to investigate the noise, and at gunpoint they scare Fred back into the house, and into his closet. But Fred did get a good look at them.

But Fred won't serve as a witness for identification. For he's afraid of their threats. He won't identify the thieves despite the pleas from Julio and Lamont. So Lamont and Julio stage a set-up where Fred's business truck appears stolen.

Julio claims to have seen the robbers, but won't identify them unless Fred identifies the guys who stole Chico. They come to an impasse, and finally agree to make a statement, one for the other.

When Officers Smith and Hopkins arrive, Fred and Julio are still quibbling over who should go first. Finally Fred goes first, and the Officers believe they have identified the thieves. Now Julio must admit that the truck theft was staged to get Fred to talk - that the truck is parked on the other side of Julio's house.

Only it's not there. The viewer is left to think it was really stolen from Julio's house. Really, the truck got towed for being parked in a tow-away zone. Julio is so happy to get Chico back that he's willing to pay the $17.50 towing fee, not in cash but in goat milk.

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Episode Vital Stats

 
Episode: Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman
Season Number: 3
Episode Reviews: 0
Episode
Score:
9.1 Superb 30 votes
Rating Statistics:
perfect: 19 (63.3%)
fair: 4 (13.3%)
great: 3 (10%)
superb: 2 (6.7%)
Other: 2 (6.7%)
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