FRIDAY'S HALL OF FAMER - BUBBA BEXLEY

For our final salute to Black History Month with our Friday Hall of Famers, I saved my favorite for last…..

BUBBA BEXLEY

From the ‘Sanford & Son’ wikia:

Bubba Bexley, along with Grady Wilson was one of Fred Sanford's two best friends on the Sanford and Son series, appearing frequently on the show throughout its run on NBC.

Bubba, who was sometimes portrayed as somewhat dim-witted, but loyal as Fred's friend, is known for his infectious belly-laugh and jovial persona. Bubba was primarily used as a straight man to set up punchlines for Fred, who often used him as the butt of his barbs. His loud greeting of "Hey Fred!" often drove Fred and Lamont crazy.

His function in several episodes is to encourage Fred into get-rich-quick schemes, as when he encourages Fred to fake having whiplash after he is hit by a white man in a Cadillac while driving the truck in the second season episode "Whiplash" (Season 2, episode #2, 1972), and Fred's scheme to get out of having to pay taxes by opening a church of "Junkists" as in the episode "Rev. Sanford" (Season 6, episode #18, 1977).

Bubba was played by Don Bexley for 43 episodes of the series, and for eight episodes of the failed spin-off series The Sanford Arms in the fall of 1977.

From Wikipedia:
Donald Thomas "Don" Bexley (March 10, 1910 - April 15, 1997) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx)'s friend Bubba Bexley on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son.

Foxx sent for him to join in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son. It was Foxx who convinced Bud Yorkin and Aaron Ruben to hire Bexley to play one of Fred G. Sanford's friends. At the time, Bexley was 62 years old and had never appeared on television before. Bexley gained international popularity for his portrayal as "Bubba" on the series, which is a very successful "rerun sitcom" even today.

Sanford and Son was an instant hit and remained in the country's top 10 programs for its entire run from 1972 to 1977. Bexley reprised Bubba in the short-lived sequel, Sanford Arms, which had many of the same characters but not Foxx and Demond Wilson.

Grady Wilson is already a member of the Television
Crossover Hall Of Fame.  Now he has Bubba to join him…..

SHOWS CITED:


Sanford and Son
1972-1977
43 episodes


Grady- Grady's Night In (1975)


Sanford Arms (1977)
8 episodes
Finally, here's an odd video I found which purportedly celebrates that which is Bubba....

Welcome to the Hall, Bubba!