Wednesday, April 30, 2014

REDD FOXX WALK OF FAME

933 La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, Ca. is the former site of Redd Foxx Productions. The black and white striped building housed the production offices of the iconic African-American comedian from the mid-70s (the heyday of his hit sitcom, Sanford & Son) through to the late 80s.
Back in 1978 I used to attend Columbia College, a film & television school, which then was located next door (behind the trees in the photo above) and would pass by the glittering offices every day. If memory serves, the facade of the Redd Foxx Building was red where the tiles are currently white, and the side (shown yellow, above) was painted completely red with an caricatured drawing of a fox, which served as the comedian's logo.

In the cement forecourt of the building was the "Redd Foxx Walk of Fame" where Foxx and many of his friends and associates placed their footprints in cement, a la Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Although the building stands empty today, the footprints remain.

The late, great LaWanda Page, who portrayed "Aunt Esther" on Sanford & Son, is given support by Foxx himself as she places her footprints in the cement in the forecourt of  Redd Foxx Production. Image is from Jet Magazine, dated October 19, 1987
A few samples of the footprints. Alas, many of the people who signed these are unknown to me and Google hasn't been much help. 

Tony (Anthony) Major helped run Redd Foxx Productions and a producer on Sanford & Sons 
Leroy & Skillet (Leroy Daniels and Ernest Mayhand) were a comedy team. They made several "party records" with LaWanda Page