OMG! ‘Woodrow’ Just Turned 88 & Had A Wonderful Time At His BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Posted On : March 13, 2017
Aunt Esther, Woodrow, and Grady on "Sanford and Son"
Aunt Esther, Woodrow, and Grady on “Sanford and Son”

ILOSM fam’ we all remember ‘Woodrow’ from Sanford and Son right? Of course we do because quite frankly, who could ever forget ‘Aunt Esther’s’ drunk husband, who she always bossed around with her bible in hand.

For any of our young Old Schoolers on here, who may not know much about ‘Woodrow,’ here’s a quick breakdown of the cat whom millions of Sanford and Son fans will never forget:

Via Wikia: Woodrow “Woody” Anderson was Aunt Esther’s long-suffering, prone to drink husband on the NBC-TV sitcom series Sanford and Son. Woody owned a hardware store not far from the Sanford and Son Salvage Yard, and was generally a good-natured soul who often hit the bottle to sometimes escape the rantings and ravings of Bible-thumping, loudmouthed, sometimes domineering religious wife Esther. Woody later repented of his boozing ways later in the series as both his and Esther’s characters were developed, even to the point where they were able to adopt an orphaned teen son named ‘Daniel.’

‘Woodrow’s’ 88th Birthday Celebration

Actor, Raymond Allen a.k.a. "Woodrow" a.k.a. "Ned the Wino"
Actor, Raymond Allen a.k.a. “Woodrow” a.k.a. “Ned the Wino” (via Facebook)

Today, Woodrow a.k.a. actor, Raymond Allen, is still hangin’ tough in his golden years. We would like to wish him a very happy 88th birthday! That’s right, he’s 88 years young now and on March 5, 2017, he had a blast celebrating his born day surrounded by family…

Watch Raymond Allen’s 88th Birthday Celebration!


As you can see from some of the recent photos (in the video and below), Raymond hasn’t been in the best of health lately, but the beautiful thing is that his daughters and loved ones are giving him his roses while he’s still here, instead of waiting until it’s too late. One thing’s for certain, Raymond definitely sees that he’s loved by many- his family and his millions of fans…

Old School Fun Facts About Raymond Allen

Raymond Allen hospitalized, surrounded by family (via Facebook)
Raymond Allen hospitalized, surrounded by family (via Facebook)

Raymond was forced to retire from acting in 1985 due to an unknown illness. Therefore he only had a chance to play a few roles during the 70’s and mid 80’s. But he always had a way of waking up and/or even stealing every scene he was in, which is why he’s so memorable today.

Raymond Allen with family member (via Facebook)
Raymond Allen with family member (via Facebook)

He was married once to Barbara Williams from 1963 to 1977 (now deceased) and they have three daughters together. In recent years he’s been living with one of his daughters in California.

Let’s Not Forget About ‘Ned The Wino’

'Ned the Wino' and 'Florida Evans' in "Good Times"
‘Ned the Wino’ and ‘Florida Evans’ in “Good Times”

And y’all know we can’t talk about ‘Woodrow’ without throwing back to our other favorite Raymond Allen character, ‘Ned the Wino’ on Good Times! ‘Ned the Wino’s’ hilarious drunken moments still crack us up to this day. And don’t even talk about that episode where ‘J.J.’ painted his Black Jesus portrait with ‘Ned the Wino’s’ face, LOL…CLASSIC! Even though ‘Florida Evans’ was pissed off, ‘Ned’s’ Jesus pic became one of the most memorable scenes on the show, as did the ‘James Evans funeral’ scene when ‘Ned’ brought ‘Florida’ a bottle of liquor to the repass to offer his condolences.

Raymond Allen with one of his daughters
Raymond Allen with one of his daughters

Talk about Old School memories! It’s wonderful that after so many years, the few scenes that Raymond Allen graced us with back in the day, have become timeless memories for so many. Again, Happy B-day To You Raymond Allen!!!

About I Love Old School Music

We salute the incredible people and beautiful memories of that "old school". We’re not saying that every artist and every facet of the soul era was perfect, but the artists’ contributions to soul music and the old school memories of that particular time are PRICELESS.