When you think of top TV dads, a foul-mouthed, junk-peddling, chest-clutching crank probably isn’t top of mind. But in a sea of advice doling, endlessly patient papas, that’s exactly what made Redd Foxx‘s curmudgeonly Fred Sanford of Sanford and Son fame a legend.

The show’s iconic catchphrases stemmed from Fred’s efforts to bend his son and business partner Lamont (Demond Wilson) to his will, using methods that would make modern dads blanch. Fred regularly barked “You big dummy!” at poor Lamont, but both the chuckling audience and Lamont knew it was just Fred’s ham-handed way of saying he’d always be there as Lamont’s dad and protector. The widowed Fred also loved threatening Lamont with orphanhood when he didn’t get his way, clutching his chest and bellowing, “This is the Big One! I’m coming to join you, Elizabeth!” Oof.