Esther Anderson
Encyclopedia
Esther Winfield Anderson, known and feared as "Aunt Esther", is a fictional character from the television series, Sanford and Son
. She was played by actress LaWanda Page
, a long-time friend of the series' star, Redd Foxx
. Page was Foxx's first and only choice to play Esther.
). Ethel's involvement in the Sanfords' family squabbles lasted only midway through the second season, whereupon she was replaced with her more tart-tongued sister, Esther.
Fred and Esther's relationship as in-laws went on to become a major part of the series' legend, as each time Esther appeared, Fred would insult her and audiences were drawn to the show in greater numbers. Conversely, Esther's disdain for Fred stemmed back to when he and Elizabeth were dating; she had disapproved of Fred marrying her sister. He would often contort his face upon Esther's entrance and make disparaging remarks to her, comparing her with King Kong
and Godzilla
. Despite his stubbornness, Fred would sometimes redeem himself with acts of kindness toward Esther.
-toting sister-in-law of Fred Sanford. She is a staunchly religious Baptist
who finds little use for humor and often criticizes Fred. Elizabeth, Esther's younger sister, was married to Fred, and Esther and the rest of the Winfield family were against the marriage from the outset. However, Esther often expressed that if anything good came out of the marriage it was her nephew and Fred's son, Lamont.
Lamont adored his aunt Esther, and would, against Fred's and Grady's wishes, allow her to stay in their house and often defended her against their insults. Since Esther and her family were the only real connection he had to his late mother, Lamont welcomed her often. She, in turn, was there to counsel Lamont on his life, and did her best to help him to get out of living in his father's junkyard house. She did so because she felt that Elizabeth would not have wanted Lamont, whom Esther felt was very intelligent, to remain in such a limited life.
Fred responded to Esther's entrances by making exaggerated grimaces. He would then proceed to insult her, likening her to animals and fictitious movie monsters. Fred often focused on Esther's looks, once telling her, "I could stick your face in some dough and make some gorilla cookies!" He also often insulted her by calling her "ugly" and pronouncing it Ug-leee!.
Esther's usual reactions to Fred's antics were to cringe and say, "Watch it, sucka!" Sometimes, cracking from the constant barrage of insults, she would swing her purse wildly in Fred's direction while angrily calling him a "fish-eyed fool" or "heathen". Once, during a public prayer, Esther made reference to Fred, calling him a "Snaggle-toothed jackass." She also clashed with Fred's friend, Grady Wilson
, whom she also disliked due to his friendship with Fred.
Despite their constant arguments, some episodes reveal that Esther and Fred actually cared about each other, such as when Fred helped her adopt a child. In one episode, Fred gave Esther $100 he won gambling to help her church, leaving him 35 cents.
Esther's long-suffering but loving alcoholic husband Woodrow (played by Raymond Allen
began appearing infrequently later in the series. Woodrow was massively inebriated and somewhat henpecked. He eventually became sober
so he and Esther could adopted a young orphan, Daniel, played by Eric Laneuville
in "Aunt Esther Meets Her Son".
In the final two seasons of Sanford and Son, as well as its failed spin-off
Sanford, Esther lived next door to Fred at the Sanford Arms, the boarding house
owned and run by Fred, which was located next to his junk shop.
" material of her stand-up act and record albums.
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
. She was played by actress LaWanda Page
LaWanda Page
LaWanda Page , born Alberta Peal, was an American actress and comedienne best known for her portrayal of Aunt Esther in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
, a long-time friend of the series' star, Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
. Page was Foxx's first and only choice to play Esther.
Foil for Foxx's character
At first, Fred's main foil on the show was in his sister-in-law and Lamont's aunt, Ethel (Beah RichardsBeah Richards
Beah Richards was an American actress of stage, screen and television. She was a poet, playwright and author....
). Ethel's involvement in the Sanfords' family squabbles lasted only midway through the second season, whereupon she was replaced with her more tart-tongued sister, Esther.
Fred and Esther's relationship as in-laws went on to become a major part of the series' legend, as each time Esther appeared, Fred would insult her and audiences were drawn to the show in greater numbers. Conversely, Esther's disdain for Fred stemmed back to when he and Elizabeth were dating; she had disapproved of Fred marrying her sister. He would often contort his face upon Esther's entrance and make disparaging remarks to her, comparing her with King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
and Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. Despite his stubbornness, Fred would sometimes redeem himself with acts of kindness toward Esther.
Character history
Esther Anderson is the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
-toting sister-in-law of Fred Sanford. She is a staunchly religious Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
who finds little use for humor and often criticizes Fred. Elizabeth, Esther's younger sister, was married to Fred, and Esther and the rest of the Winfield family were against the marriage from the outset. However, Esther often expressed that if anything good came out of the marriage it was her nephew and Fred's son, Lamont.
Lamont adored his aunt Esther, and would, against Fred's and Grady's wishes, allow her to stay in their house and often defended her against their insults. Since Esther and her family were the only real connection he had to his late mother, Lamont welcomed her often. She, in turn, was there to counsel Lamont on his life, and did her best to help him to get out of living in his father's junkyard house. She did so because she felt that Elizabeth would not have wanted Lamont, whom Esther felt was very intelligent, to remain in such a limited life.
Fred responded to Esther's entrances by making exaggerated grimaces. He would then proceed to insult her, likening her to animals and fictitious movie monsters. Fred often focused on Esther's looks, once telling her, "I could stick your face in some dough and make some gorilla cookies!" He also often insulted her by calling her "ugly" and pronouncing it Ug-leee!.
Esther's usual reactions to Fred's antics were to cringe and say, "Watch it, sucka!" Sometimes, cracking from the constant barrage of insults, she would swing her purse wildly in Fred's direction while angrily calling him a "fish-eyed fool" or "heathen". Once, during a public prayer, Esther made reference to Fred, calling him a "Snaggle-toothed jackass." She also clashed with Fred's friend, Grady Wilson
Grady Wilson
----Grady Wilson is the name of a fictional recurring character on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son played by the late Whitman Mayo. The character's name first appeared in the 1972 episode "The Dowry;" however, in this episode he was played by Albert Reed, Jr. and he was Fred's cousin...
, whom she also disliked due to his friendship with Fred.
Despite their constant arguments, some episodes reveal that Esther and Fred actually cared about each other, such as when Fred helped her adopt a child. In one episode, Fred gave Esther $100 he won gambling to help her church, leaving him 35 cents.
Esther's long-suffering but loving alcoholic husband Woodrow (played by Raymond Allen
Raymond Allen (television actor)
Raymond Gilmore Allen is an American actor best known for his appearances on television in the 1970s...
began appearing infrequently later in the series. Woodrow was massively inebriated and somewhat henpecked. He eventually became sober
Sober
Sober usually refers to sobriety, the state of not being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. It may also refer to:-Computers:* Sober , variety of computer virus* SOBER , family of synchronous stream ciphers...
so he and Esther could adopted a young orphan, Daniel, played by Eric Laneuville
Eric Laneuville
Eric Gerard Laneuville is an American television director, actor and martial artist. His first prominent acting roles were in the science-fiction film The Omega Man with Charlton Heston and the ABC television series Room 222 . His role as Luther Hawkins in the television series St...
in "Aunt Esther Meets Her Son".
In the final two seasons of Sanford and Son, as well as its failed spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Sanford, Esther lived next door to Fred at the Sanford Arms, the boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
owned and run by Fred, which was located next to his junk shop.
Religious conflicts
Esther was a devout churchgoer, always armed with the Bible, and whenever she went to do battle with Fred, which was often, she was usually aided by some women from her church, or by her drunken husband, Woodrow; or would simply show up at Fred's house quoting the Bible. Usually, at any random moment, even in mid-sentence, Esther would throw her hands up and exclaim, "Oh, Glory!" (though it came out as H'ah Glory), even during her most heated arguments with Fred. Her upright image was deflated when it was revealed that in her youth, a man called "Big Money Grip" had sneaked into her bedroom and had sex with her. Grip had mistaken Esther for the beautiful Elizabeth in the dark, which led Grip to claim he was Lamont's real father. Ironicially, Page's convincing portrayal of the "church lady" image of Aunt Esther lay in direct contrast to the "blueOff-color humor
The term off-color humor is an Americanism used to describe jokes, prose, poems, black comedy, blue comedy, insult comedy, cringe comedy and skits that deal with topics that are considered to be in poor taste or overly vulgar by the prevailing morality of a culture...
" material of her stand-up act and record albums.