TMC
02-08-2023, 02:36 AM
https://popculturereferences.com/five-great-lawanda-page-guest-appearances/
In a feature spotlighting character actors who routinely do strong guest appearances on TV series, Brian spotlights five fine TV performances by LaWanda Page
Today, we look at five great guest appearances by LaWanda Page.
This is “Following a Star,” (https://popculturereferences.com/category/following-a-star/) a new feature where I spotlight five great guest spots by an actor who frequently did/does guest spots on TV series in their careers. It doesn’t mean that they’ve NEVER been regulars on shows, but obviously I’m not looking to spotlight people who are best known for their regular TV roles (like no Jason Alexander or Florence Henderson, for instance).
Since this is Black History Month, I’ll specifically spotlight Black character actors this month.
LaWanda Page was a trailblazing Black female comedian in the 1960s, at a time when there were obviously not a whole lot of opportunities for a Black female standup, especially one who worked blue like Page did. She had first started in show business as a fire-eater before seguing into standup comedy. She was ready to give her career up in the early 1970s to take care of her mother when she was contacted by an old friend of hers from her childhood, Redd Foxx, who had built a successful comedy career of his own (a lot easier to do as a guy, although, again, it wasn’t like Black standup comedy was an easy racket in the 1960s for even stars like Foxx) and had recently started his own TV series, Sanford and Son.
He brought Page to the producers’ attention and she got the recurring role of Fred Sanford’s Bible-toting sister-in-law, Aunt Esther, a very popular role that revitalized Page’s career and made her a bit of an icon in the Black community.
In a feature spotlighting character actors who routinely do strong guest appearances on TV series, Brian spotlights five fine TV performances by LaWanda Page
Today, we look at five great guest appearances by LaWanda Page.
This is “Following a Star,” (https://popculturereferences.com/category/following-a-star/) a new feature where I spotlight five great guest spots by an actor who frequently did/does guest spots on TV series in their careers. It doesn’t mean that they’ve NEVER been regulars on shows, but obviously I’m not looking to spotlight people who are best known for their regular TV roles (like no Jason Alexander or Florence Henderson, for instance).
Since this is Black History Month, I’ll specifically spotlight Black character actors this month.
LaWanda Page was a trailblazing Black female comedian in the 1960s, at a time when there were obviously not a whole lot of opportunities for a Black female standup, especially one who worked blue like Page did. She had first started in show business as a fire-eater before seguing into standup comedy. She was ready to give her career up in the early 1970s to take care of her mother when she was contacted by an old friend of hers from her childhood, Redd Foxx, who had built a successful comedy career of his own (a lot easier to do as a guy, although, again, it wasn’t like Black standup comedy was an easy racket in the 1960s for even stars like Foxx) and had recently started his own TV series, Sanford and Son.
He brought Page to the producers’ attention and she got the recurring role of Fred Sanford’s Bible-toting sister-in-law, Aunt Esther, a very popular role that revitalized Page’s career and made her a bit of an icon in the Black community.