LaWanda Page Movies
A comedienne turned actress who rose to fame as outspoken bible-thumper Aunt Ester in Redd Foxx's hit sitcom Sanford and Son, LaWanda Page performed with such other famous contemporaries as Richard Pryor and Rudy Ray Moore before finding success on the small screen. A native of Cleveland who grew up in St. Louis, Page first hit the stage as an exotic dancer and chorus girl billed "the Bronze Goddess of Fire" (due to her penchant for playing with fire on-stage) before fully realizing her talents as a standup comic. Subsequently approached by Foxx to star in Sanford and Son, Page tickled television viewers' funny bones with her memorable role as Foxx's aggressively religious sister-in-law in the original series' spin-off The Sanford Arms, and the 1980 revival Sanford. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Page crafted a feature-film career with minor roles in such comedies as Zapped! (1982), My Blue Heaven (1990), Friday (1995), and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). Always retaining her fiery approach to comedy, Page also performed on-stage in productions of The Inquest of Sam Cooke and Take It to the Lord...Or Else. On September 14, 2002, LaWanda Page died from complications of diabetes in Los Angeles, CA. She was 81. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
B.A.D. Cats was a 1980 TV adventure series, all about a special division of the LA police department. Comprised of ex-racing drivers, the B.A.D. C.A.T. squad (Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts) went after the bad guys with a vengeance-and with all cylinders running. Premiering January 4, 1980, the series was cancelled after five episodes, at which point its producers issued what amounted to a public apology. The only logical reason that two episodes of B.A.D. Cats have been released on video is that one of its stars was Michelle Pfeiffer, playing curvaceous lady-cop Samantha "Sam" Jensen. Usually clad in skimpy halter tops and cutoffs, her main purpose was to impersonate hookers and biker chicks, and get kidnapped. Funny how the B.A.D. Cats video showed up on rental shelves shortly after Michelle Pfeiffer's star-making turn in 1988's Married to the Mob; we wonder if she puts the 1980 series on her current resume. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Can it be that Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) has fallen in love with a white woman named Doris? That's what Lamont (Demond Wilson) and Donna (Lynn Hamilton) are led to believe when Fred begins mysteriously disappearing each and every night. It turns out, however, that Doris is a high-school teacher -- and Fred merely wants to earn his diploma after these many years. This was the 135th and final episode of Sanford and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
Although he passes on performing songs written by Fred (Redd Foxx), the great B.B. King (playing himself) gives Fred a book, which explains why King starting singing the blues. Turns out that King has been nursing a broken heart ever since he lost his sweetheart to another man. According to the book, King's lost love was someone with the initials E.W. -- the same as Fred's late lamented wife Elizabeth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
Evidently inspired by the TV miniseries Roots, Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) is convinced that he is a descendant of none other than King Solomon. And how did this "revelation" come about? Well, it seems that Fred shelled out big money (a whole 25 dollars) to a family-tracing service -- who told him that he is the ancestor of a famous Jewish historical figure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
Amateur magician Grady (Whitman Mayo) attempts to perform his "famous" Chinese-wristlock trick. As a result, Fred (Redd Foxx) and Esther (LaWanda Page) end up handcuffed together. With Grady unable to decipher the trick's instructions (they're written in Chinese of course), Fred is forced to literally drag Esther along when he goes out on a date. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
Having already announced their engagement, Lionel (Demond Wilson) and Janet (Marlene Clark) eagerly make plans for their wedding. Then, out of nowhere, Janet's ex-husband John (James A. Watson Jr.) appears. From all outward appearances, John wants to kiss and make up with Janet -- but it turns out that he may have a hidden agenda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
It is nothing new when Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) clobbers Fred (Redd Foxx) with her purse. This time, however, the "weapon" is a bit heavier, thanks to Esther's new silver-plated Bible. Convinced he has been dealt a fatal blow, Fred gathers his family and friends together, intending to divulge the contents of his will. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
To avoid paying taxes, Fred (Redd Foxx) invests ten dollars in a "close cover before striking" divinity school headed by a clever con man. Inveigling Uncle Woodrow (Raymond Allen) and Bubba (Don Bexley) in his scheme, the "Reverend" Sanford sets up his own tax-exempt ministry, worshipping at the altar of the new religion known as "Junkism." Suffice it to say that the scheme heads down the same road paved with good intentions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
The Sanford Arms is threatened with foreclosure due to nonpayment of rent. Fred and Lamont Sanford (Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson) decide that the best way to avoid this contingency is to buy the rooming house outright -- but for that, they need 4,000 dollars immediately. Throwing caution to the winds, Fred turns to gambling to get rich quick, whereupon a streak of incredibly good luck convinces the Sanfords that their dreams might actually come true (for once). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) becomes a "Gray Fox" when stereo salesman Honest Al refuses to extend credit to anyone over the age of 65. Before long, Fred's activism catches on with others his age (and even older). This still-timely episode reaches a riotous denouement as Fred leads a contingent of oldsters on a protest march. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1977
As a surprise for Fred (Redd Foxx), who is about to celebrate his 40th year in the business, Lamont (Demond Wilson) and Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) arrange to upholster all his furniture. This of course requires the removal of the furniture without informing Fred. Upon returning to an empty living room, Fred assumes he's been robbed and summons the police -- and his insurance company. Evidently slated to air on December 10, 1976, as the 122nd episode of Sanford and Son, this installment was moved up to January 7, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
Season six of Sanford and Son was launched on September 24, 1976, with the series' only two-part episode -- and also one of its funniest -- "The Hawaiian Connection," largely filmed on location in Honolulu and its environs. Then it was back to South Central Los Angeles, where irascible Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) and his long-suffering son Lamont (Demond Wilson) divided their time between their junk business and their new enterprise, a boarding house called the Sanford Arms. Most of the series' familiar recurring characters were still in attendance. LaWanda Page continued to wield her heavy purse and spout Scripture as Fred's contentious sister-in-law Aunt Esther, with Raymond Allen occasionally showing up as Esther's mild-mannered husband, Woodrow, and Eric Laneuville making a handful of appearances as Esther and Woody's newly-adopted son Daniel. Fred Sanford persisted in his romantic relationship with his erstwhile fiancée, nurse Donna Harris (Lynn Hamilton), while son Lamont made preparations to wed the widowed Janet Lawson (Marlene Clark) and adopt Janet's son Roger (Edward Crawford). Additionally, the Sanfords played host to a variety of male chums, among them Bubba (Don Bexley), Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor), and, from time to time, Grady Wilson (Whitman Mayo, whose own spin-off series Grady had recently been canceled). Absent from the proceedings were neighborhood cops Smitty and Hoppy, previously played respectively by Hal Williams and Howard Platt. At the end of season six, it would seem that Lamont was headed to the altar, while Fred would continue maintenance of both Sanford and Son Salvage and the Sanford Arms. Though its ratings had slipped a bit, Sanford and Son still enjoyed a robust prime-time viewership, and was now being seen in rerun form as part of NBC's weekday schedule. Its future as a Friday-night fixture appeared to be completely secure. But appearances can be deceiving. Having been offered his own weekly ABC variety show, Redd Foxx opted to leave Sanford and Son for good and all. The series' producers were all prepared to continue the property under the new title The Sanford Arms, with Demond Wilson promoted to top billing. Unfortunately, Wilson squabbled over what he felt was inadequate financial remuneration for taking over as sole series star, and also took a walk. After the final nighttime telecast of Sanford and Son on September 2, 1977, The Sanford Arms was launched as scheduled on September 16. Many of the old Sanford regulars -- LaWanda Page, Whitman Mayo, Raymond Allen -- were still on board, but without the combined star power of Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson, this "new" series floundered and sank within four weeks of its premiere. Three years later, Redd Foxx tried to make the magic happen again with the "revival" project Sanford, with only Foxx and Nathaniel Taylor (Rollo) repeating their roles from the original series. Alas, audiences were unable to shake their pleasant memories of the old Sanford and Son, and Sanford was quietly terminated after a single season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
A pair of shapsters persuade Fred (Redd Foxx) to invest in a shady sales promotion. The plan is to hold a fund-raising sweepstakes raffle -- without a winning ticket. The scheme backfires when a winner unexpectedly shows up, leaving Fred holding the bag. It is up to Bubba (Don Bexley) and an unwitting Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) to bail our hero out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
After years of waiting, Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) is told that the adoption agency has finally found her a child. Nervously anticipating an interview with the adoption agency, Esther's husband Woody (Raymond Allen) downs a "calmative" -- and as a result, is hopelessly inebriated. Gallant Fred (Redd Foxx) agrees to impersonate Woody when the officials show up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Eric Laneuville makes his first appearance as Daniel, newly adopted son of Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page). Upon learning that Daniel is an atheist, the pious Esther throws him out of the house. It is up to Fred (Redd Foxx) and Lamont (Demond Wilson) to convince Esther that Daniel's lack of faith is due to a lifetime of hard knocks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Fred (Redd Foxx) wins the Watts Businessman-of-the-Year award, but his bad back may prevent him from walking to the podium. Before long, Fred has a pain in other portions of his anatomy, thanks to the plethora of "home remedies" offered by his friends and family. The limit comes when son Lamont (Demond Wilson) suggests that Fred undergo acupuncture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Hoping to impress his future grandson (Ed Crawford), Fred (Redd Foxx) weaves an incredible tale of his "heroic" exploits during WWII. Casting himself as the Patton-like "Major Fred G. Sanford," Fred concocts an unbelievable account based on every war movie cliché ever minted, culminating in a top-secret mission to sabotage a Nazi guided-missile plant. Naturally, Fred's contemporary cronies appear in his fabrications, among them "Lieutenant Lamont," "Fingers Rollo," and "Bubbaface Bexley." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
To impress his son Lamont's future mother-in-law, Fred (Redd Foxx) tries to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. His plan is to stay awake longer than the current record-holder, the immortal Choo Choo Rabinowitz. As it turns out, it is Fred's crony Bubba (Don Bexley) who makes it into the Guinness annals by breaking a bizarre record all his own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Unable to pay his back rent, a tenant of the Sanford Arms leaves his sole possession as collateral. Unfortunately for Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), that possession turns out to be an elephant. Hoping for a quick turnover, Fred stages a spectacular advertising gimmick, with the pesky pachyderm as the main attraction -- and before long our hero is facing a lawsuit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Marlene Clark makes her first series appearance as Janet Lawson, the new woman in the life of Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson). Nervous around Janet, Lamont's dad Fred (Redd Foxx) wants to know more about the woman's mysterious past. This leads into a lengthy spoof of Columbo, with Fred making like the rumpled, raincoated TV detective -- and with Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) as his unlikely "girl Friday." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Reconciled to the romance between his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) and Janet Lawson (Marlene Clark), Fred (Redd Foxx) gives his blessing to the couple's engagement. Soon, however, he tries to revoke that blessing when he learns that Lamont and Janet don't intend to live with Fred after their marriage. Frank Nelson, the "Eeeeeyesss?" man of The Jack Benny Show fame, makes a cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) is put "on the spot" when he witnesses a bungled gangland slaying. For a while, Fred basks in the likelihood that he will earn a 25,000-dollar reward for identifying the would-be assassin. Unfortunately, the gunman has decided to add Fred to his hit list, generously prepared to knock off two for the price of one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
Beginning its fifth successful season on Friday, September 12, 1975, Sanford and Son was essentially the mixture as before with most of the familiar regulars firmly in place. His well-publicized contract disputes more or less receding into memory, Redd Foxx was back as cantankerous Watts junk dealer Fred Sanford, with Demond Wilson as his long-suffering son and reluctant business partner Lamont. Also returning were LaWanda Page as Fred's explosively prudish sister-in-law Aunt Esther, Lynn Hamilton as Fred's sometimes fiancée Donna Harris, Don Bexley and Nathaniel Taylor as family friends Bubba and Rollo, and Hal Williams and Howard Platt as police officers Smitty and Hoppy. Conspicuously absent from the fifth-season roster were three actors who had departed for other sitcoms: Gregory Sierra (Julio Fuentes), who had moved to Barney Miller; Pat Morita (Ah Chew), who had transferred to Happy Days; and, most notably, Whitman Mayo (Grady Wilson), now starring in his own spin-off series, Grady. However, despite his new leading-man workload, Mayo would continue to make token Sanford appearances as Grady, returning to the series on a more or less regular basis after Grady (the series) folded in the spring of 1976. Additions and emendations to the Sanford format included the arrival of Marlene Clark as Janet Lawson, a widowed mother with whom Lamont would fall in love, and Edward Crawford as Janet's young son Roger. Also, Fred and Lamont Sanford would try to amplify their income by managing a boarding house, the Sanford Arms, which introduced as steady stream of recurring characters -- and also set the stage for the ultimate conclusion of Sanford and Son at the end of 1977. That denouement was still part of the distant future by the conclusion of the series' sixth season, during which Sanford ranked as America's seventh most popular weekly series. Fans were particularly gratified that NBC chose to rerun selected episodes on Wednesday evenings from April to August 1976, under the title The Best of Sanford and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
