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who finds little use for humor and often criticizes Fred. Elizabeth, Esther's 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, Fred's
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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
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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
429:). He would then proceed to ruthlessly 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 gorilla cookies!" He also often insulted her by calling her "ugly" and pronouncing it
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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
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Despite their constant arguments, some episodes reveal that Esther and Fred were capable of kindness towards 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.
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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.
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Esther's usual reactions to Fred's antics were to scowl 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 an "old fish-eyed fool" or
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Her upright image was deflated when it was revealed that she had sex with a man called "Big Money Grip" in her youth. Grip had mistaken Esther for the beautiful
Elizabeth in the dark, which led Grip to claim he was Lamont's real father.
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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.
385:). 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.
441:", among other names. Once, during a public prayer, Esther made reference to Fred, calling him a "snaggle-toothed jackass." She also clashed with Fred's friend
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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
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Esther also made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the movie
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owned and run by Fred, which was located next to his junk shop.
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534:. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 147–149.
373:. Page was Foxx's first and only choice to play Esther.
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so he and Esther could adopt a young orphan, Daniel (
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513:" material of her stand-up act and record albums.
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334:Elsie Winfield (sister)
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268:In-universe information
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342:Paul (brother-in-law)
340:Jake (brother-in-law)
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497:Religious conflicts
177:Fictional character
551:. January 1, 1974.
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357:Aunt Esther
355:, known as
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135:in-universe
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599:Characters
517:References
281:Occupation
244:Bud Yorkin
236:Created by
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637:Spin-offs
454:alcoholic
391:King Kong
371:Redd Foxx
317:Relatives
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155:July 2024
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