have difficulty working in a sitcom format. Eventually, one of the show's producers told Foxx that Page would need to be fired and that another actor would need to be cast before the show could begin taping. Foxx responded by insisting that Page keep the part, even threatening to walk away from the show if Page were fired. Besides Foxx's generosity, he knew Page would be a fantastic fit for the Aunt Esther role, saying that: "you never heard of the lady, but the night that first show of LaWanda's goes on the air, there'll be dancing in the streets in every ghetto in the United States". The producers relented and, after joining the series for the second season, Page's Aunt Esther went on to become one of the most popular TV sitcom characters of the 1970s. Atlanta Daily World celebrated Page's success as a "Cinderella story come true", and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described Page’s Aunt Esther as “a key ingredient” on Sanford and Son who “isn’t afraid of heathen Fred. She browbeats him at every turn in the tradition of God-fearing sisters who have seen the light and seek to quench the devil in a fun-loving man". Ron Miller at the Boston Globe listed Page as his eighth pick for his “Top Ten of TV’s lovable jerks” round-up. Page's Aunt Esther was a combination of devout churchgoer and tough-as-nails realist, unafraid to state whatever was on her mind. While her relationship with Foxx's character, Fred Sanford, was usually confrontational, she portrayed a tender side when it came to her nephew Lamont Sanford (played by Demond Wilson). Common issues between brother-in-law and sister-in-law were Sanford's lack of business success and lukewarm religious faith. Sometimes, primarily because of their shared love for Lamont and the late Elizabeth, the two adversaries managed to find common ground. Although Sanford and Son was clearly Foxx's vehicle, Page's Aunt Esther could hold her own against the show's star. The church-going act of Esther was a highly praised contrast to the raunchy, expletive-filled material of Page's live act and records. Sanford and Son ran for six seasons. After the sixth season, Foxx and his co-star Wilson left the show over unfair treatment and pay disputes with the network, leading to Sanford and Son’s cancellation in 1977. Sanford Arms (1977) and Sanford (1981) Page continued her role as Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son spin-off Sanford Arms,