SPEAKER_02: If you're prescribed NERTEK® ODT, or MedJapan® 75 mg for migraine attacks, does the fear of running out of medication stop you from treating every migraine attack? If so, ask about two eight-packs per month. That's 16 tablets, and most insurance plans cover it. NERTEK® ODT is approved for the acute treatment of migraine attacks
SPEAKER_01: and preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. Don't take if allergic to NERTEK® ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 mg can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NERTEK® ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NERTEK® or visit nertek.com. Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks.
SPEAKER_02: Ask your doctor if two eight-packs of NERTEK® ODT is right for you.
SPEAKER_00:
Once dubbed the queen of comedy, Lawanda Page.
Lawanda Page was born on October 19, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Lawanda always knew she wanted to work in entertainment.
She never had formal training in singing, dancing, or acting, but that didn't matter. Lawanda insisted she was born talented. When Lawanda was still in elementary school, her family moved to St. Louis. There, Lawanda met Red Fox, another elementary schooler two years younger than her. They were both budding comics, and their friendship would span decades.
By the time Lawanda was 15 years old, she'd started her dancing career. She was billed as the Bronze Goddess of Fire. On stage, she would walk over flames, swallow fire, and dance.
She also started performing on the Midwestern Chitlin' Circuit, alongside comics like Red Fox.
The circuit was a product of the Jim Crow era, spaces carved out specifically for black musicians and performers to entertain mostly black audiences.
These were the rooms where Lawanda honed her comedy, performing skits and stand-up. She did her work even when it proved risky. She later called many of the places she performed dumps, where danger was constantly around the corner.
Eventually, Lawanda moved to Los Angeles to continue pursuing comedy.
Her jokes were raw and uncensored, rough and a little crass. She dealt with hecklers by heckling them right back.
Soon, she joined the comedy group Skillet, Leroy & Co. and started recording comedy albums for Laugh Records. But by the end of the 60s, Lawanda was getting jaded. She was considering leaving entertainment and moving home to St. Louis. Then, one day in 1972, she was woken up by a phone call.
It was Red Fox, calling to ask her to join him on an upcoming NBC sitcom that he was slated to star in.
Lawanda assumed he was joking and hung up on him. He called again. She hung up again. It wasn't until Red threatened to come over and fight her that Lawanda realized his offer was the real deal.
The show was called Sanford and Son. Red Fox was Fred Sanford, a cranky, politically incorrect patriarch. Lawanda played Aunt Esther, Fred's buttoned-up highest sister-in-law. Some of the show's funniest moments involved Fred and Aunt Esther clashing with each other, with Lawanda heckling Red just like she heckled her audience on the stand-up circuit.
When Lawanda first started performing as Aunt Esther, the producers wanted to replace her. They loved the character, but Lawanda had no TV training. The producers wanted to hire a trained thespian. But Red Fox refused. He knew the role didn't need someone trained as much as it needed someone funny. And he knew Lawanda was funny.
So instead, Red taught Lawanda everything she needed to know about acting on TV.
Sanford and Son was one of TV's top-rated shows at the time, and Lawanda's character, Aunt Esther, was an audience favorite. The show introduced black comedians like Lawanda to a national audience, and paved the way for future black sitcoms.
Sanford and Son ended in the late 1970s, but Aunt Esther didn't disappear right away. Lawanda appeared in a couple of spin-off shows, but by the early 80s her character had left the screen.
Lawanda continued acting. She had small roles in films like My Blue Heaven with Steve Martin, and guest starred on TV shows like Martin, Different Strokes, and Family Matters. On set, she was known to give advice to young up-and-coming actors. Off set, she was a fierce advocate for equal pay.
Lawanda Page died in 2002 at the age of 81.
All month we're talking about comedienne's. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow!
SPEAKER_01: Don't take if allergic to NURTEC ODT or any of its ingredients. Allergic reactions can occur even days after using, and include trouble breathing, rash, and swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Most common side effects were nausea and indigestion stomach pain. A maximum dose of 75 milligrams can be taken daily to treat migraine attacks, or every other day to prevent them. The safety of using more than 18 doses of NURTEC ODT in a 30-day period has not been established. For full prescribing information, call 1-833-4-NURTEC or visit nurtec.com.
SPEAKER_02: Double the packs to treat more migraine attacks. Ask your doctor if two 8-packs of NURTEC ODT is right for you.
