"The Big Party" marked the debut of LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther, the most prolific regular apart from Fred and Lamont, with a total of 48 episodes (reconfigured from Aunt Ethel in two earlier appearances by Beah Richards). Assets of $30 aren't enough to take care of $200 in unpaid bills, but since Fred's left hand itches it's a sure sign of money. The knock on the door turns out to Aunt Esther: "my left hand lied to me!" Never approving of the 'deadbeat' that married her sister Elizabeth, the family feud has continued more than 20 years after her untimely death: "the day I married your sister I was loaded" "yeah you was loaded all right, you were so drunk you fell on the preacher!" "well, I had to get drunk to look at your ugly family...for years people going' around sayin' black is beautiful, they took one look at your family and said hold everything!" Esther wants to use Fred's home for one of her Sunday bible meetings with what he describes as her 'cackling sisters' - "this is a junkyard, not a henhouse!" Lamont has no choice but to go along with his father's idea of spending their last $30 on refreshments, then charging admission for a fund raising campaign. Gabe Dell, previously seen in "The Suitcase Case," plays a similarly sinister character, while Billy Allyn debuts as Fred's pool hall buddy Billy, later seen in "A Visit from Lena Horne" and "Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle."
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