Friday, March 20, 2009

Esther Rolle


Today, we examine the less-than-dulcet tones of Esther Rolle - aka TV's "Florida".

Rolle hit the TV jackpot in the 1970's when she turned a co-starring "sassy" maid role on Maude into her own spinoff series: Good Times. This was back in the day when producer Norman Lear could spin-off anyone or anything into a new (usually hit) series.

Esther got a record deal at some point, despite having all the vocal chops of a wheezy old air-conditioner. She chose to go the Ed McMahon route and narrate instead of sing, but it's still an assault on the eardrums.

[MP3 courtesy AprilWinchell.com]