One of the reasons I've always been fond of nurse-turned-diet guru Seattle Sutton is because of her personal story as a self-made local success celebrity.
Yes, of course, Seattle Sutton is a real person and Seattle Sutton is her real name, not just a branding/marketing character creation.
Unlike Betty Crocker or the man on the Quaker Oats box, she is who she is, much like Colonel Sanders and our own Orville Redenbacher.
Her grandfather had the honor of naming her as a baby, and chose Seattle in tribute to Chief Seattle, the great leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes, who lived in the territory of what is now the state of Washington.
Says Seattle: "Chief Seattle was a very fair and honest man, who had a reputation of working very well with the U.S. Government, just as I do, by paying lots of taxes!"
On the subject of Redenbacher, I've just been tipped off that a new biographical book, written by his family, is soon to be released.
Here's an e-mail I received following a column I wrote about the late Redenbacher and his company taking over the Poppycock brand of sweet popcorn snacks.
"Hello, Philip:
I am Kevin R. Fish, the eldest grandchild of Orville Redenbacher. I enjoyed the story that you wrote. I am writing a book on Grandpa's life and career, and am seeking any information and memories that are relevant, including yours. I plan to cite your stories as some of my sources. If you are willing, please share any memories that you have of Grandpa. You can e-mail me or telephone me at home.
I already wrote an article about Grandpa, which is where I got the idea for the book. The article was titled 'More Than Popcorn: The Life and Times of Orville Redenbacher,' and it appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of the Indiana Historical Society's journal 'Traces Of Indiana And Midwestern History.' Ray Boomhower is the editor, and the magazine is located in Indianapolis.
I also wrote a small paperback on Grandpa a few years back. It was also called 'More Than Popcorn,' though the subtitle is slightly different than the article's title. The book that I am now writing will be much better than this original. Thank you.
Sincerely, Kevin R. Fish"
Thank you for your letter Kevin. I think this sounds like a great, and long overdue, page-turner project, and I'm happy to share any info I have.
It's especially important this book be written as soon as possible, before memories and potential interview opportunities disappear.
Redenbacher's development of a superior hybrid popcorn kernel with his late partner Charlie Bowman and his opening of their Valparaiso factory in 1951, made him a local notable of Northwest Indiana. Unfortunately, Bowman just died at age 89 in April 2009. And last week, it was announced we just lost Chicago advertising wiz Irving Gerson, 90, who died on Dec. 6.
Gerson, who was hired by Redenbacher as his advertising and marketing representative when just starting out, is the man credited by Redenbacher for convincing him to change the name of his company from Red-Bow (which reflected abbreviated versions of both Redenbacher and Bowman's last names) to just the Redenbacher name as to have a "front man" for the business.
The last time I can recall a biographical book being written about Redenbacher was in 1996, when it was unveiled and previewed as "Orville's official biography" at that year's September Popcorn Festival.
That 262-page paperback, "King of Popcorn," (January 1997 Summit Publishing Book $19.95), was authored by Phoenix, Ariz., writer Len Sherman and researched by Robert Topping, a native of LaPorte and former editor at The LaPorte Herald-Argus.
Here are a few of my favorite "kernels" from Sherman's book"
* Orville's motto was: "Do one thing and do it better than anyone."
* It wasn't until age 69 that Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping made its first national appearance on supermarket shelves.
* Within its first years on the market, by 1978, Orville's popcorn grossed $30 million. After it was sold to Hunt-Wesson and the Beatrice Corp., by 1979, Hunt-Wesson sales passed the $1 billion mark.
* Popcorn Prince Gary Redenbacher's first appearance with his grandfather in advertisements was in 1983. Gary Fish, one of Orville's eight grandsons, was selected by Hunt-Wesson's advertising agency Ketchum. After conducting a series of interviews with all of the grandsons, Gary was selected. When not promoting popcorn, Gary is an attorney specializing in children's issues.
* Despite his traditional and old-fashioned approaches to business, Orville recognized the importance of progress. While microwaves were still a fairly new novelty in the 1980s, Orville was not afraid to develop a variation of his gourmet popping corn for the new time-saver. By 1987, he was on Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford's then morning talk show touting his new line. A true visionary, Orville saw microwave popcorn sales comprise 90 percent of all popcorn sales.
* Orville's fellow octogenarian entertainment friend Lawrence Welk used to say: "Orville, you and I have a lot in common. Were both in our 80s, and we've both been described as the King of Corn."
* For his 80th birthday, Orville was roasted Friars Club-style with famous birthday wishes from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Mike Ditka, Joan Rivers, Vanna White, Debbie Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, Florence Henderson and Red Buttons.
* Orville spent his 85th birthday in the talk show hot seat of fellow Hoosier David Letterman on his "Late Night" talk show.
* True to his simple no fuss approach to life, when Orville died of a heart attack alone in his California condominium Sept. 19, 1995, his last request was for no funeral. As he had previously arranged, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.
Today's Celebrity Birthdays
Famed paparazzo (celeb photographer) Ron Galella is 78.Singer Scott McKenzie is 71. Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 66. Singer Rod Stewart is 65. Singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan and actor William Sanderson ("Deadwood," "Newhart") are 62. Boxer George Foreman is 61. Actress Bonnie Hellman ("Nurse") is 60. Singer Pat Benatar is 57. Guitarist Michael Schenker (Scorpions) is 55. Singer Shawn Colvin is 54. Singer-guitarist Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets is 51. Actress Janet Jones ("A League of their Own," "Dance Fever") is 49. Singer Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 46. Actress Trini Alvarado is 43. Convicted Beverly Hills murderer Lyle Menendez is 42. Guitarist Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down and singer Brent Smith of Shinedown are 32. Rapper Chris Smith of Kris Kross is 31.
