Orville Redenbacher
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Orville Redenbacher (July 16, 1907 – September 19, 1995) was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.
Born in Brazil, Indiana, graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 and was in the top 5% of his class. He attended Purdue University, joining Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduating with a degree in agronomy. He spent most of his life in the agriculture industry, serving as a Vigo County Farm Bureau Extension agent in Terre Haute, Indiana, and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.
He earned a small fortune in fertilizer, but in his spare time, he indulged in an obsession he had had since he was a child in 4-H with developing the perfect popcorn. He bought the George F. Chester and Son dent seed corn plant with partner Charlie Bowman, later named Chester Hybrids, in 1951 near Valparaiso, Indiana, and tried tens of thousands of hybrid strands of popcorn before achieving success. He and Mr. Bowman initially named the breakthrough hybrid RedBow but were advised by an advertising agency to use the name Orville Redenbacher to market the corn. It was good advice which they took to heart, and Orville was suddenly everywhere. For example, Redenbacher can be first seen on national T.V. around 1971 or 1972, long before his signature commercial appearances as himself promoting his gourmet kernels. In an episode of the popular game show, To Tell The Truth, he stumped the panelists including Kitty Carlisle, Bill Cullen, Joe Garagiola, and Peggy Cass, all of whom were shown munching on and enjoying samples of Redenbacher's then-"new" novelty popcorn flavors including "chili," and "bar-b-que."
In 1976 he sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which was a division of Norton Simon, Inc. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon; the following year Beatrice Foods acquired Esmark; and in 1990 Beatrice Foods was taken over by agribusiness giant ConAgra. Redenbacher then moved to Coronado, California. He continued to promote his popcorn, appearing in numerous television commercials (including later ones with his grandson Gary Redenbacher), always wearing his trademark bowtie. His wholesome image and folksy name confused many consumers, some even writing the company to ask if Redenbacher was a real person, and not an actor. He responded to this by appearing on various talk shows, professing his identity. After the initial sale to Hunt-Wesson, the City of Valparaiso started their first Popcorn Festival in 1979. Celebrating Redenbacher's development of his popcorn in Valparaiso, the Festival featured Orville and Gary appearing several times as Grand Marshall of the signature event, the Popcorn Parade.
On September 19, 1995, while in the whirlpool tub of his condominium in Coronado, Redenbacher suffered a heart attack and drowned. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. His brand of popcorn continues to be among the most popular in the United States.
2005 marked the 40th anniversary of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, still the #1 selling brand in America. To celebrate the man behind the popcorn, ConAgra developed a special website that highlights some of the classic Orville Redenbacher television commercials. One of his most famous and recognizable commercials states, "My gourmet popping corn pops up lighter and fluffier than ordinary popping corn. Eats better, too. And yes, it does feed." Whether or not it actually feeds is still a matter of dispute.
On January 15, 2007 during the Golden Globe Awards, an advertisement featuring a digital re-creation of Redenbacher appeared on TV for the first time. Gary Redenbacher, responding to questions about how he felt about the advertisement stated that "Grandpa would go for it. He was a cutting-edge guy. This is a way to honor his legacy." [1]
Prior to his death, Redenbacher also hosted the SFM Holiday Network syndicated movie broadcast package along with his grandson.
[edit] References
- ^ Horovitz, Bruce (2007-01-12). ConAgra revives Redenbacher for popcorn ads. USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
