Orville Redenbacher

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the brand of popcorn, see Orville Redenbacher's.

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

Orville Redenbacher
Born	July 16, 1907 Brazil, Indiana
Died	September 19, 1995 (aged 88)drowning Coronado, California
Occupation	Entrepreneur, businessman
Spouse	Corrine Redenbacher (until her death in 1971) Nina Redenbacher (until her death in 1991)
Website http://www.orville.com/index.jsp

Orville Clarence Redenbacher (July 16, 1907 – September 19, 1995) was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popping corn that bears his name.

Born in Brazil, Indiana, Orville graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 and was in the top 5% of his class. He attended Purdue University, joining the agriculture-oriented 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 strains of popcorn before achieving success. He and Mr. Bowman initially named the 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 adopted, and Orville was suddenly everywhere. For example, Redenbacher can be first seen on national television around 1972, long before his well-known 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 Hart, Bill Cullen, Joe Garagiola, and Peggy Cass, all of whom were shown eating and enjoying samples of Redenbacher's then-"new" novelty popping corn flavors including chili and barbecue.

In 1976, he sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which was a division of Norton Simon, Inc. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon. Then in 1984, Beatrice Foods acquired Esmark. In 1985, Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts (KKR) acquired Beatrice with the goal of selling off businesses. The popcorn business and other old Hunt-Wesson businesses were sold in 1990, to 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 and glasses. 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 Marshal of the signature event, the Popcorn Parade.

[edit] Death and aftermath

On September 19, 1995 Redenbacher was found dead in the jacuzzi of his condominium in Coronado, California. He had suffered a heart attack and drowned. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. He was 88 years old.

His brand of popping corn continues to be among the most popular in the United States.

2005 marked the 40th anniversary of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn, still the #1 selling brand in America. To celebrate the man behind the popping corn, 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. Mine is blowing the top right off of the popper. Mine eats better too. Try my gourmet popping corn. You'll taste the difference or my name isn't Orville Redenbacher.

Since 2006, several of Orville's commercials from the 1970s and 1980s have aired on many channels across the country during commercial breaks. The advertisements for the brands "natural" popcorn snacks, introduced 13 years after his death (2008), feature a clip of him at the end.

In January 2007, an advertisement featuring a digital re-creation of Redenbacher appeared on TV. Gary Redenbacher, responding to the questions about how he felt about the advertisement stated that Grandpa would go for it. He was a cutting-edge guy. This was 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.