Prince Albert (tobacco)
Prince Albert is an American brand of tobacco, introduced by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1907.[1] It has been owned since 1987 by John Middleton Inc.[2]
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[edit] History
Prince Albert is one of the more popular independent brands of pipe tobacco in the United States; in the 1930s, it was the "second largest money-maker" for Reynolds.[3] More recently, it has also become available in the form of pipe-tobacco cigars. (A 1960s experiment with filtered cigarettes was deemed a failure.[4]) The blend is burley-based and remains one of America's top-selling pipe tobaccos.
The tobacco was personally named by R. J. Reynolds after Edward VII, who was known as Prince Albert before being crowned King.[5] For some time after Prince Albert had become King Edward VII, the can bore the additional words "Now King" under the portrait, which was based on one acquired by Reynolds at a tea party with Mark Twain.[5]
The Van Dyke Parks song Clang of the Yankee Reaper references the tobacco with the line "The sun never set on the Empire / Prince Albert came in a can."
Prince Albert's cigars are available in packs of 5. Prince Albert's pipe tobacco is available in 1.5 ounce pouches and 14 ounce tins.
[edit] Varieties
[edit] Cigars
- Prince Albert's Soft Cherry Vanilla
- Prince Albert's Soft & Sweet Vanilla
[edit] Pipe tobacco
- Prince Albert
- Prince Albert's Cherry Vanilla
- Prince Albert's Soft Vanilla
[edit] "Prince Albert in a can"
The brand is the basis of a practical joke, usually made in the form of a prank call. The prankster typically calls a store and asks if they have "Prince Albert in a can." When the unsuspecting clerk responds "yes" (because the tobacco is typically packaged in a can, though other forms of packaging also existed), the caller follows up with, "Well, you'd better let him out!" or "Then why don't you let him out!?"[6][7]
[edit] In pop culture
- The most notable use of the joke to date is in the 1990 horror miniseries Stephen King's It where Pennywise (Tim Curry) uses this joke while taunting one of his intended victims (he says "Well ya better let the poor guy out" as the closer), however it comes across as quite corny. The line has gone on to become one of the film's most well-known quotes.
- In Death Masks by Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden makes an offering of Prince Albert tobacco to a loa he'd summoned. Later, Molly Carpenter tricks their Russian friend Sanya into prank-calling a number of stores, under the guise of helping Harry with his shopping list. Sanya doesn't understand why asking if they have "Prince Albert in a can" causes people to hang up.
[edit] References
- ^ "International Directory of Company Histories". Thomson Gale. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/r-j-reynolds-tobacco-holdings-inc?cat=biz-fin. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ Associated Press (July 7, 1987). "R.J. Reynolds Sells 2 Tobacco Brands". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DA1438F934A35754C0A961948260. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ "Pipe Dream Girl". TIME magazine. November 23, 1931. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,742679,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ "Where There's Smoke There's a Filter". TIME magazine. November 18, 1966. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,828437,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ a b Bryan Burrough. Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco. HarperCollins. p. 44.
- ^ Transcript of Interview with Prince Albert of Monacco, CNN Larry King Weekend, September 15, 2002
- ^ Penny Candy and Radio in the Good Old Days, By Tony Stein, The Virginian-Pilot, October 23, 1994
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