Orville Redenbacher
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Orville Redenbacher | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 16 1907 |
| Died | September 19, 1995 (aged 88)drowning |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, businessman |
| Spouse(s) | 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 popcorn 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.
In childhood, he joined 4-H, and developed an obsession with developing the perfect popcorn.
He earned a small fortune in fertilizer, but in his spare time, he indulged in his obsession. In 1951, he and partner Charlie Bowman bought the George F. Chester and Son dent seed corn plant near Valparaiso, Indiana. Naming the company Chester Hybrids, they tried tens of thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before achieving success. Redenbacher and Bowman initially named the hybrid RedBow but were advised by an advertising agency to use the name Orville Redenbacher to market the corn. They adopted the advice, and Orville was suddenly everywhere. 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 (Kitty Carlisle Hart, Bill Cullen, Joe Garagiola, and Peggy Cass), all of whom were shown enjoying samples of Redenbacher's then-new novelty popping corn flavors including chili and barbecue.
In 1976, Redenbacher sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which was a division of Norton Simon, Inc. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon, and the next year (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 Marshall of the signature event, the Popcorn Parade. Purdue University granted him an honorary doctorate degree in the College of Agriculture in 1988.
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 just 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 the United States. 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 television. 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.
References
- ^ ConAgra revives Redenbacher for popcorn ads by Bruce Horovitz, USA Today, January 12 2007