>> RON POPEIL HAS BEEN DESCRIBED
AS AN INCESSANT INVENTOR AND
PITCHMAN OF LATE NIGHT
TELEVISION.
THE VEG OWEMATIC, THE POCKET
FISHERMAN AND MORE, RON POPEIL
MARKETED AND INVENTED A WIDE
VARIETY OF PRODUCTS THAT MADE
HIM RICH AND FAMOUS.
BORN IN NEW YORK HE MOVED TO
CHICAGO AS A TEEN AND LATER
ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF
ILLINOIS.
RON POPEIL DIED YESTERDAY AT THE
AGE OF 86.
BACK IN 2005, JOHN CALLAWAY
BROUGHT US THIS LOOK AT THE
MASTER SALESMAN AND HIS LIFE'S
WORK.
>> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I'M
GOING TO SHOW YOU THE GREATEST
KITCHEN APPLIANCE EVER MADE
CALLED CHOP OWEMATIC.
>> IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE A
GOOD PRODUCT YOU HAVE TO SELL IT
AND FOR YEARS RON POPEIL HAS
BEEN ONE OF THE MASTERS.
>> YOU WILL RECEIVE WITH YOUR
CHOP-O-MATIC OUR VALUABLE RECIPE
BOOK COULD BE R CONTAINING 50
RECIPES BY WORLD FAMOUS CHEFS.
>> BUT THE RON POPEIL STORY
BEGINS WITH RON'S FATHER SAMUEL
AND UNCLE RAYMOND.
THEIR MOTHER WAS FROM THE MORRIS
FAMILY OF NEW JERSEY.
THE MORRISES WERE PITCH MEN
SALES MEN WHO SOLD THEIR
HOUSEHOLD GADGETSES IN STREET
DEMONSTRATIONS.
BY THE 1940s, THE BROTHERS HAD
BEEN PITCH MEN THEMSELVES AND
HEADED FOR CHICAGO.
>> AND THEY START MAKING THEIR
OWN GADGETS.
THEY CONCENTRATE ON MAKING
GADGETS THAT YOU COULD WHOLESALE
TO OTHER PITCH MEN.
SO THEY BECAME ONE OF THE
LEADING SUPPLIERS OF PITCH MEN
PRODUCTS.
>> HERE IS ANOTHER GREAT
PRODUCT.
>> RON POPEIL GREW UP WITH HIS
GRANDPARENTS IN FLORIDA.
AND BARELY KNEW HIS FATHER WHEN
HE ARRIVED IN CHICAGO AS A
TEENAGER IN THE 1950s.
BUT RON DID NOT LEARN TO SELL
FROM HIS FATHER OR UNCLE.
>> WE HAVE A SPECIAL.
HOW MUCH ARE THEY $2 FOR ONE.
>> HIS ROLE MODELS WERE THE
MAXWELL STREET PITCH MEN WHO
SOLD PRODUCTS.
>> YOU WANT TO PROTECT IT.
THIS IS THE ONE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASH IT.
>> BY THE TIME HE WAS 15, RON
POPEIL WAS A PRO.
>> I KEPT MY STUFF IN A FISH
STORE AND I WOULD SETUP ON THE
STREET AND SELL MY PRODUCT
DURING THE DAY AND HAVE A COUPLE
COCA-COLA BOXES I WOULD BE
STANDING ON AND GIVE A
DEMONSTRATION EVERY SIX MINUTES.
TAKE FOUR MINUTES TO COLLECT THE
MONEY AND DO THAT ALL DAY LONG
UNTIL MIDAFTERNOON, AT WHICH
TIME I WOULD FOLD UP EVERYTHING
AND PUT EVERYTHING BACK IN THE
FISH STORE AND GO HOME AND COUNT
THE MONEY.
>> HE WOULD GET THE BIGGEST
CROWDS AND PITCH AT WOOLWORTH'S
DURING THE WEEK DOWN AT STATE
AND WASHINGTON STREET AND PEOPLE
WOULD COME AND WATCH ALL
LUNCHTIME LONG AND WATCH HIM
DEMONSTRATE.
>> BUT IT WASN'T THE POCKET
FISHERMAN THAT MADE THEM FAMOUS,
IT WAS TELEVISION.
IN THE 1950s, THE NEW MEDIUM
NEEDED A NEW KIND OF
ADVERTISING.
>> EVERYONE LIKES COLESLAW
EVERYONE EXCEPT MOTHER AND THE
REASON SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT
BECAUSE SHE HAS TO MAKE IT ON
THE GRATER AND THE SCRAPES.
>> TV STATIONS NEEDED THE
PITCHMAN AS MUCH AS THE PITCHMAN
NEEDED TV.
PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO SELL BY
SIGHT.
SOON, TV WAS JUST FILLED WITH
FORMER MAXWELL STREET COUNTY
FAIR PITCH MEN.
>> THE ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEMS
IS IN THIS BOTTLE.
>> OF COURSE, THEY DID NOT
INVENT THIS KIND OF ADVERTISING
IT WAS SO COMMON IN THE EARLY
DAYS OF TELEVISION THAT LUCILLE
BALL WAS SPOOF TO GO FOUR YEARS
BEFORE RON POPEIL FIRST BROUGHT
THE CHOP-O-MATIC INTO OUR LIVING
ROOMS.
>> IF IT DOESN'T DO EVERYTHING I
TOLD YOU IT WOULD.
>> THAT COMMERCIAL LASTED FOUR
MINUTES.
TV COMMERCIALS HAD TO BE UNDER
TWO MINUTES.
THE SOLUTION...
TALK FASTER.
>> LOOK HOW EASY VEG OMATIC
MAKES MANY SLICES AT ONCE YOU
CAN SLICE A WHOLE CAN OF
PREPARED MEAT AT ONE TIME.
ISN'T THAT AMAZING.
>> IN THE 1960s, RON POPEIL
ADS WERE EVERYWHERE.
AND WHILE WE MAY HAVE FOUND THE
COMMERCIALS HUMOROUS OR ANNOYING
WE STILL BOUGHT THE PRODUCTS.
AND MADE THE BROTHERS
MILLIONAIRES.
>> MANY PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT TV
ADVERTISED PRODUCTS AND
ASSOCIATE THEM WITH SOMETHING
THAT DOESN'T WORK AND IT'S
CHEAP.
BUT NOT IN THE RON POPEIL
PRODUCTS.
I HAVE SOME REALLY EARLY RON
POPEIL PRODUCTS AND THEY ARE IN
MY KITCHEN NOT AS DECORATION BUT
WE USE THEM.
>> AFTER A WHILE RON POPEIL WAS
NOT SATISFIED MARKETING PRODUCTS
FOR HIS FATHER AND UNCLE IN 1964
HE AND A PARTNER STARTED THEIR
OWN COMPANY.
RON CO.
>> ARE YOU A NONSMOKER BOTHERED
BY SOMEONE ELSE'S SMOKE?
WITH THE AMAZING SMOKELESS
ASHTRAY.
>> RON DID NOT MANUFACTURE THE
PRODUCTS LIKE THE BROTHERS, HE
DEVOTED HIS ENERGY TO MARKETING.
HIS FIRST PRODUCT.
THE.
THE RON CO-SPRAY GUN.
>> THE SPRAY GUN COMES WITH
ENOUGH FERTILIZER, WEED KILLER
TO DO A SMALL GARDEN.
>> THE COMMERCIAL COST $550 TO
MAKE.
RON USED HIS OWN VOICE AND A
FRIEND'S CAR AND SOLD A MILLION
SPRAY GUNS.
RON RELEASED A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS
ARRAY OF PRODUCTS SOMETIMES THEY
MARKETED PRODUCTS LIKE THE
SEAL-A-MEAL.
THE RECORD VAX CONSUME AND OF
COURSE, Mr. MICROPHONE.
>> THEY GOOD LOOKING WE WILL BE
BACK TO PICK YOU UP LATER.
>> WHILE MOST OF THE PRODUCTS
WERE BATTERY OPERATED YOU WOULD
NEVER HERE THEM UTTER THOSE
WORDS.
INSTEAD THEY WOULD CORDLESS
ELECTRIC.
>> AND REMEMBER, IT'S ONLY 9.98.
>> AFTER A WHILE, THE SUCCESS
WAS NOT ONLY MAKING THEM RICH IT
WAS MAKING THEM CELEBRITIES.
>> HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS
HAPPENED TO YOU?
YOU HAVE A BASS YOU ARE TRYING
TO FIND A NEW WAY TO PREPARE IT
FOR DINNER.
>> AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY LIKED
IT, THE FAMILY CELEBRITY GOT A
BOOST IN A 1976 DAN ACKROYD BIT
ON "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE".
>> HERE IS HOW IT WORKS.
CATCH YOUR BASS REMOVE THE HOOK
AND DROP THE BASS THAT IS THE
WHOLE BASS INTO THE WAS
HO-MATIC.
>> I GET SERIOUS WHEN I CREATE A
PRODUCT AND WHEN "SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE" IS DOING STUFF ABOUT ME OR
MY FAMILY OR PRODUCTS THAT I
HAVE, I WAS FEARFUL THAT PEOPLE
WOULD STOP BUYING OUR PRODUCTS
THINKING THAT THEY WERE JUST
COMICAL GADGETS OR JOKES OF SOME
KIND AND NOT TO BE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY.
>> THE BASS-O-MATIC SPOOF
SECURED THEIR PLACE AS POP
CULTURE ICONS.
>> I AM YOUR HOST RON POPEIL.
>> AND RON POPEIL DOESN'T SEEM
TO MIND A BIT.
A 1999 EPISODE OF FUTURE -ORAMA
FEATURED HIM AS A TALKING HEAD
IN A JAR.
KEPT ALIVE BY HIS OWN
TECHNOLOGY.
>> BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.
>> AND RON POPEIL PROVIDED HIS
VOICE FOR THE EPISODE.
>> UP-AND-COMING YOUNG STAR.
>> BY THE LATE 1970s RON'S
FATHER SAMUEL'S HEALTH WAS
DECLINING AND SO WAS THE
BUSINESS.
IN 1979, THE COMPANY WAS OLD
SOLD AND WITHIN TWO YEARS IT WAS
GONE.
IN THE MID-80s, RON CO-WAS
GOING STRONG BUT WENT BANKRUPT
WHEN THE BANK RECALLED A LOAN.
FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, RON WAS
BACK AT COUNTY FAIRS SELLING TO
LIVE AUDIENCES.
>> I ENDED UP BUYING ALL THE
INVENTORY OF THE COMPANY MYSELF
PERSONALLY AND THE FASTEST PLACE
TO LIQUIDATE IT WAS AT THE
COUNTY FAIRS.
HERE I HAVE A PIECE OF SWISS
CHEESE.
>> BY THE EARLY 90s RON CO-WAS
FLYING HIGH THANKS TO THE INFO
COMMERCIAL.
NO LONGER LIMITED TO 30 SECONDS
RON WAS BACK TO HIS ROOTS AS A
PITCHMAN SELLING KITCHEN KNIVES,
FOOD DEHIDE DRATTERS AND THE
ROTISSERIE.
>> YOU SET IT AND.
>> FORGET IT.
>> YOU KNOW IT TAKES ONE DAY TO
SHOOT AN INFO COMMERCIAL AND I
DO THE EDITING AND IT TAKES
THREE WEEKS TO DO THAT AND MY
WORKLOAD FOR THAT PRODUCT IS
OVER WITH.
>> RON POPEIL HAS SOLD MORE THAN
A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF
SHOWTIME ROTISSERIES MORE THAN
ALL THE OTHER PRODUCTS COMBINED.
WHETHER YOU SELL ON MAXWELL
STREET, SEG IS SELLING IS
SELLING.
AND FORTUNATELY I HAD PRODUCTS
THAT PEOPLE LIKED.
>> REMEMBER, YOU RECEIVE ALL
ITEMS THE CHOP-O-MATIC AND THE
RECIPE BOOK FOR 2.98.