Every old school Denver Bronco fan remembers 'The Drive'. It was the 1986 AFC Championship Game, Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns. The Browns were ahead, the crowd was deafening, and victory seemed theirs for the taking. But then, with 5:32 left on the clock, John Elway and the Broncos took the ball on their own two-yard line and marched 98 yards down the field — cool, steady, and impossible to stop. When Elway threw that touchdown to Mark Jackson, the football world went silent for a second… then erupted. The Broncos had done the unthinkable. Cleveland’s playoff dreams vanished right there on their home turf, and helped Elway earn the moniker “The Comeback Kid.” And that wasn’t the only time Denver ended Cleveland’s hopes. Over the years, it became almost a cruel football tradition. Another season, another heartbreak for the Browns courtesy of the Broncos. The two teams might not be bitter rivals on paper anymore, but their history sure feels like it sometimes. ...
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The Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" Lady
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In 1984 Wendy's ran with their "Where's the Beef?" advertising campaign that took the country by storm. The premise is as follows.. Three elderly gals are standing at a fast food counter examining a hamburger with a gigantic bun and tiny hamburger patty. The first two ladies discuss its appearance by saying.. "It certainly is a big bun.. It's a very big bun.. It's a big fluffy bun. It's a very big fluffy.. bun." It's at that point when the third woman angrily shouts "WHERE'S THE BEEF?"
The catchphrase was instantly embedded into American pop culture, and is still widely recognized to this day. I personally remember seeing Where's the Beef? buttons, mugs, bumper stickers, shirts, hats, and posters. Due to this advertising campaign alone, Wendy's sales jumped 31% worldwide in 1985.
The "Where's the Beef?" lady's name was Clara Peller, and for awhile in the 80s, she seemed to be everywhere. I remember Peller starring in a slew of sequel commercials for Wendy's, all of which were subsequent hits as well. But the ride didn't stop there. Peller became a hot commodity due to her Wendy's fame.
Peller was on all manner of talk and news shows, commercials, a few movies, a Saturday Night Live bit, and even served as a guest ring announcer at WrestleMania-2. My friends and I knew her by name, and if any of us experienced a "Clara sighting" on the TV or movies, we'd spread the word. Below are some videos of Peller at her best..
Clara Peller scene in the movie "Moving Violations"
There was also a "Where's the Beef?" song that was sung by the late radio DJ Coyote McCloud. Clara Pellers voice was simply edited into the song, with McCloud doing the lions share of work in regards to vocals. I remember this song got quite a bit of airplay on radio stations for awhile, especially on morning shows.
Below is an NBC Interview with Clara Peller. If you don't crack a smile while watching this.. there's something seriously wrong with you. She's so loveable in this video, I can't stand it!
Clara with Dick Butkus!
Compilation of Clara Peller Media clips
It was a good run. Sorta..
So in the end, this whole Where's the Beef? phenomenon lasted for about one year. Peller got fired from Wendy's because she did a Prego commercial where she exclaimed "I found it" (in reference to the Beef of course). I don't think it's a coincidence that Wendy's sales started dropping after the Where's the Beef? campaign ended. Sales floundered for a couple years until founder Dave Thomas started starring in commercials for the chain.
But she didn't let the loss of her sweet Wendy's deal slow her down. Check out some other products dear Clara lent her charm to..
Where's the Ben's?
No Meat? Praise Dog Food commercial
Where's the News?
It's amazing how a catchphrase can grab hold and (go viral) as the kids today call it. Heck.. who hasn't used "Who shot J.R.?"... "I'll be back"... or "Whatchu Talkin' Bout Willis?" I've got to admit that I've certainly worked all three phrases into daily conversation (a couple of them quite recently).
After her star burned bright for a very short time, Clara Pellers passed away in 1987 at the age of 85. One thing is for sure however, she left an everlasting impression on pop culture, and is still making folks laugh to this very day.
I remember Clara Peller! One rumor was- that she was very deaf, + that a person below the camera-shot had to yank on her skirt, in order to tell her when to yell, "Where's the Beef?" Ha!
Off topic: Hi Darrin. I wanted to tell you about some topics you've mentioned, but blogspot-type accounts can often be very hard for me to figure out, + then log on to them. You have said, in your past blog articles, that you like Hasbro's GI Joe action figures. I have collected some. My advice is- collect the 12-inch ones, + their weapons, but for GI J. vehicles, collect the [about 4 inch] gi joes + their vehicles. I bought a Jeep + another veh. for my 12-in. figures, but they're BIG vehicles, + take up about 1/2 of an office desk. Yikes.
Also, if you like movies/TV shows on [both] DVDs + VHS tapes, there are DVD players that have sloths for both DVD + VHS videos. I think Amazon [dot] com has these D + V players, for about $100 or so, if you're interested.
Sorry about the LONG post. I just hate to leave a post, + leave something not explained, in it. Cheers, TR
Funny little story about Clara. Thanks!! Also.. I haven't collected any more GI Joe stuff as of late. A little franchise called STAR WARS has capitalized my time.. money.. and collecting interest for the last year. LOL Also.. I really DO need to get a VCR. Although.. I'd love to get a setup that converts VHS to DVD as well.
I wrote an article close to a decade ago, to share my dismay with Hostess for discontinuing their Raspberry Filled Donuts. That article was still getting an unreal amount of traffic and interaction to this very day. In fact, no other article I have written has brought the amount of traffic to 'The Retro Dad' that this one has. It's still a subject that lots of folks are interested in, so I have dusted off the article and updated it for the snack cake loving masses in 2023. Enjoy.. Hostess Raspberry Filled Donuts were originally called 'Hostess O's'. I rememeber when we called them O's, and I believe the name was changed in the late 70s. I don't eat a lot of donuts now, but.. Over the last year and a half, I've developed a much healthier relationship with food. The other day while shopping with my wife, I did something that puzzled her. She couldn't believe I was perusing the snack cake aisle intently. A few years ago she wouldn't have even bl...
I've been on the hunt for new bar soaps to use in the shower lately, and the road traveled has led me to several old school soaps. I decided to give the two oldest soaps that I remember from my childhood, a side by side comparison to see how they hold up against one another. IRISH SPRING $0.97 for two 3.2 ounce bars This soap has had many slogans over the years, but the most famous one very well may be.. leaves you as fresh and clean as a whistle . It may sound a bit corny, but this is the experience I had with Irish Spring. The soap was incredibly efficient at removing dirt and grime, without an excess of suds. Perhaps the the lack of suds equates into the soap not breaking down as fast. The reason I lean towards that reasoning, is because my bar of Irish Spring stood up to daily showering (sometimes twice a day) for 10 days. Dirt seemed to just slide right off of my skin when I used this soap, and I'm impressed with how good it cleans. I used the bar for hand washing as well...
This is a long overdue update/revisiting of my post: RIP Hostess Raspberry Filled Powdered Donuts , one of my highest viewed blog posts of all time. Hostess Raspberry Filled Powdered Donuts were discontinued around 2013 following Hostess's bankruptcy and restructuring. Despite some nostalgic demand, Hostess has not announced plans to reintroduce them. Fans have expressed their longing for these treats on various platforms, sharing fond memories and lamenting their absence from store shelves. While no plans for their return seem to be on the horizon, I saw something at the store the other day that stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds.. Glazed Cinnamon Rolls are back, but not from Hostess When I first saw Glazed Cinnamon Rolls on the shelves again in this great retro packaging, I got excited thinking Hostess had brought them back. Then it hit me — Hostess doesn’t even own Wonder anymore. If Wonder still holds the rights to these Cinnamon Rolls, could the...
I remember Clara Peller!
ReplyDeleteOne rumor was- that she was very deaf, + that a person below the camera-shot had to yank on her skirt, in order to tell her when to yell, "Where's the Beef?" Ha!
Off topic: Hi Darrin. I wanted to tell you about some topics you've mentioned, but blogspot-type accounts can often be very hard for me to figure out, + then log on to them.
You have said, in your past blog articles, that you like Hasbro's GI Joe action figures. I have collected some. My advice is- collect the 12-inch ones, + their weapons, but for GI J. vehicles, collect the [about 4 inch] gi joes + their vehicles.
I bought a Jeep + another veh. for my 12-in. figures, but they're BIG vehicles, + take up about 1/2 of an office desk. Yikes.
Also, if you like movies/TV shows on [both] DVDs + VHS tapes, there are DVD players that have sloths for both DVD + VHS videos.
I think Amazon [dot] com has these D + V players, for about $100 or so, if you're interested.
Sorry about the LONG post. I just hate to leave a post, + leave something not explained, in it. Cheers, TR
Funny little story about Clara. Thanks!! Also.. I haven't collected any more GI Joe stuff as of late. A little franchise called STAR WARS has capitalized my time.. money.. and collecting interest for the last year. LOL Also.. I really DO need to get a VCR. Although.. I'd love to get a setup that converts VHS to DVD as well.
DeleteOK, I meant: SLOTS for the DVDs + VHS tapes, not [sloths] for the dvds + vhs tapes!
ReplyDeleteThat's it. No more late-night writing on the internet for Me. :D