If baby boomers have trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy, blame Madison Avenue.
Iconic advertising characters walked in and out of Greater Akron with great regularity during the 20th century.
Some were real. Some were actors. Here are living, breathing commercials from yesteryear.
Do you remember?
Colonel Sanders
The white suit, the white goatee, the dark glasses. It could only be Col. Harland Sanders (1890-1980), founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
As far back as the 1950s, the colonel made select appearances in Summit County to publicize the opening of restaurants.
His final visit, a year before his death at age 90, was for Kenny King’s Family Restaurants.
Sanders served as a goodwill ambassador after selling the business for $2 million in the 1960s.
“I had no idea how much it was worth, but I thought that was enough to settle my estate and taxes,” he noted in Akron.
Staying at the Cascade Holiday Inn in 1979, Sanders said he had no intention of retiring.
“I tell people that if the good Lord gives you strength, then keep on working.”
Duncan Hines
Yes, there really was a Duncan Hines (1880-1959). The Kentucky native published guidebooks for travelers about the best dining and lodging across the country.
Hines was a luncheon speaker at the Mayflower Hotel in 1952 only a few months before he sold the rights to his name, including his famous cake mixes.
“I have a warm spot in my heart for Ohio and particularly Akron,” Hines told the Mayflower audience. “Here you people are blessed with a lot of good eating places.”
Hines praised women as “the greatest unorganized group” in the world.
“Women work seven days a week, from daylight to dark, feeding the beast and the children,” Hines said. “I contend the men should realize what women have to do and take over the cooking every Sunday and give their wives a day of rest.”
The Marlboro Man
Marlboro Country’s rugged cowboy grew up in the Midwest, not the West. Actor David McLean (1922-1995), who portrayed the Marlboro Man in 1960s television commercials, was an Akron native whose real name was Gene Huth.
The Ellet High School graduate acted at Coach House Theater before joining the Army. In 1950, he moved to Los Angeles and found gritty roles in film and television.
McLean appeared in western TV series such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza and Maverick. His most famous role, though, was in TV ads for Marlboro, riding horses, roping cattle and puffing cigarettes.
He smoked five packs a day while filming ads. McLean eventually suffered emphysema and became a critic of cigarettes.
When McLean died of lung cancer at 73, his widow sued Philip Morris. The family lost the case.
Mr. Quaker
If you were a student in the 1950s, you might have a vague recollection of Mr. Quaker, the trademark of the Quaker Oats Co., visiting your school.
Actor Val Gould, an Illinois native, portrayed the character in classrooms, wearing a white wig, large hat, red coat, satin pantaloons, white socks with black shoes.
Mr. Quaker traveled the nation to give talks, including one week in 1956 when he gave 20 speeches in Akron schools.
Instead of touting products, Mr. Quaker spoke of patriotism and spent a good deal of time bashing the Soviet Union.
“Communism is a monstrous lie about God and man,” Gould told pupils.
Aunt Jemima
Another Quaker Oats breakfast icon, Aunt Jemima, appeared at pancake breakfasts in town.
The original 1880s character, a woman in a kerchief and apron, is criticized today as offensive for its stereotypical portrayal of a black servant of the old South.
Former vaudeville star Edith Wilson (1896-1981), a singer on Columbia records, portrayed the character at public appearances in the 1950s. Dressed in costume, Wilson received the key to the city in 1956 during a three-day engagement in Cuyahoga Falls for a Kiwanis pancake festival. Aunt Jemima was the guest of honor at the Chesterfield Hotel and gave pro-pancake talks at local schools.
Jimmy Dean
Texas native Jimmy Dean (1928-2010) was a country singer (Big Bad John) and TV host (The Jimmy Dean Show) who is remembered today as the sausage king of America.
He appeared at the 1959 All-American Soap Box Derby, defeating Art Carney and Wendell Corey in the Oil Can Trophy race.
“I remember it just like yesterday,” Dean recalled at Akron’s Tangier restaurant in 1975 during an appreciation party for Jimmy Dean Pure Pork Sausage salesmen. “Fact, I’ve still got that trophy. You know who presented it to me? Vice President Nixon. I remember Carney was hollering ‘Fix! Fix! His name’s already on it!’ Course it wasn’t.”
Maytag Repairman
Akron actor Jesse White (1917-1997) portrayed “the loneliest guy in town” on television commercials from the 1960s to 1980s. Maytag machines were so reliable they didn’t need repairs.
White, whose real name was Jonah Weidenfeld, was a West High School graduate who had a radio show on WADC radio in the 1930s. He got his start in Weathervane plays before striking out for New York and hitting it big in the Broadway comedy Harvey, reprising his role in the 1950 movie starring Jimmy Stewart.
White had nearly 200 credits to his name, but he was most recognizable as a bored repairman on TV.
“People come up to me all the time and thank me for selling them on Maytag,” White admitted.
Elsie the Cow
Some people may recall standing in line in 1950 at the Borden plant at 934 Grant St. in South Akron to see the world’s most famous cow. Elsie the Cow, the mascot for Borden, cast her big brown eyes on spectators.
Elsie made her advertising debut in 1938, and appeared at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York as a real Jersey cow. Borden gave Elsie a spouse, Elmer the Bull, who served as the mascot for Elmer’s Glue. They soon welcomed two offspring, Beulah and Beauregard.
The real family supposedly appeared in Akron. Not that anyone could tell the difference. Borden may have pulled a fast one on city slickers.
Copy editor Mark J. Price is the author of the book Lost Akron from The History Press. He can be reached at 330-996-3850 or mjprice@thebeaconjournal.com.