WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Liquid Paper

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, there's Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>Jerry's here, Dave's here too, don't worry about that. And

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<v Speaker 1>this is short stuff, that's right. This is our our

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<v Speaker 1>women who changed History, episode one of them. Yeah for sure. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about a woman named Betty Claire McMurray, better

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<v Speaker 1>known as Betty Knewsome Graham, better known as the woman

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<v Speaker 1>who invented um liquid paper, which also has a bunch

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<v Speaker 1>of different UM copiers like white out, which has become

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<v Speaker 1>a proprietary eponym. But really liquid paper was first, which

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<v Speaker 1>is why we're talking about Betty today. That's right. And

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<v Speaker 1>there's some really cool parts of the story. Uh. Betty

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<v Speaker 1>was born in Dallas and it's cool so far. She

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<v Speaker 1>went to school in San Antonio and then at seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>left school married her sweetheart, uh one Warren Nes Smith.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is something I knew since I was a kid,

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<v Speaker 1>is that Mike Nest Smith of the Monkeys, is that

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<v Speaker 1>was the heir to the liquid paper fortune because his

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<v Speaker 1>mom invented it. Yeah, so I knew that he was

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<v Speaker 1>an air to a fortune. I had no idea which

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<v Speaker 1>one that's really anes Yeah, I don't know why I

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<v Speaker 1>knew it back then. It was just one of those

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<v Speaker 1>weird little facts that always stuck with me. That Mike

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<v Speaker 1>from the Monkeys, his mom invented liquid paper, and she

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<v Speaker 1>did so largely. Well, let's get to the story. She

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<v Speaker 1>divorced not too long after she got married, just about

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<v Speaker 1>five years she got divorced in and so it was

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<v Speaker 1>a single mom with a kid, little little Mike, to

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<v Speaker 1>support before he started making that Monkey's dough. And eventually

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<v Speaker 1>she got a job as a typist at Texas Bank

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<v Speaker 1>and Trust. And there was a weird thing that happened

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<v Speaker 1>with the ribbons that we talked about in the Typewriter

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<v Speaker 1>episode that was just out. They went from fabric to carbon,

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<v Speaker 1>and the keyboards got a little more sensitive, and they

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<v Speaker 1>realized that mistakes were easier to make in typing, and

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<v Speaker 1>that that carbon ribbon would smudge. He used to sort

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<v Speaker 1>of erase it with the fabric ribbons, but now you

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't anymore. And she was like, I gotta fix this

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<v Speaker 1>because I'm tired of retype in my stuff. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>mean imagine that. Imagine being a typist at at an

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<v Speaker 1>office and and like, you make one typo and you

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<v Speaker 1>have to retype the entire sheet. That was the thing.

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<v Speaker 1>That was the thing, Yeah, at the very end. In

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<v Speaker 1>particularly so what she created, um, this liquid paper, which

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<v Speaker 1>originally she called mistake Out, was like a genuine godsend

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<v Speaker 1>um for herself. At first she she went home and

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<v Speaker 1>she had been trained as a painter. Did you say

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<v Speaker 1>that that her mama kind of taught her how to paint. No,

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<v Speaker 1>but that kind of guided her life in a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of ways, as we'll see for sure. So she kind

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<v Speaker 1>of took that knowledge and um used what's known as

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<v Speaker 1>a tempera paint you know, the kind that they let

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<v Speaker 1>preschoolers paint with. That's the same thing as liquid paper.

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<v Speaker 1>And then she took a watercolor brush, put it in

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<v Speaker 1>a little jar and brought it to work. And in

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<v Speaker 1>very short order, some of her colleagues, who were also

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<v Speaker 1>typists and secretaries, said, give me some of that. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I making mistakes like crazy, She said, stop making mistakes.

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<v Speaker 1>Then no, she said here uh And she had actually

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<v Speaker 1>even branded she started writing mistake out on the label

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<v Speaker 1>early on. I think probably, I think probably at first

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<v Speaker 1>just as sort of like a fun thing to do,

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<v Speaker 1>and then realize like, hey, people are actually using this stuff. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>She started to refine the process in her kitchen. This

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<v Speaker 1>is kind of like like an American dream story, like

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<v Speaker 1>working on a product out of your house that eventually

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<v Speaker 1>becomes like a multimillion dollar business. Uh. And that's what happened.

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<v Speaker 1>She had a paint company employee that apparently helped her out,

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<v Speaker 1>and a chemistry teacher at a local high school that

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<v Speaker 1>helped her out. Who would play him the chemistry teacher? Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm assuming it's to him. I don't know what you got, ed, Harris. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>he's too salty, too salty. No, that one um multi

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<v Speaker 1>talented character actor. I can't remember his name. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's James, but he was like the guy in the game.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh he's been Yeah yeah, the guy that's signed up

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<v Speaker 1>Michael Douglas in the for the game. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>totally Kim, he would be great as that guy. I

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<v Speaker 1>like that. All Right, He's gassed as far as I'm concerned. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>So she puts all this together, and um, she's she's

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<v Speaker 1>basically spending her nights and weekends working on um, just

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<v Speaker 1>getting as many of his bottles together as possible, but

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<v Speaker 1>also not making a lot of money. She hired Mike

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<v Speaker 1>and his friends to fill bottles at like a dollar

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<v Speaker 1>an hour a piece. I think, UM. And it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>until that she either quit her job at the bank

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<v Speaker 1>or was fired from the bank for accidentally signing a

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<v Speaker 1>business document with her business's name and address. UM. Apparently

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<v Speaker 1>didn't use mistake out on that UM. And when she

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<v Speaker 1>was released from work, one way or another, she was

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<v Speaker 1>set free, and all of a sudden, mistake out became

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<v Speaker 1>like a big thing. So I say, now, Chuck, we

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<v Speaker 1>we take a break and then come back and talk

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<v Speaker 1>about how she built the business even further. Let's do

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<v Speaker 1>it all right. So she has left the job in

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<v Speaker 1>fifty eight, starts taking some meetings with some big corporations

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<v Speaker 1>that are ordering bottles, like hundreds of bottles of liquid

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<v Speaker 1>paper and this is g e IBM some big corporations.

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<v Speaker 1>She applies for that patent, changes the name to liquid

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<v Speaker 1>Paper Company, and then starts doing that business things, starts

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<v Speaker 1>to reinvesting the profits, goes from the kitchen to the

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<v Speaker 1>backyard to a four room house. Uh, and then eventually

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<v Speaker 1>gets remarried in sixty two to a guy named Robert

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<v Speaker 1>Graham who kind of got super involved in the business. UH.

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<v Speaker 1>As we'll see for better for worse. Yeah. So in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty eight, she's got nineteen employees, corporate headquarters, automated operations.

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<v Speaker 1>In that year, she sold one million bottles of liquid paper,

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<v Speaker 1>which is pretty great. Um. By nineteen seventy five, she's

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<v Speaker 1>moved into a thirty five thousand square foot headquarters in

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<v Speaker 1>Dallas and the equipment that she's running can produce five

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<v Speaker 1>hundred bottles a minute. And there's something else that you

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<v Speaker 1>should know about Betty Graham. She uh ran the company

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<v Speaker 1>as a genuinely good person. There was a library in

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<v Speaker 1>the plant. There was a child care center in the plant.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the mid seventies, by the way. Um, they

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<v Speaker 1>didn't even come up with that idea until the eighties

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<v Speaker 1>via the movie nine five, and she was already doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>She also was a patron of women and the arts

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<v Speaker 1>and women who were also artists. Yeah. She set up

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of foundations. One, in fact, a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the information and from this came from the I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's pronounced gihan g i h o n Foundation. She

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<v Speaker 1>found a way back in nineteen seventy six, which combined

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<v Speaker 1>her love of art with her supportive women in feminism.

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<v Speaker 1>She collected paintings and art works by women, and then

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<v Speaker 1>also the Betty Claire McMurray Foundation, which since nineteen seventy

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<v Speaker 1>eight has been supporting women in need right like, if

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<v Speaker 1>you need shelter and counseling because you're being physically abused,

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<v Speaker 1>or um, if you're a non traditional student and you

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<v Speaker 1>need a scholarship. Um. Like, she definitely put her money

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<v Speaker 1>where her mouth is and she considered herself a feminist

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<v Speaker 1>for sure. UM. And so one of the other great

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<v Speaker 1>things about her her husband Robert Graham. They divorced in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy five, I believe, and um, she ended up

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<v Speaker 1>stepping down as chairperson from Liquid Paper. Um. She built

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<v Speaker 1>this really great company selling million bottles at a time, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>spending a million dollars in advertising, and she's like, this

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<v Speaker 1>thing is going it's fine. I'm gonna go focus on

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<v Speaker 1>my foundations. And Robert Graham was left along the board

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<v Speaker 1>and he did what can only be described as a

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<v Speaker 1>hostile takeover. Yeah, it was not a pretty site. She

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<v Speaker 1>came out on the losing end at first. UM. She

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<v Speaker 1>was basically kicked kicked out, wasn't allowed back on the

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<v Speaker 1>premises of the company. Uh. They changed her formula actually,

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<v Speaker 1>so she couldn't even get royalties anymore, which is one

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<v Speaker 1>of the biggest like scumbag moves of all time. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>And then still managed to sort of fight her way

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<v Speaker 1>back in. She had some health problems, but finally managed

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<v Speaker 1>to get control of the company again and in nineteen nine,

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<v Speaker 1>uh with controlling interest, sold Liquid Paper to Gillette for

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<v Speaker 1>almost forty eight million bucks. Pretty great. Yeah. She had

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<v Speaker 1>the very famous quote when she finally regained control of

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<v Speaker 1>her company, Robert, get out of my office. That's that's

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<v Speaker 1>what that's that's what's going to happen in the Robert Goolay. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>he does a great jerk. Have you ever seen Naked

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<v Speaker 1>Gun two and a half? Yeah, of it is? He

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<v Speaker 1>is he with us? I don't know. But didn't they

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<v Speaker 1>do Peter Cushing and he's not still with us? Oh?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. Well, you could get Will Ferrell to

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<v Speaker 1>do Gooley because that's that's one of the funniest bits

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<v Speaker 1>of all time. Okay. Cool. Uh. And here's the thing

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<v Speaker 1>with Liquid Paper is that uh. And these are kind

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<v Speaker 1>of wonky stats and I'm not gonna go over all

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<v Speaker 1>of them because it's um. Some of them are from

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<v Speaker 1>likeeen but generally what they have found is h that

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<v Speaker 1>while office UM like paper itself, UM, office printers, things

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<v Speaker 1>like that, and office supplies have kind of trickled down

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<v Speaker 1>over the years, liquid paper somehow his either stayed strong

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<v Speaker 1>or even gained like a percentage point or two uh

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<v Speaker 1>from me to year uh, which is pretty amazing. And

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<v Speaker 1>they don't Liquid paper itself doesn't release their stats, but

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<v Speaker 1>I think they go by like generically like uh whatever,

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<v Speaker 1>correction products that's what they call them. But UM, I

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<v Speaker 1>know that during the pandemic, home printing and stuff like

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<v Speaker 1>that picked up, So I think I think the correction

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<v Speaker 1>products industry picked up because people all of a sudden, like, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm at home now, and liquid paper you it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>just for typing, you know, like I used it all

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<v Speaker 1>the time to like write over things, invent, let it dry,

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<v Speaker 1>and brush it thin. They actually think that it is

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<v Speaker 1>artists that's keeping the correction products UM market afloat and

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<v Speaker 1>making an increase. And then also gen Z and their

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<v Speaker 1>fondness for retro things that you do by hand, like

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<v Speaker 1>writing letters is also UM. Some of the patrons of

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<v Speaker 1>liquid paper and its competitors. Now, yeah, I think uh.

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<v Speaker 1>At one point Emily, my wife switched over to the

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<v Speaker 1>little uh, a little entraption that fed out a tape.

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<v Speaker 1>She was big on that. But that was kind of

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<v Speaker 1>a liquid paper purist. Okay, were you like brand Um loyal,

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<v Speaker 1>like too liquid paper? Yeah? I get that white out

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<v Speaker 1>out of my face. Okay. And hey, just to shout

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<v Speaker 1>out Mike Nesmuth real quick. I now everyone knows him

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<v Speaker 1>from the Monkeys, but Mike Nesmuth and I discovered this

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<v Speaker 1>sort of after his passing, released some really really great

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<v Speaker 1>solo records. Uh, and and looking back, was one of

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<v Speaker 1>the founders of country rock kind of before there was

0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.280
<v Speaker 1>country rock. That was a seventy four album called and

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<v Speaker 1>the Hits Just Keep on Coming that is now viewed

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<v Speaker 1>as like this genius country rock masterpiece that nobody would

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<v Speaker 1>touch back then, including record execs. Yeah. I remember, like

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<v Speaker 1>learning um that he was really just kind of unhappy

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<v Speaker 1>and stifled in the Monkeys. Like if there was a

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<v Speaker 1>sour puss among the four, it was definitely Mike, And

0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:01.760
<v Speaker 1>you can just tell by looking at him. But that

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<v Speaker 1>was why, like he was way more talented than he

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<v Speaker 1>was allowed to be. Yeah, But he he came around

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<v Speaker 1>and embraced the monkeys later in life, which was also great. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>big ups to the Atlantic and David Graham for the

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<v Speaker 1>article and thought Co and Mary Bellis and then the

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<v Speaker 1>Gihan Foundation. This is where most of the stuff came from.

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<v Speaker 1>Very nice, Chuck, and um big hats off to you

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<v Speaker 1>for choosing as well. Short stuff is that