1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: a show for those interested in the big and small 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: moments of history. I'm Gabe Louzier, and in this episode, 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: we're looking back at a pop culture milestone of the 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, the time that Wendy's called out its competitors 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: by posing an age old question. The day was January ten, 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: four fast food restaurant chain Wendy's released its first commercial 9 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: featuring the famous Where's the Beef catchphrase. The commercial was 10 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: written by Cliff Freeman and directed by Joe Settlemeyer. The 11 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: ads signature line was delivered by Claire or A Peller 12 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: in eighty three year old manicurists turned actress from Chicago, Illinois. 13 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: Peller had been discovered three years earlier when she appeared 14 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: as a manicurist in a regional TV ad set inside 15 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: a Chicago barber shop. The agency behind that ad was 16 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: impressed with Peller's gruff attitude and unique voice, so they 17 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: signed her to a contract and later recommended her for 18 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: the Wendy's campaign. At the time, McDonald's and Burger King 19 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: were the undisputed leaders of the fast food burger market. 20 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: Both chains touted the size of their burgers, with sandwiches 21 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: like the Big Mac and the Whopper. Wendy's didn't have 22 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: a big name burger, but some of its products actually 23 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: contained more beef than its competitors. To get the word 24 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: out about their generous portions, the company commissioned a series 25 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: of ads suggesting that McDonald's and Burger King sandwiches were 26 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: really more on than Burger. In the first and most 27 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: famous of these commercials, which was titled Fluffy Bun, two 28 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: elderly women are seen examining a comically oversized Hamburger bun 29 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: from a fictional franchise whose slogan is Home of the 30 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: Big Bun. When one of the women lifts the top 31 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: of the massive bun, revealing a tiny patty underneath, that's 32 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: when Peller cuts in with her trademark line, let's take 33 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: a listen. It certainly is a big bun. Pits a 34 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 1: very big fun big It's a very big, puffy fun. 35 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: Where's the beef, John, Hamburger Places give you a lot 36 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: less beef on a lot of bun. Hey. Peller's line 37 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: was originally written as where is all the beef? But 38 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 1: it was shortened to accommodate the actress's emphysema, which limited 39 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: her ability to deliver longer lines. She was also hard 40 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,959 Speaker 1: of hearing, so when she says her line in the commercial, 41 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: it's in response to someone off camera who cued the 42 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: actress by tugging on the hem of her skirt. Those 43 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: accommodations were more than worth it to acclaimed ad director 44 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: Joe Settlemeyer. He had already storyboarded two different versions of 45 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: the commercial, one with a young couple investigating the burger 46 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: and the other with three older men instead of women. However, 47 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: neither version seemed funny enough to the director. He even 48 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: shot the all male ad just to make sure, but 49 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: for some reason, having an old bald man question where's 50 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: the beef just didn't hit the right note. Desperate to 51 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: make the concept work, the director recast the parts with 52 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: three older women, and when Clara Peller exclaimed the famous line, 53 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: everything snapped into place. When the commercial premiered on January tenth, 54 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: it was an immediate hit, and Clara Peller became a 55 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: selet buberty overnight. The response was so strong that Wendy's 56 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: bought more airtime and kept the ad running for ten 57 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: weeks straight. In the meantime, they got Peller back into 58 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: the studio to film more commercials. She also made public 59 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: appearances at Wendy's restaurants and even did a tour of 60 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: TV talk shows. The commercial struck such a deep chord 61 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: with the public that it spawned its own line of merchandise, 62 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: including Where's the Beef? T shirts, bumper stickers, frisbees, and 63 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: even a board game. The pinnacle of the craze, however, 64 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: was when Peller recorded a Where's the Beef song with 65 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: Nashville radio disc jockey Coyote McCloud. Here's the taste, got 66 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: on got restaurant for bringing the film, and that's when 67 00:04:52,560 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: she step anybody hear me. Amazingly, the catchphrase took on 68 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: a life of its own. Beyond the realm of fast 69 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: food burgers, where's the Beef became a shorthand way to 70 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: criticize anything lacking substance. This was best exemplified during the 71 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: Democratic primary of the four presidential election. Democratic candidate Walter 72 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: Mondale used the phrase to condemn the insubstantial policies of 73 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: his party rival Gary Hart. During the televised debate, Mondale 74 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: leaned over and said, quote, when I heard your new ideas, 75 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: I'm reminded of that ad Where's the Beef? The cutting 76 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: remark cast out on Heart's new ideas, and Mondale later 77 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: secured the Democratic nomination. He wound up Loue using the 78 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 1: presidential race to Ronald Reagan that November, which led the 79 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: ads director Joe Settlemeyer to remark that quote, if Walter 80 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: Mondale could have said the line like Clara Peller, he 81 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: would have been our president. Of course, Clara Peller and 82 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: Walter Mondale weren't the only ones who benefited from the 83 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: Where's the Beef campaign. The year the ad debuted, Wendy's 84 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: sales grew more than ten percent over the previous year. 85 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: It's overall sales had risen to nine hundred and forty 86 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: five million dollars worldwide, an increase of over thirty one percent. Unfortunately, 87 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: all that success drove a wedge between the burger chain 88 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: and its biggest spokesperson. Peller was reportedly paid scale for 89 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: her first commercial, which was a little over three hundred 90 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: dollars per day at the time. She was paid significantly 91 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: more for the later ads, with Wendy's claiming to have 92 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: paid her more than half a million dollars in total. However, 93 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: Peller disputed that amount, believing she hadn't been paid anywhere 94 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: near her fair share. The feud reached its tipping point 95 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: in nine when Peller appeared in a commercial for Prego 96 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: spaghetti Sauce. The spot promoted a new pasta sauce loaded 97 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: with beef and featured Peller declaring, I found it. I 98 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: finally found it. Although Prago wasn't in the burger game, 99 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: Wendy's didn't like the implication that the beef could be 100 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: found in someone else's product. William Welter, the executive vice 101 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: president of marketing for Wendy's, said that the Prego commercial 102 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: quote infers that Clara found the beef at somewhere other 103 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: than Wendy's restaurants. Unfortunately, Clara's appearance in the ads makes 104 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: it extremely difficult for her to serve as a credible 105 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: spokesperson for our products. Clara Peller never worked for Wendy's again, 106 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: but she continued to enjoy her new found fame. Over 107 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: the next two years. She did numerous interviews and TV appearances, 108 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: including a cameo on Saturday Night Live and a bizarre 109 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: gig as the guest timekeeper for a match at WrestleMania two. 110 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: The actress passed away on August eleventh, nineteen eighty seven, 111 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: at the age of eighty five. Her obituary in the 112 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: Chicago Tribune included an ironic parting shot at Peller's one 113 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: time employer. Apparently, she frequently met her friends for morning 114 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 1: coffee at her local McDonald's. As for Wendy's, it saw 115 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: five years of declining sales after the Whares the Beef 116 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: campaign ended. The chain eventually rebounded with a new ad 117 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: campaign starring its founder Dave Thomas, but none of the 118 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: company's slogans ever topped the popular larity of Where's the Beef. 119 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: It's shadow looms so large that Wendy's has actually brought 120 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: the phrase back twice, first inleven and then again in 121 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: when supply shortages caused by COVID nineteen made beef hard 122 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: to come by in some areas. Neither revival left much 123 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: of an impact, as it's just not the same without 124 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: Clara Peller there to reprise her role, but the original 125 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: commercial still stands as one of the most successful and 126 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 1: enduring ads of the twenty first century. It turned Wendy's 127 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: into the third largest burger chain in the world and 128 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: created one of the most unexpected pop culture crazes of 129 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: the nineteen eighties. The creative team behind the ad deserves 130 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: a good deal of credit for that, but the biggest 131 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:55,599 Speaker 1: portion belongs to the one and only Clara Peller. But 132 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:59,319 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Lousier and hopefully you now know a little 133 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: more about his Street today than you did yesterday. You 134 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: can learn even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 135 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I HC Show, and if 136 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions or comments on burger 137 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: size or the lack thereof, you can send them my 138 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: way at this Day at I heart media dot com. 139 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 140 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 141 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: for another day in History class. For more podcasts from 142 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 143 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.