The Fuller Brush Company

Part III

In 1923, Fuller Brush went to the next level with the opening of their new Hartford, Connecticut factory, the largest factory in the world at the time!  With its size, Fuller had an entire research division.  Dozens of inventors were employed in Fuller's engineering department, always looking for ways to make cleaning easier with better carpet sweepers, better floor brushes.

At this factory, Alfred Fuller didn't just tinker with products.  He also had his engineers invent brush-making machines and other machinery that would create products which met his standards.  In the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office files there are more than 300 patents held by the Fuller Brush Company!  

By 1933, Fuller Brush had become part and parcel of American culture. 

In 1942, Alfred's son Howard developed luxury hair brushes that were sold with a five-year guarantee.  

In 1943, after a long and successful career Alfred retired and handed over the reigns to son, Howard.  Following in his father's footsteps, Howard kept on innovating bringing in more and more products to make life easier at home.  Brushes, toiletries, vitamins, household cleaning solutions and more.

In 1956, the Fuller Brush line expands to include 340 products including aerosols, detergents and more.  The product brochure becomes a catalog with an annual print run of 5 million copies!

In 1972, Fuller Brush manufacturing operations are moved to Great Bend, Kansas by the new owners, Sara Lee Corporation.

In 1985, even as door-to-door salesmen became less and less common, for Fuller Brush, ALL sales were still generated door-to-door until 1985. It was only in the next few years that Fuller Brush introduced mail-order catalogs.  They sent out 10 million a year!  Several outlet stores were opened throughout the country.

In 1987, eager to attract the "cream of the crop" sales reps, Fuller Brush raised commissions up 50% of the sale.  Fuller didn't cut corners and did whatever it took to maintain their high standards.  According to Derek Stryker, then VP of Fuller's household division, there were salespeople earning more than $50,000 a year at that point.  In modern dollars, thats $110,522.  After all these years, Fuller Brush was still giving thousands of Americans a way to earn a good, honest living with minimal overhead.

In 1931, Frank Stanley Beveridge, Director of Sales at Fuller Brush left to create his own company, Stanley Home Products though in 1996 the company returned to its roots when Fuller brush acquired Stanley Home Products. Now Fuller Brush's product line was more extensive than ever!

In 1997, Fuller entered the 21st century ahead of time with the launch of their brand new website!  The website took off fast, getting 1800 page views per month for the first 10 months!  This was before internet shopping was the norm, showing just how popular Fuller Brush was to the American consumer.

In 2013, San Franciso's last active door-to-door Fuller Brush Salesman, Norman Hall was interviewed on Radio Sausalito.  His first sale?  A green and white kitchen brush in 1971.  Forty plus years later, at 75, he was still walking 5-10 miles a day delivering goods!

Norman Hall

Saint Helena native, David Sabin bought Fuller Brush determined to introduce 21st century America to the nostalgic brand.  He created the 1906 Heritage Line inspired by Fuller Brush's original products.  These iconic itiems were made with every detail perfected, exactly as Alfred Fuller had done in his day.  At the same time, Fuller brush also embraced the digital age with a modernized, easy to navigate website.  

David Sabin

In 2018, when Sam Max, the new CEO received the opportunity to purchase the Fuller Brush brand, he grabbed it!  He wanted to bring Fuller Brush back to its old iconic glory days.  Part of that strategy included reviving the dealer program and bring back products to their communities.  

We're returning to Alfred Fuller's original philospohy started in 1906:  'Make it work and make it last.'  Already, we're returned manufacturing to the former Great Bend, Kansas location, using the same designs that made Fuller Brush famous.  And we've brought more than 60 beloved products back to life .. bringing our total available products to 175!

Sam Max

The Fuller Brush Company kept house's sparkling for decades!   Thank you Alfred Fuller!

 The Fuller Brush Movies

Part II

The Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 American comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect. The project had been in development for four years.  Producer, Simon got permission from the Fuller Brush Company and wrote the story with Skelton in mind, but was unable to secure studio interest until the success of Miracle on 34th Stret (1947) showed the benefits of commerical tie-ins for feature films such as with the names Gimbels and Macy's.  This movie is a real rip-roarin', laugh inducing comedy/crime/romance film involving a clumsy, down-on-his-luck Fuller Brush man who accidentally gets caught up in a murder case.  Guess what the murder weapon is?  Not telling...

Fuller Brush gave their final approval provided it was clear in the final movie the character Skelton played was an independent dealer and not an employee of the Fuller Brush Company. 

The Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball.  Frank Tashlin wrote the script.  Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics saleswoman for the Fuller Brush Company. The film also stars Eddie Albert and has an uncredited cameo by Red Skelton who had starred in the movie, The Fuller Brush Man two years earlier.

 The Fuller Brush Story

Part I

Alfred Fuller

A good place to start .. Fuller's father would often look at his hands and tell his son .. 

These are your fortune, boy.  Be suspicious of anyone who shows you how to make a living without them.

Imagine if today was more like the good old days!  When products were made to last and landfills weren't stuffed with plastic remnants of junk!  When interactions happend in real life, not on screen!  When people just waited for their beloved Fuller Brush Man.  A man who stopped by with some new products to sell.

It all started with Alfred Fuller, pictured above, born in Nova Scotia in 1855.  He was the 11th of 12 children!

A country bumpkin, overgrown and awkward, unsophisticated and virtually unschooled.

Alfred Fuller, age 18

The above quote was when he was attempting to support himself in Somerville, Massaschusetts where he had joined some of his siblings.  It didn't go well at first, to say the least.  He was promptly fired from his first three jobs .. trolley car conductor, gardner and horse groomer.  Days before his 20th birthday, his brother snagged him a job as a salesman for the Somerville Brush and Mop Company.  He received a case of samples and went door-to-door, selling brushes in an affluent section of Roxbury, Massachusetts.  The job fit him like a glove!

I washed babies with a back brush, swept stairs, cleaned radiators and milk bottles, dusted floors .. anything that would prove the worth of what I had to sell.

Alfred Fuller (American Heritage article, 1986)

Alfred went even further than just being nice and helpful.  He paid attention!  When his customers said, "I wish there was a brush for cleaning silk hats", he marked it down.  When they said, "I need a brush that won't scratch the wood floor", he marked it down.  He noted which brushes sold well and which brushes didn't.

The first brush patent was issued in 1830, marking the start of mass produced brushes.  Barely any changes had been made to brush designs for nearly a century!  Alfred Fuller would change that!

To Fuller's dismay, he also discovered brushes back then were purposely made to fall apart, fast!  Most folks recall the old saying, "they don't make things like they used to".  Fuller had a whole bucket load of ideas for well-made brushes because he wanted his customers to buy things that actually made cleaning easier so he took these ideas to his employers.  Surprisingly, they ignored him so Alfred Fuller would keep all of his genius to himself!

The year, 1906 marked the birth of Fuller Brush.  DOB:  New Year's Day.  Location:  Alfred's sister's basement.  Equipment:  Hand operated wire-twisting machine spools of wire, horse hair, fibers and hog bristles.  Total investment:  $375.00  Business Plan:  sell from sample kit, make requested brushes on nights or weekends, deliver orders the following week and give a lifetime guarantee with every purchase.  

Fuller's first sale was a brush sold to a woman who used it to clean a radiator.  Fuller's first week's profits were $42.15.  That is $1,205.24 in 2020 dollars. Fuller was a master of "market research" before it was a "thing"!

I studied a housewife's needs and we made a brush for every need.

Alfred Fuller

Brushes for every need meant brushes for cleaning silk hats, Victorian furniture,  floors and much more.  Every brush he made was designed for a specific need he'd heard about on his door-to-door rounds.  One day, Fuller visited Hartford, Connecticut which turned out to be a brush seller's paradise.  Stately old Victorian homes with intricate paneling, moldings, stair banisters and ornate iron grillwork all needed lots and lots of dusting!  Therefore, Fuller moved his shop to Hartford and named his business the Capitol Brush Company.   He was such a success in Hartford he couldn't keep up with the orders!  This was because he was still making all of those brushes with his own two hands and on the same machine he'd started with in the basement of his sister's home. Eventually, it was time to expand so Alfred moved to a larger shop, bought machinery and made his first hire.  Total revenue in 1906: $8,500.  Total product types: 32. 

Fuller Brush's first female employee was Alfred's first wife, Evelyn.  She outsold him on her very first day!  She continued to do so nearly every day for the next two years! In 1909, Fuller made it big!  Alfred wanted the company to spread its wings beyond Hartford.  He placed an "agents wanted" ad in the nationally distributed "Everybody's Magazine" and before long, he had 260 new salespeople all over the country.  The secret to his success was not the amount of salesmen.  It was in the pledge every salesman had to sign and promise.  I will be courteous.  I will be kind.  I will be sincere.  I will be helpful.

Fuller asked his salesmen to wear overshoes (aka boots), a size too big.  In that way, if they were invited into the home, they could quickly and easily remove them.  In 1914, with sales soaring, the United States was entering WWI.  Fuller Brush stepped up to help with the war effort.  They put their famous brush quality to good use with specialized military brushes. In 1915, Alfred never stayed complacent and developed the Handy Brush.  It was a useful little vegetable cleaning brush given out for free to any household visited by a Fuller Brush salesmen.  His work paid off.  Sales increased to $15 million and in 1915, the company had 1,000 salesmen.  Later, in the 40s Fuller Brush had to divert many resources to help, again, with the war effort.  Forty million Fuller brushes made it onto the WWII front.  

Fuller Brush men would leave this card if the homeowner didn't come to the door

Circa 1921

Ad from a 1922 copy of The American Legion Weekly seeking more salesmen. 

Let "Fuller" give YOU the same Opportunity

In the year, 1922 it might surprise you to learn the term "Fuller Brush Man" was coined not by Fuller Brush, but by "The Saturday Evening Post".  The beloved character soon began to pop up in movies!

Initial Release: June 1948

Samuel Sylvan Simon, Director

Initial Release: September 1950

Lloyd Bacon, Director

Samuel Sylvan Simon, Producer

As an historial sidenote .. Some of Alfred Fuller's ancestors were among the passengers aboard the Mayflower.  Alfred Fuller had such a good "avoid getting bitten by dogs" strategy the U.S. Post Office once contacted him for advice on helping mailmen prevent dog bites!

Phil Donahue

(December 13, 1935-August 18, 2024)

Phil Donahue was a prominent American television host, writer and film producer best known for pioneering the modern talk show format.  Born on December 21, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio Donahue gained widespread recognition as the creator and host of "The Phil Donahue Show" which aired from November 6, 1967 to September 13, 1996.  The show started in Dayton, Ohio as a local series.  It was syndicated in Chicago in 1969 and relocated to Chicago in 1974 with the show's title shortened to just "Donahue".  Ten years later, another Chicago talk show began outperforming him in the ratings, a show hosted by a young woman named Oprah Winfrey whose approach to television owed much to her Chicago predecessor.  Donahue moved his program to New York City where he continued his passionate brand of talk show.  

His popular show, often referred to simply as "Donahue" was groundbreaking for its audience participation format, where members of the audience could directly interact with guests, ask questions and voice their opinions.  This interactive approach to television was innovative at the time and became a staple in the talk show genre. 

Through his career,  Donahue covered a wide range of topics including politics and cultural debates.  He was known for his liberal viewpoints and willingness to tackle  subjects that were often considered taboo on television such as feminism, LGBTQ+ rights and civil rights.

Phil Donahue's work had a signficant impact on American television and culture, influencing future generations of talk show hosts.  After his show ended, he continued to be active in media and social causes occasionally making appearances and producing documentary films. 

Phil Donahue visited Jamestown three times during his lifetime.  He was a supporter of many things over the years which included the Robert H. Jackson Center. He appeared at the Jackson Center in 2006 and was introduced by Greg Peterson, longtime center board president at that apppearance.  Topics were the First Amendment, Robert H. Jackson, the War on Terror in the wake of September 11, 2001 and terrorist attacks. He often spoke about his wife, Marlo Thomas (father of Danny Thomas) who met Donahue on his talk show which eventually lead to a loving relationship and marriage.  

Donahue's appearance in 2006 came 10 years after he ended his nationally syndicated television show.  The entertainer's 2014 appearance had a different tone, with Donahue and his wife, actress Marlo attending a fundraiser for the Jackson Center to benefit the center's youth education initiatives and focusing on the broader scope of his life and career as opposed to any one specific facet.  

This is Phil Donahue on Phil Donahue: a retrospective of his life.

Greg Peterson 

Also mentioned was Donahue's awareness of and connection to Chautauqua Institution, a venue at which he was seen giving a lecture in 2010.  Donahue was quoted as saying, "This is a thinking community.  Chautauqua is my kind of place and I'd be nowhere without people like those at Chautauqua". 

His cultural influence especially with the women who tended to watch television during the day in his era finally leed to a flock of cultural imitators in the 1980s.  By the time "Donahue" went off the air in 1996, after 29 years, nearly 7,000 episodes and 20 Emmy Awards, the daytime televiion landscape was littered with look-a-likes.  Both before and after Oprah, the prematurely gray and always animinated Donahue wielded enormous clout, making daytime more serious, more newsy and more salacious as he emerged in the late 1960s amid a sea of game shows, soap operas and more frivolous talk shows. He demonstrated daytime viewers, long before cable news, cared about world leaders, cultural figures and the debate of the day.  He gave many exposure to issues like sexual harrassment and abuse, gay marriage and AIDS.

When asked by Greg Peterson whether wrapping up "The Donahue Show" after nearly three decades was difficult to handle, Donanue replied that the show's conclusion was bittersweet.  

I have to say there was relief.  I would put on a shirt and tie and go out there every day and eventually it got to the point where I thought, 'Alright, they've heard you speak.  Enough is enough.  But it was a tremendous ride and I would wish it on everyone I love." 

Thank you, Mr. Donahue.  It was quite a ride.  RIP

 

White Turkey Drive-In

388 W. Main Road

Conneaut, Ohio

440-593-2209

"Take a stroll back in time..."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  This quote is the motto from the founder of White Turkey Drive-In, Eddie Tuttle.  He believed his restaurant could stand the test of time through hard work and high quality.  He never saw the need to franchise or increase the size of his menu.  He was proud of his "little restaurant" and the opportunities it would bring his family.  For this reason, they have worked as a family to maintain high quality while still preserving their history.

Eddie and Marge Tuttle visited a Richardson Root Beer stand while on vacation and fell in love with the rich flavor of the drink and uniqueness of the business.  They decided to act upon their dream of opening their own restaurant and bought the Richardson Root Beer franchise in 1952.  During this time, Eddie and Marge also operated a turkey ranch at their home in Conneaut.  They wanted to creat a menu item that wold showcase their farm-raised turkey.  After much trial and error, Marge created the famous turkey sandwich.  They decided to name their new restaurant after the White Holland breed of turkey raised on their ranch.  This how they acquired their unique name.

Gary Tuttle, son of Eddie and Marge decided to continue the family tradition starting in 1981.  They, in turn, have watched the business grow while maintaining original authenticity.  The family and helpers still prepare the turkey using the original recipe and preparation method.  Gary passed away in 2012 leaving a legacy to his family and patrons for years to come.  

Eddie and Marge Tuttle

And what would a nostalgic drive-in be 

without

one of these nostalgic artifacts!

Seeberg Wall-O-Matic 100 Wallbox

Model 3W-1

Circa 1950

The Seeburg 3W1 Wallbox also known as the Seeburg Wall-O-Matic is a wall-mounted remote selector unit that was designed to work with Seeburg jukeboxes.  They allowed users to select songs on the connected jukebox.  They featured a row of push buttons labeled with song numbers or titles corresponding to the available songs in the jukebox.

The 3W1 was designed to be mounted on a wall which allowed patrons to make song selections without needing to approach the jukebox.  The Wallbox provided a convenient way for users to control the jukebox, remotely.  The Wallbox required a wiring connection directly to the jukebox with which is was paired.  Many of the Wallboxes were set for coin operation allowing users to insert coins to activate their song selections. 

Overall, the Seeburg 3W1 Wallbox allowed users to expand the functionality of their Seeburg jukebox machines.  One play was 25 cents.

If you are planning to restore a 3W1, just this piece, alone, would set you back a few dollars!

Excerpts

from

A Chautauqua County Tradition

Winter Sports Tied Closely to Local History

by 

Jack Dean

March 17, 2012

We assume the first settlers in the area did not have much time for idleness or winter sports, but we do know they had occasional wood-chopping contests.  In the 1890s, they had horse races on Findley Lake in January and February.  The horses had special cleats on their shoes to prevent them from slipping on the ice.  Residents ice skated on Findley Lake, Cassadaga Lake and Chautauqua Lake as well as on frozen ponds throughout the county.  Chautauqua Lake had ice boats with sails where ice boat races were held.  In the 1930s and 1940s, sledding and tobogganing parties were popular in many communities.  

Skiing became popular in the deep snow on hilly terrain.  In the 1960s, Dunkirk resident and engineer Leo J. Veneko operated a factory making skis out of plastic rather than wood.  He experimented with grooving the bottoms and attached a narrow metal band to the edge of his skis to make them work better on crusty or icy snow.  He patented the idea, moved to Jamestown and set up his manufacturing plant in the old Broadhead Mills furniture factory believed to be titled Veneko Products, Inc., but his new idea was adopted by a large ski manufacturer in Austria which became a strong competitor.  

In 1935, Westfield Mayor W.B. Crandall along with a gentleman by the name of Jack Robinson, who owned the Gorge golf course, south of the village, went to Cleveland and made arrangements with the Cleveland Travel Bureau to run weekend excursions over the New York Central Railroad to Westfield from Cleveland, Erie and Buffalo.  Robinson had made arrangements with Dr. Cobb to start his ski run and jump 300 feet above the fifth fairway and down to a jump off the third green and over the Tee Off the Top of the World hill past the eighth fairway. Unfortunately, some years the weather didn't cooperate producing very little snow. Over time, the ski excursions faded away.  

Eventually, other ski ventures appeared in the county which included Eagle Ridge Resort on the higher elevation, south of Westfield on Route 394. It was in operation for several years, but it became handicapped by being too close to Lake Erie with its warmer weather which resulted in a lack of deep snow.  Some of the principal investors were Murry Price, Dr. Robert Horsch, James Mead, Dr. Donald Eno and members of the Nixon family.

Another ski resort appeared called Ski Cockaigne with 2,300 acres of land in Cherry Creek, NY.  The unique building at Ski Cockaigne became the Austrian pavilion from the 1964/1965 World's Fair in New York having been moved to Chautauqua County.  Ski Cockaigne was successful for many years as it was located at a high elevation in what is known as the "snow belt".  There was a good student program with several local schools participating with a well organized ski patrol.  Sadly, on a cold night in January 2011 the beautiful Austrian pavilion/ski lodge caught fire and was completely destroyed in spite of heroic efforts on the part of several area fire departments.  

In 1979, a new idea in winter sports came to Chautauqua County in the form of the Chautauqua Ski Marathon.  Approximately, 200 volunteers organized and ran a 55-kilometer (34 mile) marathon run.  The course began at the Pennsylvania stateline near Clymer and ended at the Mayville Conservation Club. It was classed as the longest ski marathon in New York State.  Entrants began at 400 and increased from 800 to 1,000 skiers by 1986.  The course was divided into three sections and each skier could choose how many to attempt.  Refreshment stands were set up by volunteers in each section for water and food.  In locations where the trail crosssed a highway volunteers flagged cars to let skiers cross at those locations.  A cannon, borrowed from the Sea Lion, was used to fire the starting shot.

The Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club was founded in 1968 for the purpose of making a local trail system that was both safe and enjoyable.  In the beginning at least three membership clubs were formed plus well-groomed trails in several parts of the county.  Located in the western-most part of New York State where the average annual snowfall exceeds 250 inches (during a good year) its volunteers maintain over 200 miles of scenic trails.  These are linked to local service businesses and other clubs in the county.  The CLSC's clubhouse is located on Hannum Road in Mayville and is available to all 2300 plus CLSC members.  

The Winning Benefits of Floating Stage Programs 

Tranforming Public Spaces, Parks, Marinas and Beyond

by

Dan Dalpra

In recent years, floating stages have transformed waterfront spaces.  These innovative additions to public waterfronts bring the arts to people by combining aquatics recreation and entertainment, introducing a new dimension to community engagement.

If Interested in Learning More About this Unique and Exciting Concept

go to

www.floatingstage.com

or 

contact Dan Dalpra

at 

716-397-9200

or

dan@floatingstage.com

 The Hollywood Soiree at Lucy Fest 2024

Lucy fans spent the evening with the Fab Four in their favorite Hollywood-style attire for a fun-filled evening to help ring in another birthday for the Queen of Comedy.  The event was held at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Jamestown on August 2 from 8-11.

A Hollywood Starlet

Hollywood Reporters Covering the Hollywood Soiree Beat

The Tropicana Girls

Jessica Coker with "Lucy"

Another Hollywood Starlet

A Lucy "vision in aqua" Starlet

If you missed Lucy Fest 2024, make plans to visit Jamestown in 2025 and meet the new Lucy.  Diane Vincent, the official Lucy for Universal Studios/California has chosen to retire though not after being "our" Lucy for 25 years.  If you had a chance to meet her over the past 25 years, you know how special she is and was the perfect person to play Lucy.  

Hope everyone picked up a copy of the Chautauqua Gazette last week that was at 200 locations throughout the county.  If you didn't get one, you can read this week's Gazette, last week's Lucy edition and all other papers including the Lucy Festival edition by clicking on the word, Archives.  The link is below:

www.chqgazette.com 

Thank You, Diane Vincent 

as

Lucy Ricardo

The Fab Four

Bill Chott as Fred Mertz; Rhonda Medina as Ethel Mertz; Bill Mendieta as Ricky Ricardo and

 Diane Vincent as Lucy Ricardo

WJTN's Dennis Webster

Dennis Webster signed off on the radio this a.m. August 2, 2024 to the sadness of many WJTN listeners through the years and before him, his father Doc Webster who was on the same radio station from 1951 to 1972 along with the late Jim (what's in your wallet?) Roselle.  As many of you know, Jim was an avid reader and would always have his library card in his wallet.  He was "Jamestown's cheerleader"!

Dennis is a Jamestown native and a graduate of Syracuse University and SUNY Fredonia.  He started his work in radio while still a student at Jamestown High School and has had many positions at WJTN, both on and off the air.

For the past couple of decades, he has presented the morning program on WJTN from 5 to 9 AM and hosted the Saturday Breakfast Party and the High School Bowl. Dennis has a wide variety of community interests and regularly presented stories on everything from farmers' crops to the events at the Robert H. Jackson Center.  Some of his favorite activites to cover involved theater, Jamestown High School Music and Chautauqua County 4-H.

Through his many years of work, Dennis has cultivated a keen sense of Jamestown as a community and the media's important role in it. Dennis is truly a gem for all of us living in Chautauqua County.  He is a great example of the true meaning of volunteering.  He never uses the word 'I' when talking about his volunteer and community activities.  It is always 'we' because he understands that making a difference in the community takes many hands working together. 

Thank you Dennis for all you have given to the community, both on and off the air.

 

Chautauqua Gazette Article

Monday, July 29

www.chqgazette.com