But Wait! There's More!: The Irresistible Appeal And Spiel Of Ronco And Popeil

by Tim Samuelson

For nearly fifty years, the Popeil Brothers' and Ronco's high-energy commercials have been familiar intruders into the living rooms of America-and most homes bear evidence of their seductive visits. Countless VegOMatics, SealAMeals, Kitchen Magicians, Pocket Fishermen, and other gadgets sit tucked away in many a cupboard, giving silent testimony to the power of their broadcast salesmanship. This dynamic, colorful, and amusing volume tells the classic rags to riches story of this fascinating business whose name has become synonymous with the word "gadget." Through a witty, informative text complemented by a wealth of colorful vintage advertisements, stunning product package art, and photography that cooks, business students, graphic and industrial design mavens, and fans of popular culture will love, this book examines the inventiveness and ubiquity of Popeil products through a range of special visual and editorial features. These an encapsulated history of the company; annotated celbycel recreations of the most popular commercials; amusing anecdotes about the inventions; transcripts of the alluring, rapidfire sales pitches; humorous quotes; and entertaining facts.

Just like the inventions themselves, this volume is "amazing!"

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 20, 2002

Reviews

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book sent to Cassidy and asked him to send it to me when he was finished reading it.

It is interesting brain candy, easy and quick to read and nice to look at.

Cassidy remembers having a Mr. Microphone as a kid, and my family had a Seal-A-Meal. Several other products in this book seem familiar too, like theTrimcomb and the Potato Chip Machine.

If you were alive in the '70s or even the early '80s, this book will be a nice trip down memory lane for you.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the era of the Popeil Pocket Fisherman ads, I picked this book up on a whim at Half Priced Books. It gives an overview of how Ronco and the Popeil empire developed. It also lets you see all the different "o-matic" products there are and the wide range of products they have. I enjoyed the whole book for the retro journey it provided.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book on the career and pitch-making of Ron Popeil and his companies and family. It's more interesting than you would think, and there's a lot of cool photos of many of the various sundries Popeil has put out over the last eighty years.