The Surprising Lives of Famous Pitchmen: Charmin's "Mr. Whipple" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 03-12-2010, 06:52 PM

Link

It's hard to imagine a time when a mustachioed grocer with finicky store policies and a tendency to fondle was actually beloved by millions. But for more than 20 years, kindly old Mr. Whipple graced our television screens and magazine ads as the spokesperson for Charmin bathroom tissue.

In the TV spots, he would berate the female customers for irresistibly squeezing the Charmin packages -- pointing at a large sign and exclaiming, "Ladies, please! Don't squeeze the Charmin!" Surprisingly, his repeat customers shrugged and walked away without so much as a scowl.

But could you imagine being chewed out by a supermarket merchant for, of all things, squeezing a roll of tissue only to see that hypocrite do the very same thing moments later? What a creep!

Though somehow, actor Dick Wilson made it work. The ornery shopkeep charmed consumers and, by appearing in more than 500 commercials, Mr. Whipple is one of the most prolific and widely known celebrity pitchmen. However, not many people know the man behind the toilet paper.

Dick Wilson was born Riccardo DiGuglielmo in Lancashire, England, in 1916. Four years later, his family moved to a city near Toronto, Canada, where the actor assumed his mother's maiden name of Wilson so he wouldn't be typecast as an Italian. Wilson dabbled in radio in his teens and eventually became an acrobatic dancer in New York after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. By 1954, he moved to California to pursue a life of acting in TV and film.

For more than 30 years Wilson was immensely successful as a character actor. He's appeared in a gamut of classic sitcoms like McHale's Navy, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, The Partridge Family, and had an ongoing role as a comical drunk in Bewitched. Years later, Wilson commented on his relative anonymity among viewers outside of the Charmin ads.

"I've done 38 pictures and nobody remembers any of them. But they all remember me selling toilet paper," he said.

But even so, the discrepancy had paid off in spades. According to Canada's Hamilton Spectator, Wilson was earning $300,000 per year and working a paltry 12 days per year. If that meant being typecast as a grocer with busy hands, so be it.

Although Wilson was reticent to get into the ad game, he never took his role for granted and soon respected the art. He once said, "It's the hardest thing to do in the entire acting realm. You've got 24 seconds to introduce yourself, introduce the product, say something nice about it, and get off gracefully."

After his retirement in 1985, Wilson didn't think much of modern cinema or accept many roles -- aside from a stint on PBS kids favorite Square One TV as, yes, a grocer. He told the Associated Press, "The kind of pictures they're making today, I'll stick with toilet paper."

Wilson passed away in 2007 at the age of 91. Although his role as Mr. Whipple made him a household name for millions, his unsung work in TV and film entertained even more.

catlover79 · 03-12-2010, 07:13 PM

I loved watching Dick Wilson as The Drunk on Bewitched - and as Mr. Whipple. He was also the dad of Melanie Wilson (Jennifer, Perfect Strangers).

Marvo301 · 03-12-2010, 07:34 PM

Wow, $300,000 for 12 days of work a year! Where do I apply? Dick Wilson was great in those commercials and I'm glad he was well compensated for it. It's just too bad that his decades of wonderful work as a character actor were overshadowed by one character he played in commercials. But I suppose it's much better to be remembered for Mr. Whipple than not to be remembered at all.

catlover79 · 03-12-2010, 07:38 PM

He also got a lifetime supply of Charmin - so that's one less thing to worry about!!

the truth · 03-12-2010, 08:33 PM

The one thing I never understood about "the drunk" in Bewitched was when they went to Salem (I believe due to the set burning down and having to be re-built) to shoot on location and lo-and-behold who should also be there but the drunk (who was normally in Connecticut or wherever they set the show originally). I mean, how did the drunk even manage to get to Salem? LOL!

Sorry, but he should have been left back home.

catlover79 · 03-12-2010, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the truth

The one thing I never understood about "the drunk" in Bewitched was when they went to Salem (I believe due to the set burning down and having to be re-built) to shoot on location and lo-and-behold who should also be there but the drunk (who was normally in Connecticut or wherever they set the show originally). I mean, how did the drunk even manage to get to Salem? LOL!

Sorry, but he should have been left back home.

Good question - I have to admit I never thought about it.

Also interesting - in the later series Tabitha (set in LA), Dick Wilson showed up in a guest spot playing...a drunk. Shocking, huh?

MickeyMac · 03-13-2010, 01:49 PM

I got a couple of those old Mr. Whipple commercials. They're fun to watch.

catlover79 · 03-13-2010, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

I got a couple of those old Mr. Whipple commercials. They're fun to watch.

They are great. I read that at one point "Mr. Whipple" was the third recognized man in America, after the President and Rev. Billy Graham.

catlover79 · 03-13-2010, 10:27 PM

.

McGillicuddy · 03-14-2010, 06:56 AM

He's playing a different drunk. Here he has a name, and the cops know him.

catlover79 · 03-14-2010, 03:21 PM

I LOVE this interview Melanie Wilson gave about her dad in 1989 - especially when she told her class her dad was "a drunk"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYS7wX9eZNA

03-12-2010, 06:52 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,392	The Surprising Lives of Famous Pitchmen: Charmin's "Mr. Whipple" Link It's hard to imagine a time when a mustachioed grocer with finicky store policies and a tendency to fondle was actually beloved by millions. But for more than 20 years, kindly old Mr. Whipple graced our television screens and magazine ads as the spokesperson for Charmin bathroom tissue. In the TV spots, he would berate the female customers for irresistibly squeezing the Charmin packages -- pointing at a large sign and exclaiming, "Ladies, please! Don't squeeze the Charmin!" Surprisingly, his repeat customers shrugged and walked away without so much as a scowl. But could you imagine being chewed out by a supermarket merchant for, of all things, squeezing a roll of tissue only to see that hypocrite do the very same thing moments later? What a creep! Though somehow, actor Dick Wilson made it work. The ornery shopkeep charmed consumers and, by appearing in more than 500 commercials, Mr. Whipple is one of the most prolific and widely known celebrity pitchmen. However, not many people know the man behind the toilet paper. Dick Wilson was born Riccardo DiGuglielmo in Lancashire, England, in 1916. Four years later, his family moved to a city near Toronto, Canada, where the actor assumed his mother's maiden name of Wilson so he wouldn't be typecast as an Italian. Wilson dabbled in radio in his teens and eventually became an acrobatic dancer in New York after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. By 1954, he moved to California to pursue a life of acting in TV and film. For more than 30 years Wilson was immensely successful as a character actor. He's appeared in a gamut of classic sitcoms like McHale's Navy, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, The Partridge Family, and had an ongoing role as a comical drunk in Bewitched. Years later, Wilson commented on his relative anonymity among viewers outside of the Charmin ads. "I've done 38 pictures and nobody remembers any of them. But they all remember me selling toilet paper," he said. But even so, the discrepancy had paid off in spades. According to Canada's Hamilton Spectator, Wilson was earning $300,000 per year and working a paltry 12 days per year. If that meant being typecast as a grocer with busy hands, so be it. Although Wilson was reticent to get into the ad game, he never took his role for granted and soon respected the art. He once said, "It's the hardest thing to do in the entire acting realm. You've got 24 seconds to introduce yourself, introduce the product, say something nice about it, and get off gracefully." After his retirement in 1985, Wilson didn't think much of modern cinema or accept many roles -- aside from a stint on PBS kids favorite Square One TV as, yes, a grocer. He told the Associated Press, "The kind of pictures they're making today, I'll stick with toilet paper." Wilson passed away in 2007 at the age of 91. Although his role as Mr. Whipple made him a household name for millions, his unsung work in TV and film entertained even more.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

03-12-2010, 07:13 PM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	I loved watching Dick Wilson as The Drunk on Bewitched - and as Mr. Whipple. He was also the dad of Melanie Wilson (Jennifer, Perfect Strangers).
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

03-12-2010, 07:34 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	Wow, $300,000 for 12 days of work a year! Where do I apply? Dick Wilson was great in those commercials and I'm glad he was well compensated for it. It's just too bad that his decades of wonderful work as a character actor were overshadowed by one character he played in commercials. But I suppose it's much better to be remembered for Mr. Whipple than not to be remembered at all.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

03-13-2010, 10:27 PM	#9
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	. Attached Images

03-12-2010, 07:38 PM	#4
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	He also got a lifetime supply of Charmin - so that's one less thing to worry about!!

03-12-2010, 08:33 PM	#5
the truth Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 26, 2002 Posts: 403	The one thing I never understood about "the drunk" in Bewitched was when they went to Salem (I believe due to the set burning down and having to be re-built) to shoot on location and lo-and-behold who should also be there but the drunk (who was normally in Connecticut or wherever they set the show originally). I mean, how did the drunk even manage to get to Salem? LOL! Sorry, but he should have been left back home.

03-13-2010, 01:49 PM	#7
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,006	I got a couple of those old Mr. Whipple commercials. They're fun to watch.

03-14-2010, 06:56 AM	#10
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	He's playing a different drunk. Here he has a name, and the cops know him.

03-14-2010, 03:21 PM	#11
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	I LOVE this interview Melanie Wilson gave about her dad in 1989 - especially when she told her class her dad was "a drunk"! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYS7wX9eZNA