January 9, 1984: Fast-food chain Wendy's introduces its "Fluffy Bun" commercial. But it gets remembered for Clara Peller's line: "Where's the beef?"
Peller was 81 years old, Jewish, and,
record-keeping being what it was where and when she was born, she didn’t know
exactly where she was born, only that it was in Imperial Russia. She grew up in
Chicago, got married and divorced, and had 2 children. She worked as a
manicurist, and was still doing that on the set of a commercial in Chicago in
1982, when the advertising agency hired her to appear in commercials. They
included a pair of commercials for Jartran truck rentals: "Ed, it's time to
take the rabbits to the pet store!"
In the Wendy's commercial, Peller and 2 other old women walk into a restaurant named Big Bun. The other 2 comment on how the burger has a very big, even fluffy bun. When the bun is lifted, the meat patty is seen, and it's so small (How small is it?), it's nearly covered by a pickle slice. This inspires Peller to ask, "Where's the beef?" As the unseen announcer talks about how some restaurants' burgers are too small, she asks again, louder: "Where's the beef?"
The announcer talks about how Wendy's burgers, famously square, are big enough to extend past the bun. Once more, Peller yells, trying to reach whoever's working in the back of the store: "Hey! Where's the beef?" One of the other women points, and Peller says, "Oh, I don't think there's anybody back there."
The slogan caught on so much, people began walking into McDonald's and Burger King, asking, "Where's the beef?" A sequel commercial was ordered, in which the women call up the CEO of Big Bun. He's seen answering the phone on his yacht, the SS Big Bun: "Hello?" Peller yells into the phone, "Wherrrrrrrre's the beef?" And the CEO's toupee flies off his head.
There would be other commercials, including one with Peller teaming up with football legend Dick Butkus to launch a Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" contest. Butkus said the top prize was $20,000. Peller said, "Boy, that's a lot of money!" Butkus pointed to the camera, and said, "Yup, and somebody out there is gonna win it." Peller said, "Who? That old man behind the camera? What's he gonna do with 20 grand?" The idea being that he'd be too old to spend it before he dies. He was probably younger than she was.
Her distinctive voice was the result of
emphysema, which finally killed her in 1987.
On March 11, 1984, a televised debate was held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, during the Democratic Party Presidential Primaries. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado, pushing his "New Ideas," had gained on the front-runner, former Vice President Walter Mondale. That night, Mondale suggested that the ideas were too vague for voters to understand, and said, "When I hear your New Ideas, I'm reminded of that ad, 'Where's the beef?'" The theater audience broke out in laughter, Hart's campaign never recovered, and Mondale won the nomination -- for all the good it did him.
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January 9, 1984 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. Football was between rounds of its Playoffs. There were 2 games in the NBA, each involving one of the New York Tri-State Area teams. The New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 111-73 at Madison Square Garden. And the New Jersey Nets beat the Washington Bullets, 107-103 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.
One game was played in the NHL: The Edmonton Oilers beat the Detroit Red Wings, 7-3 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
