Maytag
Repairman - In 1967, the
Maytag Company located in
Newton, Iowa hired actor Jesse White to portray their Maytag
Repairman on television commercials. His character (1967-1988) symbolized
the reliability of Maytag products to the extent that their
repairman never got any repair calls and thus became the
"loneliest man in town." The Maytag Repairman was created by the
Leo Burnett Advertising Agency based in Chicago. In
1989, Maytag replaced Jesse White as their spokesperson (he
died in Los Angeles on January 9th, 1997 at the age of 78 from
cardiac arrest) and in turn hired actor Gordon Jump who
previously starred in the sitcom WKRP IN CINCINNATI as Arthur
"Big Guy" Carlson, a bumbling radio station manager.
A
few years later Gordon Jump (a native of Dayton, Ohio) died on
September 22, 2003 from complications from pulmonary fibrosis.
He was 71. Jump had retired from the role as the Maytag
Repairman in July 2003 and
actor Hardy Rawls (a former Mr.
Goodwrench) took over the role as
Ol'
Lonely, the Maytag Repairman who will now be partnered with a
younger, eager Maytag apprentice (Mark Devine).
In 2002, Maytag and Chevrolet joined forces
to create a commercial featuring the both Maytag Repairmen and
Chevy's new Impala. The ad shows an Impala zig-zag through a
highway filled with curves. Inside the car, the apprentice
repairman (who is driving) says to the veteran repairman (Gordon
Jump), "So you sure this is OK? What if someone calls?" The two
look at each other, laugh out loud, eat some jerky and continue
to cruise the countryside.
In 2007, Maytag
conducted open auditions around the country to find the next
Maytag Repairman. The winner was a Virginia man named Clay
Jackson. The mission of the new Maytag repairman has changed
from someone “who had nothing to do" because Maytag's products
are so reliable to a proactive repairman who finds things to
repair. In one ad spot, the new Maytag Repairman finds himself
inside a business office examining a photocopy machine. When
approached, he says "You're running low on toner."
Clay Jackson, the Maytag Repairman
TRIVIA NOTE:
Before the
Maytag Repairman actor Tom Pedi (1913-1996) played the role of
Charlie, a washing machine repairman in commercials for Dash
Laundry Detergent.
Maytag Corporation was founded in Newton in 1893 as a maker of
farm equipment, and the company brought out its first washing
machine in 1907. As a matter of fact, Maytag's early washer
models were powered by a belt that attached to the engine of a
tractor.
In 2006, Maytag's rival, Whirlpool
Corporation purchased the company for $1.7 billion. As a
result of the Whirlpool consolidation, the economic force of the
once prosperous blue-collar Midwestern town of Newton is
predicted to diminish drastically.
On 12/1/1991, Bob Leibold as Bob's Specialty Service in Monroe,
Wisconsin started a Maytag washing machine during a Maytag
promotion and expected it to run about 2 and 1/2 years.
Amazingly, the machine ran until August 16, 1996 and stopped
after 32,500 hours. The machine pumped over 56 cycles a day and
cost about a $1 a day in electricity. Leibold calculated it was
the equivalent of 193 years of use by a family of four.
Those interested in the history of Maytag washing machine can
visit the Maytag Historical Display at the Jasper County Museum
located about 30 miles east of Des Moines off Interstate 80 at
the Iowa exit at 1700 South 15th Avenue, West in town of Newton,
Iowa.
