My Betty White story

 Seems like everyone has a Betty White story these days...  You can't turn on the internet without a post popping up about Betty White's career, her awards, her achievements, and everything else about her.   Well, I had an encounter with Betty White myself, and this is probably a good time to set it down for the record.   It's not much of a story, but this isn't much of a blog, so it all works out.

I help a friend with fan club events for the CBS soap operas.  Every couple of years she does an event for the fan clubs, and I am there to help with some of the arrangements (and to get a free meal).   The year was 2007 and Betty White had been appearing sporadically on The Bold and the Beautiful as Ann Douglas.  She had agreed to come to the fan event, meet the fans and sign autographs.  Her only caveat:  she would be a little late.

So, the event starts.   Understand, it is a huge luncheon event held in the Universal Sheraton's Grand Ballroom.  Over 300 people are enjoying a plated luncheon as the stars of B&B are being introduced on stage.   Each one gets a huge ovation, followed by the sound of various cameras taking pictures (Yes, there were still cameras that made noise at this time.)   After the last introduction everyone sat down to enjoy dinner and await the next event on the program. 

Then I get a call from my friend:   Betty White is about to arrive and needs someone to escort her in.  Would I be willing to be the escort?  Well, there are only a few things that could ever make me leave chicken piccata, and this was one of them.   I excused myself from the table, put my shoes back on, and high-tailed it to the front of the convention center.

After a few minutes wait, a car pulled up and Betty White came out of the car.   I introduced myself, and she..  well she was exactly how you'd expect Betty White to be.   She thanked me for coming out, she took my arm and I walked her towards the door.   Before we went in, I commented to her "You know, everyone here is looking forward to meeting you.   When you enter the ballroom the place is going to go nuts."  She poo-pooed the idea; "Oh, no, don't be silly, that's not going to happen - "   and then we entered the ballroom.

To say the place went nuts was an understatement.  The minute the first table spotted her they all let out a scream and the rest of the room turned, saw her, and the place - well, it ERUPTED.   You would have thought I walked in with Elvis Presley, the Pope and the entire starting lineup of the 2002 Lakers.  People were cheering, screaming, applauding, jumping out of their chairs, taking pictures and basically going insane over this then 86-year-old woman.   I walked her towards the stage, and as we walked, I said, "THIS is what I was talking about."   She said "My goodness, I had no idea..."   She then went onstage. and my work was done.   I then returned to table only to find that my friend had eaten my chicken piccata.

Might I say that Betty was a true trooper that day.   The event ends with a LONG autograph session, and she stayed until the very end - everyone got an autograph and a picture with Betty.   Well almost everyone - My one regret is that I didn't get a photo!   But the video exists....   If I can find it I will post it.

Betty White at her autograph table with Katherine Kelly Lang and Lee Bell

Cartoon Characters Who Ran for President, Part Eight

Now that the election is over, the fighting can stop, right?   Not a chance.  We here at the JoeFood Blog still have hopes that once the recounts are complete, one of our candidates may edge out the other two.  Here's my last entry in this series; the I Go Pogo campaign,

Part Eight:  I Go Pogo!

In the 1950's Pogo was fast becoming one of the most popular and controversial comic strips in the history of the medium.   For the uninitiated, Pogo is a quiet, unassuming possum, a denizen of the Okefenokee Swamp.  The swamp is inhabited by numerous other critters to numerous to list here, but just this piece of art below may give you an idea.  Walt Kelly, an ex-Disney animator, was the creator.

The comic strip did not start out as controversial, but as it went on the satire got heavier and and more pointed.    On May 1, 1953, Pogo hit the ceiling with the introduction of Simple J. Malarkey, a polecat with a marked resemblance to Senator Joseph McCarthy.  McCarthy was in the midst of his anti-communism crusade at the time that caused many people in the public eye to be blacklisted (see "McCarthyism").   This sequence of strips were censured by many newspapers but began Kelley's practice of bringing political figures into the swamp in animal form.   Eventually you would see Spiro Agnew (a hyena), Richard Nixon (a spider), Khrushchev (a pig), Fidel Castro (a goat), J. Edgar Hoover ( a bulldog), and Lyndon Johnson (a longhorn steer), appear in the swamp.

All of this made Pogo a favorite comic strip on the college campuses.  In 1952 the first "Pogo for President" campaign began in the strip.  Pogo himself was a very reluctant candidate, not even realizing that the swamp had designated him their candidate until weeks after the announcement.  The campaign slogan was I GO POGO, a parody of the I LIKE IKE slogan for the Eisenhower campaign.  The campaign took off, and across the country several colleges held I GO POGO rallies.   One rally at Harvard got completely out of hand; at the end of it all some 1000 students had rioted and 28 students were arrested.  Walt Kelly was a featured speaker at several colleges and helped spread the word about Pogo's campaign.

  

The swamp critters themselves ran Pogo's campaign while Pogo tried in vain to ignore their work.   One of the better slogans they devised was "Pogo's for President and I'm for vice!"

Polling was also a big part of the campaign:

Pogo was run again in 1956, this time with the backing of a great campaign song sung by Kelly himself and relesed on the album Songs of the Pogo.  One of the greatest political songs of all time - once you hear it you'll never forget the words.  You can give it a play below.  Fortunately for the reluctant candidate he did not win either election despite getting hundreds of write-in votes.

Cartoon Characters Who Ran for President, Part Seven: Assorted others

Seems like, at one time or another, any cartoon character that owned a hat threw it into the ring during one presidential contest or another.   Today, let's look at several that never got farther than a few merchandise opportunities:

Bozo the Clown:

Yep, Bozo, the World's Most Famous Clown (according to his own publicity) ran for president in 1984, under the slogan "Put a real Bozo in the White House."   This campaign got as far as a press conference and some buttons and bumper stickers.   Bozo actually had some contacts - he claims he was actually contacted by John F. Kennedy in the 1960's to be part of a national safety campaign but Kennedy's assassination ended the project.

Snoopy:

Never got past some buttons and stickers, usually found in Dolly Madison snack cakes or Weber's bread, and a campaign song.  It's a shame, as Snoopy was not only a World War I veteran (fighting against the Red Baron) but worked with NASA as a safety mascot for the moon landings.   In fact, Snoopy even flew into space - in 1969, the lunar module on Apollo 10 was named Snoopy.   

Alfred E. Newman:

In 2016, Candidate Donald Trump compared Democratic contender Pete Buttigieg to MAD Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman.   This was not Alfred's first foray into politics.   Alfred E Neuman ran for president for several years in the magazine's heyday and was a favorite candidate of many high school and college kids, most of which were too young to vote.  You have to love a candidate that can come up with such great talking points as:

• America is on the brink of ruin - Let Alfred finish the job!
• At least he's honest about his idiocy!
• Amid the uncertainty - a voice of confusion!
• If voting could really change things, it would be illegal.
• What - Me Worry?

Dogbert:

Dogbert, from the Dilbert comic strip, was a canine candidate in at least 1992 and 2008.  Probably one of the scariest candidates to ever run for office.

Brain (From Pinky and the Brain)

Pinky and the Brain is the story of two lab mice who, in each episode, execute a nearly-flawless plan for world takeover...   Nearly flawless, as something always stops them at the brink of achieving their goal.   In Meet John Brain, the Brain decides to "play the world's game, politics" and helms a nearly successful campaign for the presidency.  Unfortunately he becomes so overtaken by his popularity that he insists that his public meet him in person.  Once the public discovers he's a mouse, well, it's time to plan for tomorrow night.   Here's a clip from Meet John Brain:

One more entry to go - the story of the little possum from the Okefenokie who jumped in the ring and fell hard!  Tune in later this week!

Campaign 2020: Cartoon Characters Who Ran for President, Part Five and Six

Long before Hilary Clinton stepped onto the political stage, we had two other woman seek the office of Chief Commanding Officer.  These week, we're examining the Presidential campaigns of  two forward-thinking women who sought to break the glass ceiling.

Part 5:  Betty Boop for President!

In 1932, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression.   Incumbent Herbert Hoover was up against Franklin D. Roosevelt and his "New Deal."   Americans may have been ready for something new, and cartoon debutante Betty Boop may have sensed it.   She announced her candidacy in a 1932 promotional film, "Betty Boop For President."

In the film Betty is running not against Roosevelt or Hoover but Mr. Nobody.   Mr. Nobody, in my humble opinion, wins the award for the most honest politician to ever grace a platform, as exhibited by his campaign speech:

Who will make your taxes light?... Mr. Nobody!
Who'll protect the voters' right?... Mr. Nobody!
Should you come home some early dawn,
See a new milkman is on:
Who cares if your wife is gone?... Mr. Nobody!

While they do not appear in the film, Betty momentarily morphs into Hoover and Al Smith.   Al Smith?  Who is Al Smith, you say?  Al Smith was actually the Democratic nominee for president in 1928 and conventional thinking was that he would run again in 1932.  We can assume the cartoon was long into production before Roosevelt was able to clinch the nomination at the 1932 Democratic Convention (on the fourth ballot, for you trivia lovers).

Betty is actually sworn in as president in the film and speaks in front of Congress, depicted as a stable of donkeys and elephants, on her upcoming agenda.  The end of the film, we can assume, was a hint at Betty's next item on her agenda:   Ending Prohibition.  You can watch her entire candidacy in under 7 minutes by clicking below: 

Part 6:   Olive Oyl for President!

The Presidential election of 1948 was considered the greatest upset in the history of Presidential politics, with Harry Truman beating Thomas Dewey despite virtually every poll predicting a Dewey win.   What would have REALLY been an upset is if Olive Oyl had won.   Olive Oyl took a quick dive into politics in the 1948 film "Olive Oyl for President."  This is a bit of a cheater as most of the film is actually a dream Popeye is having, but the film ends with an actual campaign.   You can see a clip below; but I suggest you watch the full film by clicking HERE.

Not to be outdone, Popeye ran for President as well in 1956 in the lackluster film "Popeye for President" (are you noticing a trend here?).  However, Popeye was no match for Adlai Stevenson or winner Dwight Eisenhower.   No need to watch; it is included strictly for archival purposes.

Campaign 2020: Cartoon Characters who Ran for President, parts 3 and 4

We're back, presenting more cartoon characters who ran  for president as an alternate to the current candidates.  This week we have a rodent and a duck.  America is certainly a land of opportunity...

Part Three:  Alvin for President!

Alvin, lead singer for the Chipmunks, ran for president in 1960, beating Kanye West to the punch by sixty years.  According to NEWSWEEK, when candidate John F. Kennedy heard that Alvin had entered the race, he commented, "I'm glad to know I have at least one worthy opponent."

Alvin started his campaign with a campaign song 'Alvin for President" released as a single by Liberty Records.  It was the last Chipmunk single to hit the Billboard top 100.  Alvin followed this up with a comic book and a performance of his campaign song on "The Alvin Show."   Despite Alvin's popularity he was no match for John F., who beat out Alvin, Nixon and Huckleberry Hound (see our previous post for details on Huck's campaign).

Take a listen to Alvin for President:

Part Four:  Daffy Duck for President!

In 1997, the Looney Tunes characters began appearing on US postage stamps.   Daffy Duck decided this would be the perfect year to run for president since, after all, he is already on a stamp.   Chuck Jones contributed to Daffy's campaign with the book "Daffy Duck for President," a children's book that explains the three branches of government. Unfortunately Daffy failed to realize that 1997 was not an election year, so it was all a wasted effort.

Seven years later, Daffy realized that 2004 is divisible by four and that this could be his year.   He produced a film based on his campaign book from 1997, Daffy Duck For President.   The film received minimal play time but must have done some good - He was elected senator.  George Bush took the presidency that year.  Take a look at "Daffy Duck for President."

BONUS:   Here's Alvin's campaign song as performed on The Alvin Show.   Not the best video, but included for archival purposes.

Campaign 2020: Cartoon Characters that ran for President, Part 2

Once again, as a service and a distraction from this year's Presidential campaigns, we offer you some alternatives:  Cartoon Characters who ran for president in the past.   Maybe one of them will appeal to you and the masses...

Part Two:   Winnie the Pooh For President!

Yes, that silly old bear ran for President four times between 1968 and 1980, despite the fact that he is    British-born entity and not eligible for president. I assume he hoped no one would ask to see his birth certificate..  

In 1968, At a special Disney Night at the Hollywood Bowl, Winnie the Pooh announced his first candidacy.  No doubt the audience that night was surprised by this late entry into the presidential race, but Pooh did his best to get his message across.   He did most of his campaigning at the Tomorrowland Terrace stage at Disneyland, where several times a day he would give his campaign speech as part of a Kids of the Kingdom show called "On Stage, USA."   This first campaign would not prove successful as he was edged out by Nixon come election day.  However, Pooh had gotten a taste for politics and recognized that his next campaign would require much larger backing...

1972 looked like it could be Pooh's year.   He had gotten some big endorsements from both Disney and Sears, which backed a massive advertising campaign to get the word out that Pooh was a viable candidate.  They went all out with daily "Pooh for President" parades down Main Street USA in both California and Florida (both key states with massive electoral votes).   They also took a two week whistle-stop train tour of the United States, sponsored by Amtrak, stopping in various places between Los Angeles and Washington D.C.  The train had a special boxcar that converted into a stage.   Pooh could roll into town, give his campaign speech , then quickly roll away to the next town.   

During the train tour, Tigger, Pooh's press secretary, began dropping hints that Owl was being seriously considered as Pooh's running mate.  It was felt that Owl had the attributed necessary to appeal to both left and right wingers.   However, Piglet ended up being the Silly Old Bear's choice for Vice President.  Eeyore became his campaign manager.  Below is some archival footage from Pooh's '72 campaign.

Pooh even held a Children's Party Convention in Walt Disney World, where 50 children (one from each state) and their families were selected to be delegates.   They unanimously selected Pooh as their candidate despite a smear campaign by a rogue heffelump.   

Despite the vigorous campaigning, Nixon again stole the election from Pooh.  Well, there's always next year...

For his 1976 campaign, Pooh enlisted the help of award-winning musician Larry Groce to write his campaign song.   Larry came up with "Pooh for President" and the record was given out at Sears outlets.   The song was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Children's Record.   The song promises honey in every pot, no taxes on toys and snacks for all (finally a campaign I can get behind).   I know you'll want to hear it at least once, so here it is:

Pooh ended losing the Presidency to Jimmy Carter.   At this point, many of Pooh's supporters felt he should hang up his hat and retire.   However, Pooh, like Perot, felt he had one more campaign in him...

In 1980, Pooh ran his campaign in Disneyland. He ran against Captain Hook for his party's endorsement. Disneyland Guests ware encouraged to vote for one or the other, and despite a last-minute effort by Hook to (literally) steal the election, Pooh received the endorsement. However, by this point his election had run out of steam and Ronald Reagan was elected president.

In recent years, there has been some talk about Winnie the Pooh taking another stab at the presidency.  However, recent issues Pooh has had with China's president (see HERE) have probably killed any future campaigns for the time being.   

For much more info on Pooh's campaigns I direct you to the following article by Jim Korkis, just click HERE.

Campaign 2020 - Cartoon Characters who Ran for President - Part 1

 As Election Day gets closer and the country goes further into turmoil, I thought it might be time to consider some alternatives to the current crop of presidential candidates.  In fact, in the past we've had many cartoon characters run for president and it may be time to resurrect one of them as a presidential candidate.  They would be just as cartoony as the candidates we have now.  So, once a week we'll look back at the various campaigns - perhaps we'll find a likely candidate among them.

Part One:  The Hanna - Barbera Characters

In 1960, Huckleberry Hound took the plunge and through his hat in the ring.  Being one of the first big TV cartoon stars, you would think he'd use the new medium to promote his candidacy.   For some reason, he stuck with more old-fashioned campaigning.   His entire campaign consisted of a record album, a comic book and campaign buttons.   Kennedy learned to utilize television much more effectively and was able to win the presidency from both Huck and Nixon.

         

In 1964, Huckleberry Hound was pushed aside by TWO Hanna -Barbera characters who ran against each other (and Johnson and Goldwater) for the presidency.  Yogi Bear ran against Magilla Gorilla in a hard-hitting campaign that was covered in comic books, records, coloring books and even bubble gum machines.  Strangely, both candidates again eschewed television campaigns despite both having their own television shows at the time.  

Both used top-notch advisors to run their campaigns.   Yogi relied on previous candidate Huckleberry Hound, while Magilla brought in a Washington outsider, Top Cat.   Mirroring the politics of the time, their campaigns cumulated in a Space Race, with both candidates building rocket ships in a race to be the first to the moon.  Unfortunately, come election day they were both stranded on the moon, clearing the way for Johnson to declare victory.

          

     

For those who like something to rally about, here are the campaign songs for both candidates.  Definitely no "I Like Ike" type lyrics...