Wednesday, January 23, 2008
In celebrating all things American, Oprah had her staff looking for a certain commercial for over a year. Oprah said the commercial "defined the woman I dreamed of becoming" because the woman gave herself a spritz to go from day to evening and had a confident stride. The commercial? "Charlie" perfume from Revlon featuring Shelley Hack. Shelly recalled that "it was a time when women were changing" - the woman in the commercial had incredible confidence and Shelley also wanted to be like the character.
While showing a memorable Kodak commercial from 1976, the song described "the times of your life" - however, the singing wasn't coming from the film, but from Paul Anka himself! After entering the stage, Anka finished his performance and had a moment with Oprah.
Oprah described how Paul Anka, singer/songwriter, had written more than 900 songs in his career, including the theme song to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Anka referred to the theme song as his "school song" because he was able to put his kids through school on the song. Paul Anka raised 5 daughters and had his first baby boy just over 2 years ago! In addition to the Tonight Show theme song, Anka also wrote "My Way" made famous by Frank Sinatra.
- The teddy bear (1902): This American icon received its name when Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a little bear on a hunting trip.
- Band-Aid bandages (1920): A cotton buyer created bandages for his wife who frequently had accidents.
- Drive-in theater (1933): Auto parts dealer Richard Hollingshead came up with this idea when he combined his love of cars and movies.
- Slinky (1943): Engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident when he was working on a tension spring.
- The wrap dress (1974): Diane Von Furstenberg designed her signature look, a wrap dress, which is still a classic today.
It was Tommy Hilfiger's new book Iconic America that inspired Oprah to do an America themed show. The book features bright and colorful images with descriptions of what makes them a strong representative of America. The audience received a signed copy of the book which Oprah says is perfect for the coffee table.
Daughter of legendary designer Ralph Lauren, 33 year old Dylan Lauren created a movie-like candy shop in Manhattan in 2001 called "Dylan's Candy Bar". The store carries 5,000 types of sweets along with plenty of candy themed accessories as well. The 3 levels of the store create a "modern-day candy land" filled with treats from around the world. The Harpo team transformed the stage into a candy store where Dylan walked Oprah through a selection of American classics including: Pixie Stix, candy hearts, Good 'N Plenty, Pez, Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth and Cracker Jack. The audience also went home with a bag of treats.
Marc Summers from the Food Network show Unwrapped had plenty to share about what makes American food American. While there is debate over who came up with the idea for the hamburger, the food became a classic during WWII when soldiers returned home and headed to the drive-in.
Apple pie used to symbolize people with wealth because only those who had the money for flour and lard could make the "upper crust" which is where the common term comes from.
Hotdogs were first introduced at the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair where they were served in a glove before a baker came up with the split bun.
Oprah fondly remembers MoonPies and RC Cola from growing up in the South. Marc Summers explained that the 2 were commonly put together because RC Cola came in a larger bottle than Coke and Pepsi and cost only 5 cents as did a MoonPie, so for 10 cents the pair was referred to as the "working-man's lunch" at the time. The audience also had the chance to sample the classic treat.
The 70 year old ruby slippers from the iconic film The Wizard of Oz traveled to The Oprah Winfrey Show all the way from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington DC. The slippers travel with 2 armed guards, disguised, in a first-class airline seat - quite an entourage for a pair of shoes. Dr. Brent Glass from the Institute allowed Oprah to touch them, with gloves on of course. He also brought with him Fonzie's jacket from Happy Days, Rocky's boxing gloves from the film Rocky II, 1936 Joe Lewis boxing gloves, and an iron tool that was Abraham Lincoln's in the 1830s.
A Personal Experience with Chris Rock
American's have pieces of history all over the world and commonly want to know "where did I come from" - that is an even harder challenge when ancestors were forced into slavery and had much of that history stolen or lost. Chris Rock had the experience to meet with Harvard Professor Henry Lewis Gates Jr. for the PBS series African American Lives 2.
Rock discovered that his great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tinghman, was a part of the US Colored Troops during the Civil War. Not only was he part of the troop, but he was promoted from Private to Corporal in just a few months. After seeing his g-g-grandfather's will, Chris Rock was told that Tinghman owned over 65 acres of land - a great accomplishment. Finding out that Tinghman was a politician made Rock realize where he got his gift of gab.
After Oprah participated in the show last year, she discovered that she came from a long life of teachers, who were determined to teach even when there were no books available. Both Oprah and Chris Rock were pleased to experience it - "so their lives can make more sense."
