Clara Peller: Finding the beef

It was the question heard around the world. A little old lady peeks under a hamburger patty and bellows – “Where’s the beef?”

Like so many other great commercials, that one left a lasting impression, but often people can’t remember what the commercial was promoting.

Well, it was Wendy’s and that little old lady was Clara Peller.

I saw it was her birthday today, and although she died way back in 1987, Clara Peller is another one of those unique characters of the '80s.

History
Wikipedia reveals Clara Peller was born in Imperial Russia in 1902, and spent most of her early life in Chicago. Her father had left Russia in 1906 and went to Boston, then settled in Illinois. She married William Peller, a jeweler, in 1920; they had a son and a daughter, but later divorced; and she never remarried. And, for 35 years, she worked as a manicurist.

When she was 80, she was hired as a temporary manicurist for a television commercial set in a Chicago barbershop. That agency was impressed with her voice and signed her to a contract as an actor for their agency.

She was used in a number of TV commercials, then caught national attention.

Wendy’s
Peller made her first appearance in a TV commercial for the Wendy’s restaurant chain in January of 1984. The commercial has three old ladies served a large hamburger bun with a tiny patty from a fictional fast-food competitor of Wendy’s called “Big Bun”.

While two of the women are talking about the size of the bun, they are interrupted by Clara Peller growling “Where’s the beef?” at the same time she is looking for customer assistance. In subsequent commercials she uttered “Where’s the beef?” in various other settings.

The campaign proved to be a success. Wendy’s worldwide sales increased 31 per cent in 1985 to $945 million.

However, Peller's success didn’t last. Trying to capitalize on her new-found fame, Peller signed a contract with Campbell Soup to do a commercial for Prego pasta-plus sauce. In the commercial she looks at the Prego sauce, wonders “Where’s the beef?” then exclaims “I found it! I really found it!” When the commercial aired, Wendy’s terminated Peller’s contract, noting she found the beef somewhere other than at Wendy’s.

Her response was pointed. She made the company millions and, in the end, they didn’t appreciate her.

Peller would go on to make other appearances, capitalizing on her newfound fame.

Sadly, Clara Peller died two years later, on August 11, 1987.

She had just turned 85.

Parting thoughts
To be honest, I knew very little about Clara Peller’s history before those Wendy’s commercials. I recall watching them and, honestly, did not realize they were advertising Wendy’s. However at the same time, Wendy’s had not yet made its way to Lethbridge, which was the closest city that attracted franchises such as that.

Still, I knew who Clara Peller was, and the phrase “Where’s the beef?” is an indelible part of the ‘80s.