The Late Great Janet Waldo

Legendary voice artist Janet Waldo died June 12 2016 at the age of 96. She was the star of popular radio show Meet Corliss Archer and provided the voices of such cartoon characters as Judy Jetson on The Jetsons, Penelope Pitstop on Wacky Races and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, and Josie McCoy on Josie and the Pussycats.  The cause was an inoperable brain tumour.

Janet Waldo was born in Yakima, Washington on February 4 1920. She attended the University of Washington. Bing Crosby discovered her after she had won a talent contest. She was signed to Paramount Studios. She made her film debut in an uncredited, bit part in Coconut Grove in 1938. She appeared in bit parts in several movies in the late Thirties, including such films as The Arkansas Traveller (1938), Paris Honeymoon (1939), I'm from Missouri (1939), Unmarried (1939), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), and The Farmer's Daughter (1940). She had more substantial roles in the films Tom Sawyer Detective (1938), Zaza (1938), Persons in Hiding (1939), and Waterloo Bridge.

It was with the B Western One Man's Law (1940) that she received her first leading role. She played opposite Don "Red" Barry. She played opposite cowboy star Tim Holt twice, appearing in The Bandit Trail (1941) and Land of the Open Range (1942). She appeared in a smaller role in the film So Ends Our Night (1941). Land of the Open Range would be the last film Janet Waldo would make in the Forties. While she had played bit parts in several films and the lead female role in in three B Westerns, she found stardom in the medium of radio.

Miss Waldo made her radio debut in an episode of Big Town in 1941, but her big break would come with Lux Radio Theatre. From 1941 to 1943 she appeared on several episodes of the show. From 1941 to 1945 she was a regular on the popular soap opera One Man's Family as Irene Franklin. She was also a series regular on The Gallant Heart and played the tile role on Lady Of The Press – Sandra Martin. From 1944 to 1954 she played teenager Emmy Lou on the popular sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. She was also a series regular on the shows The Eddie Bracken Show and People are Funny. It was in 1945 that Janet Waldo assumed her most famous role in radio, taking over the title role on Meet Corliss Archer from Priscilla Lyon. In her eight year run on the show Miss Waldo would become the actress most identified with the character, despite the fact that Shirley Temple played Corliss Archer in two films (Kiss and Tell in 1945 and A Kiss for Corliss in 1948).  From 1949 to 1950 she played the lead female role on the sitcom Young Love. In her long and prolific career on radio, Janet Waldo also appeared on such shows as Dr. Christian, Mayor of the Town, Cavalcade of America, The Dinah Shore Program, The Great Gildersleeve, The Mel Torme Show, Philco Radio Time, Four Star Theatre, and many others.

In the Fifties Janet Waldo continued to work on radio, appearing on such shows as The Halls of Ivy, My Favourite Husband, and Stars Over Hollywood in addition to her ongoing role on Meet Corliss Archer. She made her television debut in 1953 in the I Love Lucy episode "The Young Fans", playing a teenage fan of Ricky Ricardo. Just as she had on radio, Miss Waldo played the recurring role of Emmy Lou on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. She guest starred on The Phil Silvers Show. 

It was in the Sixties that Janet Waldo began providing voices for animated TV shows. In fact, the very first animated character she voiced would be among those for which she was best known. Miss Waldo voiced Judy Jetson, the teenage daughter of George and Jane Jetson, on the primetime animated series The Jetsons. During the Sixties she went onto voice Granny Sweet in the "Precious Pup" cartoons on The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, Nancy on  Shazzan, Lana Lang on the "Superboy" segments of The New Adventures of Superman, Jenny on The Space Kidettes, Penelope Pitstop on Wacky Races and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, and Josie McCoy on Josie and the Pussycats. She also provided various voices for such shows as The Flintstones, A Laurel and Hardy Cartoon, and The Fantastic Four. She was a regular on the sitcom Valentine's Day. She guest starred on the shows Saints and Sinners, The Lucy Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, The F.B.I., Petticoat Junction, and Julia. She provided the voice of Princess Serena in the television special Jack & the Beanstalk. She also provided the voice of Emmy-Lou in Loopy De Loop theatrical cartoons.

In the Seventies Janet Waldo provided the voice of Morticia in Hanna-Barbera's animated version of The Addams Family, the voice of Belinda in the animated series Around the World in 80 Days, the voice of Mrs. Anders in the Saturday morning cartoon Jeannie, and the voices of  Princess and Susan in Battle of the Planets. She also provided various voices for such TV cartoons as The Roman Holidays, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Inch High Private Eye, Hong Kong Phooey, The Scooby Do/Dynomutt Hour, and Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. She also Hollow Log Chief and Traag Child  in the English version of the animated feature Fantastic Planet (1973--original title La planète sauvage).

In the Eighties Janet Waldo reprised the voice of Judy Jetson for a new series of The Jetsons. She was the voice of Hogatha on The Smurfs. She provided additional voices for such animated series as The Dukes and Alvin & the Chipmunks. She reprised her role as Penelope Pitstop in two episodes of Yogi's Treasure Hunt. She did voice work for the TV animated films Daniel Boone, Heidi's Song, Beauty and the Beast, The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, and The Canterville Ghost. She provided the voice of the West Wind in the English language version of Unico in the Island of Magic (1983). She reprised the voice of Judy in Jetsons: The Movie (1990), only to have her voice replaced by pop star Tiffany at the insistence of studio executives who though Tiffany would attract a younger audience. Casting director  voice director Andrea Romano objected to the change, while voice director Gordon Hunt reportedly insisted that Tiffany sound more like Janet Waldo.

In the Nineties Janet Waldo provided voices for the TV films I Yabba-Dabba Do! and Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby. She provided the voice of Edgar's mom in the feature film Once Upon a Forest (1993). She guest starred on the prime time animated series King of the Hill. Her last work was on the video game Wacky Races, where she reprised the voice of Penelope Pitstop.

Janet Waldo numbers among the greatest voice artists of all time. Two of her best known characters were teenagers (Corliss Archer and Judy Jetson), but she was certainly capable of other voices as well. Penelope Pitstop sounded like a twentyish Southern belle. Hogatha on The Smurfs was an elderly witch with a voice to match. Granny Sweet in the "Precious Pup" cartoons sounded like a nice, old lady. 

Janet Waldo was blessed with a mellifluous speaking voice (in real life she sounded a lot like Corliss Archer or Judy Jetson), but it was also a voice that was extremely versatile. Of course, much of Janet Waldo's success as a voice artist was due to the fact that she was a very good actress to begin with.  Indeed, on I Love Lucy she was convincing as a teenage girl, even though at the time she was around 32 years old. She was convincing in the B-Westerns she made. Janet Waldo was exceedingly talented, and truly one of the last great voice actors from Old Time Radio and  television's early days.

Announcing the Margaret Lockwood Centennial Blogathon

Legendary British actress Margaret Lockwood was born on September 15 1916. This September will then mark the 100th anniversary of her birth. It is for that reason that I have decided to hold the Margaret Lockwood Centennial Blogathon.

1. Posts can be on any topic related to Margaret Lockwood. One can write about one of her films, her career on stage, her television shows, or anything else related to Miss Lockwood one might wish to write about.

2. While Margaret Lockwood made several films, the sad fact is that many of them are not widely available, not even in the United Kingdom. I am then allowing duplicates. That having been said, I do not want to see every other post addressing The Lady Vanishes (1938) or The Wicked Lady (1945). While I love both films (in fact, they are my favourite films she ever made) and they are her most famous, she did make more films than those two!

3. I am not going to schedule days. I only ask that posts made on September 13, 14, or 15.

If you want to participate in the Margaret Lockwood Centennial Blogathon,  you can simply comment below or get a hold of me on Twitter at mercurie80, Google+, or at my email:  mercurie80 at gmail.com.

The Stop Button: Give Us the Moon (1944)

Caftan Woman: The Stars Look Down (1940)

The Wonderful World of Cinema: "Tribute to Margaret Lockwood"

Once Upon a Screen: The Lady Vanishes  (1938)

Crítica Retrô: Give Us the Moon (1944)

Wolffian Classic Movies Digest: The Man in Grey (1943) and The Wicked Lady (1945)

Realweegiemidget Reviews Movies, TV, Books, and More: The Slipper and the Rose (1976)

Cinema Cities: The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Night Train to Munich (1940)

The Owl Wagon: Love Story (1944)

Charters and Caldicott--"I Say Old Man!": Margaret Lockwood

Old Hollywood Films: Bedelia (1946)

In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood: Bedelia (1946)

Below is a roster of participants and the topics they are covering. Come September 13 I will make a post that will include all of the posts in the blogathon.

Below are a few banners for participants in the blogathon to use (or you can always make your own):

Author Lyndsy Spence Talks About Margaret Lockwood--Queen of the Silver Screen

Margaret Lockwood

In the United Kingdom of the mid-Forties there was no more popular star than Margaret Lockwood.  She won Daily Mail National Film Awards three years in a row: one in 1946 for Most Outstanding British Actress during the War Years and one each in 1947 and 1948 for Best Film Actress. Her film The Wicked Lady (1945) remains the 9th highest grossing film in the United Kingdom for the 20th Century. In a highly successful career Margaret Lockwood starred in a number of films that remain popular today, including Bank Holiday (1938), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Night Train to Munich (1940), The Man in Grey (1943),  and Cast a Dark Shadow (1955). Margaret Lockwood not only continues to be a very popular actress in Britain, but in the United States, Canada, and Australia as well.

September 15 2016 will mark the centennial of Margaret Lockwood's birth. Just in time for that event is a new biography about Margaret Lockwood, written by Lyndsy Spence.  Margaret Lockwood--Queen of the Silver Screen is set to be published by Fantom Films on July 11 2016. Lyndsy Spence is the author of The Mitford Girls' Guide to Life and Mrs Guinness: The Rise and Fall of Diana Mitford.  Her book The Mistress of Mayfair: Men, Money and the Marriage of Doris Delevingne is set for release on November 7 2016. Miss Spence has written for everything from The Lady Magazine to BBC Magazine. She also happens to be one of Margaret Lockwood's biggest fans and runs the Margaret Lockwood Society. Following is an interview with Lyndsy Spence regarding Margaret Lockwood--Queen of the Silver Screen.

At least here in the United States, most people discover Margaret Lockwood through The Lady Vanishes or The Wicked Lady. What was the first Margaret Lockwood movie you saw and what impressed you about it?

I think The Wicked Lady or The Man in Grey, as both films were regularly shown on Film 4. She was stunningly beautiful and such a vibrant presence onscreen. When thinking of British actresses of that period, people tend to think of Vivien Leigh, and although I am a massive fan of Leigh, I was drawn to Margaret's British films, as they are quite unlike anything Hollywood was producing at the time. To me, they were more daring, and I suppose that was part of the fun!

Lyndsy Spence

Why does Margaret Lockwood appeal to you more than many other actresses of that era? 

With the exception of two Hollywood films, she worked exclusively in British films, and I think that gives her career more scope. Certainly, this makes her a unique star and makes her all the more interesting to someone who is not only a biographer but a fan of classic cinema, too.

There are two autobiographies by Margaret Lockwood (My Life and Films from 1948 and Lucky Star from 1955), as well as Once a Wicked Lady by Hilton Tims. Why did you see the need for another biography about Miss Lockwood?

I've partly answered this below, but to cut a long story short, I was interested in delving into her background a little more. Much has been written about her relationship with her mother and her first and only husband (whom she divorced) but I always felt that fragments from their lives together were missing. I wanted to understand Margaret more as a person than a star, and I felt it was a good starting point to investigate the lives of those who surrounded her and who made an impact on her, in her private life at least.

How did you go about researching the life of Margaret Lockwood?

I read her two autobiographies as well as the biography by Hilton Tims. I also made a list of the relevant people to contact. Of course, the Margaret Lockwood Society helped enormously and several people came forward and offered to share their memorabilia, letters, and personal stories. Aside from gathering information about her career, I was in contact with a Lockwood family historian, Robert Ward, and together we unearthed fascinating information about Margaret's background, which is otherwise unknown by the public. Her daughter and great granddaughter were also very gracious with their time and information.

Margaret Lockwood was the most popular actress in the United Kingdom for much of the Forties and she still has a wide fanbase in the UK, U.S., Canada, and Australia. What do you think her appeal is and why has she remained popular for so long? 

From a historical perspective, her place in British cinema is unique. While Hollywood was producing clone after clone of gorgeous brunettes, Britain had Margaret Lockwood. I don't think, in terms of looks (as in being a dark beauty) that she had any competition. Her so-called "rivals", after all, were blondes.

Do you have any other projects in the works? 

Yes, I am focusing on historical fiction

 Margaret Lockwood-Queen of the Silver Screen is available for pre-order at Fantom Films.

Announcing the 3rd Annual British Invaders Blogathon

The past two years A Shroud of Thoughts has hosted the British Invaders Blogathon, a celebration of the best in British films. The blogathon was fairly successful in its first two years, so I am bringing it back for a third. While many people think of Hollywood when they think of classic movies, the fact is that the United Kingdom made many significant contributions to film over the years. From the Gainsborough melodramas to Hammer Films to the British New Wave, cinema would be much poorer without the British.  I've scheduled this year's British Invaders Blogathon  for August 5, August 6, and August 7.

Here are the ground rules for this year's blogathon:

1. Posts can be about any British film or any topic related to British films. For the sake of simplicity, I am using "British" here to refer to any film made by a company based in the United Kingdom or British Crown dependencies. If you want to write about a film made in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man, then, you can do so. Also for the sake of simplicity, people can write about co-productions made with companies from outside the United Kingdom. For example, since 2001: A Space Odyssey is a British-American co-production, someone could write about it if they chose.

2. There is no limit on subject matter. You can write about any film in any genre you want. Posts can be on everything from the British New Wave to the Gainsborough bodice rippers to the Hammer Horrors. I am also making no limit on the format posts can take. You could review a classic British film, make an in-depth analysis of a series of British films, or even simply do a pictorial tribute to a film. That having been said, since this is a classic film blogathon,  I only ask that you write about films made before 1991. I generally don't think of a film as a classic until it has been around for thirty years, but to give bloggers more options I am setting the cut off point at twenty five years ago.

With regards to subject matter, I have to say that, this year at least, people might  not want to write posts devoted to legendary actress Margaret Lockwood and her films for the British Invaders Blogathon. This is for the simple reason that in September I will be hosting the Margaret Lockwood Centennial Blogathon in honour of her 100th birthday. If you are a Margaret Lockwood fan, you might want to save any posts about her for that event! I'll make an official announcement for the Margaret Lockwood Centennial Blogathon in the next few days.

3. I am asking that there please be no duplicates. That having been said, if someone has already chosen to cover From Russia with Love (1963), someone else could write about the James Bond series as a whole.

4. I am not going to schedule days for individual posts. All I ask is that the posts be made on or between August 5, August 6, or August 7.

If you want to participate in the British Invaders Blogathon, you can simply comment below or get a hold of me on Twitter at mercurie80, Google+, or at my email:  mercurie80 at gmail.com.

Below is a roster of participants and the topics they are covering. Come August 5 I will make a post that will include all of the posts in the blogathon

The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog: Cone of Silence (1960)

Vitaphone Dreamer: The Red Shoes (1948)

Defiant Success: Local Hero (1983)

Prowler Needs a Jump: So Long at the Fair (1950)

Moon in Gemini: Barry Lyndon (1975)

In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood: I Know Where I'm Going (1945)

Movie Movie Blog Blog: Clockwise (1985)

Crítica Retrô: A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Little Bits of Classics: The Ladykillers (1955)
  
Realweemidgetgirl Reviews Movies, TV, Books, and More: Gregory's Girl (1981)

The Midnite Drive-In: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Pink Floyd--The Wall (1982)

Old Hollywood Films: Great Expectations (1946)

Sometimes They Go to Eleven: It Always Rains on Sunday (1947)

Cinematic Scribblings:  Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

The Flapper Dame: The 39 Steps (1935)

The Wonderful World of Cinema: Young and Innocent (1937)

A Shroud of Thoughts: The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Thoughts All Sorts: Ask a Policeman (1939)

Below are several banners for participants in the blogathon to use (or you can always make your own):

A Shroud of Thoughts' 12th Anniversary

It was twelve years ago today, on June 4 2004, that I started A Shroud of Thoughts. At the time I had no idea that I would still be writing on the blog twelve years later. It has lasted longer than any job I have had, as well as any romantic entanglements. In many respects, I suppose A Shroud of Thoughts has become my life's work. Short of Google shutting down Blogger, it could be a legacy I leave behind long after I am gone.

For those of you wondering about the title A Shroud of Thoughts (admittedly an odd name for a blog devoted to pop culture and nostalgia), in the early to mid Naughts the fashion in blog titles was towards ones with the word "thoughts"or, at least, a synonym of the word "thoughts", in them. I then borrowed a phrase from Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage canto iii stanza 113:

I have not loved the world, nor the world me;
I have not flattered its rank breath, nor bow'd
To its idolatries a patient knee,
Nor coin'd my cheek to smiles, nor cried aloud
In worship of an echo; in the crowd
They could not deem me one of such; I stood
Among them, but not of them; in a shroud
Of thoughts which were not their thoughts, and still could,
Had I not filed my mind, which thus itself subdued.

I must confess that after a time I thought of changing the name of the blog, but by the time I seriously considered doing so the blog already had a small readership. I thought it might confuse people if A Shroud of Thoughts became something else. Even today I have thought of changing its name, but I fear it would throw my readers off! It seems it will then remain A Shroud of Thoughts forever.

A Shroud of Thoughts has changed some over the past twelve years. It has always been devoted to pop culture, but in the early days I also wrote things of a more personal nature. I finally decided people probably weren't interested in my rather dull life, so the more personal posts fell by the wayside. One big change on the blog is that I find myself writing many, many more eulogies for actors, musicians, and other pop culture figures who have died than I once did. Indeed, from January to April of this year I swear the majority of my posts were eulogies. I must confess I hate writing eulogies (let's face it, for me to do so someone has to have died), but I feel an obligation to do so as a means of honouring those who have an impact on my life with regards to popular culture. There was a time when I also reviewed more recent movies and TV shows. I never made a conscious decision to stop doing so, but being more interested in popular culture from the past the reviews of more recent films and TV show simply fell by the wayside.

Here I must point out that A Shroud of Thoughts is not the only blog that has been around for a long time, as there are many others dating to the early to mid-Naughts. Immortal Ephemera is even older than this blog, dating to 2002. Inner Toob is about a month and a half older, launching in April 2004. Both The Stop Button and Laura's Miscellaneous Musings date to 2005. The Rap Sheet just celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. While blogs older than a decade are rare, they aren't exactly as rare as one might think! By the way, I strongly recommend that you visit all of these fine blogs (they've lasted so long for a reason).

It is a tradition here at A Shroud of Thoughts for me to post what I feel are the best posts from the past year. With that in mind, here are the best posts from June 2015 to June 2016:

"Pillow Talk (1959)" June 19 2015

"The British New Wave" June 28 2015

"The Ladykillers (1955)" August 1 2015

"A Spider and His Webs: Lionel Barrymore in It's a Wonderful Life" August 15 2015

"The 60th Anniversary of Gunsmoke" September 10 2015

The Week of September 13 to September 19 (contains anniversary posts for F Troop, Green Acres, The Wild Wild West, I Dream of Jeannie, and Get Smart)

"The 60th Anniversary of The Phil Silvers Show" September 20 2015

"The 50th Anniversary of The Beatles cartoon" September 25 2015

"The 120th Anniversary of Buster Keaton's Birth" October 4 2015

"Rita Moreno: Puerto Rican Superstar" October 12 2015

"Shock! How Television Revived the Universal Monsters" October 27 2015

"Frank Morgan: The Man Behind the Curtain" November 21 2015

"Frank Sinatra's Centennial" December 12 2015

"Animated Christmas TV Specials of the Sixties" December 23 2015

"Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in Connecticut" January 20 2016

"Shivers (1975): Canadian Grown Horror" February 2 2016

"Female Voice Artists of Classic Cartoons" February 4 2016

"The Nat King Cole Show" February 16 2016

"Jackie Gleason's Centennial" February 26 2017

"Oscar Snubs: The Beatles' Songs from A Hard Day's Night (1964)" February 27 2016

"The 75h Anniversary of M&Ms" March 5 2016

 "Red Dwarf: 'Tikka to Ride'" March 26 2016

"Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) April 4 2016

"The Maltese Falcon: From Book to Screen" April 9 2016

"The Man Who Laughs: Batman's Archenmey The Joker" May 14 2016

Julia Meade R.I.P.

Julia Meade, who served as a pitchwoman on The Ed Sullivan Show and acted on stage and film, died on May 16 2016 at the age of 90.

Julia Meade was born on December 17 1925 in Boston, Massachusetts. When she was ten years old her family moved to Ridgewood, New Jersey. She later graduated from the Yale School of Drama.

In 1947 Miss Meade made her professional stage debut in the traditional production of The Lost Colony in North Carolina. In 1948 she moved to New York City where she was a model for the Harry Conover agency. Her first work in television came the same year. She worked at the Du Mont TV studio in Wanamaker's department store in New York City. In 1952 she appeared in an episode of Lux Video Theatre. In 1953 she appeared in an episode of Goodyear Playhouse. It was that year that she was hired as a pitchwoman on Toast of the Town, the variety show that would eventually be renamed The Ed Sullivan Show for its host. She appeared in live ads for Lincoln automobiles on the show. She also promoted products ranging from Hudnut hair products to Kodak cameras.  Before the end of the Fifties Julia Meade was a household name. She continued to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show until 1967.

In 1954 she appeared on Broadway in The Tender Trap. During the Fifties she also appeared on Broadway in Double in Hearts and Roman Candle. On television she appeared in episodes of Armstrong Circle Theatre and Playhouse 90. She played Marie in the movie Pillow Talk (1959).

During the Sixties she continued to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. She also appeared on the game show The Match Game. She guest starred on The Christophers and appeared in the movies Tammy Tell Me True (1961) and Zotz! (1962). She appeared on Broadway in Mary, Mary and The Front Page.

In the Seventies she guest starred on CBS Daytime 90 and Ryan's Hope. In the Eighties she appeared in the TV movie My First Love and the film Presumed Innocent (1990).  Well into the Nineties she continued to appear in various stage productions.

For a time Julia Meade was a household name. Through her weekly appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show she became a very familiar face for many Americans. TV Guide once called her Ed Sullivan's "favourite salesgirl", and one has to suspect she was a favourite with many Americans as well. Of course, Julia Meade was much more than a commercial spokeswoman. She was an actress of some talent. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her performance of Mary, Mary when it was in Chicago. Miss Meade was quite enjoyable in the few movies she made, including Pillow Talk, and she was quite good as the female lead in Zotz!. Today Julia Meade may not be particularly well known, but for a time she was a household name and she was always a very talented woman.

Ad Man William "Bill" Backer R.I.P.

William "Bill" Backer, the advertising man who created Coca-Cola's legendary "Hilltop" commercial (which featured the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)"), died on May 13 2016 at the age of 89.

Bill Backer was born on June 9 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, after which he served two years the United States Navy. In 1950 he graduated from Yale with a bachelor's degree. He spent three years selling real estate and writing jingles before he joined McCann Erickson. He started his career there in the mail room. Bill Backer remained with McCann Erickson for a few years before moving on to Young and Rubicam. Among his early work were slogans for Oreo ("Little girls have pretty curls, but I like Oreo") and Beech Nut Gum ("I’m not talking while the flavor lasts").

Bill Backer later returned to McCann Erickson where his career took off. There he worked on the Coca-Cola account. He developed the slogans "Things go better with Coke"and "It's the real thing".  It was Mr. Backer who created the famous "Hilltop" ad for the soft drink, in which a multi-ethnic collection of young people stood atop a hill and sang "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)". It is often counted among the greatest advertisements of all time. While at McCann Erickson, Bill Backer also worked on the Miller Beer account. He came up with the slogan "Miller Time". For Miller Lite he came up with the slogan "Everything you ever wanted in a beer, and less", as well as the famous "Tastes great"/"Less filling" campaign. For Campbell Soup he developed the slogan "Soup is good food" and for Lowenbrau "Here's to good friends, tonight is kind of special." He also worked on advertising campaigns for Wendy's and Hyundai.

At McCann Erickson, Bill Backer became creative director in 1972 and then vice chairman in 1978. In 1978 he founded his own agency Backer & Spielvogel with Carl Spielvogel. In 1987 it became Backer, Spielvogel & Bates Worldwide, Inc.

There can be no doubt that Bill Backer was one of the most legendary ad men of all time. If the "Hilltop" ad had been his only contribution to advertising he would still be remembered. As it is he created a number of campaigns and slogans that are remembered to this day. While Coca-Cola slogans have come and gone since the Sixties, "Things go better with Coke"and "It's the real thing" are familiar even to people who weren't born at the time. Bill Backer had a knack of tapping into people's needs and desires and building entire campaigns around them. Few ad men were ever as successful as Bill Backer was. It is doubtful very many more will be in the future.