Search - American Experience - Tupperware on DVD

An interesting but bizarre story

chefdevergue | Spokane, WA United States | 06/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There were times during this documentary that I found myself staring at the screen in disbelief, mouth agape. Watching frumpy housewives digging madly for buried treasure is not something you see everyday, and it is not something one easily forgets.It reminds those of us who are too young to remember clearly that once upon a time, before the patents expired, that Tupperware was the one & only product of its kind, and you couldn't get it in stores. Now days, Earl Tupper's burping lid is a commonplace feature on nearly all plastic food storage & can been seen on the shelves of almost any store with kitchenware. Back then, it was Tupperware or nothing. Likewise, any number of products are now marketing through the home party model, but such a concept did not really exist until Brownie Wise convinced Earl Tupper that his product would be best marketed through the home & not in stores.There are several themes in this documentary, not the least of which is the phenomenon of the female salesperson, managing her own inventory & accounts. Women had worked plenty (especially during World War II), but not in this mode of sales. Working this way gave housewives, who might otherwise not have worked at all, the confidence to believe that they could be competent businesswomen, led by the example of Brownie Wise. This no doubt helped lay the groundwork for today's modern working woman.A darker theme is the struggle between Earl Tupper & Brownie Wise over day-to-day control of the marketing side of the business. The documentary points out that Brownie Wise made sure to surround herself with male executives, not female, because she did not want any other women stealing the spotlight from her. Brownie Wise's desire for publicity was undeniable, and eventually this nutured a resentment within Earl Tupper that ultimately led to his termination of Wise.For me, the most memorable moments are the scenes at headquarters in Orlando Florida. They are memorable for the most part because they tend to be sort of creepy & bizarre. The Jubilees, with their wacky & outlandish themes, serve as a reminder that there was some pretty strange stuff going on in the 1950's, and in this case it was all about selling some innocuous plastic containers.It may be weird, but you can't get away from it. I ended up inheriting some of my grandmother's Tupperware. God only knows how old it is --- I would guess probably about 50 years old --- but it still works just fine & I cannot justify getting rid of it. I will probably unload it on my daughter in a few decades when the opportunity avails itself. How much of this stuff is clattering around in the nooks & crannies of our homes? It looks like it could last forever if we don't deliberately melt it. For as ubiquitous a product as Tupperware is, most of us really have no idea of the history behind it. It is an interesting story indeed."

This story should get to Hollywood one day

Vidas Jankauskas | Vilnius, Lithuania | 03/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent film. Passionate, yet calm, fast going, yet comprehensive. Also, a beautiful and stylish web site to support the film. If you are a Tupperware fan, the film is a must; if you don't have Tupperware at home -well, this is a rich feature about one of the amazing business success stories of the fifties. Actually, Brownie was the first lady to get on "Business week" cover. Earl Tupper, the inventor and founder, is shown just as he was: a perfectionist inventor, who has attained all his dreams. Some time ago I have read a very comprehensive book on Tupperware by A. Clark, and the film puts my knowledge into much better perspective. Very warm, emotional and personal interviews with people who made Tupperware possible -first distributors, dealers and office staff, most of these guys knew Earl and Brownie personally. It was a phenomenal story to all of them -as well as for millions of other people arround the globe.
Another amazing thing for me was to see that not much has changed in 57 or so years. People who sell Tupperware nowadays still have this unique "team feeling', a sense of belonging to an extraordinary organisation. Well, now I know where this feeling comes from. Enjoy!"

It's an interesting story and worth watching this short DVD.

Wendy Schroeder | Englewood, Co United States | 08/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The history of the product was more interesting than I thought it would be. A woman in Detroit (Brownie Wise) saw it at Hudson's Department Store and wrote the company how she felt the party idea would be more lucrative. They end up working together and his handy kitchen items became wanted by housewives across America. She helped women have a way to make money at home. Sadly, her story doesn't have a happy ending once the business relationship between her and Mr. Tupper soured.

I never knew that selling Tupperware made some woman a decent income, some even rich."

If you love Tupperware ...you will love this !

L. Peavey | E. Longmeadow, Mass. | 10/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a Tupperware Consultant from New England, I had heard the show was periodically aired on PBS. My purchasing the DVDs was to use one as an informational and training tool; and give the other as a gift to my local director. Was I pleasantly surprised to see our own Legacy Executive Director, Tommy Damigella, being interviewed and discussing his family's involvement in the early years of Tupperware,in the Boston area!

Covers the beginning of Earl Tupper's product idea and the manufacturing of Tupperware. How Brownie Wise and friends through using the home party made it a household phenomenon, in the 50's & 60's. Full of fun clips of Jubilees' and great interviews from early dealers.
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