Betty Furness Still The Queen Of Appliances
Betty Furness died in 1994, but to me, she'll always be the queen of appliance advertising. I have several of Betty's Westinghouse ads in my extensive commercial collection. A couple of them are on the site--including the famous "Sand Test", where housewives put white towels, two cups of dirty sand and some detergent in Westinghouse Laundromats and several leading "agitator post" automatics during a live "Studio One". After the next act, the Laundromat towels come out clean and bright, while the other washers leave dirty sand on the towels and in the tubs. And the way Betty kept a straight face while doing ads with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during the "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" is something to admire.
Not too many people know that years after Betty ended her association with Westinghouse, she married a CBS News producer, became consumer affairs advisor for Lyndon Johnson, and moved on to her new career as a consumer reporter for NBC's New York station and the "Today" show. (She also became a board member of Consumers Union, the parent of "Consumer Reports," years after the magazine doubted she could be an effective voice for consumer rights. The magazine was wrong.)
You can be sure...if it was Betty Furness.
