Orville Redenbacher

Purdue yearbook photo of Redenbacher, c. 1926

Orville Clarence Redenbacher was born in Brazil, Indiana, on July 16, 1907,[2] the son of Julia Magdalena Dierdorff (1874–1944) and farmer William Joseph Redenbacher (1872–1939).[2] He grew up on his family's farm, where he sometimes sold popcorn from the back of his car. He graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 in the top 5% of his class.[3] He attended Purdue University, where he joined the agriculture-oriented Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, marched tuba in the Purdue All-American Marching Band,[4] joined the Purdue University track team,[5] and worked at the Purdue Exponent. He graduated in 1928 with a degree in agronomy.[1] He spent most of his life in the agriculture industry, serving as a Vigo County Farm Bureau extension agent in Terre Haute, Indiana, and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.[6]

The New York Times described Redenbacher: "But for all his bumpkin appearance, the man with the signature white wavy hair and oversized bow tie was a shrewd agricultural scientist who experimented with hybrids."[1] He began his career selling fertilizer, but spent his spare time working with popcorn.

In 1951, Redenbacher and partner Charles F. Bowman bought the George F. Chester and Son seed corn plant in Boone Grove, Indiana.[6] Naming the company "Chester Hybrids", they tried tens of thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before settling on a hybrid they named "RedBow".

An advertising agency advised them to use Orville Redenbacher's own name as the brand name.[7] They launched their popping corn in 1970.[8]

In 1976, Redenbacher sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods,[9] a division of Norton Simon, Inc. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon, which in turn was acquired by Beatrice Foods in 1984. In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Beatrice with the goal of selling off businesses. In 1990, they sold the popcorn business and other old Hunt-Wesson businesses to agribusiness giant ConAgra.

Redenbacher married Corinne Rosemund Strate in 1928, and they remained married until her death at the age of 62 in 1971. Later that year, he married Nina Reder, and they remained married until her death at the age of 91 in May 1991. The New York Times noted upon his death that he had two daughters named Billie Ann Atwood and Gail Tuminello, through whom he had 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.[1]

Redenbacher (center, behind Tigger) and grandson Gary (right) during the 1995 Valparaiso Popcorn Festival

On September 19, 1995, Redenbacher died in the Jacuzzi of his condominium in Coronado, California. He suffered a heart attack and drowned.[1] He was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.[6]

On the September 23, 1995, edition of Siskel & Ebert, Roger Ebert eulogized Redenbacher by calling him "a man who took popcorn seriously, as seriously as we take the movies." His co-host, Gene Siskel, added that "he actually was more than just a cute, cuddly advertising figure. He actually was a scientist who came up with a new strain of popcorn that really kept that whole industry alive [...] that's a real contribution."[12]

In 1988, Purdue University awarded him an honorary doctorate.[13]

Aside from his contributions to the popcorn industry, he is noteworthy for his appearances on television, and in particular, his charismatic image in commercials.[14][15]

Since 2006, several of Orville's commercials from the 1970s and 1980s have aired on many channels across the United States. The advertisements for the brand's "natural" popcorn snacks were introduced in 2008, 13 years after Redenbacher's death, and feature a clip of him at the end.

In January 2007, a television commercial featuring a digital recreation of Redenbacher appeared. Redenbacher's grandson, Gary Redenbacher, responded to questions about how he felt about the advertisement by saying: "Grandpa would go for it. He was a cutting-edge guy. This was a way to honor his legacy."[16] Redenbacher's business partner, Charles F. Bowman, died in 2009.[17]

On September 4, 2012, Valparaiso, Indiana, unveiled a statue of Redenbacher at the city's annual popcorn festival.[18]

Orville Redenbacher 2012 statue, Valparaiso, Indiana

In 2022, Redenbacher was mentioned by American musical comedian Bo Burnham in the song "Microwave Popcorn" from the deluxe edition of his soundtrack album Inside (The Songs).[19]