The Time Capsule: The battle between coffee leading ladies

 There’s a trivia question coming, one having to do with a movie you’ve seen, so read on and give it a try.    

We all know Virginia Christine, a Stanton native, started making TV ads for Folgers in 1965, and did so for more than two decades.  Initially, the brand was sold only in the West and Midwest, so Mrs. Olson was limited to regional TV stations.  

Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason made Mrs. Olson jokes, but for a time many on the east coast didn’t know who they were talking about.   

In 1978, Folgers decided to challenge Maxwell House and go nationwide. They would use Mrs. Olson to take on a formidable opponent. The Maxwell House lady had been doing coffee commercials for several years and was, even before that, better known.  

As an actress, Virginia Christine was solid and reliable, appeared in scores of movies, but can you name a major role in a classic film?  A line she delivered that movie-goers remember yet today? The Maxwell House lady did, doing so in what is ranked among the top five motion pictures of all time. Some reviewers consider her to be the number one female movie villain ever.     

Given those clues, can you name Mrs. Olson’s competitor in the coffee wars?  The actress who played her? And, for bonus points, one of her famous lines from that memorable movie?

Thoughts of Mrs. Olson are prompted by progress in the attempt to preserve the Swedish coffee pot water tower in Stanton, a concept born with the hometown celebrity in mind. There are reasons to be optimistic. While the tower in its present location must go, plans have progressed on an agreement involving numerous entities that, if finalized, will see the giant coffee pot (on shorter legs) find a home at the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center.  

This offers possibilities galore. Tourists come every year to view and photograph this much-publicized landmark. Their visit could be enhanced by a montage of exciting old Folgers commercials, and maybe a few clips of Johnny Carson’s favorite Mrs. Olson jokes.  (An example—in the “Carnac” sequences he played a clairvoyant who held a sealed envelope, divined the question inside and gave the answer, after which he opened the envelope and read the question. One night “Carnac” pressed an envelope to his forehead and said “Mr. Coffee.” He then opened the envelope and revealed the question: “Who was the father of Mrs. Olson’s illegitimate baby?”)  The audience groaned. Carol Burnett, though, did a parody that was truly funny, and Bob Hope had his Mrs. Olson one-liners.  

Back to the trivia question. The Maxwell House lady was “Cora,” a shopkeeper who, like Mrs. Olson, promoted wedded bliss through a good cup of coffee.  Hers was “good to the last drop,” while Mrs. Olson’s was “Mountain Grown. The richest kind.”

Cora was played by Margaret Hamilton.  Ms. Hamilton, in an interview years later, said the offer of a role in “The Wizard of Oz” was thrilling, as she’d read the book and loved it.  She was surprised, though, that the director proposed to cast her as a witch. She voiced her question. The reply, she recalled, was “What else?”  

Hamilton made a very scary witch.  Some of her scenes, in fact, were cut because of concerns that youngsters would find them too frightening. One that was debated, but remained, came when she cackled, leered at Dorothy, and made this vow:  “I’ll get you, my pretty . . .  and you’re little dog, too!”  Remember the line? The look? Who would dare not buy her coffee?  

Another “movie moment” came when, with the end at hand, she shrieked: “I’m melting! I’m melting!” Children stood and cheered.

Our Mrs. Olson out-did Cora, at least with coffee. Folgers went to No. 1 and Maxwell House announced, in December of 1979, they were shifting their focus to young people who drank coffee in the evening. Margaret Hamilton, then 77, would no longer be doing their commercials. 

The change did Maxwell House little good and Folgers, with Mrs. Olson, solidified their hold on No. 1.  

Roy Marshall is a local historian and columnist for the Red Oak Express. He can be contacted at news@redoakexpress.com.