Morton's Potato Chips
Encyclopedia
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
- a vocal and instrumental American duo, consisting of siblings Karen
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
and Richard Carpenter
Richard Carpenter (musician)
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
– did a commercial for them in the 1970s. Morton's was a notable potato chip company in Dallas in the 1960s and 1970s, but went bankrupt due to their spending money towards advertisements for the company. This is visible in the fact that The Carpenters sponsored Morton's in 1971. In addition to having bags of potato chips, Morton's also distributed tin cans of potato chips, which are available on eBay.
Morton's Potato Chips was later on subsequently bought by Frito-Lay North America - or simply Frito Lay, Inc., for short - which is a division of PepsiCo, Inc.
The Carpenters' commercial
According to Richard CarpenterRichard Carpenter (musician)
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
, the jingle was written in the Carpenters key, and it worked out perfectly for The Carpenters. The jingle included many special effects including warping of images and intricate zooms, as demonstrated in the image shown at left.
In Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters
Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters
Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters is a 100 minute long documentary that was released on DVD by MPI Home Video. It features interviews by Richard Carpenter, John Bettis , Gary Sims , Petula Clark, et al....
, Carpenter notes that the backing track for the jingle was previously recorded in the Carpenters' key, but then Karen and Richard recorded their overdubbed vocals. The video was recorded on Yonge Street in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1971 during a major worldwide Carpenters tour.
The Carpenters rarely did commercials, and this advertisement for Morton's Potato Chips was one of only a few commercials they chose to endorse.
