Vintage
1950s
Personalities
"Madman"
Muntz
Earl William "Madman" Muntz was an American businessman and engineer who sold and promoted cars and consumer
electronics in the United States from the 1930s
until his death in 1987. He was a pioneer in television
commercials with his oddball
"Madman" persona, his alter ego generated publicity with unusual costumes, stunts, and
outrageous claims. Muntz also pioneered car stereos by creating the
Muntz Stereo-Pak, better known as the 4-track cartridge, a predecessor to
the 8-track
cartridge developed by Lear Industries. He was credited with coining the abbreviation
"TV" for television, although the term had earlier
been in use in call letters for stations such as WCBS-TV.
Muntz
founded the Muntz Car
Company, which made the "Muntz Jet", a sports car with jet-like contours. The car was manufactured
between 1951 and 1953, although fewer than 400 were produced.
Muntz
married seven times.
Muntz
rejected the then-common opinion that used car salesmen should project a staid
image. He realized the possibilities of generating publicity with odd
stunts and developed a "Madman" persona.
Despite
his early success, sales later declined and Muntz's creditors refused to
provide further financing in 1954. Muntz admitted his business lost
$1,457,000 from April to August 1953, and although he tried to reorganize,
Muntz TV filed bankruptcy and went out of business in 1959. However, Muntz's success
continued in the sales of cars and general consumer electronics.
In
late 1970, Muntz closed his Stereo-Pak audio business after a fire severely
damaged his main offices. He then entered the growing home-video market. Muntz
centered his retail business on cellular phones, satellite dishes, a motor home rental company dubbed "Muntz Motor
Mansions", and prefabricated aluminum houses.
The
"Madman" method pioneered by Muntz was later copied by other
retailers, including California car salesman Cal Worthington and New York area electronics chain Crazy Eddie.
No comments:
Post a Comment