Bedford Public Library

Life of the party, the remarkable story of how Brownie Wise built, and lost, a Tupperware party empire, Bob Kealing

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-289) and index

individual biography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Life of the party

bibliography

Bob Kealing

the remarkable story of how Brownie Wise built, and lost, a Tupperware party empire

"Kealing offers the definitive portrait of Wise, a plucky businesswoman who divorced her alcoholic husband, started her own successful business, and eventually caught the eye of Tupperware inventor, Earl Tupper, whose plastic containers were collecting dust on store shelves. The Tupperware Party that Wise popularized, a master-class in the soft sell, drove Tupperware's sales to soaring heights. It also gave minimally educated and economically invisible postwar women, including some African-American women, an acceptable outlet for making their own money for their families--and for being rewarded for their efforts. With the people skills of Dale Carnegie, the looks of Doris Day, and the magnetism of Eva Peron, Wise was as popular among her many devoted followers as she was among the press, and she become the first woman to appear on the cover of BusinessWeek in 1954. Then, at the height of her success, Wise's ascent ended as quickly as it began. Earl Tupper fired her under mysterious circumstances, wrote her out of Tupperware's success story, and left her with a pittance. He walked away with a fortune and she disappeared--until now."--Provided by publisher

Going it alone -- The go-getter -- A perfect fit -- Life of the party -- Gold rush days -- A sunshine state -- "There's gold for me in '53" -- To the stars -- Victory behind us, success before us -- A revolt from within -- The Tupperware ladies -- Best wishes -- Sunshine Cinderella -- Storm front -- The breaking point -- Pictures of despair -- Moving on